Officially a member of team TWA

i don't have much to say but I did it! The big chop was a big success and I'm going to post one pic, leave a link to see the rest on fb and also a link to my first article on KinkyCurlyCoilyMe! as I am a product reviewer for the site now. First here is a pic of the curl pattern I currently have, this look was achieved using Nappturalistic Beauty products (Review coming soon).

This is the link to view the rest of the pics on my facebook blog The Novice https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Novice-/43012624700754?ref=hl

And here is the link to my first article on KinkyCurlyCoilyMe!  http://kinkycurlycoilyme.com/clay-mask-a-summer-must-have/

The Big Chop!

I've waited for so long to do the big chop. Most people would say that 8 months isn't a long time, especially those of us who've waited a year or two and "long term transitioned"; well I tried that and it's just not working for me. I'm so ready to be through dealing with two different textures. What works for one never works for the other and since the inevitable is cutting those relaxed ends lose I figured why wait! I'm excited and just a little apprehensive about losing the length. My apprehension comes from the stares I am bound to get at my job, the times I will be addressed as sir instead of ma'am by a customer and just dealing with the reaction at school... other than that I'm as ready as I can be. I see the big chop as a fresh start and claim of self-love and devotion to the real me. I planned on recording the whole thing but as it turns out I'll be going to the hair appointment alone and will only do short video clips and before and after pics. So stay tuned I'll definitely share this experience with my readers. Also I ordered new products from Henna Sooq and Nappturalistic Beauty and will be doing product reviews on them as early as next week.

Finding Your Curl Pattern

How exciting is it to wake up one morning and discover that your new growth is no longer just textured hair? I mean like a full transformation seemingly overnight? I'm talking about that all important moment when your curl pattern emerges. There are several things that can lead to this discovery; one is having grown your hair out long enough to actually see the pattern, another is washing your hair and seeing the pattern during the conditioning phase of wash day, and last but not least is discovering a product that makes your curl "POP"! I've done all three and they happened almost simultaneously. One day a week ago I noticed the crinkle of my new growth, one day later during wash day I noticed the waves having more definition and starting to coil while conditioning my hair... Well the big moment happened just last night when I made flax seed gel for the first time. I put the gel on my hair and when I say IMMEDIATELY I do mean IMMEDIATELY! I immediately saw my hair curl up like baby hair when I applied the gel. I mean I have it all from coils, to ringlets to deep waves with curls at the ends, who knew! lol  I couldn't be happier or more surprised and in awe of the beauty of my natural hair. Every day I discover a new high in this journey and it makes me forget any and all regrets that I may have had early on in my transitioning process.

Unfortunately my camera is on the fritz so instead of showing you my curl pattern I'm just going to throw in a pic of various curl patterns.

Protein Deep Conditioner (Mayo, Honey, Egg & EVOO)

I recently used the homemade protein deep conditioner for the first time. Well the results are in! My hair smelled horrible lol but that's because I hate the smell of mayo and I'm also not a fan of apple cider vinegar (which I rinsed with before the conditioning process). While I didn't care for the smell, I did however love the end result. My hair has NEVER been so soft! I followed the protein conditioner of honey, egg, evoo and mayo with my regular conditioner and rinsed until all the egg was removed from my hair, I then sealed my hair from root to tip with evoo and let me tell you it was like butter! The other perk to the protein treatment is that my two textures stood out from one another. My new growth/natural hair was so soft, curly and fluffy and my relaxed ends were smooth and sleek. I felt like I could have done my own Big Chop at that point and been very happy with the results, however I have resolved to wait the full year. So on November 3rd in 122 more days I will be making a special trip to have my bc done professionally.

Frizz Frizz and More Frizz

Ever have frizz that just won't quit? Well frizz is inevitable with textured hair. While it can be remedied with simple tips and tricks like using products that aren't humectants, finding an anti frizz "serum" that works for your hair, even protein or keratin containing products that smooth the hair will help tremendously (I would never recommend keratin straightening systems as they contain many harsh chemicals). While frizz is normal there are times that frizz is a warning sign. Frizz that occurs on a single two strand twist can simply be that some of the hair ends in different places or it could be a sign of breakage.  A true sign of breakage is frizz at the scalp area. If you are transitioning and your hair is long and normally tamed at length but frizzy at the scalp or root area, it may not be frizz at all, it may be that your hair has broken at the line of demarcation. When transitioning a lot of us come to the decision not as a fad or bandwagon move but more of a low budget or forced by "hair damage" move of desperation or more of just being tired of the same old same old; so for that portion of us we are not immediately aware of the terminology or the wealth of knowledge afforded to us through youtube, blogspot and various other sources, many of us will make lots of mistakes. Some of those mistakes will lead to breakage and damage. There are many ways to avoid this kind of breakage or at least keep it to a minimum, just keep a watchful eye out for the warning signs.

Breaking the Rules Pt. 2

So I broke the rules again and guess what, my hair didn't fall out or stop grwing or jump off my head and run. But seriously I think that there are too many "hair police" rejects out there judging everything someone else does to or puts in their hair. I mean come on, if you chose to put nothing but all natural ingredients in your hair then that's good for YOU but don't judge others who don't do the same.

I dyed my hair with real dye because... well lets just say my only source is online and I'm not paying over $14 in shipping cost for something that only cost $1.95 to begin with. The dye didn't damage my hair anymore than it already was. It did take quite well... too well in fact. My hair instead of turning red turned carrot orange. so I used this product to strip the dye down to a darker color. Yep you read that correctly, the Curls Unleashed Take Command Curl Defining Cream Strips Dye. I had used my Sulfate shampoo at least twice to try to take some of the dye away but nothing happened. BUT then I remember that when I dyed my hair starry night black back in the day all it took was styling my hair with that product and rinsing it out the next day to not only strip my dye but also made my relaxed ends a coppery color. YIKES! so I figured that product was a waste of money because I didn't want it to strip my dye or make my hair hard and brittle but it did. The ingredient list alone is eye popping and not in a good way. Anyway I dyed my hair and stripped it on purpose this time and I styled it with products with taboo ingredients in them and my hair turned out just fine. Follow my next blog to see what products I used & how it turned out.

Breaking All The Rules

Have you ever found yourself using "taboo" items or products with "bad" ingredients? I do all the time, and as much knowledge as there is floating around on haircare and products you'd think we as naturals never make a mistake. I am not only a product junkie I'm also a hair blog/website junkie. I find myself checking out every book, blog and article available. I read and watch and listen on a daily basis... yet I still stick to my own rules. I use pantene conditioners that have ingredients that are "frowned upon" by the natural haircare world. I made my own leave in and it has none of the usual things in it and all of the unusual things in it. I have never used most popular product lines nor have I tried all of the latest fads like apple cider vinegar rinses or honey masks but that doesn't mean that I won't. I don't have a regimen (although I should because routine is good for haircare) and I'm working on that. I will keep doing me and doing what works best for me and not what everyone else is doing. I will try the products I am interested in and not the ones that everyone else raves about.  Next month I'll be trying the Qhemet Biologics line, not because it's a trend or a fad (and as far as I know it's not) but because I am a Ayurvedic loyalist! I believe in it like it was the bible. and Qhemet Biologics have all the Ayurvedic oils and properties that I love!!! Also on my list in the coming months are the rest of the beautiful textures line, Afroveda products and Original Moxie along with Oyin handmade products. Now I know that most ppl on youtube have already tried and reviewed these things but I'm going to try them anyway seeing how I am transitioning and only a few months away from my big chop and still finding out what works for my hair. I figure while I'm on the hunt for what works well for me I'll share the wealth of my experience with the general public so stay tuned.