natural

Update! My Straightened Hair!! Progress Pix!!

by Mona-Lisa on September 14, 2009

Hey my lovely readers! Well I finally straightened my hair for the first time in what seems like forever.

My hurr got that SWANG again!!!

I was tired of the pixies after having them in 3 1/2 weeks they held up really nicely

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But I was overdue for a trim and ready to see my true length so I took em down.

I tend to only leave “long term styles” in for three weeks max before I’m bored and ready to switch it up

The crimped effect is actually really cute….I would’ve left it like this had it not been for the accumulated dead hair hidden in there lol

Pixies taken Down, the crimped effect is actually really cute! I would'a left it had it not been for all the accumulated dead hair lol

The Pixies held up wonderfully and had surprising unanticipated benefits to my hair that I noticed after the takedown. I anticipated the length retention but I didn’t anticipate the increase in thickness, I’ve never needed much help in the thickness department, I did the pixie braids to give my hair a break from manipulation (combing, brushing, styling, heat) and to retain the length I gained in the month I wore them and it did just that, they did everything I anticipated but my hair was considerably thicker once I took them down….it was a nice surprise, my hair had thrived under that zero manipulation regimen it was on. So thats definitely something to consider if you ever wanna give this look a try.

My regimen for straightening:

- Applied Extra Virgin Olive Oil Generously before Shampooing

- Braided the hair in eight sections (while still tangled)

- Went to the sink NourishSpa Shampoo & Conditioner in hand put the shampoo only on my scalp and used the SPECTACULAR condish *incredible slip!* on my hair and GENTLY detangled.

- Rebraided as I went then put and GENEROUS amount of LeKair Cholesterol throughout my hair with a bit of aphogee 2 minute keratin reconstructer Deep conditioned under the dryer for 35 minutes then rinsed out

freshly washed and conditioned

Here’s a Shot of My Texture:

4a texture UpClose!! :o)

- Sprayed my hair with a new leave-in I didnt like lol (I would recommend using my usual –> dilluted 1-5 in a spray bottle sprayed on each section of damp hair before blow-drying) and began to blow dry my hair braid by braid with a very moderately powered blow dryer.

Lightly Blown Out:

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- Took my ceramic flat iron and alternated between 360 and 395 tending more toward 360 (I decided to do only moderate heat tonight)

Here’s a shot of me in the middle of the straightening session:

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- The End result: Swingin Swangin hair!!!

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I guess my new goal is MidBackLength blunt….but I’m very much satisfied with where I’m at right now

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a comment below! anyone can comment!! ;)


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Tips for Transitioning from Relaxed to Natural

by Mona-Lisa on July 31, 2009

The easiest way to transition is to simply do what is known as “The Big Chop” and chop off your relaxed hair and start out with a fresh head of coily kinky goodness J

However if you prefer not to “chop” and you want to do a long term transition as I did, here are some tips on how to go about it:

- Start washing your hair in medium sized braids this will GREATLY reduce or completely eliminate the issue of tangles especially if you plan on straightening your hair during your transition

- Get twists extensions rather than micro braids

  1. With twists you can get the $3 Kanekalon hair with no damage to your hair whereas when you get braids you have to get human hair or else your hair will break off
  2. You can take twists out very easily on your own within an hour to two hours time, I don’t think I even need to tell yall how different that is from the endeavor of taking some micro’s out!! Lol
  3. You get awesome growth and length retention from this style and it’s a great way to give your hair a break from daily manipulation for a while and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you take them out

- You WILL have moments of weakness where you feel like why don’t I just slap some relaxer on here and give up! But believe me, if you hold on till that day you’re rocking a fro so huge you stop people in their tracks….you’ll be glad you made the transition.

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Don’t Believe the Hype! Five Hair Myths Exposed!

by Mona-Lisa on July 30, 2009

shocked black girl

I’m gonna start out with some of the biggest myths we were told:

– Black women can only wash their hair once a week or every two weeks otherwise it will get dried out

WRONG your hair gets dried out not because of washing but because of what you’re washing WITH. Most commercial shampoo’s contain Sodium Laurel (or Laureth Sulfate) which is a cheap harsh detergent that dries the hair out and can lead to breakage.

A great alternative to this would be to do whats known as conditioner washing or co-washing this can be done as often as you like. Some people do it as often as every day with great results, or you can purchase a shampoo that doesn’t contain harsh sulfates and use that to wash your hair. It is very good for your hair for you to co-wash it often it will help with hydration and reduce build-up which can slow-down growth.

- Black Women’s Natural hair is unmanageable

WRONG Black women’s natural hair is perfectly manageable, you simply need the right products to detangle and you need to be sure to only detangle the hair when it is soaking wet with the right conditioner for your hair type. For me, Aussie Moist has been a godsend providing incredible slip allowing the comb to simply glide thru my afro textured hair applying an oil like extra virgin olive oil also makes a huge difference.

- Black Women’s Hair Just Grows Slower then Other Races Hair

FALSE our hair grows at much the same rate as any other race, however many black women’s hair stays short because we do not retain (maintain) the length. This happens through overprocessing or overlapping relaxers, combing natural hair while its dry, heat damage etc our hair grows at very close to the same rate as any other race of women’s hair we just have been misinformed about how to care for our hair.

- You Should Get a Relaxer Every Month

Absolutely NOT. This is exactly the kind if thinking that has most Black women stuck at stringy shoulder length hair. You should stretch your relaxers as far apart as you can stand, no matter how kinky or coarse your hair is. I recommend stretching at least 3-4 months so that you can avoid overlapping relaxers and overprocessing your hair this can be done by doing styles like braid-outs and flat-twist outs bantu-knots you also need to use products that will soften your new growth and make it manageable like ElastaQP mango butter.

Ladies and Gent’s Don’t believe the Hype! I have come to find out on my healthy hair journey that to grow Afro textured hair long and strong, you have to unlearn most of the hair myths we were taught growing up. I know alot of what I said may be controversial to some. Let me know what you think!

Happy Hair Growth!

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