Wash & Go's -- Are They For You?

I've always been a simple person when it comes to my hair.  I get the bare minimum done because I hate sitting for long periods of time to get my hair done.  When I decided to "go natural", I figured it would be a lot easier to wash and style my hair.  WRONG.  It takes me about 2-2 1/2 hours to do my hair.  I really try to take my time during the detangling process because I don't want to break off my hair by tugging on it.  I'm now extremely cautious at how much hair comes out while I'm detangling or styling my hair.

Wash Day with New Products! 5/8/17

This was one time that I was excited to wash my hair.  Only because...I had new products to try!  Yes, I know I said I was going to hold out on buying new products BUT Sally's had a sale so I picked up a few products.  This week I tried Design Essential's Almond & Avocado Detangling Leave In Conditioner & Twist & Set Setting Lotion.  But first let me give ya'll the breakdown of how wash day went this week.

Braid Out 5/1/17

What I'm becoming to find out is that I prefer to do my hair in a perm rod set every time.  I'm not sure why but that's the case.  I think because with a perm rod set I can make my hair super full on day one or as the days go by my hair will naturally become really full looking.  I really have been messing around with my hair just to do something that I haven't done in awhile; hence the twist out and now braid out.  Plus I have too many products that I need to use.  Braid out just doesn't sound right to me but that's what it's called.  Go figure.  Before ya'll even look at my pictures below, just know that while being natural an ugly process is involved.  Anyway, for this post I'm going to give you all the step by step directions of how I did my braid out.  Soooooo, here we go.

Toddler Hair 5/2/17

As I shared a few posts back.  I was terrified to have a daughter because I CAN NOT do hair.  Prior to becoming natural if my hair wasn't in a sew-in, it was wrapped or in a ponytail.  I was scared to have a daughter but at the same time I prayed hard of my baby to have a head full of hair.  Had I known months of heartburn came along with that I probably wouldn't have prayed so hard.  I'm serious.  That heartburn was the DEVIL.

Wash Day & Twist Out 4/27/17

Last week I took the much needed time to wash my hair.  Yes I washed my hair last week and I'm just now posting about it. I've been being lazy when it comes to blogging not to mention I forgot to take some pictures of the steps and my hair.  Anyway, my goal for this year is to use at least half of my stash and I have a pretty large stash.  So each week I'm going to use different products instead of sticking to the same ones that I usually use all the time.  This is going to be kind of tough because I like to use certain products now.  I wish that I could commit to just one or two brands, but I can't so oh well!  In this post I'm going to take you all step-by-step through what wash day looked like for me.

Must Have's

There have been so many new products released from a few of my favorite hair product brands (The Mane Choice, Briogeo, Mielle Organics has something they are getting ready to release).  There are so many people in the world like me that just has to try everything that a product line has to offer.  These companies are making sure to ride the hype wave while they can (smart business move).  I really feel like I'm torturing myself by not purchasing them right now but I am really trying to use the majority of the products that I have right now.  I mean I am really TRYING.

Ladybug's Holy Grail

Ya'll blogging is hard.  At least for me it is.  It seems like I don't have the time or energy to really blog anymore.  Every time I start sleep kicks in and if you know me then you know I LOVE to sleep. It's been a struggle since Ladybug was born, but baby I still get my naps in daily.  If I don't get my rest, I'm not the person that you want to be around.  Now don't let me be hungry AND sleepy...I'm really the last person that you want to deal with at that point.  Back to blogging though.  It's also tough because I am a perfectionist and if something isn't right then I will mess with it all night if I have to.

More Baby/Toddler Natural Hair Products

So on my last post I was supposed to stick to talking about hair but I ended up talking mostly about skin care for products that I use for my daughter.  I promise that I will stick to talking about hair.  As I mentioned before I was only using California Baby's Calendula Shampoo & Bodywash on my infant daughter's hair.  When she was about 9 or 10 months, I decided to try their Calendula Hair Conditioner, Calming™Hair Detangler, and Calming™Jelly Mousse Natural Hair Gel.  I wanted to stick with this brand because it was all natural and it was what I was familiar.  Plus after that incident with the Aveeno, I wasn't taking any more risks.

Natural Babies Hair & Skin

I want to take a moment to switch it up a bit and talk about babies and toddlers with natural hair.  I get so many compliments on the texture and amount of hair that my daughter has.  I think her hair is like that due to genetics (her father's because my hair texture as a baby was a hot mess) and the right hair products.

I Actually Straightened My Hair!

Photo Courtesy of
http://hdimagelib.com/4c+hair+straightened




If you've been following along, then you already know that I don't like putting heat on my hair.  I guess I've used heat and chemicals on my hair for so many years now that I feel like it deserves a break as I learn more about being natural.  I blow dried my hair straight for a sew-in in January (that only lasted 5 days) and I had no intentions on using the blow dryer again until I got ready for some braids or Senegalese twists.  But on wash day last week, I kept having the urge to use a new product and using that product meant using heat.  

Products for Protective Styles

Under a protective style, your hair still needs to be taken care of.  I know so many women that get sew-ins and braids and do nothing to their hair for months at a time.  I can't stand being around them because their hair smells and the dandruff build-up looks as if they walked in dirty snow.  I haven't had a sew-in since 2012 and when I decided to get one in January, I only kept it in for 5 days.  It's also been awhile since I've had braids (2013) and crochets (2016).  Each style I kept in for less than 2 weeks.  I always miss messing with my natural hair.  I'm always ready to have something done to it because I'm tired of doing it but as soon as I get a protective style, I'm ready for it to be out.  There are so many protective styles that can be done from sew-ins, crochets, braids, twists, updos, and many more.

Deals on Hair Products

Okay, so my baby is sleep before 12 and my husband is snoring loud as hell.  What does that mean?  Jellybeans and blogging for me!  I had to take a short hiatus to do some party planning and spend some time with my family.  While I was away, I didn't have my laptop and I hate trying to type on my iPad without the wireless keyboard.  Anyway, I'm back and ready to share some more hair tips.

I get quite a few people that tell me that the products I use are way too expensive.  In a sense they kind of are, but do ya'll really think I pay FULL price for anything that I use?!

Ready to Style?

Photo Courtesy of Goggle image search

Now that I have completed the shampoo, protein treatment, deep conditioner, conditioner, and L.O.C. method, what do I do?

Each time I have to decide whether I am going to do a perm rod set, twist out, or braid out.  Honestly, that's all I know how to do right now.  I've never been real big on doing a lot to my hair so those styles work well enough for me.

Moisturizers, Cremes, & the L.O.C. Method

Photo Courtesy of Goggle image search

I'm attempting to work on this blog while my daughter is running around.  I have failed at wash day for the both of us once again.  There's always tomorrow because I don't think we are going anywhere.  Today was 71 degrees and tomorrow they are predicting the high will be about 47 degrees.  The gag is the low will be 24 degrees.  I'm so over this crazy weather up here.  Wait, I think my kid just pooped...hold on.

All About Oils

If you've been following along, you should be tired of me mentioning the word moisturize.  I keep saying it because it is so important.  I didn't understand that in the beginning but the more I read and played with my hair, I began to understand that my hair craves moisture especially in the winter.  Now I wasn't big on oils at first because I hate oily hair with a passion.  I can't stand for my hair to be weighed down with oil and other hair products.  It leaves the surfaces oily and my hair will not respond to any hair style.  When I would hear the word oil, I just think, "Nope, that's not for me."  

Regular Conditioners and Leave-In Conditioners

Photo Courtesy of Goggle image search

I had to take a short break to regroup and figure out what direction I was going in with my blog.  As I stated before, I'm no expert when it comes to natural hair.  These posts are a combination of me doing my own research and finding out what works best for my hair.  There are active links in each post so that way you don't have to search hard for the products if you wish to try them.  I know everyone might not benefit from reading this but my hope is that I can at least encourage and help someone with natural hair.

Protein Treatments, Conditioners, and Deep Conditioners

Photo Courtesy of Goggle image search

I was tired tonight and since the little lady was sleep early, I figured that I would just fall in the bed too.  But here I am still up because while I was in the shower I heard her crying and I figured her dad would check on her.  She kept crying and I peeped out to see him in the chair sleep with his mouth wide open.  I guess he was super tired because they were in the same room and he didn't even hear her crying.  Since her face is stuck in the iPad, I figured I would blog a little to help me stay up.

Shampoos

Photo Courtesy of Goggle image search

Shampooing is something that I try to do on a weekly basis, but there are times when I will shampoo my hair every two weeks.  Shampooing is important for me because it cleanses my scalp of all the product buildup from the week.  One thing that I cannot stand is oily hair.  When I had relaxed hair, oily hair drove me crazy because my hair would become stringy.  If it becomes oily now, it feels really slick and it leaves grease spots on leather surfaces.  One day I got up off the couch and looked back and the spot where my head was reminded me of Darryl and his family's hair from Coming to America.  You know the part when the family was sitting on the couch and when they got up it was all stained and greasy from those jheri curls.

Is Co-Washing Right For You?

Photo Courtesy of Goggle image search

I never heard of co-washing until I decided that I would really take this natural hair thing seriously.  Co-washing or condition washing is using a conditioner or conditioner-like product to cleanse the hair.  This method is beneficial for me when I am either too tired to do a complete wash day or if I have too much product build up in the middle of the week.  Co-washing is a gentle way of getting rid of the impurities and product build-up in the hair and on the scalp.

Pre-Poo and Apple Cider Vinegar

I think these next few blogs will be what everyone will be most interested in.  I'm going to name and discuss my "go to" products, which are my favorite hair products.  These are the products that I re-order over and over when I have a low supply of them.  The focus here will pre-poos and apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses.

Moving & Learning

I've been brainstorming all day how I want to continue with my posts on my favorite items.  I think the best way to do it would be to group the products together by shampoos, conditioners, etc.  It might be easier to do it that way than to list them by brands.  I wanted to take the time on this post to discuss two key things that I've learned so far when it comes to dealing with natural hair.

So we made the move from Iowa to Kentucky.  For some reason I thought it would be a breeze being that we didn't have to pack anything or move anything.  All I can say is thank God for my momma.

I Think I Got It

At this point on my natural hair journey, I think I was beginning to get the hang of everything.  I'm still digging around on my laptop for pictures of my hair from 2014 and 2015 so I can post them.  I know in later posts I'll put up some pictures of my hair now and some styles that I like to try.  My hair styles aren't perfect but they damn sure don't look like they did when I first started wearing my natural hair.  Let me add that this is my personal experience.  What worked for me, might not work for you and vice versa.  I have a friend that swears by certain Shea Moisture products but some of them just didn't work for me.  I know I jump around a lot from subject to subject but I hope you can follow along.

More Products?!

As I mentioned in my first post, I kind of started this blog because I'm in between changes in my professional career due to being a stay at home mom and it gives me something to do; more like a sense of purpose.  I also wanted to do this because there are so many people out there that are going natural and they just don't know what in the hell to do.  Not knowing what to do and becoming frustrated just leads to going back to a relaxer or not taking the proper care of your hair and it just breaks off and looks plain bad.  I know there are other blogs out there way more interesting and informative than mine, but hopefully I can help at least one person along the way.  Newly naturals have to learn that their hair is NEVER going to be like someone else's.  I definitely had to learn this for myself.

The Next Journey

Not only was I about to become someone's mom, which was mind blowing, I had to find new hair products because the smell of my new favorites made me sick to my stomach.  You might be wondering, "Why in the hell won't she just get a sew-in or some braids?"  I was on a mission.  My goal was to make this natural hair thing work for me.  I started reading labels to see what was in the stuff that I was buying.  Like really, who reads the labels on products? *raises hand* ME!  I will stand in the middle of the aisle and read the entire label or I will look online.

Back to this Hair...

Ok, so I'm back for another round.  In my last post, I started discussing the start of my transition.  Later in this post and the posts to follow, I'll discuss more in depth the products that I have used and currently use and how they work or didn't work for me.

Now about this white film from the Shea Moisture Hair Smoothie--I found that any product that I used that left a white film on my hair would NEVER work for me.  I don't care how clean my hair was, it just doesn't work.  So I had to start researching some hair products ASAP because as a professional I couldn't go to work with my hair just any kind of way.  So I came across the brands As I Am, Miss Jessie's, and Carol's Daughter.

The Beginning...

Let me start off by saying I'm new to this blogging thing.  I've been going through a transition in careers since deciding to stay at home with our daughter.  It's given me a lot of free time to play with things.  More specifically, my hair.  So let's take it back to the beginning of the transition struggle.

For as long as I could remember, I had been getting a perm.  My aunt was a licensed beautician so I got my hair washed and styled weekly and every six weeks or so I would get a perm.  My hair was a little past my shoulders and was always deemed healthy.  After college, I got a job teaching and somehow I got introduced to sew-ins.  I was always against weave for some reason but baby, when I got that first sew-in you couldn't tell me anything!  I was hooked!