Natural Hair Journey: My Big Chop #2 !

Hello World & Naturalistas.

This upcoming September would've marked my 2 year Natural Hair Anniversary. But this past week I did the unthinkable. Yep, that's right you guessed it! I did another big chop!

 

To think about the situation as a whole I laugh, because nearly two years ago I would obsess over my hair growth. I stalked other Naturalista's Natural Hair Journey videos and would always compare my growth to their's. I knew that the only way to get to where they were was to forget about the length and really focus on the health of my hair. In my  >>DRY TWISTOUT ON NATURAL HAIR<< post  I mentioned that I needed a trim because my heads were raggedy.

As time went on I noticed that middle/back of my hair was shorter than every other area, It was breaking off!  So instead of trimming I decided to cut all of my hair off.  How exicitng? I got rid of dead weight in my life and decided why not get rid of the dead weight on my head ! I also decided to create some sort of style instead of cutting it the way I did the first time I chopped. I finalized on a tapered cut. I've had the tapered cut multiple times but this time I was going to do it with natural hair. I watched a lot of videos that week and decided to cut my hair a few days later.

The morning after I woke up to a dishonorable sight and decided to go back to Youtube to get more cut and styling ideas. Because I had somewhere to go that afternoon I decided to do perm rods on the top, and lowering the sides and finger coilng the shorter parts. Although I cut too much hair off from one side I liked this cut so much better. 

I still need to go to the barber shop so that they can evenly.

The Process...

I sectioned my hair off into 6 Sections. I made 6 pony tails and cut off the hair in those sections.

 When I was done I did a Clay Rinse... if you have no idea what that is or are interested in seeing the results of that on my hair.. feel free to read my post about >>CLAY RINSING<<. This time I added Apple Cider Vinegar to the clay instead of water. I kept it in for a few minutes with a plastic shower cap over my head. Then I rinsed it out and applied Suave 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner to my hair to wash out all the clay. Then I followed up with Shea Mositure's Super Fruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque. There were nothing but good reviews about it on Youtube so I had to check it out. After keeping that in I rinsed it out and proceeded to styling.

Below you can see my finger coils. I created them by spraying my hair until it was soaking wet then grabbing lots of gel and taking one small section and wrapping it around my finger. In this picture they're dry.

 

For styling I used my >>NATURAL HAIR STAPLE PRODUCTS<< Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner and Olive Oil EcoStyler Gel. I used Gel to fingercoil and Cantu to style the top. Above I used perm rods to achieve a curly top.. check out my >>PERM ROD<< post to read about roding technique. 

Here are some pictures of the result.

 

22 Months Post BC: How I Retain Moisture in My Natural Hair

Hello World and Naturalistas !

Today I'm going to be discussing a few ways I retain moisture in my natural hair.

 It's not about products, as much as it is about technique. If you're having problems keeping your hair moisturized and are interested in new tips then keep on reading.

1. I do not wash my hair often

At the beginning of my journey I used to wash my hair every single week, even every couple days. It wasn't necessarily because my hair was dirty but because my scalp was itchy. I would wash with shampoos because that was the only way to stop the itching. This caused my hair to dry out badly. Once I found out how to combat my itchy scalp I washed my hair when it needed to be washed. In the mean time I add a whole bunch of water, products, and oil to my hair, when necessary or when styling that helps it stay moisturized.

2. Protective Styling

In the winter the cold air can dry out your hair, So it is often recommended that you do protective styling which is anything from an updo to some braids...anything that will keep in moisture. It is not only important apply moisture when styling but to add continuously to make sure it remains moisturized for that time frame.

3. Wearing a scarf or bonnet

I don't know about you but cotton sucks all of the juices out of my hair. Last month when I had crochet braids in I neglected using a scarf for the 3 weeks I had the style in. I tried to compensate for it by moisturizing every couple days. But my hair was no match for that cotton pillow case. When I took down the style my hair was SO dry. Moral of the story: Tie down your hair at night! It's okay if you happen to be lazy or forget a couple nights but be as consistent as possible for maximum hydration. OR if you don't want to have to tie down your hair every night invest in a silk or satin pillowcase. Katt Williams uses one! lol

I may have spoken on things you already know about but you may not be putting this simple actions into practice. If this applies to  you then it's time to get back to the basics! Happy, Healthy Hair is what's important. 

If you're interested in the products I use to moisturize my hair.. check out this post

>>My Updated Natural Hair Regimen<<

I hope you find this helpful :)

"6 Things That College Taught Me, Aside from Academics"

Everyone knows that the number one reason to attend college is to get an education, but you learn so much more about life and who are as a person when you're there. And that's what I'll be talking about today. Here are the "6 Things That College Taught Me, Aside from Academics"

How to Manage My Money

"The broke college student" is a common stigma amongst college students, who work part time and go to school full time, but it doesn't have to be. Everyone's situation while in college is different but I will focus on mine. Firstly, I lived on campus and it was mandatory for me to purchase a meal plan. Both my Freshman and Sophomore year in college I ate there but then after a while I resorted to cooking in the dorm kitchen and ordering out. How is this conducive to managing your money? Well food was one of my biggest expenses. I felt like the last thing I could do was starve myself, so I didn't. I also wanted to go out and have a good time once in a while and of course I had bills that needed to be paid. At times I would find myself in a rut because money was tight. In order to combat this I would suggest creating a budget. My mother taught me how to do so when I got my first real job. Once I got my check I would calculate how much I had for the necessities, leisure, and saving. That way I was able to keep track of how much money I was able to spend so that I couldn't go broke and all of the necessities were taken care of. In college I had to do this quiet a few times because I didn't always have as much as I needed so I improvised.

Life is What You Make It

Not everyone is privileged to attend college. But once you're there, it's up to you to make the best of the experience. I know I started off not knowing anything. Most of us communicated with everyone and tried make new friends, attend all events, and get involved. It's safe to say that after my first year in college half of the incoming class was gone. Whether they transferred or dropped out is their story to tell. But I do have one story I can tell that isn't my own. One night I was over my bestfriend's dorm and we saw cop cars pulled up along side of the building. Of course we wanted to know what was going on, as did everyone else. We go down the elevator and we hear people say that someone got arrested for marijuana possession. Just that quick his "get outta the hood" scheme was over. He never came back and he never continued his education. It's unfortunate that he wasn't motivated enough to go back to school. And to this I say, know what you want and work HARD to make it happen. Sometimes thing happen that deter your plan but if you work for it your destiny will be fulfilled before you leave.

How to Empathize 

"Be nice to everyone, You never know what battle their struggling with behind closed doors." Being in college I truly believe this. I have dormed with so many different people of different race and background and culture.And no matter what kind of persona they put on, I heard a piece of each and every one of their realities. One girl had a celebrity father who sent checks but spent no quality time with her, One girl was addicted to drugs, One girl was adopted and raised by parents who took her in, and others had real life problems. I had issues of my own but I'm thankful I still had people around that loved and cared about me so I try to be that person as well, even to those I don't know. So what if they have an attitude or don't smile at me... when I smile or give them an encouraging word, it could brighten their day.

Temporary situations, Temporary Life

In the blink of an eye times 1000 someone who was once your confidant can become a stranger. Especially in college you may be close to them for two years and then drift when you start involving yourself in things that interest you, You can become busy, and just fall apart. It's life. I won't say don't get attached. But take a lot of pictures and create a lot memories so that you can never forget the good times. They always say that college years are the best years of your life. But hey maybe they won't be... maybe the next five years after that will be. It's up to you.

No Entitlement 

In high school it may have been easier to skip classes and still get decent grades. Or expect to be given something because you've done well. But the truth of the matter is you aren't owed anything for being a living, breathing human being. Everything you will ever have, you must work hard for. No matter what scale. If you slack in your academics you will fail... College taught me that I have to work for everything that I want, everything that I need. I can't expect anything from anyone. I must research, I must ask, I must do my part. 

Making Wise Decisions

For the first 18 years some 17  of our lives our parents made all of our decisions. Of course during teen years we made decisions of our own which most can say were not the best. But after college you're forced to do it on your own. Should I go to this party tonight or work on this paper? Should I go to the doctor? Nah I'm good. Should I stay out until 3 when I know I have class at 8? When you're parents aren't breathing down your neck constantly or over your shoulder yelling at you ... you become the solo author of your life. You're guaranteed to make mistakes .. please learn from them.

Like this post? Then check out my other posts about College

5 Things I Regret NOT Doing In College

College: 15 Things You Should Know 

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