I get around
This is mainly a “heads up” post about other places to find my stuff on the ‘net. While I will definitely be beefing up this blog in the near future, I also keep myself busy as a contributing writer/photographer for these awesome sites:
Dipped in Cream (Celebrity Gossip and Entertainment)
Meandering Entertainer (Choice Slices of Entertainment, Travel, & the General WTF of the World)
Check ’em out!
Major hair journey update!
Buckle up! This may be a long one. 😛
When it comes to transitioning, everyone has a point where they say “enough”. That’s when they decide to either go back to relaxing their hair or, as in my case, they do the “big chop”. My original plan never changed; I was going to transition for as long as I could handle it and then cut off the processed hair so that I’d have at least a bit of curly ‘fro to work with. I was hoping to make it to a year but, apparently, 8 months was my max.
Me and the ‘rents went on another cruise in May and it was right before this, when I wanted to make my freshly washed hair look nice and pretty, that I realized I friggin’ hated it. The drastic difference in texture from my relaxed hair to my natural 3c-textured hair meant that I spent more of my time fighting dreadlocks than anything else. Wearing it loose had since become a thing of the past with my roots a thick forest while the rest was a mess of rat tails. Just…no. I was done. Yet I sat on it! I went on vacation and told myself that, if I continued to feel I’d reached my limit, I’d big chop sooner than expected. I mean, clearly my frustration signaled that I was ready to go balls deep, as it were, and I’d come too far (8 months of experimentation) to throw it away on the “creamy crack”.
We came back from the cruise, I deep conditioned my hair for 30 mins (my usual), washed it, then realized I couldn’t get a comb into my hair if you paid me in diamonds. No amount of divide and conquer was going to win this day quickly. In the end, it took me a grand total of 5 miserable hours to do my hair, from DC to drying with a diffuser attachment. Oh, yes, I was officially done. Why bother keeping my hair at the length it was when it represented nothing other than aggravation to me? My main issue was that I didn’t know who to go to for my big chop. It didn’t feel right going to my old hairdresser, regardless of knowing each other for ages; She always did right by my hair but I clearly needed someone with more experience in this specific area. Enter my mom who came across a woman, Nikki, working in a barbershop near us who knew exactly how to handle the kind of drastic hair change I had in mind. Excited, I popped in the first chance I got (June 8th, 2013), sans appointment, so I could get this part of my life over with already! And I’m still somewhat torn over how I feel about it. I mean, I’ve never had hair this short except for when I was an infant. But it was one of those imperative urges that had to be respected; I was freeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Fresh Big Chop, dun dun dunnnnn!
A lot of women cry when they finally do the big chop. Or, at least, that’s what the internet tells me. As strange as it was to be shorn of 95% of my hair, I was strangely okay with it outside of feeling awkward as hell. No doubt this is thanks to the mental preparation I’d given myself way in advance. As a smart woman, I wasn’t about to look that gift horse in the mouth. What I could’ve done without? All the attention that accompanied my new look. Sure, I understood as it was a drastic (read: shocking) change for my friends/family/coworkers to see but it still made me highly uncomfortable as I’m not a fan of attention. That and how insecure I felt now that my, in my opinion, “moon face” was on full display. Eek! 2 months later and that hasn’t completely gone away yet! But what’s done is done so I try not to fret about the “naked” sensation overmuch. I have to appreciate how much less time it takes to wash/condition my hair too! Which leads me to the subject of products, one of the most important elements of any hair journey.
Now that I’ve got a full, albeit short, head of natural 3c hair, I’ve definitely had to change things up a bit. Research on the ‘net is key, even while keeping in mind that what works for one head may not work for yours. I believe I’ve settled on a nice combo that suits for now; I say “for now” as what my hair requires will inevitably change as it grows. Products that felt too heavy whilst I was transitioning, such as Shea Moisture’s “Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle”, have now become some of my favorite hair staples! Former loves like Kinky Curly’s “Curling Custard” are still used but don’t quite maintain the level of moisture I now need. My hair will literally suck up whatever is put on it and then do whatever the hell it wants because, truth be told, there’s only so much styling one can do to curly hair this short. Not gonna lie, this suits my busy lifestyle just fine; me and my hair are growing together. All that being said, current products and usage are as follows:
Hair care buddies!
1) Cleanse with As I Am’s “Coconut CoWash”. I love, love, love this stuff. Smell delicious and gently “washes” my hair while adding moisture rather than stripping it. Also, the price is incredibly decent i.e. less than $8 for 16 oz, a steal for a great curly product.
2) Condition with TreSemme Natural’s Silicone-free Conditioner. Both the smoothing one and the moisturizing one work equally well for me and are usually on sale for $3.49 or 2 for $6 at many a drugstore. MInd you, with the Coconut CoWash, I don’t actually have to use an additional conditioner. I just choose to because my hair loves added moisture, it does my curls justice, and makes detangling that much easier.
3) Shea Moisture’s “Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk” is 100% my new favorite hair product. It’s my leave-in conditioner that’s replacing Kinky Curly’s “Knot Today”. Again, it’s not that I no longer like KT, it’s more that the curl milk is providing that extra hydration my hair needs. Should I feel that my hair is particularly tangled, I have no problem going right back to KT. Anyhoo, yes. This stuff smells like a Pina Colada! It super soothes my thirsty curls and helps so much in the frizz department! I had one of those major “ahhhhh” moments when I used it for the first time. It is slightly pricier than I’d like ($10.99/8 oz) but a little does go a long way and my hair is one of those things that I’ve always been willing to spend extra cash on if it means it’ll be healthier. My bottle looks almost brand new after about 4 uses. *shrug*
4) As mentioned above, I volley between the Shea Moisture “Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle” and Kinky Curly’s “Curling Custard” to “set/hold” my curls. Do I like both gels? Yes. Do I feel that one works better for me than the other? Another yes. Will I continue to volley? Yes, yet again. If I ran out of my curling souffle and only had my curling custard, I wouldn’t freak out since I feel they both do well for me in different ways. The Kinky Curly is certainly lighter so, if I were expecting to sweat or something, I’d probably go with that as I don’t relish sticky gel trailing down my face or neck. If I think my hair is being drier/frizzier than usual, I’d go with the Shea Moisture as it’s thicker and heavier with product still feeling evident two days later. KC runs more expensive, by a few dollars, than SM and that’s always something to consider, though they both run in the $12 range (KC is 8 oz, SM is 12 oz).
5) I don’t really use a curl refresher as, by the time I’d need one, my curls are so dry that only a full wash/condition session will do. When I think one is required, I use another SM product. The “Coconut & Hibiscus Hold and Shine Moisture Mist”. It’s good, I like it, but it’s another $12 product that happens to go pretty fast. And I find that if I just spray water on my hair, I get a similar effect from reactivating the products I’ve already used a day or so before. Ergo, I’ll call this one a “luxury” item; lovely to have but life goes on fine without it.
Honorable mentions have to go to KC’s “Perfectly Polished” hair oil for giving softness/nourishment as a pick me up, Carol’s Daughter’s “Olive Oil Infusion” as a deep conditioner when needed, and regular ol’ shea butter/pure coconut oil for extra moisture and protection.
Overall, my hair is coming along nicely! I have absolutely no regrets about big chopping. I do wish it’d grow faster because I really miss having long hair but it is what it is; I’m going to try my best to enjoy this mop on my head in every stage it goes through. Now, for some reason, I haven’t bothered with “length checks”. I just can’t be arsed, I guess! Not to mention that the length, in units of measure, doesn’t matter if I can’t tell, you know? Curly shrinkage is EPIC. So, regardless of true length, I’ll be running around with a solid cap of curls that will only gain height (they grow out as opposed to down) in an incredibly slow manner. Womp womp!
Flower stylin’
Aaaaaaaaand there you have it. One massive hair update. 😀 Next hair-related post will probably be about the challenge of dry Winter air and ski caps. *shudder*
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