Hair Experiment: Curlformers Take 2!

Finally I was able to try out my curlformers again! If you remember from this post, the last time I tried I wasn't able finish the entire process. Anyway, I'm very satisfied with my results and I'll definitely start using them more often. It's a very simple way to get bouncy, heat-less curls. I won't get into how to use the curlformers because they have instructions in the box but this is what I did:

I co-washed with my new Herbal Essences hydralicious conditioner and detangled before rinsing out the conditioner. I didn't use a comb to divide sections, I just finger parted. I also combed through each section before applying the curlformer. Make sure the hair is wet when applying. The only products I used were Neutrogena Triple Moisture silk touch leave in cream, chi silk infusion, Twisted Sista 30 second curl spray (mentioned in my last post) and a spray bottle with water. I sprayed each section of hair individually with the Twisted Sista. I used 33 of the 46 curlformers that came in the box and I slept with them in overnight which was uncomfortable but not terrible. Results pictures below!

As you can see my hair is a little longer than the rollers but it wasn't significant.

After removing....obviously lol

Another view of the curls.

After separating the curls with my hands...

It's a little messy but I like it...lol

Hair Products: Twisted Sista & Herbal Essences

I was in the hair aisle at Rite Aid today and picked up a couple of new things to try. Since I'm all out of my other conditioner I was looking for a good moisturizing conditioner so I picked up some Herbal Essences hydralicious reconditioning conditioner....wow, that's a mouthful lol. I've heard a lot of people talk about their none of your frizzness conditioner but I decided moisture was more important than frizz maintenance right now. I had a recent failure with a bantu knot out so I'll probably be using this soon so I can start over with my hair. It was just under $5 for the 10 ounce bottle. It's supposed to "take dry, damaged hair to the brink" and "give frizz, breakage and dryness a smooth ride to a luscious world where dry and damaged are just a bad dream." It sounds a little cheesy but hopefully the product will back up the bottle's claim.

The other product I picked up was Twisted Sista 30 second curl spray by Urban Therapy. It was about $5 for a 5 ounce bottle. I bought it because I'm gonna try to use Curlformers again and hopefully this spray will enhance the curls and help them last a little longer. The bottle says its "for naturally curly hair or to revitalize permed or afro hair to give amazing ringlets in no time at all." It smells good and hopefully it works.

I'll let you know how things turn out!

Product Review: Lustrasilk's Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus

I used this product as a deep conditioner and to be honest, I didn't really care for it. I just recently finished the last of it and I probably won't buy it again. Something about it left my hair feeling kind of tough or almost hard and not soft. That's the best way I can think to describe it.

In all honesty, I didn't use it the way the directions say to use it so that could have caused the negative outcome I got. The directions say to apply the product to your hair, wait 3-5 minutes then rinse it out. It also makes a point of saying that a shower cap isn't necessary but that's not how I used it. I applied a very generous amount after washing, detangled, put a shower cap on for about 45 minutes to an hour, and then I rinsed it out. It's possible that I just left it in for too long and that's why my hair came out feeling a little tough. I don't really know but 3-5 minutes just doesn't seem like a long enough time for a deep conditioner to really work.

Anyway, just because a product doesn't work for me doesn't mean that it won't work for you so give it a try and see for yourself :)

PS: Currently looking for a good moisturizing deep conditioner and I'm very open to suggestions if you have any.

Hair Diary: 6 Months and Counting

It's been exactly 6 months since I had my last relaxer (I would post pictures but my camera sucks at texture shots so it would be pointless). So far it hasn't been as difficult as I expected but going out has presented somewhat of a problem. Usually when I go out to a party/club/etc I wear my hair down but for some reason it's just not as easy to style it hanging down while transitioning. It's especially hard for me because I'm a person who likes to wear her hair straight and hanging down but I know that's not the best thing to do when trying to transition. It's just hard to break old habits.


On the plus side, I usually keep my hair in a ponytail or bun during the week so I guess that's something. I still haven't eliminated heat (and to be honest I'm not sure I ever will), but I've SERIOUSLY cut back on it. There was a time when I was flat ironing my hair pretty much every day but now I only do it after I wash my hair if I'm not doing a transitioning style. I really haven't done any transitioning styles for a while because the last few times I tried something new and it came out looking crazy so I just got frustrated and straightened it. Maybe on the next wash day I'll go back to a twist out or bantu knot out because I know those styles actually work for me.


Anyway, that's all for now. Nothing special just a little hair update.

Hair Products: Fantasia IC Shea Butter Oil Moisturizer

Recently I've been looking around for a good daily moisturizer to try because my hair gets dry really quickly. I'm more worried about it now since it's getting colder outside and my skin is already drying out like crazy. Ever since I was a kid my hair eats up oil and grease so I'm always trying to keep from drying out. I've been using coconut oil mostly for my scalp but I don't want my hair to be extra oily to the touch all the time. That's why I decided to go out and find a more creamy type of moisturizer when I found this Shea Butter Oil moisturizer by Fantasia.

I just bought it today so I'm not sure how well it's gonna work yet but I'll give it a try. It smells good and the bottle says it "drenches your thirsty, damaged hair" and "repairs, strengthens, and shines" with an anti-breakage formula. I hope it works!

Flat Twist Out part 2

In my last post I told you that I put in flat twists with some single two strand twists but now I've taken them out. I only left them in for a week which I know isn't very long but I was ready for them to go. I wasn't 100% satisfied with the outcome anyway then on top of that they were starting to get a little fuzzy so it was time. I think I'll wear the twist out for the next few days until I really have time to sit down and do my hair. Here's a few pictures:

Hair Diary: Awkward/Uneven Length

I'm kind of annoyed that my hair is in an awkward phase in parts of my head. The problem is that I got my bangs cut again when I got my last relaxer in June after months of letting them grow out. So now it seems like it's gonna take forever for that part of my hair to grow out and it always looks weird when I try to do transitioning styles because of the short length in the front.

Then on top of that it looks like I have a decent amount of breakage around the front and sides of my head also which is really annoying. I'm not really sure what to do about it so I'll have to do some research to figure out what the best thing would be for me. The good news is that I'm pretty much over that phase I went through of feeling like my hair wasn't growing fast enough or something. I know that's it's gonna grow and I just need to be patient. It's just weird because before now I really didn't think much about hair growth at all except when I was growing out bangs.

I guess it's kind of like that old saying, "a watched pot never boils." I'm focusing less on the growth and more on trying to have healthy hair.

Hair Experiment: Flat Twists with Two Strand Twists

So I tried another hairstyle that I saw on a youtube video but it didn't come out exactly how I wanted. It's not bad but it could be better. It's basically just 2 strand flat twists in the front and single flat twists in the back. You don't really get the full effect in the pictures because my hair is in a ponytail. To be honest I didn't like how it looked with the hair out. I think I took the twists too far to the back or something. I washed my hair, blow dried to stretch it out, then proceeded to twist.

Anyway, here are a few pictures:

As you can see, some of the twists came out a little crazy, lol (especially in the back) but hey, I tried. I think I might try this style again sometime.

NO! To the Hair Milk

Okay, so in my last post I said that one of the products I wanted to try was Just for Me hair milk but that's not gonna happen. I was in the hair store today and planned on buying some but....no. The first thing I did was open the bottle (in the store, yes I know you're not supposed to do that, lol). The smell immediately turned me off so I pretty much knew I wasn't gonna buy it. It smells kind of like Elmer's glue to me. I'm used to my hair products having pleasant smells like coconut, berries and things of that nature.

The other thing I didn't really like was the consistency of it. I was expecting it to be much more milky than it was but it was more thick and creamy. Almost like how glue feels but not as sticky. It also felt a little oily at first but that wore off pretty quickly. Either way, I don't think I'll be buying or using that product.

Products I Want to Try

There's a few hair products out there that I keep hearing about that I would like to try on my own hair since they seem to work well for everyone else. I know everyone's hair is different but I like trying out different things and seeing what does and doesn't work for my hair. Just last week I started using coconut oil for the first time. It's still a little too soon to tell how I feel about it but the first time I used it my hair felt really soft and I love the smell of it so that's good.

The first thing I plan on trying is Lustrasilk's Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus. I went to Rite Aid with the intention of buying hair mayonnaise for a possible pre-treatment to washing but after I looked around a bit I stumbled upon this product. According to the directions it's basically a deep conditioner with some good oils and cholesterol in it so I'm looking forward to trying it the next time I wash.

Another thing I want to try is Jamaican Black Castor Oil. I swear SO many naturals I've seen on youtube and other blogs swear by this stuff. I figured I may as well give it a try and see what all the hype is about. Hopefully the product lives up to all the talk I've heard.

The other product I want to try is hair milk. I keep seeing all different kinds of hair milk like from Carol's Daughter, etc but for some reason I want to try the Just For Me. I guess I figure that it's a little more tame or gentle because their products are for kids but I'm pretty sure adults use it too. Either way I'm willing to give it a shot.

 That's all for now. The only one of these that I've actually purchased so far is the first one so I'll let you know how things turn out.

Product Review: Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Spray

I know it's been a while since I first posted about buying this product but I wanted to give it some time before writing a review. On top of that, my computer has been acting up for a while so I couldn't really post as much but now I can. About the product: To be honest, it really didn't do anything for me. I mean, it left my hair feeling moisturized and looking shiny for the day but there weren't any long term effects. Maybe it's because my hair tends to get dry very quickly so when I used this product I was spraying it on every day. I'm just about done with the bottle now and I don't think I'll buy it again. It just didn't give me the effect I was looking for.

Here's the link in case you want to see for yourself:

Hair Diary: Hair Growth? Or Lack of It.

Maybe I'm just being impatient but I really don't feel like my hair is growing very much. I know hair only grows about 1/2 inch per month but I feel like I should have more new growth than I have right now. My last relaxer was in the beginning of June so by now I should have about an inch and a half of new growth but I don't really see it. Maybe it's just me. I guess I'm just frustrated right now with the entire process. Then I suppose I also have to figure in shrinkage too.

I guess I just need to give it more time and be patient. The failed hair experiment I had the other day didn't help the situation. I tried to do a braid out with French braids in the front but during the process I realized that I don't know how to French braid. After spending literally HOURS trying to do one braid I just got frustrated, let my hair air dry, and flat ironed it. And I know when you're transitioning you're supposed to make the relaxed hair match the natural hair, not the other way around but I just didn't care at that point. I've been practicing and I almost have the French braid thing down so maybe I'll try it again.

That's it for now. Still a little frustrated but whatever. I'm not ready to reach for the creamy crack just yet.

Hair Experiment: Two Strand Twist

I finally got around to trying a two strand twist (or mini twists, whichever you prefer). I wasn't completely satisfied with how it came out but I'll definitely try it again. I made my twists small but I think I want them even smaller which is probably gonna take forever but it'll be worth it if I don't have to worry about my hair for a few weeks. The next time I do them I think I'm going to blow dry my hair just to stretch it out and what I'm NOT going to do is part down the middle. I really don't like having such a defined separation between the twists going down the middle. Anyway, here's what I did:

I washed my hair, detangled, parted my hair in sections, put large twists in and let it air dry almost completely. Then I work by section starting from the back and twisted my hair. To hold the twists I just used Olive Oil Smooth and Hold Pudding, simply because it was all I had. Most people I've seen use either gel or shea butter to help hold the twists. It took me about 7-8 hours to finish but I took a couple of breaks in between so it probably would have been less if I just went straight through.

Here's how they came out.

Still Straight....

I don't have any pictures to post or anything like that because I haven't tried any new hairstyles lately. It's been a little while since I posted something so I just felt like I needed to. I actually just moved back to school last weekend and this past week was the first week of school so things have been a little crazy. Once things settle down I'll hopefully have more time to try different things with my hair and post about them.

Anyway, like the title says my hair is still straight from the last time I straightened it just before leaving for school. I used heat on it a couple of times before I left but I haven't since I've been back at school this week so that's good. Lately I've been wearing a flat twist in the front of my hair and either letting the rest stay out or putting it in a ponytail. And it's not a 2 strand flat twist, just grabbing the hair and twisting it back so it's pretty much just one big twist. Maybe I'll post a picture later because I don't feel like I'm explaining it well.

FYI: I'm now approaching 3 months since my last relaxer. It seems like it's taking forever but I want to stick it out because going back to a relaxer is the easy part. If I decide I don't like how my hair looks natural I can always go back but hopefully that won't happen. 

That's all for now.

Straight Hair, Don't Care

Just a little mini update, nothing too important. I decided to straighten my hair again. Not a relaxer, just a flat iron. I've been practicing these curly transitioning/protective hairstyles for the past few weeks and I'm kind of sick of it. I can deal with the curls for a while but I needed a break. So I decided to wash, air dry and flat iron my hair. I really missed my straight hair actually and it looks like it's grown a bit so that's good. Too bad I'll probably end up cutting it off as the new growth comes in. I figure if I clip my ends along with the new growth coming in I can maintain the length I have. Like I said it's not a big thing, just a little blurb.


I start school again next week so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my hair and blogging about my transition. Right now I'm still only about 2 months into the transition. 


That's all for now.

My Transition Plan

This will probably be brief but I'm not sure if I addressed this in my first post so here it is. Since I'm not doing the big chop I'm trying to transition for a set amount of time before getting rid of all my relaxed ends. As of now, my plan is to transition for at least 2 years before chopping my hair off. This could change but I doubt it because I really don't think short hair would look good on me and hopefully by that time I'll be at a length I'm comfortable with. My last relaxer was on June 4, 2010 so I still have quite a way to go before the 2 year mark. I also have every intention of transitioning without wearing any weaves or wigs. I've never worn any kind of fake hair before and I don't want to start now. No reason in particular, it's just something I never cared to try *shrug*.

A couple more things for my hair to do list:

-Two strand twist/twist out

-Mini two strand twists like this

-Flexi rod set (I actually tried this already but I didn't get any pictures so I'll post some next time)

I guess that's all for now. Peace out!

Hair Experiment: Bantu Knot Out

This is gonna be pretty brief but I finally tried a bantu knot out the other day. I did all the usual stuff ( co-wash, detangle, etc.) then I used a rat tail comb to part my hair into sections for the knots. I ended up doing 10 knots but if I do this style again I think I'll do less, like maybe 4 or 6 at most, because the curls came out a little tighter than I would have liked. Anyway, I did them on wet hair and secured the knots with bobby pins, I tied a satin scarf over my head, and let it air dry overnight. I sprayed a mixture of conditioner, oil, chi silk infusion and no frizz serum to each section before making the bantu knots. This is how it came out: 

Hair Products: Garnier Fructis Nutrient Spray

I just wanted to share a new product (new to me at least) that I found randomly sitting on a shelf at Wal-Mart today. It's Garnier Fructis Nutrient Spray dual action nourish and shine. It has olive, avocado, and shea oils in it. The bottle says it's for dry to over dry or damaged hair which is definitely my hair. Ever since I was a kid my hair just eats up oil and my scalp gets dry really quickly so I figured this would be a good thing for me to try. It was only $5 for a 4 ounce bottle so I guess that's not too bad. I haven't actually tried it yet so I'm not sure how my hair will react but I'll keep you posted.

Hair Experiment: Flat Twist Out

I finally tried a flat twist out on my hair. It came out much better than I thought it would and I'll definitely try this style again. Hopefully it will get better each time. I just co-washed my hair, added some leave in cream, no frizz serum and chi silk infusion. Then I did about six flat twists on my wet hair. I used end wraps and rolled the ends around rollers to hold the twists together. I tied a satin scarf around it and let it air dry over night. I actually didn't take the twists out until two days later.

Products Used: 
Suave Almond & Shea Butter conditioner
Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In conditioning cream
Fantasia Frizz Buster Serum
Roots of Nature Shea Butter Green Tea stimulating scalp oil
chi silk infusion

It looks a little rough I know, lol

Hopefully I'll be able to do the twists tighter next time.

After styling with a headband

Just a close up of the curls.

Another view.

Curlformers Mishap

I bought my curlformers as stated in my last post. I even tried them out but unfortunately I didn't really get to see the end results. In the middle of trying to dry my hair the power went out and we weren't able to get it back on until a few hours later. Ordinarily it wouldn't be a problem because I could just let it air dry overnight but that wasn't the case this time. I had plans to go out with my friend and I couldn't exactly go out with curlers all over my head. Therefore, I had to take them out before my hair was completely dry and I ended up just flat ironing my hair.

I was pretty annoyed because based on the ends and the 2 or 3 curls that actually did get dry I think the style would've been really cute. I guess I'll just have to wait until next time to try it again. On the bright side, once I finally figured out the proper technique for using the Curlformers it was really easy. It definitely takes a little time so it's not the kind of thing you want to do in a rush. I had a few problems in the beginning with my hair getting tangled and having to take it out and start over but once I got the hang of it everything was find. I'll keep you updated on the next time I try and my future hair experiments.

I bought my Curlformers

Earlier this week I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and bought some curlformers. I bought the Curlformers Salon Kit for $59.99 that includes 46 curlformers total plus the little stick to pull the hair through (I can't think of the actual name). The kit comes with 40 long and wide plus 6 short and wide curlformers. They also sell them in other sizes like long and narrow, short and narrow, etc. but only the sizes I mentioned come in the kit. I guess the size you get is determined by how tight or loose you want the curls. I figure long and wide will give a looser curl which is what I want.

I haven't used them yet but I'm planning on trying them out this weekend since it's the 4th and there are cookouts to go to. I also bought some flexi rods and end papers from Sally's. I've never used either of them but I hear it's a good idea so we'll see. I'll post an update after I try them out.

My Hair: Now

Just a couple of pictures of what my hair looks like now. It's been less than a month since I got my last relaxer so like I said, it's still VERY early in the transition process for me. Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone (wherever you are future followers lol) some idea of where my hair is now.

This is just to show my length. Hopefully I'll get better at taking pictures of my hair over time.




You can kind of see a little new growth starting to creep in. Not the best picture I know but it was the best of the ones I took.

Hair Experiment: Sectioning

Sectioning is one of the things on my to do list from the previous post. Now that I've done it I don't think I'll ever stop. You know how when you get a relaxer you're supposed to separate the hair into 4 sections? Same thing only this time I did it to wash my hair. It was much easier washing and conditioning my hair in sections instead of trying to do my whole head at once. It was also much easier to detangle the sections.

I plan on using sectioning in the future for styling and other things and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. It makes taking care of your hair much easier. That's all for now.



SN: For some reason blogger won't let me post pictures. It could be my computer but as soon as I figure it out I'll start posting pics of my hair when I try the different styles, etc.

To Do List For My Hair

Like I said in my first post, I'm a wimp about trying new things for my hair so this is just a little list of things I'd like to try in the near future. I may add on to it as time goes on.

-Flat twist out

-Braid out (I've actually tried this twice already and it didn't come out they way I wanted either time. Either 3rd times a charm or 3 strikes I'm out, we'll see)

-Use curlformers

-Use flexi-rods (surprisingly I never have lol)

-Sectioning (I got this idea from this blog )

-Co-wash (I didn't even know what this was until last week, shocking I know)

-Use less heat (easier said than done)

-LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE!!! (I'm really bad about playing with my hair and brushing & combing too much)

-Wash at least once a week (I was doing good up until finals rolled around then I dropped the ball but I'm getting back on track)

-Deep condition more often (I was doing it once a month but I don't think that's enough)

I think that's about it for now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

And So it Begins...

After some thinking and a little researched I've decided to stop getting relaxers. I must admit that I love straight hair (for myself) but there are healthier ways to go about it that don't involve chemicals. There was an episode of the Tyra Show where they showed that the chemicals in a relaxer could eat through a soda can after only a short amount of time. Another reason I'm trying to go natural is because I have absolutely no idea what my natural texture is. From a very young age my mom pressed my hair with a hot comb and then when I was older, around middle school, I started getting relaxers.

Based on looking at pictures of natural women and feeling a little new growth I think my hair texture is about a 4 something but I'm not sure yet. One thing I read said you need at least an inch of new growth to tell and another thing said you can't truly know your texture until all of the relaxed hair is gone. I have a little while before either of those happen so we'll just have to wait and see.

I just got a relaxer on June 4, 2010 so this is truly the VERY beginning of the process for me. I'm going into a long transition which I know is more difficult because you have to care for two different hair textures but it's the right thing for me. As a person who once cried to her mother as a child to make her hair grow, I know that the big chop just isn't for me. I really care about length and I just don't think I'm ready to try a short style yet and right now my hair is about armpit length. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to trying different things with my hair so the fact that I even considered going natural is a huge deal for me.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about hair, especially natural hair, but this will hopefully be a good learning experience for me and I'm sure this long journey will be worth it in the end. I know I'm not the only one so please feel free to share your journeys and advice with me :)!