NaturalHair Trend!

Hey ladies! On January 2nd, we want #naturalhair to be a top trending topic on twitter. Please unlock your accounts and participate. If you use the #naturalhair hashtag with a protected account, it does not count toward to the trend so please unlock your accounts that day!

I know that the hashtag has been gaining popularity throughout 2010 but we want to start 2011 off in the top spots!

Let's do it!

"The Five Commandments for Going Natural"

So you're thinking about going natural, or are currently transitioning, or even ready to BC but you're not sure what to do or what to use. Frustration is a good word to describe you right now; but it doesn't have to be. I can't remember what magazine I was reading, I took a picture of the page because I was at work and couldn't take the magazine out the break room, but anyway, I was reading an article about the five basic commandments for natural hair and thought it would be great to share. I see on twitter and fb that so many ladies are BC'ing because they want to start a new year, with a new natural look. My add-ons are in italics, solely my two-cents.

1. Manage Your Mane- Condition, detangle, moisturize, trim. This is your new style mantra. And make your transition that much easier by working with a pro who is well versed with natural hair. [I highly recommend finding a local natural hair stylist. If that's not an option for you, get on twitter and ask questions. There are a lot of stylists that are willing to help and advise from a distance. Just ask, they're under the #naturalhair hashtag.]

2. Choose Protective Styles- If the hair is put away in braids, twists, and coils, it's less likely to break from the friction of daily combing and brushing, pillow cases and so forth. [Right now,the winter is really wreaking havoc on much of the US and Canada, so protective styling is a must. Also, don't forget to seal your ends with oils such as coconut, sweet almond, and jojoba.]

3. Change Your Shampoo- Your regular shampoo is full of sulfates that strip our already-dry hair of essential oils. Choose creamy, sulfate-free shampoos instead. [I, personally, am a no/low poo girl. I only shampoo about 3 times a year. Most of my products are all natural and don't cause build-up. Plus I don't use a lot of products but oils and shea butter. However, when I do shampoo, I go for Sulfate-Free (NO SLS) products. My favorite to use is the Mixed Chicks Shampoo.]

4. Jump in 100%- Some think natural hair could hurt their career or love life; other think it means you're political or spiritual. This process isn't about anyone else but you. So stick to it. [I agree totally. I hear so many people say that their family, loved-one, or friends don't support them...so!? This is about you, about your personal choice.]

5. Straighten On Occasion- Excessive straightening can compromise your curl pattern, leaving some parts of the hair straight, some parts curly. If springy curls are your goal, keep the heat to a minimum. [Okay 2 quick points: 1. Deciding to not straighten your hair doesn't guarantee springy curls, if that's not your hair pattern, it's not gonna happen anyway & 2. I'm at 19mths post BC and have only straighten my hair once. After about 3hrs, I missed my curls. Straight hair just isn't versatile enough for my personality. With that said, I was lucky (so to speak) to not have any heat damage but please believe me it's real and it's a chance you take every time to apply direct heat.]

I hope this was of some help to you. I LOVE feedback so feel free to add on to other points you think should be mentioned. Or if you disagree, I'd love to hear from you.

CONTEST: Winter Protective Style

It's been quiet around here lately at BGBH so it's time to make some noise. Giveaway time!!!!
What: Winter Protective Style Contest

How: Email me a picture of you sporting your favorite winter protective style. It can be twists, braids, a loc style, etc. Additionally you must RT the following on twitter:

I submitted my fave winter protective style to BGBH! Have you? http://101.gs/pujtmjx @beautiifuldream #naturalhair

When: You have until November 8th 12:00pm (noon) to submit ONE (1) photo to me. I will choose two styles at random as the winners

Prize: Each winner will receive a $25 eGift Card to Darcy's Botanicals just in time for the holiday season!

Email all entries to biggirlbighair@gmail.com. Please include in the email your twitter name as well.

Good Luck!!

BGBH Supports KCCM: 200 Followers Giveaway

One of the great things about natural hair is that we truly have our own unique social circle. We support one another constantly so I'm proud to support and announce Kinky Curly Coily Me! and their latest giveaway!

Kinky Curly Coily Me! is having an awesome 200 followers giveaway.

PRIZE

For this giveaway Tomoka's Twist has sponsored a beautiful hair accessory.


Thing Four by Tomoka's Twists

Thing Four is futuristic hair tie of wood and metal in an ultra unique triangle shape. It can be worn with puffs, low afros, and locs. Thing Four is brand new and has recently been featured on Tomoka's Twists.

Entries

In order to enter this giveaway you must follow KinkyCurlyCoilyMe
Visit the website for details and to enter the giveaway

Giveaway closes Saturday October 16, 2010 @ 11:39 pm
Winner announced Monday October 18, 2010 @ 12:00 pm

BGBH Feature: Fatima

I was recently contacted about doing a feature and when I saw that it was Fatima I was extremely honored and excited. Fatima has an amazing line of hair accessories that I've seen and heard a lot about. So please believe me when I say I was humbled to be able to feature her. Fatima.....

How long have you been natural?
I've been natural for nearly a year and a half.

What prompted you to go natural?
I really wanted to embrace my natural beauty. Spiritual growth really inspired me to go natural and greater understanding of health and wellness was another major motivation.

What are your staple products?
As the seasons change, I also find myself changing my regime and the type of products that I use. However, my number one staple product is African Butter as a moisturizer. It works beautifully.

Piece of advise for those transitioning to natural hair
I'd advise those of you transitioning to natural hair to take intensive care of your hair (washing, deep conditioning, trimming, etc) because your hair can be vulnerable at this stage. It's important to HELP your body along as it recovers and regains strength and health from the damaging effects of harsh chemicals.

Your accessories, you make these yourself?
Yes, I design all of my floral accessories

What inspires your pieces?
I am inspired by the beauty of nature, itself and the emotions of my soul.

Do you design custom pieces?
Yes! I DO design custom pieces. It is one of the most unique services offered Flowers From Fatima. I LOVE designing special pieces for my customers. I appreciate originality and enjoy being able to help others achieve a beautiful, positive, and distinct image of self with my fashion accessories.

Where can your pieces be purchased?
Visit the online boutique at Flower From Fatima


















Lastly, what's some advise you'd give to those interested in the art of designing accessories?
For those interested in designing accessories, I advise you to follow your dreams...Go ahead and CREATE something unique. Let your art reflect the essence of YOU. Allow your imagination to manifest through your design. The world of fashion has room for everyone and you may just inspire someone else with your idea.

i LOVE target & helping others!

This just happened, not even 25 prior to this post. Last night I applied the last little bit of KC Knot Today and some oil and then banded my hair. I woke up to tangle free, soft, and shiny hair. I knew today I was going to need to touch up my hair color so I figured while I'm out to find some more KT. Now note, the KT I had was only 1/3 full when I got it during a product swap and so with my thick hair, I only got two uses out of it but my hair immediately loved it.

Back to the story, so I give a shout out on twitter about where can I find it and the lovely natural hair ladies informed me that Target has it. So at the point I'm stoked! I go to my local Target and I'm looking and looking and looking....no KC products :( I'm on the end caps where the other natural hair items are, I'm going aisle by aisle, shelf by shelf to find it, but nothing. So I'm about ready to give up but I happen to hear someone say Come Clean *ears perk up* I peak out the end of the aisle and this older lady rocking a puff is talking to the girl over the the electronics counter and I see on it, some Come Clean and Curly Custard!! So I go over just jump in and ask where are the items because I was looking for some KT. The associate tells me and a few other ladies that they just got the shipment in but hadn't put it out yet because they didn't know where they had room for but that her boss said if anyone were to ask for it, they could just sell it straight out the box!!! *Riley Freeman celebratory booty dance*

This other lady and her 2yr old little girl were listening in must have asked the older lady rocking a puff something but the older lady didn't know it so she asked me if I could help the lady and her daughter. Her daughter has a hair full of thick, curly natural hair that was matted in the back a little. Her mom explains that she tried some product to detangle her daughters hair but it just make it sticky and thus the resulting mats. She also tells me that she was 7 months natural but didn't have the support or know of any products so she went back to the re.laxer but she wants to keep her daughters hair natural. I walk her over to the Shea Moisture line and explained that the Curl Enhancing Smoothie works great as a detangling leave-in (as well as Knot Today)that will help her little girls curls pop and retain moisture. I swear y'all, she almost cried right there in the store. She told me that now that she can find more products, she's gonna try to go natural again :))) So she leaves and I'm feeling very accomplished. Then the older lady started asking me about my hair, how long have I been natural, what products do I use, and if I liked the Curly Custard. I told her that I hadn't tried it, I just don't like the price and that Wonder Curl Hair Jelly works amazing for me. Her hair was full in the back but her edges were gone due to bad, too tight weaves :( I explained she's gonna have to lay off on the weaves, puffs, and braids and baby her edges with some wash-n-go's or even wigs until they've grown back. When I say she has no edges, y'all she has none!She thanked me for my help. I informed both ladies about YT and twitter. It was until I was in my car that I had wished I had given them by email in case they needed any more help or had questions but nonetheless I'm feeling great and I absolutely love that as a natural, we have our own little social circle of help.

Great day indeed!

Product Review- We Rock Roots

We Rock Roots is a line I learned about via twitter. They were giving out free samples and also testing out a new RockLOC Butter. I love trying new, natural products so I was happy to give it a whirl. They will soon be selling full size amounts of these products so keep checking back their site.

Line consist of (and claims to do) the following:
RockOUT Butter -Made of Aloe butter, Unrefined shea butter, Pure aloe vera gel, Vegetable glycerin, Tea tree essential oil, Fragrance.
Apply directly to set twists, coils, braids, or curls when setting on rollers. May also be used to maintenance/re-twist locks

RockON Butter -Unrefined shea butter, Soy butter, Golden jojoba oil, Sweet almond oil, Vegetable glycerin, Orange essential oil, Tea tree essential oil
Apply directly to hair as needed for daily moisture

RockSTAR Oil -Made of Soya bean organic oil, Shea butter oil, Rice bran oil, Flax seed oil, Tea tree essential oil, Fragrance
Apply to hair or scalp as needed for added shine and moisture

RockTHERAPY Oil -Made of EVOO, Horsetail herb, Amla oil, Hemp seed oil, Golden jojoba oil, Peppermint essential oil, Tea tree essential oil
Daily-apply to itchy or dry scalp (sparingly on fine hair), Hot oil conditioning-after heating in a cup of warm water, saturate the hair and scalp. Leave on the hair covered for up to 24hrs before washing with your regular shampoo

RockLOC Butter -Made of Unrefined shea butter, Soy butter, Jojoba oil,
Sweet almond oil, Vegetable glycerin, Natural White Bees Wax, Orange
essential oil, Tea tree essential oil
THIS BUTTER MELTS ON CONTACT! Please apply alone,
do not mix with gels or other products. Apply on new growth during lock
maintenance.


I love love LOVE this product line. I first did two strand twists on damp hair (I dampened with a water bottle) using the RockOUT Butter and then applied the RockTHERAPY Oil to the scalp and wore the twists for two days before doing a twist out.











The twistout lasted three days and could have lasted even longer but I was dying to try the RockLOC Butter. But first, here are pics of the resulting twistout puff:











As I said, I was dying to try the RockLOC Butter. First off let me show you how amazing this stuff melts. The consistency is somewhat thick yet still soft, I rubbed in my hands maybe twice and it melted immediately!



The creator of the line had used a flat twisting style that I had never seen (she saw it on YT) and so I figured I'd give it a try and I'm so glad I did. I freshly cowashed my hair and lightly towel dried it. As I did each flat twist, I used roller clips to hold in place while it dried into set:




Then after setting it, I wrapped it up and went to bed. The next morning (as always with this line) I used the RockSTAR Oil to untwist. The definition I got was crazy. There was no frizziness, it was soft, well moisturized, and extremely shiny:

BGBH Feature: Tawana

I have been wanting to branch out and do contests and features. Well I did a contest with the last post so I'm excited that I can now do a feature.

Tawana is a young lady I met via twitter #naturalhair. She had a contest giving away a beautiful snake bangle bracelet and I won and just absolutely loved it. I always love to give back and support independent businesses so we were talking on twitter one day and I asked about a certain themed earring and she actually custom made these amazing Rasta themed earrings and we've just kept in touch with one another since.

A little about her: she's from VA and a recent college graduate (c/o 09) with a degree in Business Management and currently pursuing an Associates degree in Digital Graphics. Tawanna "...wants to be as successful as I can in all aspects of my life."

So I present to you....Tawana

How long have you been natural? Come Sept I will have been 3 years natural.

What prompted you to go natural? Back in 2005-2006 I went away to Maryland for college. Well normally my bestie Porsha would do my relaxers. I attempted to do them myself never getting my hair completely straight. So I cut my hair off then didn't like it and put braids in it. Then I came home and had her relax it. But in 2007 I finally decided that relaxers didn't work for me and I wanted to be free of the 6week rule and all this maintaining that I could not do by myself. My college roommate at the time cut my hair for me and I haven't looked back since.

What's your favorite/go-to style? Braid outs or twist outs with a side part



What are your staple products? Coconut oil, water, olive oil, and castile soap

Best piece of advice for those going natural? I would say stick it out and don't pay attention to the nay sayers IT'S YOUR HAIR RIGHT lol and youtube is your best friend.




Your jewelry/accessories, you make these yourself? Well I have 2 shops basically Forever Fabulous Boutique is more glam and jeweled items that I do not myself make. I am a retailer of those items. At Suga High Shop I do make the majority of those items such as the flower accessories and earrings.



Where can people purchase items from you?
They can find both shops at sugahighdepot.com

Contest Giveaway: My Favorite Summer Style Winner!

Thank you to all who entered BGBH's 1st ever product giveaway contest. A lot of cute styles were mentioned and I personally plan to try some of them.

The winner of the products is....

Gottitravel! Congrats! I will be contacting you shortly concerning your prize!

Thanks again to all who entered!!

Contest Giveaway: My Favorite Summer Style!

BGBH is hosting it's first product giveaway and it's being sponsored by neosoul.essentials:

Very simple and fun contest! All you have to do to enter is describe to me your favorite summer syle and submit it in the comment section below. Easy right!? I will be taking entries for the next week. The contest ends August 1st at 11:59pm and a winner will be selected at random and announced August 2nd.

The winner will win a 4oz jar of Amber scented Shea Butter and a 2oz bottle of body oil mist from neosoul.essentials line. Also included will be a sample size of neosoul.essentials Curlicreme!

neosoul.essentials products are handmade from 100% unrefined shea butter and vegetable oil. Originally created to solve eczema issues, it has evolved into an all around body butter that feeds the skin with the nourishing properties of unrefined shea butter.


Good luck!!!

Guest Post -- What Works For Me

Hey all my natural divas and divos (maybe guys read this?? who knows lol). I was approached this week on Twitter by an amazing lady who wanted to know if I'd be interested in having her guest blog :) This is my first time having someone else's post on my blog but I completely welcome anyone who wants to. I love having the inputs of other natural hair people

A little background info on her; Christine_LW is a mother of three and the owner of neosoul.essentials, llc. Founded on the principles of natural skin and hair care, neosoul.essentials, llc carries natural, paraben free products for the hair and body. Visit neosoul.essentials for product information.

************
A great big thank you to bigGirlbigHair for affording me the privilege of a guest post on her blog. Natural hairstyles and hair care has been a passion of mine ever since I went natural about seven years ago. I chopped off four inches of damaged, brittle relaxed hair when I was five months pregnant with my first child. Believe me, I was glad to do it – so much simpler to deal with!

The most important thing I discovered about my natural hair is that it is no easier or harder to deal with than my relaxed hair. Honestly. It’s just as much work, and it’s just as dry!

My favorite style is the washNgo fro, which has its pros and cons. It’s a great style if you’re on the go, but let me tell you, it tangles easily and you have to be VERY careful to keep it as moisturized as you can because it’s exposed to the air.

Here are some of the oils and butters that I use on my scalp and my hair to keep my ‘do as shiny and moisturized as possible. Folks, I’m not inventing the wheel here, but just letting you know what works for me.

Coconut Oil – Coconut oil lends a shine and sheen to your hair. I use it as an after-shampoo treatment because it replenishes the oils that shampoo can strip from your hair. Simply wash your hair and blot it until it’s damp. Then, slather on the coconut oil. Coat your hair from scalp to end, then cover with a plastic cap. If the hair is feeling really dry, sleep in the plastic cap! After you are finished with the treatment, rinse your hair (do not wash). This treatment should leave your hair feeling soft and manageable.

I also use coconut oil as a quick shine booster. Simply take a dime sized portion of oil, rub it between your palms and apply to the hair.

Shea Butter – I’ve heard a lot of controversy about this one. Some users feel it’s too heavy or too greasy for the hair. As I wrote before, each individual has his/her preferences. I do not use shea butter on my scalp, but I do use it to smooth down my edges and seal my ends.

Olive Oil – Olive oil is one of my favorite oils, and is readily available in your local supermarket. This oil can be used as a hot oil treatment, scalp oil and a shine booster. Olive oil conditions and nourishes your hair – and is inexpensive to boot. Use it in the same way you would use the coconut oil - massage into wet hair and let sit. Depending on your hair’s texture, you might not have to rinse it out – experiment with that to see what works for you.

Experiment with different oils to see which give you the results you desire.

Product Review- Natural Nora's Sweet Cream Moisturizer and Rich Oil

I go to Natural Nora's here in Columbia, SC. I've been going for about 8 months now and absolutely recommend it. Anyway, I went this past Saturday for a trim. While Nora was trimming my hair, we were talking about products and she told me that she had started making her own natural products once again, immediately my ears perked up lol. She showed me (and let me smell lol) the creams, oils, and soaps she made. Check out her products page for more info.


After my trim, she re-wet my hair and put some of her Sweet Cream Conditioning Moisturizer. It can be used as a styling aid and daily moisturizer. It contains:
Distilled water, Aloe vera, Shea butter, Jojoba Oil, Sunflower Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Rosemary Oil, and a few others but I can't remember them all but I can say that they are completely natural.

The SCCM left my hair so soft and smelling wonderfully. After using that, Nora used the Rich Oil on my hair as the final styling step. It's made of: Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Pomace Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Vegetable Glycerin. What's great about the Rich Oil is that it can be used on anything; hair, skin, as a hot oil, in the bath, and as a nail, cuticle, and foot oil.

I absolutely love the line and will be buying more. The creams come in various sizes and collections and as far as I know, the oils comes in a 4oz bottle. Please check her products out, you won't be disappointed. I love supporting independent black business.

Heat damage and its alternatives

It amazes me that my fellow natural hair divas believe heat damage isn't real or can't happen to them. So many times on twitter or nappturality.com I read that ladies decided to flat iron their hair and now they can't get their curl pattern back.....wait for it......wait for it....DUH!!!! Heat damage is irreversible. It doesn't matter how many deep conditioning treatments or protein treatments you do, your hair will not be the same after that. The curl pattern will loosen or worse just not revert at all. I know of someone personally that had to BC after 2 years of thick, beautiful naturalness because they flat ironed their hair once and the kinks, waves, and curls wouldn't come back, so sad.

Quick Lesson
This is a healthy strand of hair cuticle. Notice the prettifulness (yes I said that) of it? Smooth, strong, and healthy looking? Well....







Here is its sick cousin. This is a cuticle strand damaged by heat. It doesn't matter how much pre-pooing, leave-in conditioning, or heat protecting products you use, it's not going to help.

The usual culprits are flat iron, hand-held blow dryer, and the new fad, the instyler. Hood dryers are definitely up for debate. They have lower temps than hand-held dryers, they aren't a source of direct heat, and have a much cooler settings. I'm not condoning hooded dryers but I think they are an option for the least amount of heat damage

The purpose of natural hair is to embrace a more healthy state of hair. Just as there are natural ways to color hair (tea and henna) there are also ways to naturally straightened hair:

Banding/Stretch (for afros) - Parting hair into sections and banding the length of the hair with ouchless rubber bands (Check it out here)

Rollerset/Wrap (for sleek look) - Wash/Cowash hair as usual, apply a leave-in, and setting lotion (or shea butter works just as well) and either roller set the hair or wrap it and let it dry over night. (this video shows an option that could be used with a hooded dryer if you just absolutely insisted)

Some have flat ironed their hair numerous time and have yet to see any noticeable affects but I feel eventually you will. It's kinda like smoking, at first you don't see any visible danger, though you know its there, but at some point, you will. I know that this is something that will ALWAYS be debated but this is just my 2cents on the matter :)

Product Swap? -ALL GONE!

As you can see I have some excess products. I'd love to do a product swap. In all honesty, I'd love to swap for some Giovanni, KCC, or Carols Daughter but totally open to any and all offers. I realize these are sample size so please understand that. I'm willing to package it accordingly so it's fair on both parts. No, you aren't going to get all my products. I'm looking to divide into two or possibly three swaps. I HIGHLY reccommend all these products. The reason I'm not keeping them is because I'm on a challenge right now. Once I am done with my current products, I will be purchasing these. Thus, I want to share.

My Collection Includes
(4) Mixed Chicks Trio Packs (Shampoo/DC/Leave-in)
(8) Taliah Waajid's Black Earth- Lock It Up Gel
(6) Taliah Waajid's Black Earth- Detangler

I also have a huge tub of EcoStyler Olive Oil Gel, if you've been wanting to try it, I have smaller empty containers I'd be more than willing to put some in for you to try as well.

Please contact me via the contact page if you're interested.I will pay for shipping on my end, you pay for shipping on your end.

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE!!!

Product Review- WonderCurl Get Slick Hair Smoothie

I love the #naturalhair ladies of twitter. It was thru twitter that I learned about WonderCurls Get Slick Hair Smoothie. The ladies behind WC were having a giveaway of a sample packet so I filed out my info a about a week later I got my sample packet.

How I used it I had two strand twisted my hair on Sunday and did a twist out that Monday. I just retwisted it each night and rock the twist out the following day. Saturday I decided to try the smoothie. It claims to calm the frizz and also give sheen and softness. After I undid the twists and picked it out to a big size, I applied the smoothie around the edges of my hair, all the way around as I would my gel usually. I brushed my hair back along the same area and put on my double headband...Voila!


It left no residue, it wasn't sticky, it didn't have a bad smell. The biggest thing was that it wasn't heavy. Most creams tend to weigh the hair down but the GSHS was super light and really did give it a good sheen. I did tie a scarf around my hair for about 20minutes because I have some VERY small pieces of hair near my ear that never catch for the life of me.

I really like it and would definitely suggest it and plan to invest in it. I also want to try the Jelly, as I've heard it works great too.

Overall Grade? B. It contains Phenoxyethanol, which is a preservative used in cosmetics. I know a few years ago a product that contained this was warned to possibly cause some serious side affects. It has since been cleaned up a bit and it was only in that specific product was there any issues but I wanted to inform you all.

Transition Process

I began my journey to natural hair in 2008. I was in school in VA at the time and had just been awarded an internship in Orlando, FL and was immediately scared. My relaxed hair was already breaking off and I wasn't sure how to manage it in a state full of humidity and heat like Florida. I had just gotten it cut.


Don't let the pic fool you though, the back had broken off so bad that I had no choice but to constantly keep it short. So I arrive in FL in May '08 and immediately my hair began to throw a fit. I had been reading about transitioning for awhile so I decided to start it then. I used only two products during my transition process.



Silk Elements Olive Conditioner was my co-wash and my leave-in. At that time I had no idea what the texture of my natural hair would turn out to be but to help cope with the obvious straight ends, I'd use the Silk Element Curl Defining Mousse.

That was my everyday routine from May 2008-September 2008 until I began doing protective styles to help with the process.

I did one sew-in and did not like it but I had already paid for it so I kept it in for about a month. After that, I did two sets of kinky twists and before I knew it, it was a year later and so I did the big chop. I think I had an easier process just because for me, there was no other option. I never had a tempting moment to perm my hair again and to this day I can still honestly say that. I have no intentions to ever put that trash in my hair again.

Well here it is, two years since I started my transition and one year since my BC and my hair has grown crazy lol. I have more hair as a naptural than I ever did with relaxers.

Advice?For those who are scared to do the BC, that's fine. Transition for as long as you want but realize at some point you will have to trim those last few relaxed ends off or otherwise you are going to create split ends. Also you don't have to run out and buy all these organic, natural, (sometimes) expensive products. Use what you already have because those same products most likely will continue to work for you. Lastly, enjoy this time. I'm so glad I did. I hear other ladies who had such horror stories about their transition and didn't get to really see their hair tranform so beaitufully.

Product Review- Mixed Chicks

I wanted to give a product review of the Mixed Chicks line, specifically the shampoo, deep conditioner, and leave-in conditioner.

As I stated in a previous blog post, I only shampoo my hair a few times a year because I don't use a lot of heavy products so I rarely have buildup but it just so happened that I had been wearing twist for almost a week and after wearing my twist out for a couple days I wanted to go back to my wash-n-go puff, so I took this as a perfect time to use these three.

Mixed Chicks-Shampoo I usually wash my hair loose but I've notice that my hair has gotten thicker over the last few weeks so I decided to wash it in sections. I finger parted my hair into four even sections and secured each one. (While in the shower) I wet my hair and went one by one through the four sections shampooing and detangling them with my fingers. I usually hate shampoos because they are very drying and tend to make my hair feel rough and wiry (is that a word? lol) but I can honestly say that the MC shampoo didn't have that same affect as much. It did cause my hair to feel a little dry but very small in comparison to others I've used.
Grade? B

Mixed Chicks- Deep Conditioner After washing the shampoo out of each section and then rebanding the section, I applied the deep conditioner to each section. At this time I used my wide tooth comb on each part to evenly distribute the conditioner. My hair is a mix of majority 3c with a few pieces of 4a and wow, my curls and coils popped immediately. The pattern was so defined it was ridiculous. I put on a shower cap and sat under my bonnet dryer for about 30mins on low. I'm not one for heat (directly or indirectly) but the one time I do use it is for deep conditioning treatments.
Grade? A

Mixed Chicks- LeaveIn The issue I usually have with leave-ins are that they are either too runny/watery based or too creamy and thick. The MC leave-in was the perfect medium. It wasn't too runny or too thick but just right. It had great movement and a pleasant smell. It left my hair so soft. I put some two strand twists in and let it dry over night and it left it with a great look.
Grade? A


Overall Grade? A-

always give thanks

I always like to give thanks where thanks is due. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I recently hosted a natural hair meetup and thanks to some companies I was able to put together a very nice goody bag.

- www.qhemetbiologics.com

- www.mixedchicks.net

- www.naturalhair.org (Taliah Waajid's Black Earth products)

- www.naturalnorastudio.com

- www.outback.com

All these companies donated free product samples, discount codes, or services so I'd like to give them a free plug :-)

Co-Wash? No-Poo?

At the naptural meetup I went to this past weekend we got on the topic of co-washing/no-pooing. For those who may not know that just means Using conditioner as your soul washing agent. I don't use shampoos but only 3x a year. Shampoo strips my hair, dries it out, and leaves it very hard and rough. So I use only conditioner and wanted to share my routine:

Wet my hair as usual (usually during a shower)

Apply a good heaping amount of conditioner (I've noticed that more natural conditioners are creamier and a little goes a long way)

Detangle using a wide-tooth comb

Rinse out about 80% of the conditioner

You'll see I only washed out some of the conditioner. I like to leave a little in and then add a leave-in or moisturizer to it. If I do this routine during the day then I just wash-and-go by pulling off a puff or throwing on a headband. If I do this routine at night then after adding the leave-in or moisturizer I part my hair into fours and band each section, wrap my hair up, and call it a night.

As I was telling the ladies at the meet, I haven't really incorporated many EO's (essential oils) into my routine but I definitely plan to. I use EVOO from time to time but coconut, amla, and grapeseed oils are great for sealing in moisture but also adding softness and a lovely scent.

Support For Us

I started my natural journey in 2008. I had gotten relaxers all my life and in 2007 I started seeing severe breakage. I kept my hair moisturized, ends trimmed, deep conditioned every two week, only colored maybe once every other year. I was doing everything that I thought was right but there was an area in the back of my head that refused to grow. I had to keep my hair cut in a short pixie style to try and blend it in.

Finally I got to a point where I was tired of spending so much money on hair that was breaking off and not growing so I did some researching, found nappturality.com and began transitioning June 2008 (my last relaxer had been in April of 2008). Fast forward to May 2009 and I did my BC, well more like a snip since I only had about 1/2" of relaxed ends left.

I celebrated my one year anniversary of natural hair in May 2010 and if it wasn't for the ladies and gents of nappturality.com I don't think I would have made it. They've been supportive from afar. Well today I coordinated and hosted a lunch meet and greet for the local naptural from the Columbia, SC area and we had so much fun. We product swaps and gave out product samples.

It's so great to have support!

Yay Me!!

So I had been debating for months on doing a blog. I'm so style challenged it's not even funny but I feel confident in natural hair care, products, and I can definitely point you to some great blogs, youtubers, and fotki albums for styles.

Also being full figured finding cute, fashionable clothes can be a little tough but you look in the right places and you'll have a banging outfit together in no time. So give me a few days to get my first couple blog posts together.

I'm very excited and look forward to meeting other bloggers and readers!