ACV rinse

Hello all!

So yes it has been a very very very very long time since we all posted on this blog....so I thought it was time to break the silence. :-) So I tried to do the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse that I kept hearing about. I found a couple of videos on youtube and I followed the directions. One of the videos was saying that you also have to do the baking soda rinse as well and that you can't just do the ACV by itself. So I first did the baking soda co-wash after doing a quick shampoo. Then I did the ACV and I didn't rinse this out (because you can leave the ACV in for more conditioning if you want to. most people wash it out because of the smell but the smell goes away after your hair drys). Well I found that my hair was cleaner and that all the buildup did get cleared up. The only thing is that my hair was super tangled...after I had towel dried my hair it was difficult parting and combing. This could be because I had not combed my hair before I had washed it and I had it in a twist out....so yeah. I have to try this again soon to see if it had anything to do with the way I washed my hair of it was simply the lack of combing before washing my hair. In any case I would encourage you to read up on this and try it yourself. Below are the sources I used, both the youtube videos and the article on the website. Happy washing! And enjoy your journey with your hair...every day. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wBK51nVuzs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSOmu9pSNU (this lady talks a lot so you can fast forward her video a bit but she talks about the reason why you should not just do a ACV by itself but do it along side a baking soda wash)

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/natural-hair-care-product.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/apple-cider-vinegar-kitchen-cupboard.html (this has two pages of info on how apple cider vinegar can be used for skin care as well!)

okay....so tell me what you think. :-)

Saron

Hair Update

Hello Ladies,

I see no one has posted in a bit and because I'm ecstatic about the current health of my hair, I wanted to do a brief post. Soooo I'm full SL! Yes! It's been awhile coming, I don't know exactly how many months but enough months. I relaxed with Dark & Lovely. My mom put in the relaxer as I only trust her to do it and I did the rest (washing, blow-drying, flat-ironing) etc. I had never used this relaxer before, only Precise, Soft & Beautiful and Elasta Qp. I loved the results! My hair is a bit flat but all relaxers do that when you relax bone straight. I stretched 18 weeks with braids for 7 weeks and will definitely be doing it again after my birthday. I dislike braids because I love doing my hair and braids restrict me but hey it paid off. I'm aiming for APL next so hopefully by June next year I'll be there!

Be well,

Lexi

I Haven't Forgotten About You Guys

Greetings!

So I haven't forgotten about you guys! I've just been busy. I must admit that I'm not taking care of my hair as I should be. This is mainly because if I'm not busy, I'm just lazy.

I remember I set some goal of reaching APL by July. HAHA! After remember that I'm not Rapunzel I believe I changed that to December 2010. This should give me all summer to work on my length. I'm not sure if it's a reasonable goal but we shall see. How long is my hair right now? Good question. I have no idea. I'm constantly manipulating my hair into these...these "creations" and it's rarely straight. I'm due for a re-touch soon so...we'll see. I have a lot aggressive new growth so that chemical shall help it relax. See, that's why they call it a relaxer.

I'm going to post pictures sometime. Maybe after I get that re-touch. I would do it now but I look like a bush woman lowkey and my hair is knotted up anyway.

'Tis all

Cheers!

My Hair Journey

Hello all. I'm very excited to join this blog because I'm trying to get my hair back to the way it used to be. Although my hair is growing now, I want it to grow faster and I want it to be longer and healthier than it used to be.

This is my hair two years into getting a perm, when I was about sixteen. It was still growing and was quite healthy.

Two summers later, I decided to try the wet and wild look and unfortunately this destroyed my hair. I had split ends all throughout it and it had to be cut off. At the time I didn't realize how much of my hair had been lost but when I compare pictures, it's heartbreaking :c


As you can see, I have the dreaded soccer mom looking bob thing on my head. Thus began the long process of trying to get my hair back to my original length. Lucky for me, it is growing.



However I want to learn more about what I can do to take care of my hair and how I can enhance this growth at a faster rate. I absolutely hate doing my hair because for me, the process is always a pain. It wasn't until recently that I looked at taking care of my hair as essential as taking care of the rest of my body.

I'm starting my hair journey and I'm excited to get started! What do I do first?

Darcy's Botanical

I decided to try DB's Natural Coils Curling Jelly($12) after I saw alohakiwi's youtube video on it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/alohakiwi#p/u/19/iwK723edl4I

I love it.Now my curls are more volumous.

The consistency of the gel is like applesauce and it has a nice.light scent to it.

I only use a little bit when I section my hair in 4 parts.

I make sure that before I use it I put some Kinky Curly Knot Today.(KCKT)

I have to buy some more,cause KCKT is amazing.

BTW KCKT can be used as a conditioner and as a leave-in

It has amazing slip and I can easily detangle my hair.

Its a part of my holy grail!

I do believe I will get the hair butter from Darcy's botanical,cause I notice that my hair is frizzy esp at the crown.Also i want some more moisture.

Much love ladies.

Photo Diary

August 2009 Flat fried/press & curl from the salon

December 2009 Flat Ironed hair on low heat (after air drying in twists)

February 2010 New growth

MAY 2010

After co-washing with Herbal Essences Totally Twisted & Trader Joe's Balanced Moisturizing Nourish Spa conditioners

Moisturizing with Giovanni Direct Leave-In conditioner/Herbal Essences Hello Hydration mix, Aloe Vera Gel & Coconut Oil

Straight ends :(

New growth emerging!!!

Finished two-strand twists done with Karen's Body Beautiful's Hair Cream (Egyptian Musk) & Hair Butter (Chamomile Sage)

Abie's Hair Journey

Greetings ladies!

As you all know, I have a HUGE amount of heat damage--the consequence of my over-zealous preoccupation with the salon last summer :/. Any who, I have schooled myself in the art of BLACK HAIR & now that I'm up on game, I've been growing it out and cannot wait to cut off these stringy ends!! Since I stopped pressing I've cut about 2.5-3 inches off. I still have about 65-ish% left to get rid of but my primary focus now is obtaining length so I've definitely eased off of the shears (the last time I cut it was around February, I think).

Bee Mine Product Review

Hey Ladies,
So it's about to be Week 7 and I don't know about y'all but I'm ready for summer! Anyways on to hair of course...I love BEE Mine Moisturizer. I'm about to try out more products but I just bought the daily spritz, the curly butter, and hair and scalp moisturizer. What I love most about the moisturizer is that you don't have to use much of it for it to work. In fact when I first used it, I got too excited and used too much and my hair felt heavy. Also, this products are 100% natural and smell so good!!! yay! Check out the video on Miss Traycee's review. --Lexi

Taking care of your hair while you sleep

Hello Ladies....

So I followed in the footsteps of Miss Tekeyia and decided to make my own hair oils. I had brought back some shay butter from Ghana but it was raw so it was kind of hard to put into my hair. So I got some olive oil, castor oil, some essential oils (they were on sale at Whole foods) I got some Lemon and Sweet Orange and then melted everything in a pot (over very low heat!) and put the shay butter in last. At first all the shay butter melted and it looked like just oil. But after leaving it out for a day it hardened up a little bit. So now I just take some and rub it in my palms (it melts really quickly) and I apply it to my scalp and then my hair. (It's more important to get the oils and the treatment to the root of your hair cause that's where your hair absorbs the oils and nutrients so that it can grow healthy and strong).

So even if you don't have shay butter around you can still make hair oils (look at the blog Tekeyia wrote (Hair Oils) for more about that. Once you have your oils you can start your nightly hair treatment. It is important to wrap your hair and moisturize it every night. If nothing else moisturize because this keeps your hair from becoming dry and brittle (which reduces the likelihood of falling out or breaking) and just keeps your hair well fed. You wouldn't drink water (or liquids) once a week would you? Now just like your body your hair needs to stay moisturized. But if your hair is already oily you might want to moisturize less often and just wrap your hair. Also the wrapping up of your hair is VERY important because it keeps your hair from being abused as you sleep. It is not only to maintain your hair style but to protect your hair. This will also allow your hair to absorb the oils and really get a chance to retain the oils you put in it. You will notice a change in the way your hair feels and this can be noted after a few weeks of putting up your hair. This works for both natural hair and for pressed hair. Even if you keep your hair in a natural style it is important to wrap it. You will have less breakage and less tendency for your hair to get really tangled up. This will also make life easier when you wake up in the morning to get ready. Less time spend de-tangling or recovering your hair from a nights sleep and more time styling and getting breakfast before class. Lol. But seriously yall get a good scarf and start puttin up your hair at night.

And after a few weeks tell me what you notice about your hair. Happy Hair time! lol.

These are the essential oils used. This is what was produced at the end (two containers of this stuff)
This is what it looks like. Its really soft. Take a small amount and rub it in the palm of my hands and....

apply to scalp.

also check out this video it talks about taking care of your hair in the evenings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw2r_jT6jnY

Enjoy Ladies!

March 2008 to March 2010

I was just checking the blog to see if anyone had posted any tips or tricks when I realized that it has been 2 years since my last perm.  I just wanted to show everyone what a difference 2 year makes.  Whether your natural, relaxed, straightened, braided, etc. it's really important to realize that no one can tell you what to do with your hair.  As long as you're proud of it, keep doing what you think is best and that's all that matters.

 March 2008 - Last relaxer

 March 2009 - 6 months natural

 March 2010 - 19 months natural (1 yr-7mos)

 March 2008 - Last relaxer

 March 2010 - 19 months natural (1 yr-7mos)

<3 TeKeyia

Flat Twists and a Trim

Hey ladies, I just wanted to post up some picture of my flat twists (that I posted about previously).  I did them again and this time I took pictures.

But to day I got my hair straightened and trimmed.  I probably cut off about  an inch (i wanted her to cut more but my god mom REFUSED lol).  The lesson I learned :  MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE!!! So I ordered Shea-Yogurt Hair Moisturizer from SHOP.BLACKONYXWORLD.COM and I'll post a review once I use it. Black Onyx has a youtube channel and she makes custom made jewelry, so definitely check her out.

[FLAT TWIST OUT]

[my straight hair]

Have a great rest of your spring break ladies

<3 TeKeyia

Warning for Relaxed Hair

If you didn't know then heed my warning; NEVER BRAID YOUR HAIR WHILE WET & LET IT DRY. So I had my mom do two cornrows on my hair that was about 80% wet following this girl's example of how she does a french braid out. Well let me tell you I have never seen my hair so dried out! I learned my lesson and will try to do this style again on drier hair. Here's some pics. Now unfortunately, the pics don't show how much horror it was to touch my hair and for it to break so easily. Luckily when I had my wash day, my dc saved my hair yay! The video is posted under hair how-to videos on the right. Hope everyone is enjoying Spring Break!

Hair Oils

I don't have any finals and I'm wide awake so I'd rather do this LOL

Here is a list of essential oils that you can had to your hair product list.  You don't need to use them all and essential oils are VERY STRONG so you only need 4-6 drops depending on the container.  I personally use only peppermint and rosemary (for now anyway, essential oils can be expensive.  I bought the two I have two years ago and I store them in a caboodle, in the back of my cabinet in the bathroom). And besides the hair related reasons for some of these you can use them just because they smell great (except for the ones that lighten your hair, be careful with those). Second you need a good carrier oil to mix your essential oil with. Carrier oils can be used with essential oils or on their own to treat the hair but NEVER put essential oils directly on your scalp.

Carrier Oils

• Jojoba Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Almond Oil
• Castor Oil
• Olive Oil

Essential Oils

• Basil: Promotes growth
• Chamomile: Gives golden highlights
• Clary sage: Dandruff treatment
• Lavender: Scalp treatment for itchiness, dandruff, and even lice
• Lemon: Gives golden highlights; treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands (meaning dry hair/scalp)
• Myrrh: Treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands (meaning dry hair/scalp)
• Patchouli: Dandruff treatment
• Peppermint: Promotes hair growth
• Rose: Soothes scalp
• Rosemary: Dandruff treatment; promotes hair growth
• Tea tree: Treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands (meaning dry hair/scalp)
• Ylang-ylang: Dandruff treatment

A new obsession....

I was on youtube the other day and I can across a video on "How to be Afro-Centric".  Yes, the video was crazy but I got some good tips from it.  So Friday I went to Sally's to pick up some Eco styler gel ($2.99)-so far I like it.
I also got one of these applicator bottles ($2.49) -->
I put my mix of Jojoba, Vitamin E, Peppermint, and Rosemary oil in it and I oiled my scalp (SUPER BOMB MIX BY THE WAY)

Any way I tried the flat twists.  I'm leaving them in until Thursday but I don't think they're going to come out like the lady's in the video that Cathy posted (thanks again Cathy, that was a really good tutorial).  But it was my first time so we'll see.

Anyway my new obsession is head wraps!!! I went to JoAnn's and got 8 yds of fabric (3 yds of black and 3 yds of red stretch cotton, 2 yds of the sheer fabric)  for $30 - $4/yrd for stretch cotton, $10/yd for sheer, scarf like material.  For those of you who don't know about fabric, I got a really good deal.  Here are the three videos I watched and then I used a mixture of all the technics to figure out how to get a bomb "Erykah Badu" wrap

Here is my first try from last night.  And yes that is an old ABC t-shirt that I turned into a tube dress (Watch part one of the crazy Afro-centric video if you wanna know how I did it)

VIDEOS

• Afro-Centric pt.1: Turn a shirt into a tube-top
• Afro-Centric pt.2: HEAD WRAP (style 1)
• Afro-Centric pt.3: Jewelry <--this is CRUCIAL, watch only for fun lol
• Head Wrap style 2
• Head wrap style 3

So I looked at all three videos (head wrap style 1, 2, 3) and then I picked pieces from them all and ended p with a pretty decent wrap.  I'll be rocking them spring quarter, so be on the look out

pictures and video

Okay so I thought that pictures were on the last post...sorry

Also this lady is funny so thought I would include her. She talks about bantu knots and maintaining them. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ZOuMrr7WY

Bantu Knots....

Hey Beautiful Ladies

So I decided to try the bantu knots out on my hair. So after washing my hair this weekend I started to do the twists. I sectioned my hair off then moisturized with motions and oil (this really great oil stuff I got called Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil. It has all the essential oils your hair could possibly need) as well as the moose I used for last weeks flat twists. After twisting and letting sit overnight I tried to take them down the next day. Since I had done my hair while it was still wet, and I had gotten started late at night it was still wet. So I just kept them in the twists but I pulled them all back in a poni tail (I hope this is making sense). Then that night I twisted them back up and went to sleep in them. The next day (today) I took them all out and tried to finger comb through parts of it. The end result is as seen below. They are still kind of in tight little coils but I like them like that. The moose I used is helping to keep them in place. Now tonight I will mosturize my scalp and parts of my hair and loosly twist them back up so they hold their shap. I will hold the loose bantu knots in place with some bobby pins. So Hope this helps ladies! And happy knotting. :-)


video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_2xiNke8Ck&feature=related

Flat Twists and Products used....

So I am sure many of you have seen me this week and you saw my hair. I had done the flat twist idea that Cathy had posted (thanks by the way). I used Motions Hair Lotion and Soft and Beautiful Botanicals sculpting foam while I twisted. I twisted my hair right after I washed it and let it air dry overnight. The next morning I took it down and it looked good. The only thing is that some of the parts that were not well moisturized didn't come out as defined. They were more frizzy and didn't hold the style as well. Also every night I had to re-twist them before I went to but since my hair had already been parted it wasn't too difficult. It probably took 10 minutes to re-twist and take down every night and every morning. I tried to sleep in my hair witout re-twisting one night and it was harder to style it so I had to put it up in a pony tail. But please experiement with this hair style and let me know what you discover. Happy twisting.

Kinky Curly Review

Kinky Curly Knot Today

Price:$12

This is an amazing conditioner/leave-in.My hair is left soft,silky,and moisturized.

This is a keeper!

I will have to get the bigger size,but the 8 oz will not last long.

It's a bit pricey,but its well worth it!

Kinky Curly Curling Custard

Price:$17

This natural gel is my holy grail!

I love that it defines every single curl.

My hair is more voluminous and sassy.

I love it.

Now im in the search for something that will help me have better 2nd day hair.

heeellllooo ladies!! :-)

Hello beautiful black women!!! I am finally mobile on this blog I know it took awhile, but nonetheless I made it. So right now my hair is braided up in these individual braids and I have a lot of new growth. I will be taking them out soon hopefully and I would like to adopt the twist method tekeyia had posted a video on...I never knew that sister locs had soooo much twisting involved but thats ok cus I want to try this out...Ok ladies, hopefully I will be able to take these braids down soon, I miss my hair... :-(

Flat twists

Since TeKeyia brought up the sister twists, I thought I'd share the flat twists. I think that's what they're called...Anyway, I tried this today and I liked it!!

This is for you Alexis :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYKugFF04jI&feature=related

Sister Twists

Hello Beautiful Ladies,

So yesterday I attempted the feat of twisting my hair.  Now I say feat because 1) I have a ridiculous amount of hair on my small head and 2) I sister-twisted my hair and I've never done that before.  Sister twists are a little more complicated than regular two-strand twists because you have to twirl the two stands individually before you twist them together (see video at the end of this post).

It took me two hours to do the back and and other two hours for the front but it came out great and I love it.  I think when I do my twist out when they get really fuzzy, it'll look great too.  So here is what I did:

I shampooed my hair with TRESemmé flawless curls shampoo.  I haven't found a better shampoo, just because I haven't looked.  I found TRESemmé when I first went natural and it has been the best brand I've found so far (for my hair any way).  And I also use it because I have notice that brands do work a lot better when you use the entire system (like the same brand shampoo, conditioner, mousse, etc.)  Once spring break rolls around I'm gonna look for a sulfate free shampoo but until then my hair seems to be doing alright.  Next, I conditioned with TRESemmé flawless curls conditioner and left the conditioner in while I de-tangled with my wide-tooth comb under the flow of the water.

I also went and bought:

Giovanni Wicked Wax -- styling pomade

Alaffia Shea Butter -- handcrafted and unscented ($10 from WholeFoods)

I melted the shea butter for a minute in the microwave and then added that, 15 drops of peppermint oil and 15 drops of rosemary oil to the Giovanni Wax.

Then I sectioned my hair in four.  For the back half, I separated into two sections and twisted the ones on the left side clockwise and the ones on the right side counter clockwise so all my twists will lay flat to my head and if they decide they want to drift they will drift inward toward the center and not outward looking crazy.  In the front I separated the sections with a  diagonal part and made sure that I twisted all the pieces towards the back of my head so they lay that way.  It's kinda hard to explain but if you wanna know more you can just ask.

They came out great and the wax really adds a shine to them.  It's day two and they still look shiny even though I didn't wrap my hair last night (I  know, I know but I never do so let's not get into it LOL).  Oh yea make sure to have your spray bottle handy because your hair will start to dry and parting dry, natural hair is a no-no.  Also if you happen to put too much wax on your twists they will be stiff but you can fix that by spraying them with water and then twirling the entire twist around your finger a couple of time until it's not as stiff.

Here is the video I watched to to figure out how to do the twists (start at :40 mark)

And I'm not sure how well this technique would work on straightened hair (pressed or permed) but if someone want to try it and let us know :)

Happy Twisting!

★TeKeyia

Hair goals!

Hey everyone!

So I've had that conversation with a few other people but I would like to pose it to the group...

What are you hair goals for this summer? Mine was APL (arm pit length) until I looked in the mirror and realized exactly how short my hair is. After tap dancing back to reality I altered my goals to be past shoulder length (SL). I want healthy, thick, BEAUTIFUL hair so hopefully my new hair regimen will allow me to achieve these goals. Mhm.

So what are your goals?

21 Days to create a habit

Hello Ladies,

I hope you all had a great Valentine's/Single Awareness Day (I know I did LOL).  I heard somewhere that it takes 21 to form a habit (or something like that) so I'd like to propose a 21 day health challenge for you all.

We don't have to start until we find enough girls to actually want to join in.  What I propose is that we all vow to go to take care of our bodies and our hair by going to the gym and also by taking vitamins.  If people have other suggestions that would be great.  I am personally going to start my health challenge next week, I think it's fine if we all start on different days as long as we are holding each other accountable to each one of our personalized challenges.

Here is what I am personally vowing to do:
1. Take vitamins daily, mine include Women's One-a-Day, a B-Vitamin complex, and iron
2. Make it to the gym at LEAST 3 times a week
3. Stop eating pork
4. Come up with a new hair regime

Mine is very simple and I hope that you all can come up with something to help yourself be more fit and in control of your health

With Love,
TeKeyia

Hair Products Review

Abba Pure Moisture Conditioner

This is an amazing conditioner.It was on sale for $11 when its usually $30ish.

Great deal!

It leaves my hair super moisturized.

I will keep buying.

Devacurl Angell Gel

This is an ok gel.

For $17 its not really worth it.I find that my hair tends to be more frizzy than usual.

It does not provide as much curl definition as I would like.

I will not buy again.

All the hype and it does not deliver.

damn.

DevaCurl Mister

This lavender water is supposed to give you good 2nd day hair,but I feel like I could get better results with my own concoction.

I will post on Kinky Curly Knot Today and Kinky Curly Curling Custard.

Also if someone could tell me what to use to get good 2nd day hair this would be great.

Much love,

Maggie Jones

My Hair Cair Journey

Hello Ladies,

I just wanted to post a little story about my hair care journey.  I had my last perm in March of 2008, I decided to go natural probably after a couple weeks of reading up on what it means to be natural.  I found this great website called Motown Girl (I included the link in the right sidebar) and from there I learned about how to take care of my hair using natural products.  As I was growing my hair out it was just so much work to keep my hair from breaking off so after 6 months, I decided to just cut off all my permed hair.  Even if your hair is permed or pressed or natural it is very important to understand what you are putting into your hair (just like you should think about the things you are eating).  I am very excited about this blog and I can't wait to get a time for us all to get together and help each other have healthy heads of hair.  I've included the picture that I took along my journey.

Talk to soon!

-TeKeyia

                                                 My Last Perm - March '08

    May '08                                              August '08 [the day I cut it]     

    The BIG CHOP September '09         March '09

Quick Post

Hello ladies,

I wanted to do a more formal introduction but I'll just do a quick post for now. I hope everyone's midterms are/went well. So now on to of course hair! Well I just wanted everyone to know that everyone should feel free to ask any questions, give out advice, post pictures, product reviews, etc. Just remember of course to be considerate. The idea to have a meeting about hair was initially mine, then Abie joined in and TeKeyia came up with the great idea of starting this blog. I really want to build on this blog as hair has become my new found hobby and if you're into Black hair like me, then you know what I mean by hobby. haha I'm hoping who has started their journey can make a posting about why you started and when and also pics or video would be great. For those who haven't started their hair care journey yet and are anxious to do so, I suggest watching this video
Anyways I'll be posting more soon and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

YAY!

Thanks to all who came out to the meeting today and I would like to thank all the ladies who came up with this idea. I think it is a great way to share with each other and to help one another out and build more of a community. That's all for now. Oh wait, can we also talk about skin, nail, etc. ideas and tips...I just thought we could include that in as well.