TWA Styling

Hi beauties...
Just wanted to show you my latest favorite style for my TWA: first I had my hair set in comb coils; a look that I could've worn in public on a regular basis. But for some reason I wasn't totally comfortable with that in my work environment (eh, a bump in my journey). I only had them for one night and slept with a satin scarf. These pictures were taken the next morning.










I then lightly spritzed my scalp with leave-in conditioner and separated the coils in halves. (I think I had started separating them in the first picture above, that's why I'm holding the back of my head.)











My gel of choice was Fantasia IC Styling Gel... a popular product among fellow nappturals. I also love this product for daily wash-n-goes. I'll talk more about my daily regime in a later post.

Until next time... shout if you happy to be nappy!

Rediscovering Texture

Wearing a TWA again has brought me back to the whole "what's my hair type" discussion; one that I probably still don't fully understand. However, I do believe this is helpful for all naturals, especially when you think about locking because your hair type will determine how long it will take to lock, and what issues you may face in the meantime.

The basic hair type categories are: Type 1 - straight; Type 2 - wavy; Type 3 - curly; Type 4 - tightly coiled/kinky. And within those types are levels of A, B and C. So what kind of hair do I have?Well... I've got some strands that stick straight up, others that wave like an "S", and others that have a spiral curl! Looks like everything but the Type 4. That's why I've always had a hard time defining my hair type based on these standards. Hmmm, your thoughts?

My hair texture was the main reason why I chose Sisterlocks method because interlocking seems to work best on this texture. But it also means it will take longer for my hair type to lock. I had my SLs for 19 months when I cut them off and my locks had just started the budding process. Looser curl patterns are prone to bunching, which can cause fatter ends, but there are many lockers who have survived that battle and have beautiful locks to prove it.

Bottom line is the more you learn about your hair type, texture and makeup, the better you are able to work with it and give it what it needs. It's so much easier when you work with your hair than against it! Amen?

My Appreciation

Thanks to all for the encouragement and love on my new TWA. For those who don't know, this is my second BC. The first one was when I went natural for the first time in 2005. I had shoulder length relaxed hair and cut it off... just like that. So it no longer surprised my husband to cut off my shoulder length locks when I wanted to change them. But I still get a little shocked when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I shocked everyone at choir rehearsal today... so I know Sunday morning will be a trip! Some of our young people were there and one girl told her mom, "see I told you that wasn't her hair!" (LOL!) But her mom corrected her and told her that oh yes, that was indeed ALL mine.

I've gotten compliments all around, except for those who feel like I've cut off their own hair... but nevertheless the journey continues. Some ask if I will lock again... and I will, just haven't decided when. I may lock as soon as I get some length, or I may decide to rock it loose for awhile. Someone else asked me if I'll perm it... I gave them the "girl puuuhhhhleeezzee!" look because that is definitely not in the future!

Enjoy your natural hair journey... whatever method you choose. Isn't that the beauty of a black woman's hair? That even without weaves and relaxers, we can still rock many different styles.

Now that's naturally fabulous!

Locked No More

It was a hard decision, but I have cut off my Sisterlocks. This is not to abandon locking, but rather that particular set of locs. Over the past few months I have really had some issues and just decided that I would rather start over than to have that much frustration surrounding my hair. So here is how I look today...

I will start another set of locks, and will focus on healthy hair until then. And just like the journey continues, so will my blog!

Til next time... stay fabulous!

Highlights for Fall

Decided to get some highlights for the season. My hair apparently has a red base which is why most of the hair color I chose winds up in the reddish orange family (this was supposed to be blonde). But that's kool... just another facet to my unique genetic make-up!

I am also in the middle of a self retightening and have gotten faster. The front (to the ear) was completed in less than 3 hours. For me, that's great! In the past it has taken about 2 days just to do the front.



Til next time beauties!

Sponge Rollers vs. Lock Loops

Most of the time, when I want curls I used the regular black sponge rollers. But I recently got my first set of Lock Loops and decided to give them a try. So here's how they worked on my hair:

Sponge Roller Set: used approx. 25 med sized rollers, spritzed hair with water only.


Picture taken in the morning right after rollers removed. By end of the day the locks had lost most of the curl, but still had a wavy style.


Lock Loops Set: used 30 loops (one package); spritzed hair with water only.


Picture taken at the end of day 1 of Lock Loops set. Curls still going strong on second day.

I seem to get the same look with both sets, but the Lock Loops set lasted longer. Both were easy to sleep in, but the Sponge Rollers did make my scarf look really BIG! I never tried setting lotion, but have read pros and cons about that from other bloggers. My curls don't last longer than 2-3 days before they start looking more wavy. Think the setting lotion would help that last longer?

My next attempt will be a spiral curl set on perm rods. Can't wait to see how that turns out!

New Natural Sister

My baby sister has finally decided to ditch the creamy crack... in a major way!!! She and her cosmetology classmates were in the school's salon on break when she just decided to cut off her short permed hair. Then she colored it platinum blonde! She was halfway done when anybody noticed. I asked what made her do it, she just told me she was tired of the girls always copying her hairstyles then said "I bet they won't copy this!" All I could do was laugh! But since cutting her hair she is really enjoying the freedom of being natural and of course all the compliments she can handle.

She also just competed in her third hair show, winning 3rd place with a very creative concept of the Orient. The show opened with a simulated fight scene between two ninjas (doing real karate!), followed by Yin and Yang models, a lady red dragon, ending with a fierce high rise hairstyle. Sorry if the pictures are a bit blurry. Congrats to my baby sis!