What is my hair up to?

As of right now, November 2nd 2009, I am 8 weeks post relaxer. My new growth is getting a little bit crazy but I think the only thing that is keeping me from going crazy is that my hair is cornrowed under my homemade half wig. I plan on wearing this wig for 3 more weeks. My hair is loving it because its not being manipulated too much and has a chance to rest and thrive. I am currently debating whether or not to relax @ 12 weeks post or @ 17 weeks post. I'm a bridesmaid and will be walking in a wedding coming up on December 4th, and I have no idea what kind of cute formal hairstyle to wear to a big event like this with 12+ weeks post relaxer hair. Buns are out of the question, and so are braid outs. That gives me no other choice but to relax it. I think i might do some Shirley Temple curls like I did for my birthday. I am really not quite sure yet. I was really determined to stretch for 4 months but due to the wedding, I am unable to do that at this time and will have to stretch at 3 months instead. I am also noticing less hair shedding because I've been taking my iron pills faithfully everyday since September. My doctor called me with great news that my iron levels are normal after many years of it being low. November will be a very busy month for me academically, so I wont be online so often and I also wont have time to mess with my hair so often.

Here is what i plan on doing to my hair for the whole month of November:

Week 1: Wear my half wig, and keep my braids underneath moisturized and sealed. Wash day is Friday.

Week 2: Wear my half wig, and keep my braids underneath moisturized and sealed. Wash day is Friday.

Week 3: Wear my half wig, and keep my braids underneath moisturized and sealed. Wash day is Friday.

Week 4: Wear my hair in a bun for Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving I will be relaxing my hair at the salon.

I want this so bad! Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium Flat Iron!

For months, I've been looking for a really good flat iron. Keep in mind i only flat iron my hair no more than once every 2 or 3 months. But since i will no longer be getting braids, It's hard for me to stretch my relaxers past 12 weeks. I want to be able to stretch my relaxers to 4 months max. I was thinking that maybe once a month, i would flat iron my roots only so that i wont go crazy and slap a relaxer on it sooner. I already own a Maxiglide, but truthfully, it straightens "o.k" but not the best, and its too bulky. My arms start to get tired when i do the back. My new growth is very course and resistant, and the Maxiglide doesn't give me that straightness that i desire. Since this past summer, I had my eyes set on a flat iron i saw from a tutorial on Youtube. The model was black and her hair seemed to be quite similar to mine. The hair stylist was straightening her hair and it looked like silk afterwards! I did some research and came to find out that the iron he was using was called the Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium Ultra Slim Straightening Iron lol..i know..long name right? But the magic i saw that stylist work on his clients head immediatly had me sold to the product. To view the video, please click here. First of all, the iron is very lightweight and its "ultra slim", which means it can get very close to my scalp. Another woman did a flat iron tutorial, and she mentioned in her video that this iron gave her better results than the CHI straightener, at a fraction of the cost as well. It is also a Titanium flat iron. I read that titanium irons heat up faster and give you better salon quality results than ceramic irons, which is why most flat irons in quality hair salons only serve with titanium irons. It is also safe for your hair, helping in sealing the moisture in your hair cuticles. It only comes in blue, but i wish it came in pink or purple! The blue is nice though, I could deal with it. I plan on getting this iron sometime in November. There are not many reviews on this iron by Black women on Youtube, so i think i will be one of the first ones to give a review of this iron on thick type 4b/c hair. I've been searching Youtube high and low for a review of this iron by someone who has a similar hair type as mine, and have not found a great video yet. I guess i will be the first! The price varies depending on where you buy it. It shouldnt cost more than $199 dollars. To read more details on this iron, please click here. What more can you ask for? Lightweight, straightens very well without the damage, gets close to your scalp, gives salon quality results, and did i mention it comes with a 4 year warranty? I think i might be in love!

Product Features:

• Straightens hair up to 40% faster
• Titanium: Provides superior heat conductivity, exceptionally resistant to chemical corrosion, as strong as steel with only 60% of its density, the smoothest surface available in styling tools
• Ionic Technology to smooth the hairs cuticle, sealing in moisture and shine
• Nano Technology  Existing materials are reduced in size, enhancing their natural properties for maximum efficiency
• Built in Digital Ionic Generator

Pure African Shea Butter!

This past Saturday, I went to the Bronx with my African friend and we went to the African Market, where his best friend works. I walked around a bit and saw all the foods and such that Africans use to prepare meals, and things of that nature. It was really interesting. They even had some beauty products too. I asked my friend to ask his friend if they had Shea butter. He looked at me and asked, "How do you know about Shea butter?" Its like he was thinking that since I'm not African, I'm not supposed to know about Shea butter lol. Anyways, well after being on this hair journey for almost 3 years, I know a lot about hair and natural products and such, but I didn't want to explain all of that to him, so I just said "the Internet" lol. His friend went to the back freezer and got a tub of white Shea butter. At first i thought Shea butter was supposed to be yellow, but after doing a Google search, I found out the natural butters come in either yellow or white. My friend bought it for me for $7 bucks. It reminds me of Coconut oil because its melts at room temperature and freezes when the room temperature is low. It smells like dough too. I plan on mixing this on the stove top with some coconut oil and using it as a moisturizer on my wash day only. I plan on relaxing my hair in January. This will make me 4 months post relaxer and my new growth will need a lot of moisturizing! I hope this works. I will also be sharing this with my sister because she's on a natural hair journey right now.

Ugh...I got me some UGGS!

I've seen a lot of women/girls rocking UGGS, and I never wanted to mix in with the crowd so I never got them. I stuck with my cute ankle Minnetonka fringe boots instead. But i sat down and started thinking that, maybe, I need a pair of really comfortable shoes for the colder seasons. The Minnetonka's are comfy, but I cant wear them out in the rain or snow. All of my other shoes consist of sneakers, flats, and other types of boots, that are not really comfortable and warm for winter. All of a sudden, I started to think about Uggs. I never really thought about their appearance, i just thought they were normal, kind of boring, boots. After looking through my Fall/winter wardrobe, I thought a pair of Uggs would be suitable. I got the brown ones because i think they match with pretty much everything. I wont be wearing them too often because after a while, they really do live up to their name and start to look "UGG-ly", and slouchy and just plain disgusting..lol. I bought them from a store in my mall called The Walking Company. And they retailed for $140 dollars, not including tax. I also bought the waterproof spray to keep them looking nice and fresh. I cant stand seeing girls wearing dirty, slouchy UGG boots! Ugh!

September Relaxer Update..

I relaxed my hair on September 4th but being busy and tired with work and school, I never really had a chance to update my blog. Sorry!! Well, I relaxed my hair on September 4th @ 10 weeks post relaxer. Since starting my hair journey, this by far is the shortest stretch for me. Being without box braids has made me realize how hard it is to deal with my actual hair when it is not braided. The summer heat and using growth aides and what not, has made my new growth crazy! I think i got about 1-1.5 inches in a period of 2 months, which is pretty good! I was planning on relaxing my hair at 12 weeks post, but with school opening up, and other things going on, I decided to relax it at 10 weeks. I was also experiencing a lot of shedding, so I had to shorten my stretch a little bit. Again, I relaxed with Soft-n-Beautiful no-lye relaxer with Triple Hydration Oil. Its a good relaxer, but my hair is very resistant, so i still have a few waves here and there, mostly in my crown and nape areas. I am now 3 weeks post relaxer and i plan on relaxing either at 11 or 12 weeks next time in November. In the photo below, my hair was roller setted after the relaxer, which is why it is bumped at the ends and looks full shoulder length. I am actually APL here.


A few days later, I got a much needed trim. Let me tell you...my hair felt sooo much better. I was APL before the trim, but it bought me back up to full shoulder length..i have like 2 inches or so to reach APL again. Did you know i was APL 2 times already? lol..I no longer care about length anymore, its all about healthy hair. Healthy ends will promote healthy growing hair ;)

Jamaican Black Castor Oil results!!!

I placed my order for JBCO on July 10th, received it July 14th, and started using it right away. I used it every single day [in the morning and night] as my sealant after moisturizing with either S-curl or Wave Nouveau. On wash days only (once a week) are the times i use it directly on my scalp after my hair is done air drying. I mixed it with MN and applied it to my scalp. My hair has become thicker and longer too..i love this stuff! I will definitely be buying more of this in a few weeks! Check out the picture below!

Relaxing 2 weeks earlier...

I decided to relax at 10 weeks post instead of 12, making this the shortest stretch I've ever done...The summer heat has contributed to a lot of the growth I have this time around. Also, I've been using Jamaican Black Castor oil faithfully as a sealent after my Wave Nouveau moisturizing finishing lotion every single day. I use it on my scalp mixed with MN only on wash days though. I've done protective styles 99% of the time this summer, and only used direct heat [with a heat protectant!] only 2 times. The reason why im relaxing so early is because school is starting soon and honestly, i really dont feel like wearing my hair in a ponytail/bun. I also have a baptism to go to and many other things going on. I also decided that if i do a major trim on my ends, i will start stretching my relaxers to 6 months again just so i can be BSL by Spring 2010. You know i can not stretch that long with out braids, so if i do go along with that decision, i will be getting braids in December when im 3 months post. Stay tuned for my relaxer/trim updates coming up on Friday September 4th!