The Flexirod Adventures!

You did a wonderful job, its beautiful and I looove your blowout!

WOW, your blowout was HUGE!!! Good job on the flat ironing and I like the color!

sweetdrk1 wrote:Absolutely beautiful! Great job!

Thanks Sweet! With your fly twists!!!

Lynnieluve wrote:What leave in did you use? I watched a few YT videos and most people used Aphrogee's leave in.

I think Aphogee would be wonderful and a smart choice... but I actually used my modified KT leave in... However I plan on DC with Aphogee or Nexxus Emergencee to repair after this style!

CrissyQ wrote:YOUR HAIR IS GAW-GEOUS! You did a really good job!

Thanks!

ChrsLvsBks wrote:Wonderful results! Your hair is big, large and beautiful!!!

OMG, it was more bodacious in person. I really need an excuse to wear it out one day!!! I just kept playing in my hair... maybe I was stalling? LOL

CocaColaCutie wrote:great job love the color, the straight look!

Treece wrote:

I love your hair!

It's absolutely beautiful!

Thanks ladies!!!

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:YOUR HAIR IS B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!! Your hubby is going enjoy running his fingers through ALL that hair!!

Has it been a year already? (it is 1 year right) WOW that time flew by!!! Congratulations just in case I don't make it back over here!!!

Again your hair is beautiful!!!!

Thanks KNH for the compliments--and for the anniversary wishes!!!

Ladybug83 wrote:Your hair looks so thick and healthy. Absolutely beautiful.

Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion. I guess I will be making one more trip to Sally's

Lynnieluve wrote:Thanks for the suggestion. I guess I will be making one more trip to Sally's

Try doing a strand test first. One reason I didn't use an Aphogee product beforehand was because I didn't know how my hair would react to the protein. I didn't want an adverse straw-like reaction, then turn around and flat iron some crunchy hair. LOL I went with the Silk Elements heat protectant spray because of the silk protein, as well as used GDLI (which also has light protein, I think). Since the Silk Elements has the silk protein and is LOADED with silicones, I think all will be ok come wash day in two weeks.

Long story short, if your like me, and protein doesn't totally bother you, give the Aphogee a try. Depending on my ability to revert back from this, I just might myself!

Random note: I hate the way Silk Elements smells. It doesn't smell bad, but I'm so use to using more natural products that are scented with various EO's, that the Silk Elements just smells fake to me. LOL

I have the Olive Silk Elements. I hope it doesnt smell fake. LOL!!

Hey just thought i'd pop by, been looking at your pics and wow, your hair has grown over the last few mths!
i LOVE your colour, especially when its curly in your length check pics - want to lighten mine but not coloured for mths and keep getting a wave of guilt rush over me lol! Silly really! But i might just put a semi on as it needs a bit of a lift - maybe something with an auburn/coppery tint to catch the light!
I have just chopped off a lot of hair this month, about 4 inches but am still growing, jsut getting healthy!
I'll keep a look out on your CSJ as i LOVE your hair! xx

Your hair came out great! Good job!

You hair came out great! You make me want to flat-iron mine! It is so thick and the color is beautiful. Good job!

OMG! Girl, I did a little pull on my front bang and it only came to just below my bottom lip! Can you say ENVIOUS! LOL! But I know with patience I will get there. Your hair looks absolutely stunning, color and all!

Love your results. I will be straightening in January, I haven't put a flat iron in my hair since March of this year. And I never used a heat protectan until I found CN. My stylist probably did but when I do it myself I never though about it. Love it.

CurlieCutes1121 wrote:Alright ladies, here's the rundown:

As promised to my hubby, I have flat ironed for my anniversary (which is SUNDAY!!!). While surfing youtube, I found Westndnian's method for flat ironing. After washing, she DC's and does so overnight. She uses the Megasilk moisturizing conditioner stuff, but I didn't have that. So I made my own Frankenstein concoction:

HEHH
YTC
1 tbsp of QB AOHC
1 tbsp AVJ
some cheapie condish I had (I think it was Suave) to make enough to totally saturate my hair

I applied it using her Relaxer method (as if you were applying it to virgin hair), baggied, and DC'd overnight...

This morning, I showered and rinsed the conditioner out. MAN my hair felt good!!! I plopped while watching The View, then got ready to blow dry...

In small sections, I added my leave-in, detangled using my Denman, and spritzed with the Megasilk heat protectant. After blowdrying each section, I used just a dab of QB AOHC, specifically for my ends. Hence, the huge, soft, and fluffy blow out!!!

Then using my 1" flat iron, I iron small, one inch sections, spraying with the heat protectant again to be safe. I used the highest heat setting (400 on my flat iron I know but I only passed through each section twice).

Here are the results:




It looks even better in person.... and my hair is so soft!!!!!
Hubby will be excited, I'm sure

Oh pretty! Happy anniversary!!

Did your hubby like your hair?? xx

Lol hubby couldn't keep his hands out. Its been since this time last year he saw it straight, so this may be my once a year flat iron

your hair is gorgeous from twists to blowout to straight, nice colour too it compliments your skin well

So, there's a bit of heat damage =(... I'm giving myself a month to recover before I start trimming away though... serves me right (400 degrees? What was I smoking?!!!!--LOL, don't answer that!)...

I will say this: 95% of my hair has reverted back. In times past, I would have little to no reversion. Then again, before starting my HHJ I wasn't conditioning (REALLY bad, I know), deep conditioning, doing periodic protein treatments, etc, etc. Basically I wasn't doing a dag on thing. With better practices, my hair has rebounded pretty well. But my looser textures (the 3b nape and front) isn't the best right now...


On an interesting note, after Thanksgiving I made the decision to begin building my family tree. Seeing family during that time and hearing all these stories stirred something in me. I wanted to know more, so... here I am! Interesting tidbits so far:

--I found my grandmothers great-grandparents in a 1880 census. She had no clue what there names were, as they died when she was quite young.
--My grandfather's grandfather is potentially half Jamaican.
--The family who owned my 4th great grandmother had the surname Cameron. Her son (my 3rd great grandfather) was half white. (I learned this tidbit from family, but think I've found records to back it up!)

With most of my tree, once I hit the generation born into slavery, I'm getting stuck. Has anyone done this before? Suggestions?

I'll post pics tomorrow--later gators!

That family tree thing is very interesting! My god sister traced her family all the way back to Ethiopia! I will ask her for suggestions for you!

Now I have a silly question! How do you know you have damage? The hair doesn't curl? I am really sorry this happened, but I am so sure you will nurse it back to health!

Sorry to here about your heat damage. A friend of my has heat damage as well. In fact her hair is really messed up for real. Her twists just look sick...I feel so sorry for her!! So I will really wait at least 4 years now before I do any flat ironing...

What you are learning about your family is very interesting. I have traced (through family) my mothers family way back to my great, great, great, great grandmother. She was a triplet that came America (Louisiana) from Europe. I would love to know more, but I only have detail information on my great, great grandmother who they called Mama Summer. Her name was Summer (which I love) and she lived to be 104 years old. My mother knew her and I do have a picture of her picture.

Sorry for posting all that in your thread, but family history is very interesting to me as well!! Good Luck!!

So....
Two protein treatments, 3 deep treatments, and a co-wash later.... and we're all reverted

Whew!!!!

And, OMG--I'm featured on West's blog !!! I emailed her a while back, but imagine my surprise to go to her site and see my face!!!!!

About a year ago, I happened to google "natural" hair and found a plethora of youtube videos... and CURLY NIKKI!!!! Upon reading, I discovered I had done everything WRONG for the last 20 years I'd been natural. I chopped off five inches of heat damage and decided to begin focusing on better hair care practices. I'm happy to say I think I've got this down!!!


Length check: February--Collar bone length



Last length check: APL



Twistout: Feb 2010



Six day old twistout (no seriously, I got SIX day hair!!!) from last week:

Congratulations on your one year healthy hair journey anniversary!!!

Thanks Lynnie!!!!

Lynnieluve wrote:Congratulations on your one year healthy hair journey anniversary!!!

What she said! Looking good my friend!

Very nice ...