IntelligentBeauty;-)

Hello Ladies, (week 1)

Seeing all the other beautiful curlies has aspired me to take this challenge again (I got swiped last time...lol)

My title "cautious curls" comes from me taking my hair transition journey slowly and cautiously. I am not really in a rush to try new things without thorough research. Just trying to stick with a routine that will work all the time and look cute.

My last perm was March 2009. My anticipated BC date is March 2010. However I must admit I have done some mini chops. Simply to prevent tangling and decrease drying time. I am not using any heat at all.

My story is all my life, my hair has been done for me. I had length with the perm and really no complaints except the fact that I was spending too much time and too much money in the hair salon. The straight hair was also getting boring.

So this journey has been a complete 180 from where I was 8 months ago. I am doing my hair completely myself. I am cornrowing (for my twistouts) and I am roller setting (for my curly poof). These are things I only dreamed about doing but figured I did not have the dexterity to do them...lol

My husband, that wasn't on board, is now on the curly train and actually gave me the ok to do the BC now. But I will hold off until I am ready. Right now I am flirting with my short hair and learning to look cute in it. (dont know if I have the cute down yet...lol)

My goal is to move from cute hair to sexy hair (like my perm hair was)!!!!!!
So feel free to leave your recommendations on styles and products.

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF MY TRANSITION STYLES:

tHIS FIRST PIC IS ME JUST STARTING OUT ON MY JOURNEY PROBABLY ABOUT 3 MONTHS.




SECOND PIC IS ABOUT 6MONTHS INTO MY JOURNEY. It's a double strand twist out via cornrow and rod rollers.



This is an old TNC, where I just tucked the ends under the headband




THES NEXT 2 PICS ARE ALSO AN OLD TNC PUT INTO A FRENCH ROLL WITH HEADBAND
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This is my curly ponytail. The scarf was suppose to be just to smooth down my edges then come off. But I taking my kids to a children's museum and and thought the scarf was cute to wear.




This is a more recent photo after I cut about 3 to 4 inches off of permed hair. This is my rod set.



This is an old rod set that I tried to put into FROHAWK. But found out recently I need to invest in a banana clip to get it perfect. Where can I find those?

So how did you get you hubby on the curly train? My hubby is used to me being long and relaxed since we have known each other (we met in middle school) and think he is not used to the fact that I am not longer going to get a relaxer. He is the one that encouraged me to cut it but I decided to go natural and I don't think he was expecting that!! He is okay but like you I am trying to master cute before I move back into sexy. LOL! I BCd in June. I am going to get it flat ironed right before christmas as a present for him! I think your transition is going well - you are doing a good job taking pics and keeping track - I kind of wish I had done more of that!

Thank You. I am having a good time with my transition. And I thank God for this challenge because now I have some sort of documentation....lol

My husband loves long straight hair. We have been married for 8 years and that is all he has seen from me. When I would tell him I need a change, he would always say "when you get about 40 you can cut it off". Like that was his magic number...lol
Anyway, when I finally told him my plan. He was not happy (to say the least). Besides him not wanting me to cut my hair before HIS TIME, he also didn't feel that natural women can be beautiful. Like something is lacking. And that I will be in the same hair style all the time (lol since I was relaxed and straight all the time). But once I showed him pics of other beautiful, natural, all textured curlies and explained the harmful effects of the chemicals and heat that I am un-naturally applying to my hair. He understood and decided to come on board for the ride. Do not get me wrong, he still has his off remarks at time. But overall, when he likes my doos, he says so. And he has been liking it more lately. And that makes me happy.

It's funny because it seems that the people that knew me when I was relaxed are kind of freaked out by my change. And people that do not know me, especially other nationalities, love it. VERY INTERESTING.

I got a dominican blow out for a wedding we attended earlier this year for my husband. He was happy, but I was not. The beautician was ok but very critical and I missed my curly hair. I also was secretly worried it will not be curly anymore because of all the heat that was applied. So I graciously told him how I felt. He did not understand but he knew that I will not be doing that again for a very long time.

Intelligentbeauty wrote:

It's funny because it seems that the people that knew me when I was relaxed are kind of freaked out by my change. And people that do not know me, especially other nationalities, love it. VERY INTERESTING.

I get that too!!

Good morning everyone,

Today I am still rockin' a 3 day old roller set. My spa day is usually Fridays. So last Friday I tried 3 new things(2 on my hair and 1 on my face). I poo with a little AO HSR and castille soap mix. Then I used TJ's Tea tree tingle condish then DT without heat with AO HSR condish for about 45 minutes. Next I rinsed out, but not all. Then added my new HE Hydralicious condish as a leave in. (I wanted to try a new leave in because I was getting alot of frizz with my sets.) So that was used along with my shea butter/coconut oil mix. Once done I used wire rollers to set my hair (kind of like a rod set) instead of the actual rods I was using before. (I wanted to try these instead because I found my hair was not holding in the rods, no matter how hard I pulled....lol)
Lastly I air dried overnight in my satin bonnet and slept on my satin pillow. I had no where special to go on saturday, so I left the rollers in. And released the curls on Sunday.... I was happy with the results. No frizz, smooth curls.
That Friday night I also tried bentonite (spell check) clay on my face. I did not like it compared to my amla powder paste. The clay left residue and I had to squeeze whiteheads afterwards. I also did not like the extreme tightness on my face. It was too tight!!!! But after doing more research I found that I may need to add not only warm water but also ACV. So I will have to try that again.
I want to also try the clay on my hair because I am trying to look for something natural to take away the frizz. From what I have read it does that by clarifying therefore allowing the hair to absorb moisture better. So we will see if this works for me on Friday. Because even though HE Hydracilious did the trick, it has harmful ingredients that I would not want to use long term. I am just afraid that the clay will get hard before I can put it in my hair and then so hard that it hurts before I rinse it out ....lol.
Hopefully the ACV will make a difference.

Pics to follow later.

These 2 pics are from when I first released the curls from my rod like roller set on sunday:






This 1 pic above and all the rest below is my hair today(3rd day curls). I feel the older it gets the looser the curls becomes and the better it looks. But I see some frizz coming up now.



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I think I may have to swip the other side up into a frohawk tomorrow to control that frizz.

@Chrs ----I have read so much about how good ACV is for the hair. I was in GNC today and bought a bottle of organic ACV for about 4 bucks. I am anxious to try the clay/ACV mixture on my hair and face. BTW, did you try the aloe and honey mixture on your face after the Amla paste facial? What were your results?

I have tried AO HSR as a leave in condish. Very moisturing and leaves my hair so soft. But the frizz is apparent within a day or two with the roller set. I find when I use it for the double strand flat twist out, it works better.

I will have to post a pic of what my wire rollers look like...lol. Hard to describe.

When I had a perm I only had like 2 hair accessories and very modest with my earrings. Now I am looking for more unique accessories and earrings.

GOOD MORNING ALL,

So I feel a little discouraged. As I am reading the blogs, I am noticing that the long term transitioners do not seem to be 4a/b textures. I am trying to not get hung up on textures, epecially my own, just yet. Because I know with the perm ends I am not seeing the true texture(with shrinkage and all). But it seems to me the women with looser curls transition better without hasssle or much difficulty.
I am also sad because from everything I am reading, it seems like after the BC, one will be starting from scratch again. Products, styling, what my hair like and dislikes. I think I am getting the hang of my hair now but in 4 months it will all CHANGE!!! This is a little discouraging.

However on the positive, I see so many beautiful naturals of all textures. Happy, living healthy, loving life and their look. And I want to be one!!!
I have all but the LOOK that I am happy with.
I just wish there was a way to avoid or jump over the next step. I am researching like crazy but yet feel unprepared for the next step.

Anyway, I decided to take my 4 day old roller set and smoosh the front with aloe vera and coconut oil and add a clip. Then leave the rest out in the curls. I will show pics later.

AND REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!!

HERE IS THE PIC OF MY HAIR TODAY (NO BIG DEAL)





HERE ARE THE WIRE ROLLERS I WAS TALKING ABOUT

Intelligentbeauty wrote: BTW, did you try the aloe and honey mixture on your face after the Amla paste facial? What were your results?

I did try it once after a multani paste facial. My skin was soft but not sure if that was a result of the paste or aloe and honey.

I remember those wire rollers. My grandmother used to have those with the little sticks too. Awww...I just had a flashback lol

hahahah @ africanlatina, That is what I feel like with some of my hairstyles (braids, rollers,etc) and tools of the hair. I feel like I am going back to my roots....lol

"I want the beauty on the inside. I want the one that you can't see to be the definition of me. More than the face, more than the CURL, more than the voice, more than the world. I want the truth that I believe to be the definition of me."

Yes Ladies!! Good Morning,
I am jamming to American idol contestant Mandisa's new album ---FREEDOM. I added the curl part..lol
The title of this album is relevant to me in soooo many different ways.

Today I am wearing a ponytail. Used pure aloe vera, EVOO, and a little IV fantasia aloe vera gel for hold.
Anticipating my spa day tomorrow night. The style that I would like to try is Colddiva's way to flat twist and curl. I usually do my TNC in a cornrow fashion with the rods at the end. But I will try a slight variation with some hair in the front being twisted and curled going forward instead of in the cornrow. Now that I have cut a few inches off my length. This should look cute. We will see.

Here is my pic from today:

I wanted to take some time and put up some pics of my previous TNCs.
The first four pics is 4th day TNC.









This is how I do my TNCs. When I finally knew how to conrow, I thought to myself I cannot believe I use to pay for beauticians to do this for me....lol. I also learned a trick for the tangles at always seem to take place at my ends. Instead of doing the double strand flat twists all the way down to the bottom them rolling. I cornrow down to the nape of my neck then apply my coconut oil and roll the rest of the unbraided hair in the rods.. What a difference that made .

And the last pic was my finaled attempt at a frohawk...lol...not even close. But cute in my opinion...lol. This is also the condition of my hair now. Which is less frizzy and more shiny. Thanks Henna, Amla, DC, and trimming. Wow looks like I have come a long way from 8 months ago

Th

Girl I just read your response about the hubby's - our husbands must be twins cause my man said the SAME THING about the 40 years. Well - it came 5 years early. Well it sounds like we are dealing with the same thing. We have been married for 6 years and have known each other since middle school - which is when I started getting relaxed. So I show him pics, explain why I don't want the relaxer any more and when he likes my hair, he says so I just don't hear it as much as I used to unfortunately - but I don't trip and as long as he doesn't say anything neg. I'm cool. And he is very supportive and encouraged me to cut it - the non relaxer thing is what he isn't getting. i also get tons of positive comments form white people all the time - they love it which I didn't expect at all. My co workers are still commenting on the cut and its been cut for 6 months! I go for trim right before Christmas and as a christmas present of sorts I was going to get it flat ironed for hubby. But like you - I would miss the curls so I'm glad I haven't told him yet cause I'm re thinking that! have a good weekend!

Corygentri, you know what. Your husband along with mine will love our hair once it's all grown out and healthy. I really believe that. Through us they will see that natural hair can be very sexy and edgy.

And I am getting alot of compliments from non blacks as well. Heck an Asian man stopped me at work and complimented me on my hair I was very surprised.

And I am glad you did not tell your hubby you were thinking of straightening it because now you have options. I told my hubby and he was looking for it, so I couldnt back out even though I wanted to.

I am glad I found someone else who I can relate to about this. Because what my spouse thinks is very important to me. And I want him to see my hair as beautiful in it's natural form. I pray they both will. In the mean while, we can support each other.

Good morning all blessed curlies,

"This is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it" AS A UNIQUE CURLY (This is from God's word the Bible, but I added that last part....lol).

So my hair is an absolute mess today. So I will be sporting a hat today. No pics to follow...lol

But it's spa night tonight, so I am stooked. I will take pics and post those.

I have learned in this journey so far that my hair is course, does not like protein, loves water, doesn't like to be messed with too much, and likes a simple routine without a whole bunch of products. I have also learned that henna, amla and shitakki powders are my "hair friends". My hair loves cowashing, pre-poo, and DC. So I rotate each one when I do my hair once a week.

I did not want to use henna prior to the full grown out of my hair. Because I know henna can alter the thickeness and stretch the curl. But I was getting a couple grays in the front and crown so I wanted a healthy option. I am happy with it, but I really prefer Amla powder paste. I find that it is quicker to mix (10 mins), no wait time before applying, and once applied on for about 45 mins (no heat necessary). The hair comes out shiny, curly, conditioned and strong.

I have not used any heat in 8 months except when I do the henna treatment in the last 1/2 hour before rinsing. I am going to stop that too and start doing the henna wait for color on my head overnight (if my husband can stand the smell...lol)

I have learned that I love doing my own hair. I can do my own hair successully. And my hair is managable.

Have a great day curlies and REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!!!

WOW, so I just had to post how much I love the Show and tell on this friday. All of the hairstyles are stylish and done very well. Congrats to all the ladies for doing an awesome job to their hair. Hopefully when I become completely natural, I can post some sexy duos too.

Well, the count down has begun until my spa night. Just have to make sure the kiddies go off to bed tonight around 6:30-7. And hubby is not home so it will be my time.Yippeeee!

you have some very beautiful & creative styles for u transition phase. Power to you!!!

Thanks blackbeauty. Just trying to maintain, girl.....lol

Hello again ChrsLvsBks, thanks for stopping by.
I have done all three in the past. However, time just will not allow it anymore. I like to pre poo for hours, usually around 6-8 (overnight) or more hours with vatika (spell check) oil. I feel that really works best for my hair. And I only really have one night to do my hair. So the next day I cannot further DC for 45 mins prior to styling. However, when I compare what I do now with the 3 in 1 treatments I use to do, I havent noticed that much difference.
What are oil rinses? How often do you do these rinses?

My spa night is simply washing hair, facial, manicure, pedicure, and whatever other grooming I need to do (hair removal, etc...lol). It is usually done weekly on Friday nights, unless I have to work, then I find another night to do it.

Oh my beloved amla!!! I poo first, but I may stop doing that, seems to be an uneccesary step. Then I mix 50gms of amla and shikaki, along with honey and EVOO in a paste for easy application. leave on for 30-45 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with conditioners then DC for another 45 minutes no heat. Then rinse and style.