Kea::Curls

Hello ALL

I've been going back and forth about whether to start a thread or not, and finally did it!!!

I am a fairly recent BC'er: 11/15/09 was my chop date, nearly 5 months after my last relaxer. Funny thing is, I didn't really have a transition period. Initially I wasn't considering growing out my natural hair, BUT as my new growth started to show during my hair washing, I became curious about what my real hair looked like. I surprised everyone by cutting my hair in my bathroom one lazy Sunday afternoon, and have been loving it ever since. So, today actually marks my 3weeks...!

When I BC'd I was excited, but also scared...because I knew nothing about how to take care of it. Luckily, my cousin referred me to CurlyNikki the very next day (thank goodness!) Since then, I have been trying to learn as much as possible about healthy hair care. Please join me on my quest to develop my hair routine (along with making new friends). Well, that's all for now!

fab ur curls!!!

Your hair is AWESOME!

thank you ladies

Well...this weekend i crossed off a lot of "TO DOs" on my hair list. Usually, my lazy/newbie behind pretty much just does Wash N Gos & see how long i can stretch them. My main problem has been FriZZ!!! , so this weekend i did the following to try & address that:

1. I've learned that FRIZZ = needs moisture. So, I'm trying out Organix Coconut Condish. I LOVE it SOOOO MUCH!!! pretty much just ~melts~ into my hair...

2. i did an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse w/cold water= I immediately noticed the difference. Not sure if it was the change in conditioner or the rinse (i probly shouldn't have made so many changes at once). I now plan to do ACV rinses once a month to close the hair cuticle & eliminate frizz...

3. finally, i was still having some CRAZY, frizzy strands sticking out sporadically...so I sat my butt down & did a trim. Since i didn't use hair shears during my BC, this created frizzed & puffy ends that had been spewed apart. To try & fix this, I trimmed in sections & detangled as i went along (with damp hair). it took FOREVER (sigh).

what i found was an amazingly non-frizzy result: (first time ever!!!)


(this is my hair completey dry....!)

This was all done on Saturday. lol. Then on Sunday i woke up 2 the best "2nd day hair" of my life (well for the last 3 wks anyway)...just to mess it all up with gel I'm starting to think my hair just doesn't like gel...

Kea - I love you hair and you are brave to trim it yourself - I'm not there yet! I have an appointment with a new hair dresser to get my ends trimmed. I have a tiny bit of relaxer left on top that is working my nerves. I know it is cold outside but I have been stretching my Washn gos with the way Mahogany curls does it on her you tube video and frizz is all but eliminated. And I am gel free too - haven't really had to use it! I washed last Thursday and haven't done it since - just wet it with a spray bottle and shake.

Another condish you might try is Hello Hydration Totally Twisted. I love that stuff and gives great curl definition too. I have been tempted to try that Coconut organix. I'm a sucker for anything coconut.

love it kea!

@ Cory: brave...or unwisely fearless i'm not sure lol. i watched a video suggested by Mahagony curls on the TWA thread that showed me how (to trim)! i would LOVE the convenience of having someone else do it tho. have fun at the salon!

I try to refresh w/water in the morning, but my hair doesn't move when i shake! (i tried so hard once, i almost got a headache). So, i spritz w/water & then lightly apply some oil for now...


@ CKF: gracias, chica!

Also, if you're thinking of trying Organix, its currently on sale in two places: Target 4.99 (usually 6.99 for 11 oz) and Walgreens = buy 1 get 1 free!!! (6.99 for 11 oz)

i was thinking of buying Totally Twisted, i have Hello Hydration in my cabinet right now. Is there a big diff between the two?

I'm not sure if there's a difference between Hello Hydration and Totally Twisted. I've tried both. I currently have TT so actually test it out but I think they might have pretty much the same ingredients. TT makes a great styler tho

Curly Film Chick wrote:I'm not sure if there's a difference between Hello Hydration and Totally Twisted. I've tried both. I currently have TT so actually test it out but I think they might have pretty much the same ingredients. TT makes a great styler tho

that's good to know...i'm always looking for a way to style without gel! i'll probably wait until after I run out of HH, though (my bottle is still SO full &&& i'm too poor to be a product junkie! lol)

Soooo...

i co-washed out all the nasty, yucky, gel on Sunday
Then i did "bantu knots" that night &&& debuted them yesterday morning. i was really lazy, so i started small in the front where my hair is shorter. Then, as soon as I hit the "long" sections of my hair, i started grabbing at HUGE clumps. here's wat it looked like:



and then in the back...umm..



i was kinda disappointed by how sloppy it came out; i wanted to wear it to class for @ least a day...! i guess i should have used a comb for the parts, then huh?

well, continuing on...

the next morning i was so excited to see "what i had done," i woke up before my alarm! lol. after taking them down, and playing around with my hair, it looked like this:



Needless to say, this is not the bantu knot i've seen on this site! My initial feelings:

??? :: confusion :: ???

that's when i decided to get on youtube & look up "how to do bantu knots." prior to this, i had just looked at people's pictures and thought to myself "I can do that!"

I found out the following things:

1. i should have "set" the style with something. all i did was co-wash & seal w/oil (i'm scared of gel, remember?)

2. i didn't really do a true bantu knot. I did a two strand twist and then "bantu knotted" it around itself. hence the crazy fro, that's just as confused as i was!

TRUTHFULLY: i liked the look! its fuller & much better shaped than my usual wash n go fro. BUT it took SOOO long...just for mediocre results? i don't think so.

3. i probably fluffed too much (you'd think i had 10 inches of hair, for how long i was going)...and i didn't have any oil on my fingertips, while pulling the twists/bantu knots apart = FRIZZ

4. finally, i put WAY too much oil in. with my severe "hand in fro syndrome," you KNOW i was walking around w/oily hands all day. WELL, at least they were moisturized!

Sooo (i say that word to much)...

I co-washed again w/Organix (maybe i'm just looking for excuses to use this amazing stuff!) and did a small alteration on my wash n go. So far so good I'll post results tomorrow!

I just bought hello hydration last night and I love it. I wanted Organix Coconut milk but they didnt have it so I settled for HH but now that I know its on sale at walgreens I think I'll be going there

Kea, even though ur results arent as expected I think it came out well. Good job

I think I have the same problem dealing with gel, I have a strong dislike for it.

With Bantu knot outs I realize also that while they are cute they often don't yeild consistant results. Each time I do them different look. So dot be too hard on yourself for your first time

I'm on the "need to work on my Bantu" bus too girl! I still cant get my ends secure w/out bands or pins but I'm a stubborn girl who doesn't want to watch youtube vids lol, someone needs to have a class on this....

I know your not pleased, but I like your two strand twist bantu knot out. That's the style I wore while I was transitioning. I don't think you "have" to use gel to hold the set, when I did mine I didn't use any. I do agree that the smaller they are the better the style looks. It still looks cute regardless.

honey i wish i could do one...

Hi Ladies !!!

So...

Today i'm working on less than 2 hours of sleep (i have sooooo many exams these next two weeks, i can't wait until the semester's over!) That being said, i don't think i'll be trying anything too adventurous right now with my hair. Don't worry, i'm not giving up. lol. i'm just too darn tired & need to focus on the books right now.

I noticed my hair was pretty dry yesterday, so i did a DT. I mixed Hello Hydration with Olive Oil & some Honey (that's all i had in my house). My fro is definitely thanking me for it! I know that some people refrigerate their products when they make their own concoctions. Since i'm just using honey & oils, I shouldn't have to do this should I? Maybe i'll browse the stylin & profilin section & raise the question over there, too.

Anyways, its crazy trying to find some unrefined shea butter, or oils of any kind around here (Gainesville, FL). Obviously, they don't think us college kids need that kind of stuff! I found a health foods store online & looked up the google map for it. I'm headed out now to try & find it (wish me luck...i tend to get lost easily!)

* i'm REALLY wanting some coconut oil, shea butter, and castor oil.

See you on the flip side!!!

@ adiaha: let me know how the Organix works for you!!! Hope you enjoy it You should be careful though, because it does contain protein (which can strengthen your hair). However, everyone has their own tolerancy levels for protein and if you use it too often, it can make your hair feel hard (so i have been advised). feel free to chime in ladies, if you know more about this!

@curlyfilmchic: do you use setting lotion or any kind of cremes to set you hair for twist outs, etc (instead of gel?)

@puddles: you tube saved my life! (well at least my TWA, lol.) that's how i learned about co-washing & the moisturizing effect of conditioners

@jamaica: i'm headed over right now!

@eden: thanks! i didn't even know i wasn't doing a regular bantu knot, until i actually looked it up. lol

@curlykinkyfierce (and Mandy): don't we all!

Kea::curls wrote:@ adiaha: let me know how the Organix works for you!!! Hope you enjoy it You should be careful though, because it does contain protein (which can strengthen your hair). However, everyone has their own tolerancy levels for protein and if you use it too often, it can make your hair feel hard (so i have been advised). feel free to chime in ladies, if you know more about this!

@curlyfilmchic: do you use setting lotion or any kind of cremes to set you hair for twist outs, etc (instead of gel?)

@puddles: you tube saved my life! (well at least my TWA, lol.) that's how i learned about co-washing & the moisturizing effect of conditioners

@jamaica: i'm headed over right now!

@eden: thanks! i didn't even know i wasn't doing a regular bantu knot, until i actually looked it up. lol

@curlykinkyfierce (and Mandy): don't we all!

I've always been told,(come from a family of Cos ladies), if you have a relaxer to stay away from protein because it messes up the layers of the hair even more. Protein makes the hair less able to absorb moisture.

There are stores here I could go to buy stuff, but its so much easier with school, work and family to just order what I want from the internet and some times its actually cheaper.

I chose the Organix based on a youtuber's reccomendation but I'm so nervous about this BC and my hair responding appropriately to different products. Its definitely a trial and error thing that can be both frustrating and expensive. Protein sensitive or not. Shea butter or not, coconut oil or not etc etc etc LOL I look forward to learning but...

Kea I agree with Curly Film Chick, bantu knot outs often do not yield consistent results. I have only done them on three occasions but each time I got a different look. I liked each look but they were different. Keep working at the knot outs, you'll get a rhythm going. BTW I love your TWA, it looks very healthy.

adiaha wrote:There are stores here I could go to buy stuff, but its so much easier with school, work and family to just order what I want from the internet and some times its actually cheaper.

I chose the Organix based on a youtuber's reccomendation but I'm so nervous about this BC and my hair responding appropriately to different products. Its definitely a trial and error thing that can be both frustrating and expensive. Protein sensitive or not. Shea butter or not, coconut oil or not etc etc etc LOL I look forward to learning but...

ha! i still feel overwhelmed sometimes now...especially when i'm standing in the middle of an aisle at the store & squinting at the ingredients list, with 5 different conditioners in my hand! its pretty normal to feel that way...but don't worry! everything will fall into place soon enough when i BC'ed, i wish i had been 1/2 as prepared as you are

HumanNature wrote:Kea I agree with Curly Film Chick, bantu knot outs often do not yield consistent results. I have only done them on three occasions but each time I got a different look. I liked each look but they were different. Keep working at the knot outs, you'll get a rhythm going. BTW I love your TWA, it looks very healthy.

thank you!!! i promise to not be discouraged & now i guess i have more realistic expectations

oK, i'm trying to keep it short today (which is hard, because i'm long-winded!)

i'm now the proud owner of: unrefined coconut oil, unrefined castor oil &&& Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Condish!!!! i didn't purchase any shea butter, cause all they had was this teeny tiny jar that cost like $15

NEWSFLASH: after DTing w/AOHR (which was like a dream by the way), i did bantu knots in my hair again this morning! i'm hoping to keep them in for a few days...i really want to leave my hair alone.

here's MY FRO w/headband look from yesterday:

i think its starting to grow into a real fro!