Janet36603--Why I've been MIA and lots of pics!

Muz wrote: Cute Fro-hawk.

LOL@ your Dad. I think it's a guy thing. When I showed my dad my hair after I cut it he got the frown he gets on his face whenever I do something he doesn't like (which is often ~lol~) and said "well now what are you going to be able to do with it. Then last week when I did my twist-out he said "Your hair looks better that way" I said better than what? and he was like "the last time I saw it" (when it was in twists). I said "Thanks I guess" and kept it moving. I haven't cared what he thought about my hair since like middle school Eventually your dad (and mine) will love it, so do you

Thanks! And yeah he will come around. He hasn't seen it in person yet. He told me to send him a picture of "the finished product". I was like...I did I did send him one of my puff though. He'll get over it. If I could take the hair I cut off and give it to him (he's balding) he'd probably be happier lol

Hi Janet!!

Congratulations on you BC and Happy Belated birthday. That was a very nice video..thanks for sharing. I didn't take any pictures in the beginning...I had to go through an adjustment period!! LOL

Your Frohawk is too cute!!

Have a blessed day!!

Hey Janet! Great video! Your puff was really cute! Yes, smaller twists give you better definition. I like your frohawk, too! Already getting creative with it! You look beautiful, doll!

Gotta love facing the fam after the BC! It's a change for all of you so once the initial shock is over your family will come to love your hair. This too shall pass! Who knows? You may be an inspiration to someone around you to wear her hair naturally!

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:Hi Janet!!

Congratulations on you BC and Happy Belated birthday. That was a very nice video..thanks for sharing. I didn't take any pictures in the beginning...I had to go through an adjustment period!! LOL

Your Frohawk is too cute!!

Have a blessed day!!

CurlsGalore wrote:Hey Janet! Great video! Your puff was really cute! Yes, smaller twists give you better definition. I like your frohawk, too! Already getting creative with it! You look beautiful, doll!

Gotta love facing the fam after the BC! It's a change for all of you so once the initial shock is over your family will come to love your hair. This too shall pass! Who knows? You may be an inspiration to someone around you to wear her hair naturally!

Thanks ladies! My sister told me that her hairdresser's clients are 90% natural and he's been trying to convince her to go natural...so maybe she'll step away from that creamy crack sooner or later

CONGRATS J! You look wonderful from the BC to the FroHawk! Ahhh I it.

Happy belated birthday as well! & about the fam. Dad will come around. Its just a shock getting used to it at first. My fam was the same way. They are seeing how my hair is growing and how healthy it is and their views have changed bit by bit. Its all a process, like you said its hair and it will definitely grow back!

Congrats on your BC!!!!!!!!

I'm a newbie too!

jlowman1 wrote:CONGRATS J! You look wonderful from the BC to the FroHawk! Ahhh I it.

Happy belated birthday as well! & about the fam. Dad will come around. Its just a shock getting used to it at first. My fam was the same way. They are seeing how my hair is growing and how healthy it is and their views have changed bit by bit. Its all a process, like you said its hair and it will definitely grow back!

Yeah I expected him not to be happy about it...which is why I kept telling him months in advance to try to ease him into it...but I guess he wasn't paying attention lol.

AshElleAye wrote:Congrats on your BC!!!!!!!!

I'm a newbie too!

Thanks, and the same to you! You look great!

Hey again ladies!

So now the initial shock of the BC is over and I'm just trying to find my routine. So far my go to style has been a puff of some kind. I did a wash and go the other day and then "refreshed it" the next day (and after taking a nap that day ) by spraying some water on my hair with a few drops of tea tree oil and peppermint until it was pretty damp and shaking like crazy. Made the curls come back but if I do it too hard I get a slight headache for a while .

Anyway as the title states, I've been having some problems with an itchy scalp and dandruff. I had a similar problem during my transition with the kinky twists, but I thought it was mostly the weave. Maybe my hair is just telling me I need another ACV rinse (I do these about once a month or so). If I get an itchy spot on my scalp and scratch it then it starts to itch like CRAZY! I don't want to scratch up my scalp and leave it irritated or even bleeding so I need to find a fix ASAP.

During a big chunk of my transition I tried doing the Curly Girl method (no cones...[except the one in HEHH and I think that one is water soluable], no sulfates, no mineral oil, and no parabens. Basically the only products I used (and still use) are HEHH, Aloe Vera Gel (FOTE), EVOO, Jojoba oil (sometimes), Shea Butter (starting to try that a bit more), and Tea tree, peppermint, and rosemary essential oils. My hair feels soft and moisturized, but my scalp is a whole different story.

I'm even considering washing with a sulfate shampoo just in case the problem is build up (this is my last resort). Before I try that I'll do another ACV rinse (after I buy some more) and I might even try the Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat Shampoo if I can find it at TJ Maxx or something. I know they don't have sulfates in them but I'm not sure if they have any other "no-no" ingredients. Plus I've been curious to try their products. If I can't find that I might try Aussie Moist Conditioner. Maybe the problem is my beloved HEHH and I just don't know it...

What do you guys think? Help me before I scratch a hole in my head!

P.S. In hair style news, I have my hair in some chunky twists for a 3rd attempt at a chunky twistout. The second attempt came out good but I didn't get second day hair and I can already tell these twists are going to "behave" a little better

Hey curlies! I'm back with another video. This one is the live footage from my BC. I just filmed the first section and the last section. It's pretty short but one of the curlies said that they might want to see it to know what to expect for their BC. Hope it helps someone and feel free to ask questions!



By the way if you missed my last post, check it out and send me your itchy scalp suggestions!

Bye lovelies!

For itchy scalp I apply tea tree oil directly to my scalp it is good for a few days.

npmoore04 wrote:For itchy scalp I apply tea tree oil to my scalp it is god for a few days.

Thanks for responding! I already have tea tree oil and I've been using it in my spritz and alone in olive oil to put directly on my scalp but I still have the itchies

Hey again!

I finally got my lazy butt up and went over to TJ maxx and got some Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat Shampoo and the 50:50 Balanced Moisture Conditioner. I was going to get the Triple Threat Conditioner too but I thought it would be too drying. I really wanted the Smooth as Silk conditioner but I didn't see any. I also got some Aussie Moist conditioner at Dollar General while I was in there and a double sided mirror (so I can see the back of my head when styling lol)

So tomorrow I'll wash my hair with the Triple Threat Shampoo really well and then use the conditioner to cowash and a little as a leave in. I'll also use some olive oil to seal with. I'm going to keep it pretty simple the next few days to see if I can pinpoint the itching. I think I'll wear some wash and gos for the next few days to see how things go. I won't be using my shealoe mix or even my essential oils the next few days. Just shampoo, conditioner, and water. After a week or so (or just a few days if there's no improvement) I might start using Aussie Moist to cowash with and as a leave in.

I WILL get this thing under control lol. I want my scalp to like me again I'm also going to hold off on the ACV rinse partly because i don't feel like stopping to get any tonight after class and partly to try this new tactic and see if it works. I don't want to strip my hair by using the shampoo AND ACV rinse. Oh well, I'll keep you guys updated.

Bye lovelies!

Hey lovely ladies!

I planned on waiting until today to wash my hair and use the new Giovanni shampoo and conditioner I bought but last night as I was fingercombing out my twistout/playing in my hair/checking my scalp I thought I'd go ahead and give the conditioner a whirl. I wet my hair and used the Giovanni 50:50 balanced conditioner to do a cowash and detangle. I used the pads of my fingers to scrub my scalp...and man did I scrub it! My fingers were tingly at one point lol.I detangled with my wide tooth comb and denman brush which took all of 5 minutes!

First of all I love how creamy the Giovanni is. It's more like lotion than conditioner. As soon as I put it on my hair, my curls started popping out everywhere! I'm still dealing with some spiky straight ends that I missed, but for the most part my hair was loving it. If the 50:50 conditioner is this good, I can't wait to try the direct leave in!

Also last night I thought I'd give my hair a little more moisture by leaving the conditioner in, and sleeping with a showercap on overnight. I read on the forums that the tea tree shampoo can be a little stripping so I didn't want my hair to get too dried out.

Then today I washed the conditioner out and applied the Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat Shampoo and scrubbed my scalp (with the pads of my fingers only) like mad. It really did give a good tingle on the scalp and lathered really well but after a while my scrubbing turned the tingling sensation to a warm...then kind of hot one lol. I washed out the shampoo and then lathered up again. Major suds the second time. Some ladies said the shampoo made their hair feel like straw after they washed it
out. I kind of saw what they meant because when I rinsed it out the second time my scalp and hair felt extra "squeaky clean". Literally. I heard my hair squeak when I was running my hands over it trying to wring some of the water out. lol

Next I followed up with the conditioner again and did a quick cowash. Then I detangled again with
the shower comb and denman brush (partly because of all of the scrubbing I did and partly because I wanted to see if the awesome detangling session I had the night before was a fluke) and my comb and brush sailed right through.

Next I hopped in the shower (I did all of this pre-washing over the kitchen sink lol) took my regular bath and then rinsed out the conditioner with cold water. I hopped out with naked hair and clipped some of the straight ends I saw that were left. Then I put a little bit of the conditioner on my hair and shook my head over the bathtub (had to pour a tiny bit of water back on my head since my hair
had dried a little bit.

So there you have it ladies. I have a super clean scalp and a cute wash and go for today. We'll see if the itchies stay at bay.

Mini Review:
Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Conditioner

• Great Slip-made detangling a breeze!
  
• Very thick
  
• Nice scent but not too overpowering
  
• Made my curls pop instantly
  

5/5 stars *****
Verdict: I love it so far! I'll keep using it and see how it goes!

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat Shampoo

• Tingly feeling on scalp
  
• Great lather for a sulfate free shampoo
  
• Made my scalp and hair feel really clean
  
• Could be a little stripping if used too much
  

4/5 stars ****
Verdict: I like that it got my scalp clean but I'd probably only use this once a month or so to get rid of buildup because more than that might dry my hair out.

P.S. As I'm typing this, I realized I forgot to seal with olive oil before putting on the conditioner...oops! I'll do another wash and go tomorrow and I'll be sure to do it then.

Forgot to change title for last post

So I'm still on a quest to help out my dry itchy flaking scalp, so I decided to cowash every day for the next few days (I might try to do a fro for the 4th though...even if it will be a tiny one lol) so I decided to try cowashing with my Aussie Moist (I know, I know I can't stick to one product it seems!)

I guess I'm trying to change it up a little bit and see what my scalp likes. I DID remember to seal with olive oil this time before putting more Aussie Moist on as a leave in though. It lathered really well (almost like a shampoo!) so I liked that. I think I'll use it for my wash n gos for sure...not so sure about as a leave in though. My curls weren't popping nearly as much as when I used the Giovanni 50:50 balanced conditioner. Today I'm going to try a cowash with Aussie Moist, seal with EVOO and leave in of the 50:50. I need to buy the direct leave in ASAP. Maybe my hair just doesn't like regular conditioner as a leave in. Too early to tell I guess.

I also ran across one of the Palmer's Olive Oil Hot Oil Treatments while cleaning out my "hair bag" that I take with me when I go to Birmingham. I might give that a whirl today before I wash since I haven't done a hot oil treatment in a while. Maybe my scalp just needs some oil. It hasn't been AS itchy since I started this attack on it (lol) but it's still there here and there.

Aussie Moist Conditioner Mini Review:

• GREAT lather/slip
  
• Smells good without being overpowering
  
• Nice and creamy (not as thick as Giovanni 50:50 though)
  
• Not terribly expensive and easy to find!
  
• Didn't define my curls that well
  

3/5 stars ***
Verdict: Great cowash conditoner and it lathers really well, but it didn't define my curls as much as I wanted. I'll still use this to cowash and use something else as a leave in though

Guess that's it for now. I'll be jumping in the shower for a cowash whenever Chase lets me...Maybe when he takes his nap later today lol. James and I will have him for a whole month Gonna be fun!

Bye for now Lovelies!

P.S. Gotta love 3 year olds. Chase saw my hair yesterday (the first time he's seen it since the BC) and he said my hair looks like daddy's He did say he liked it though.

P.P.S. I totally forgot to talk about the amazon order! I had a $25 gift card so I figured I'd order some hair stuff (of course!) I wound up getting a hose that attaches to the sink so you can wash your hair (I wet my hair and wash it in the sink a little bit before rinsing it out in the shower), some castor oil, a microfiber turban to help dry your hair after you wash, and Lilly of the desert aloe vera gel (I have some FOTE already but I kind of want to try the Kimmaytube leave in everyone's talking about and she used this kind).

Hey ladies!
I was able to get second day hair for the first time today! I'm wearing a TWA modified twist n curl twistout puff (sounds like a mouthful!). Basically I put small 2 strand twists in my hair the day before yesterday wet, with only olive oil and the Giovanni 50:50 in my hair with the intention to set them on small rods when I got done. Well I found out my hair is too short for the rods I have (I have some tanish-pink ones and tiny yellow ones) so I tried putting the twists in small bantu knots. That worked ok but they kept coming loose as they dried so I put rubber bands around them to make them stay. I slept on them overnight and untwisted in the morning with some olive oil on my hands and put it in a puff with a headband. The pics didn't come out too well so I might not post them.

I had a wedding to attend yesterday evening so I switched headbands (used a brown one to go with my black, brown and white dress) and gelled down my edges with some aloe vera gel and used my denman brush to make them look a little sleeker. I tied my edges up with a silk scarf for about 10 min, slapped on the headband and earrings and was out the door.

I only slept in a satin bonnet last night and figured my hair would be beyond saving the next day (as it usually is with twistouts) but I fluffed this morning with olive oil on my hands and it still looks cute! I'll try this style a few more times and then when I have the hang of it I may do a youtube tutorial.

I wanted to rock a fro for the 4th but I couldn't find a way to wear the traditional one that I liked, and I have a bbq to go to tonight with a lot of people I didn't know so I think I'll tone it down a bit. I still think my curly baby fro puff is cute though

Happy Fro Day lovelies!

Hey ladies!
My TWA modified twist n curl lasted about 3 days which I was super excited about. I probably could have squeezed out a 4th day, but I just wanted to wash my hair. I've been wearing Wash N Gos the last few days. I had to go back to montgomery for class wed. night so I didn't even bring all of my clothes and whatnot with me since I was heading back to Birmingham the next day. Just my toothbrush, laptop and my satin bonnet. Yesterday I cowashed with the Giovanni 50:50 conditioner since my Aussie Moist was still in b-ham. My curls were popping out everywhere and very well defined! I love being to take a shower and wash my hair and be dressed and done in like 5 minutes (ok 10 but most of that is me getting dressed lol).

I have another wedding to go to tomorrow and a rehearsal tonight. I wanted to try a coil out since I saw one of my natural grade school friends (MeMyHairandtheCity) had great results with hers, but I might not have time today. A simple Wash N go might have to do the trick. My sister in law is also in town and needs me to take her by my old school for something. Hopefully that won't take too long. Chase also didn't go to day care today so that he would be ready to go to the rehearsal tonight (he's supposed to be the ring bearer tomorrow and I want him to be somewhat familiar with the place so he doesn't get too shy tomorrow).

So basically I'm at a loss as to what to do to my hair that will be cute and won't take forever to dry (we have to be at the church at 9am tomorrow for pictures since my boyfriend James is in the wedding party). I wish I had brought the hooded dryer with me so I could do something to my hair tonight and have it be at least 75% dry when I go to sleep. I might still try to do a coil out and if it's not dry/turns out crummy in the morning I'll just do a wash and go.

Guess that's it for now. Bye lovelies!

P.S. By the way, when Chase and I were at the kiddie pool the other day while I was rocking fabulous 3rd day hair with my light and dark purple wifebeaters on and a pretty purple flower clip in my hair there were some other ladies that decided to have a "natural hair" discussion. Another girl at the kiddie pool was rocking a TWA shorter than mine (I'd say about 3 or 4 months of transitioning or growth) and her friends were talking about her like she wasn't there. One girl asked another what made *insert girl's name that was sitting there* cut all of her hair off. The other girl said she wasn't sure and had only heard of people cutting their hair that short if it was damaged or maybe in the summer because it was hot, but no just "because they wanted to". The other girl didn't say much, and I'm not sure if they were trying to be smart since I was sitting there with an obviously short do or if I was just being paranoid. One girl even said she couldn't cut her hair because she had a peanut head and it wouldn't look good. Meanwhile I'm sitting with my feet in the water looking kinda like but mostly ignoring them. I was mostly confused as to why they were talking ABOUT the other girl and not TO her (if that was indeed who they were talking about). I wonder if they expected me to jump in and say something about natural hair. I thought about it but decided to keep my mouth shut...that time lol.

I do wish I had told the other girl that I thought her hair was cute before I left though. Maybe she needed the encouragement.

Sounds like you've been experimenting with different styles and products.... cograts!!! I'm sure you'll figure out something cute for the wedding.

As for the convo you overheard at the pool (shaking my head) too bad her friends couldn't be more supportive of her.

WhosThatRedHead wrote:Sounds like you've been experimenting with different styles and products.... cograts!!! I'm sure you'll figure out something cute for the wedding.

As for the convo you overheard at the pool (shaking my head) too bad her friends couldn't be more supportive of her.

I was paying more attention to Chase so that he didn't get hurt or get too rough since there were all girls in the pool but I just happened to overhear their comments and I was like...isn't she with them? If the girl wants to cut her hair off it's her business not yours

Hey J!

ITA with you on that convo. Don't you just wanna yell, "It's not your head, so why are you concerned about it." Ignorance is killer! I just don't understand why other people are always so concerned about something that has nothing to do with them. Okay, I'm off my rant! lol

Glad to see you like the Giovanni. I love that line and it helps that its all natural! Remember I told you Rite Aid has them BOGO free every once in a while. I'll shot over here to let you know when they have them to keep you updated. Take care!

jlowman1 wrote:Hey J!

ITA with you on that convo. Don't you just wanna yell, "It's not your head, so why are you concerned about it." Ignorance is killer! I just don't understand why other people are always so concerned about something that has nothing to do with them. Okay, I'm off my rant! lol

Glad to see you like the Giovanni. I love that line and it helps that its all natural! Remember I told you Rite Aid has them BOGO free every once in a while. I'll shot over here to let you know when they have them to keep you updated. Take care!

Thanks! I won't need any of the 50:50 or tea tree shampoo for a while because I got the BIG bottles at TJ Maxx. So large that I just put some in smaller containers to take with me when I go to Birmingham on the weekends. I will be needing some direct leave in eventually though...love the stuff now that I found a way to use it to make my wash n gos EXTRA defined!

I know you guys are thinking...Janet did the BC and now she can't even visit her own curl street journal anymore.

I know, I know I'm bad. I haven't had a whole lot going on hair wise to talk about though. I've mostly been doing some wash and gos, and the other day I did another TWA modified twist and curl. The cool news I have is that my boyfriend bought me a new 12 megapixel camera a few weeks ago, so I'll have LOTS of pictures for you guys coming up! I think I may even do a few more youtube videos here and there...

So in hair news, today I finally did an ACV rinse. Noticed a little itching reduction but not a ton. Then tonight I made the famous kimmaytube leave in mix with giovanni leave in, castor oil (first time using it), aloe vera gel (first time using the liquid), and jojoba oil. I followed the directions as best I could without a scale (used 2 tablespoons of the Giovanni) but I think the next time I'll only do half of the recipe since I had too much. I put the rest in the fridge for now. I also decided to dust off my Curlformers and try those with the leave in. We'll see the results of that tomorrow. I sat under the dryer on low for about 5 or 10 minutes (it was starting to get kinda hot and I'm scared/paranoid of heat damage )

I got the idea to try the curlformers again after watching a nikkimae2003 youtube video. I hadn't used them since my transition because I figured my hair was too short. I mostly have the long and wide ones so I just used those. My hair doesn't know that it doesn't go all the way to the end lol

In life news, I have finals for my 2 classes next week (take home final and paper due tuesday, and final, paper, and project due Wednesday) and then I'm done for about 2 and a half weeks before the fall semester starts.

Also, my brother is coming back from his deployment in Afghanistan early! He'll be home tomorrow, and my sister is coming into to town next week so James, Chase and I are going that weekend too. We were going to go this weekend but I figure if I wait I can catch my brother and sister together since I haven't seen them since February.

This will also be the first time going home since my BC... My dad wasn't that pleased when he saw the pictures but maybe seeing it in person will bring him around.

I guess that's it for now ladies...I'll be back with pictures next time probably.

Great to hear about your brother coming home! It may take your fam to get used to your BC but I'm sure it'll work out.

*ahem* just waiting on those pictures....

WhosThatRedHead wrote:Great to hear about your brother coming home! It may take your fam to get used to your BC but I'm sure it'll work out.

*ahem* just waiting on those pictures....

Lol yes ma'am. I'll probably post them when I get back from class tonight

Edit: What the heck...here's 2 pics of my hair today (excuse my bath robe lol)

I used curlformers last night and the modified kimmaytube leave in on wet hair (LOVE the leave in by the way...my hair is super soft today. Must be the castor oil).

First attempt. Part on the side with the front slightly twisted and 2 bobby pins holding it back...wasn't in love with it for some reason


Second attempt. Good old Goody headband puff. My staple/fallback style


I hope I don't flatten the curls too much tonight sleeping on them.

Hey J!

Cute style, I like it either way! Your hair looks so soft and fluffy!