Day 74 - Pics of my new fav style.

Well, yesterday was a rainy mess and I had a really hard workout so of course my head was near disaster status.  Which was fine because that allowed me to be able to do my favorite new style today.  Pics are below.   I will be rockin it tomorrow as well. Today was casual day at work, otherwise, I would have had on a much fancier head wrap :-)

Front/Top

Back

side

other side

I like it.  Easy, quick and not a lot of manipulation.  Since my hair is short and I have a lot of poofiness from all of my new growth, I balled up a satin scrunchie and "stuffed" my french twist to give it volume.  When I wear a low bun I do the same thing.

Peace, Love & Quick Styles

~GNH~

Day 72 - Got me a new style YALL!!!

Yep, it's been a week since my last post and I do apologize. Last week was one hell of a week. You may think that you know but you have NO IDEA!!! I am telling you, last week was one for the record books in terms of the abundance of immaturity and stupidly that I had to endure. Anyhow, in the midst of the craziness I let me hair regimen slip a tad....I know, I know, but in the process I found me a fly a$$ hair style to rock. Yes, I forgot to take a pic but I will do it this week when I slap together the style again.

So this is what happened. I started with week off right. I was rockin' my rod set both Monday and Tuesday. Now, since Wednesday is normally my co-wash day on Tuesday night I used my big 'ol detangling comb and a boars hair brush to pull my hair back into a loose bun. On Wednesday I wore my hair in the bun with a scarf tied around to hold the edges and to give me a little poof. Now, when I got home on Wednesday I was so freakin mentally drained that I just couldn't do it. I just put on the satin bonnet and went to bed. When I got up on Thursday I was like ...HMMMMM... what to do? What to do? I took a satin scrunchie and used it to "stuff" my hair into a messy french twist with a little poofiness at the top. It was so cute. I got mad compliments on my hair too. I got so many compliments I rocked it like that on Friday too.

It is a pretty simple style and took me like 5 minutes to do and requires no curling, heat or any other manipulation. It is a great style for just about any occasion and since it requires very little manipulation I will be doing this one a lot more.

I will do it like this again on Wednesday so that I can take a picture.


Peace, Love & Transistion Styles
~GNH~

Hair pics from the wedding

Sorry that it took so long but I finally got around to finding a picture of how I did my hair for the wedding that I was in.  It is a side view but this is the only one that I have until the professional shots come in.  You get the idea!!!

Day 65 But it's a LOT of work!!!!

Anything worth having at all is worth working for and waiting for. So quit your whining!!!!! I have met some interesting people since I have started my natural hair journey. Some are fellow transitioners and some are already natural. From those who are transitioning I am constantly hearing this, “Girl, I don’t know how much longer I can take this? My hair is a lot of work.” Of course transitioning is a lot of work. You are working with two different textures of hair and trying to hide one while providing the proper care for the other. Yes it gets frustrating at times and of course there are days when you just want to slap it in a ponytail but ya can't.

To maintain the proper mindset about my hair I just think about it this way. I compare HAIR care to HEALTH care. Yes, it is sooooo much easier to just go out to eat, head for the drive through or do a grab an go. However, it is so much BETTER for you to go grocery shopping and cook at the house. Is the later concept more work? HELL YES!!! I know this all too well because I grocery shop for my produce and essential items once a week. I do the HEAVY duty grocery shopping once a month. My husband and I sit down plan out my meals, yes all three and 2 snacks, and head to the store. When we get home we separate all of the meat, trim the fat, season and place in freezer bags and label which meal it is for. We then clean all of the produce and herbs that we bought and store them properly. Does this take a long time? Uhm, yeah it does. How long? Well, excluding the trips to the store it takes me about 2 hours to put it all away, organize the meals, clean, season and store it all. Is it worth it? YES. I know what I am eating everyday for a month!!!! I don't have to come home after working all day and figure it out. I don't have the urge to stop and get some UNHEALTHY meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner because I have already figured all of that out.

I have applied this same “no think” philosophy to going to the gym. I have figured out a routine that works for me. On Sunday I only do cardio and core workouts, no weights. While on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday I do cardio and weight training. On Saturday's it depends. Sometimes Saturday is like Sunday and other times, I go twice a day. Once for cardio and core training and if I choose to return later in the day it is for weight training. Wednesdays are my day to come home from work and do NOTHING (also it is my co-wash day). Now, this works for me and my lifestyle. Now, am I dog tired after working all day? Yep, but maintaining could health is important to me so I make the time.

Now, let's apply these same principles to maintaining your hair when transitioning. Once I started transitioning I picked 2-3 styles that I knew I could do quickly. DO NOT VARY or try to be "interesting" and change it up. It will just lead to heartache and pain. Yes, I do get tired of the same ol THANG but that is why I do one of the styles for 2-3 weeks and then switch it up. I have also found a routine that works for me with maintaining my hair just like I have found one for eating healthy and working out. When I come home from work/working out, I shower and do whatever it is that I need to do to my hair. If I am just maintaining a style, I will re-roll or bantu knot any places that need help and put on my satin bonnet. If it needs a co-wash I do that, sit under the dryer (low setting) for 20 minutes and then bantu knot the whole head or rod set the whole head. I save all of the heavy duty stuff for the weekends when I not only have more time but I am also less tired so I can take my time and not damage my hair. Honestly, it really isn't taking me anymore time than it did when it was relaxed. Yes, the night ritual was less time consuming because all I had to do was wrap it. However, in the morning it was a 20 minute process. Now I spend like 10 minutes at night if I am just doing a touch up curl here or there each evening. So it is a matter or where am I spending the time. Personally, I would rather sleep 20 more minutes in the morning. On the midweek co-wash, yes, it is more time but while I am under the dryer I catch up on emails and all of that kind of stuff. This routine works for me. Since most of my life was pretty much regimented, when I started to transition finding s routine was not that difficult.

The trick is to find a routine that works for your lifestyle. All things healthy are a lifestyle change and must be treated as such.


Peace, Love and Healthy Routines

~GNH~

Day 62 To straighten or not straighten...

Yep, another rainy day. Pretty soon I am going to have to call up Noah and find out how he built that ark.


But I am no longer pissed on rainy days. Sure, I would love to be home all curled up napping or reading a good book but I don't have to run from the rain because I am afraid my hair is going to get messed up. I just really no longer care. I just go with the flow. Whatever my hair wants to do that day I let it. Today it wanted to be big and poofy and that was cool with me. It just didn't want to part on the side or middle. It just wanted to stay all together and be big and curly. Oh, when I rolled my hair yesterday after I co-washed, guess what....my "new" hair can now go around the roller. It doesn't make a full turn yet but it is pretty darn close. I was so excited!!!!



Okay, now where was I? Oh, so yeah, I love the rain and love my big ol hair. Now, a friend asked me today if I was ever going to straighten it again. I told her maybe, but not anytime soon. I am so scared to straighten my hair that it is not funny. I have heard (AND SEEN) too many horror stories about people who can't get their curl pattern back after they straighten. I do NOT want that to happen to me. I would be all kinds of pissed it my curls didn't spring back. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know that it doesn't happen to everyone and those who have the issue may not have used any kind of heat protection or they may have been straightening for months/years with no breaks. However, I know 3 people who after either the first or second time of straightening never got their original curl pattern back or experienced areas/patches of straight hair. No for now I say no thanks, I'll pass. I like my hair just they way that it is and I am super excited about what it will eventually look like. I already think that the curls are awesome (most of my back it natural).


Peace, Love & put that hot comb DOWN!
~GNH~

Day 60 - Alright ALREADY!!! and if I am counting right 100 DAYS

100 days down and 230 more to go before I chop it off.  Yes, it has been 100 days since my last creamy crack application.  I deserve a medal, a day off, a cash bonus...SUMPIN'.  Can I get a high five please?  I guess I will just have a well deserved glass of wine and put my feet up. 

I know, all good things come to those who wait, but I am tired of waiting DANG IT!!! I want to be done with this transition process. Yes, I could just cut it off and go with what I have right now but I don't think that I am ready for that. People at the workplace are already asking me like 5 million questions about my hair (damn u Chris Rock!!) so if I showed up there with a buzz cut, TWA or some other microscopic amount of hair I think that heads would roll.

I am just so excited to see what my natural hair is going to look like. I remember what it use to look like back in da day, but I wonder if it is going to look the same as it did in high school and even just a few years ago (well, like 8) when I was rocking my hair natural (not so proudly then though). Oh, I did finally purchase those head wraps I was talking about last month. I got two of them and they will be a must on the weekends.

I also finally got a nice hair maintenance regimen down. Since this two texture thing was making me want to run for the hills I decided that I would co-wash on Wednesday's and pre-poo and all of that on Saturday's. This is going to help a lot since I do workout HARD and all of that sweat build up on the scalp is not good. Also, my hair is super thirsty and needs the water and conditioner. I am still using coconut oil, shea butter, vitamin E oil, carrot oil and Infusium 23. Another item that I cannot live without is the Nourishing Coconut Milk Anti Breakage Serum. It is the same line as my shampoo and conditioner. Love this stuff. Right now it is a STAPLE item since I do have the two textures. I use this when I take down my Bantu Knots. I have also come to the conclusion that I will have to just stop being so darn anal and deal with whatever my hair looks like in the morning. I have been manipulating my hair too much so I had to take a good hard look at the situation. So I decided that after I wash on Wednesday/Saturday I will rock the bantu knot outs on the first day and when it starts looking rough then I will have to floss a head band. After that, when it is looking even rougher, (is that a word?) it will just have to pull it back into an afro puff which I will pin to hide the rubber band and I will slap on a decorative scarf and keep it movin'. Not ideal, but right now I have to work with what I got.

Anti-Breakage Serum (LOVE IT!!)

My FAVORITE shampoo and conditioner

Peace, Love and TIRED OF WAITIN'

~GNH~

Day 52 - I just wanna scream

I wish I was done with this transition process.  For a brief moment and I do mean brief moment I wanted to relax my hair.  See, when I started this process, well, when I commited to this transition process it was near the end of the quarter, I didn't have a lot of work to do and I was going to be off work for 3 weeks.  Now, with teaching 3 classes and all of the demands of field trips (our school is big on those), planning the 8th grade graduation and class trip I just ain't got the energy at the end of the day to deal with my head.  If I wasn't so particular I could make the bantu knots last 3 days but I am picky.  Plus, my hair is really fine and soft so after sleeping one night on it the curls start to wave BYE-BYE.  I am not one for sleeping pretty either.  When it is time to go to sleep I am OUT!!!! Plus, it has been raining cats and dogs here everyday so that isn't helping.  UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I just want to scream!!!!  I know, I could cut it all off but I really don't think that I am ready for that just yet.  I just keep telling myself if I can make it 6 more weeks I will have 5 weeks off work and I won't have to comb my hair.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Peace, Love and Patience
~GNH~