We Natural Hair Radicals

I was driving my good friend to her hair appointment and we chatted as we usually do about our hair. She was going to have her Malaysian (or was it Indian??) hair reinstalled. A style that you will see her wear 90% of the time. The 10% that she does not wear it is when she has taken it out and is on her way,within a day or so, to have it reinstalled.  She was saying that the times in her life when her hair was thriving was when she was able to go to the salon on a regular basis. I had recently read The Science of Black Hair and since that time I was liberally sharing my new found knowledge of caring for our natural hair. To her and other basic naturals I know, I can't help to counter statements like that with, "You don't need someone else to take care of your hair!"

 It was in that conversation that I realized I'm a part of a sub-culture of naturals- natural hair radicals. We're not natural simply because we've stopped chemically relaxing our hair and now it's gone "wild",but we have unlocked the mysteries of our strands, our lives nearly revolve around the care and nurturing of our coils. 

We sub-culture naturals have our own language..."In 2009 I did a BC, for 6 months I wore a TWA before I could start doing twist outs. Now I'm at BSL. I'm wearing a second day twist out now and I maintain it with the pineapple method."

You make an immediate connection to the person who can understand that! You realize how far you've gone on the natural spectrum when the person you're talking to looks utterly confused at those   sentences. 

I went to LA's very first natural hair expo a couple of weeks ago. Being there was great. I walked up the the meeting place kind of proud, because I felt I belonged. I was with people I shared a community with. I embarked on a journey 4 years ago to discover my hair, my true God given hair, and on YouTube I found I wasn't the only one, and now I I'm at a gathering with this community celebrating  our journey. 

In the years to come, I wonder what history books will call us. We are a relatively small group who have demolished so many myths and barriers. Myths like, Afro/ kinky hair cannot grow to the waist, water dries hair out, the health of our hair is in the hands if our beautician and many more. 

While the trend of being fully natural is on the rise I wonder how us naturals will be when we are in our senior years and can't devote the time and energy to maintaining our hair. Especially for those naturals with extremely long hair that is tedious to detangle, wash and twist. Will they continue that several hour routine at age 70?? What will happen? Only time will tell. 

Back from the Brink

Where do I begin?...the frustration...the breakage....the just in time recovery?


My hair and I have been through it these past few months. I thought going back to my old faithful braids would be just what I needed, but the dryness and the breakage was still there. After that stint I latched on to flat twists and bantu knots. I said, "This is it! I'm riding this hair style out to BSL!" Until I saw a picture of myself at our church's Christmas banquet. 

That's not a bald spot! Just a natural part. But you can see that
gap toward the back.

Me and "Scrooge".  I made the costumes for the banquet.

My hair had broken off so much. I really thought I would be bald at that rate.


Beside dealing with my hair, life was turning tricks on me too. There were short hours on the job, nothing but short change in my pocket, and trying to find a new place to live was turning into a desperate situation. The DIY was getting old and all I wanted to do was run to the nearest salon and let them chop it off.


Who has been there??


Things have gotten all around better (yay). I realized I can't do everything, but I can start with some things. I bought


                             A pair of hair scissors
                             Bottled water
                             My old faithful motions shampoo and conditioner
                             Sofn'free milk protein & olive oil leave in treatment (mouth full lol)
                             Hats

I really tried to identify what was attacking my strands.


                           My ends were knotted and split.
                           They were snagging on themselves and chewing my strands up
                           The dry air and hard water was working hard against me
                           I wasn't using anything keep any moisture
                         


I didn't go GI Jane with the scissors but I clipped the ends as much as needed (up to 1/2 inch). The soft water made my hair feel like cashmere! I was never a fan of leave-in conditioners, but this one is working! I keeps me soft from wash to wash. Last, I keep my hair braided or twisted and under a super cute knit hat. I don't even let my hair out for church on Sunday if I ca help it.


Right now I feel great. I feel I'm back on track. I hope this is a light at the end of a tunnel for someone.

New braids, new shampoo

I was adventurous with my braid design this time around. I'm not as comfortable with it as I thought I would be, nor did it turn out exactly how I thought it would. This look defiantly needs hair accessories to take the edge off.

Before I went to get braided this afternoon I washed my hair. Saying that is actually saying a lot because I do not like the process of washing my hair. Last Saturday morning when at my mom's house I washed my and conditioned my hair with Motions and did a hot Jojoba oil treatment. I was able to put it in a puff and let it air dry. That same night  I made two rows of flat twist and Bantu knots. When I took them out in the morning I sprayed it down with Motions oil sheen. From then until now I've put nothing on my hair but oil (Once I got back I used my Motions Marula oil on my hair and scalp) and water and that has really worked for moisture. So when I go to wash my hair this morning I'm dreading having to strip my hair of this oil with my sulfate shampoo. Plus if it stripped my hair then I would have to use conditioner and I didn't want to go through all that. I looked around my bathroom and grabbed my black soap bar. The ingredients are:

Pure honey

Shea Butter  

Osun (Carmwood)

Cocoa pod powder

Plantain peel powder

Palm kernel oil

Coconut oil

Water 

Aloe Vera

It worked like a charm! My hair was clean but the oil was still there. I allowed my to drip dry and the curl was the best I had ever seen after a wash. I think my search for an all chemical free shampoo is over.

Before the wash

My attempt at accessorizing this du. The clip is a top mini
hat with feathers and a bow.

Back in Baids

It's late, but I really wanted to get this up while it's still fresh and exciting to me...
I finally had my hair braided! I am so happy, I feel like my self again. 


I was sitting in the welfare office yesterday (I was trying to get those good food stamps. Hey, we all need a little help more often then we like to admit) and this girl leaned over and told me how much she liked my hair and we started a conversation. For a while now I have been getting my hair braided sans the weave or extensions. Dealing with the extensions is a hassle and taking it out is even worse. I just attach the weave to my exposed pony tail when it's all done. Well, apparently, this is trending right now as the style to have for summer, this girl was telling me. She read in an recent Black hair article that braids are effortless and stylish, but women should avoid putting synthetic hair next to their scalps. If I find the magazine with that article, I'll defiantly post.

Naturals in The New York Times

I want to share this article I accessed through Kimmaytube's YouTube vlog. I'm beyond happy that these ladies are getting such attention. I'm even more excited that this movement of going natural is getting such attention. 


Wearing our natural hair has caused quite a sir in our own community and has challenged our perspective of ourselves culturally and socially. I feel that there is more of self-respect (correct me if i'm wrong) among naturals that other cultures will acknowledge. 


I don't know about you, but I didn't know Mae and Curly Nikki were as young as they are. I'm astonished at their how accomplished they are in their personal lives and how they have gained the attention of thousands, in their own way from their homes. I truly admire these ladies. I could go on and on, but I won't. enjoy the article


The New York Times: 'Going Natural' Requires Lots of Help

Mocha Facial Scrub

Last Monday I picked up my facial scrub! Yay! 

Ingredients: fine ground coffee, cocoa , baking soda, dry milk. 

Instructions: rub about 1 teaspoon of scrub onto a wet face and rinse

I was told over the phone that this scrub would last me a "long time". I was a little taken back when I pulled it out of the the packaging to see that it was a dry scrub, which explains why is would last without spoiling. I've used this twice a week so far and I like it. I really couldn't use it more often because of the coffee grounds. They are quite fine, but they still feel a little hard on the face. The milk works well as a moisture agent. Overall, it does a good job at slothing my skin without drying me out.

On another note, I've stopped using the vitamin E on my face all together and went ahead and started using the Shea butter. I've gotten over my fear of having Shea butter on my face. I apply a thin layer after washing (in the morning and before bed). Less is more in this case. It leaves my face soft and healthy looking. I've also noticed my scars and spots slowly fading. It will take time, maybe a month or so, to see true results. The true test will be to see how these products prevent my once a month breakouts. Among other terrible things, my face goes haywire when my monthly friend shows up. I will have finally arrived when I find products to combat that.

Mocha  Facial Scrub

Skin Care Survival Kit

This Saturday I restocked on skin care necessities. I think I have successfully weaned myself off of Mary Kay products...well, most of Mary Kay products. I still have memories of my long emptied bottles of the Microderm Abrasion duo. It's called the Miracle set for a reason, lol.  Last month I tried using African Black soap (the real stuff, the ugly brownish stuff) and Vitamin E capsules with ginseng. This didn't necessarily do wonders for me, but I enjoyed the fresh clean felling on my face. The Black soap didn't  dry my skin out and the vitamin E absorbed into my skin without leaving my face looking shiny or feeling greasy.


In this trip to the beauty store I picked up another bottle of Vitamin E, but with Aloe and a much wanted tub of Shea butter (oh, yeah!) So far I really like the Vitamin E+ Aloe. It smells good, it fells cool on my face and it's very calming to painful blemishes. I've used Shea butter before to lighten my dark knees, but now I'm testing in on my  face. I'm only rubbing a thin layer on my chin for the next few weeks to see if it doesn't fade my scars and even out my tone. My t-zone might be a better place to test the effectiveness of the Shea butter but, I'm afraid to do that right now.

I am so happy I found a place that sells almonds in bulk here in South bay! I've driven by this market called Sprouts farmer's market a few times, but I finally went in this weekend. I'm glad I did! It reminds me of the Nugget at home. I love the atmosphere in these places. I love the quality of the produce and the SALES. Let me tell you- I checked out this place Saturday, last week, and spotted my almonds at $5.99 per/lb.   At home, at WinCo, I paid about $3.49 per/lb for locally grown almonds. I thought, "I'll make the sacrifice, I really need these."  When I went back to buy them this past Friday they were on sale for $3.99! I was beyond happy.


A note to all: Don't be afraid to shop the specialty markets. If you shop the sales you will fare better than you would at the super market or grocery store. 


Now that I have my almond supply checked off of my skin care list, I know almonds alone won't do. I really need to get more water in my diet.  When I say water I mean foods that have a high water content and natural cleansing abilities. Fruits and vegetables have this. I can't wait for Melons and grapes to some into season- BTW Sprouts have large honeydew for $1.99 each! I so love that place. Anyhoo, when I get my skin care arsenal fully loaded I'll share.

Florin Rd. Nugget. Sacramento, CA

The last thing I'm excited about is a natural coffee facial scrub. I'm going to pick it up from a new friend of mine who is developing a pantry bath and beauty skin care line. I've already sampled her sugar scrub and it was great. I can't wait to see how this coffee scrub will work for me.

Here's What's in My Kit so Far:

Black Soap

Vitamin E +Aloe

Shea Butter

Almonds

Bottled Water

    Coffee Facial Exfoliant