Hairline Regrowth Progress

Earlier this month I took photos of my thinning hairline, which was a result of wearing my hair in a top bun ALL THE TIME. I got comfortable...lazy. And I paid for it. For the first time in my life I knew what many other women go through when it came to the thinning hair line. I literally was like "What?" And then I took action.

I immediately pulled out my unopened second bottle of MTG - yes, the -ish that smells like bacon grease! I was a horse losing it's damn hair and I needed help stat! And then I whipped out the Jamaican Castor oil. As mentioned in a previous post, I bought the oil and didn't find much use for it. I even threatened to give it away, but I kept it and used it as a carrier oil for my scalp oil. Well in this case, I mixed the MTG with the Jamaican Castor oil, and massaged my hairline daily.

I thought I'd seen a difference in a couple of days, but figured that was wishful thinking. I wanted to wait a while to take follow up photos to compare to the original ones, but I saw a major difference in the 3 weeks that I have been using this scalp oil, as well as continuing with the Shea Moisture Yucca and Baobob product line (if I could drink the Hair Milk, I would - it has been a miracle to my hair).

(for whatever reason, the date is not showing on the second set of 

photos, which were taken on March 31)

It is without question that I am satisfied with the progress that I am making, and will continue on this path. I also changed my hair maintenance routine a bit, as I've found that the longer my hair gets, the more work it seems to require (and here I thought I would be able to just throw it up in a ponytail or bun and keep it moving... NOT!).

This is the second week where I am wearing my hair in a partial blow out (I blow my hair out with cool and warm air, not the hot air that I used to use back in the day). And I have gone back to styling it daily (ugh!), but mainly because I oil my scalp and re-moisturize every night. That routine goes as follows:

1. I finger-part my hair into 4 sections (I do not use a comb when my hair isn't wet, and even when it is wet, I detangle with my fingers - not a bit comb in hair fan).
2. I apply a quarter size of the Shea Moisture Yucca and Baobob Hair Milk to each section, then apply a dime size of my homemade Hair Buttercream.
3. I place the section in a ponytail and braid the loose hair.

In the morning I add a bit of homemade hair pudding followed by hair buttercream to the sections closest to the roots to control those stray hairs. Just before heading out for the day, I release the 4 braids, shake my head a bit, and peace out.

The one major thing I discovered after using the Shea Moisture Yucca and Baobob hair products (shampoo every other week, conditioner weekly, hair milk daily, and now the hair masque which I will use with every shampoo), is that my hair was soooooo soft, but strong. Strong enough that I feel confident with the blow out hair (I usually get nervous after a couple days and spray it to coil it up).

LOL!

Was in a beauty supply store recently looking for a new deep conditioner (because I was acting cheap and didn't want to spend all the $ on my regular fix, Alter Ego), so I'm trying to have an intelligent conversation with the salesperson, explaining to her that I don't press my hair, and I wear my coily 'do out or up, and her friend jumps into the conversation and chastises me with

"No Mami, that's not good for your hair!"

She even shook her head from side-to-side like I'd stolen pennies out of a wishing well or something.

I paused. Looked her in the eye. Looked at her hair.  Then the salesperson went on to agree with her friend, and explained that she does both their hair... and then I stopped listening.

Why?  Because the salesperson's hair was bleached and looked like straw, and her friend's hair was dry-fried (yes, I just made that term up, I think).

It took everything in me not to bust out laughing, so instead, I smirked (I couldn't help it) and said, "don't worry, I'll find something.  Thanks!" to the salesperson (her friend's interjection wasn't even worthy of a direct response).

When Products Attack

It is with a heavy heart, and completing the 6 stages of grief, that I report that one of my favorite products has turned on me!  It was so good while it lasted. It didn't cost a lot, but wasn't like a cheap one night stand (more like a summer romance), it made me believe in the good of humanity and that you could indeed find it where least expected.  It was so good on the inside as well as the outside. It was my ace-boon-coon, my partna who turned on me at the last minute like Gerry Butler did to Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.  I am speaking of it, whose name I don't even want to say , but must: Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner!

(Sigh)

So here's what had happened. I was loving my Suave Coconut conditioner like a half gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream after a long. hard day. And I was sharing this relationship with everyone - including right here in this very blog. My sis tried it and her response was not favorable, to which I thought, "she must be crazy" or "she must not be using it right."  And then it happened! Lord, honey chile! I washed and conditioned my hair with my Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner - and my hair felt like PAPER!  And not that expensive paper from Papyrus either.  As a matter of fact my hair didn't even feel like paper from the 99 Cent store - it felt like old-17th Century-hidden in a trunk- deep in the pits of an old slave plantation that had been flooded and burnt, to be pulled from its dark hole-and brought in to the light only to immediately wither and almost die -PAPER.  Broke my freaking heart!

BUT, I was in denial, for months.  I thought I'd moved on at first, thinking "oh, my hair just needs a break - like Ross and Rachel on Friends.  We'll get back together, after almost marrying other people, and live happily every after.  Well I thought my chance at a renewed partnership had come the other day.  I needed to do a quick co-wash to hold me over for just 2 days (I used a hair dryer with a comb attachment on my hair - something I haven't done for almost 3 months - and the damage was immediate, so I needed to fix it stat, and I THOUGHT my Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner was Old Faithful just waiting to come out of the closet and pitch hit with bases loaded, 2 out, and in extra innings in the seventh game of the World Series.  And what did Old Faithful aka Mariano Rivera in the Spring of 2010, do?  Something I never would have expected?  IT BLEW THE SAVE!

(Sigh)

So, I must give it a fond farewell via toilet (since my once faithful partner in crime actually doesn't work for anyone that I know).  Such a shame.  What a waste.  Is there nothing sacred people?  Can't a girl (ok, grown ass woman) have one thing that will always have my back? Dayuuuummmm. But it's ok.  In my brain stem I think I knew.  I didn't want to know, but I did. Dayum!

P.s.: (dis)Honorable mention to Queen Helene's Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream.  What in the hippity-hip-hop is going on?

Come on, mane!

Today is one of those DAYS!  One of those days when I want to shave it all OFF!  And usually I would chop it off and then let my sister know so she can yell "you cut it again!", but I am determined to grow this sh.../ stuff out so I can start sporting my old lady plats - that's all I want.  Plat it up and wrap it around my head - yes, I am ready for my old lady look, now.  But instead, I a here, trying to enjoy not laboring on this labor day, and I actually would like to scream.

So here's the deal, went on a mini vacation last week and did not have on my travel hair, aka braids (I took them out after it was confirmed that Hurricane Irene had destroyed my trip to the Caribbean - I was mad).  But I got my head together and we did a road trip that included time at a water park.  I figured, I'll just keep it pinned up, slap on some extra conditioner, blah blah blah.  Well the hair looked pretty good throughout, but it seems that I am now paying for it.  Got home, washed deep conditioned - twice (I won't even go into how the Suave coconut conditioner decided not to work for my hair any longer.  Now I have to find a new conditioner - dayuuummm!) - light blow out (of course with heat protection and all other kinds of hair protection), flat twisted for 2 days.  Whew.  Took the twists out this morning and my hair felt dry.  As the day has progressed, the dryness is driving me nuts because I feel like the next stop is "Breakage City" and considering all the new growth I acquired from my travel hairdo (for the travel that never was IRENE!), I am trying to keep on track and grow this sucka out.

Interestingly, my scalp feels fine, so I'm thinking my hair got fried in that sun in south Jersey, to which my response is "hell no."  So, what I am doing now is boiling together a mixture of green tea, rosemary and sage herbs.  I have used a green tea rinse in the past and it was great for stopping breakage, and according to my trusty resource, Tulani Kinard's book "No Lye", sage herb is good for strengthening the hair, and rosemary stimulates circulation.  I've already oiled my scalp with a simple mixture of extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, jojoba oil and tea tree oil.

Honestly, I planned to be wearing an updo in the coming month anyway, but when I touch my hair, I need it to feel a certain way.  It's like when I'm boxing and hitting the heavy bag, I know when I have hit the bag successfully from the sound of the hit on the bag.  My son came into the bathroom to me yelling at my hair and said "Wow mommy, you got a lot of hair.  I think it looks good."  And hysterical me yelled "no it's not, feel it! It's hard!"  He felt it.  And then he left the room, lol.  I share all of that to say that there is a possibility that this is all in my head, BUT I know how all this hair feels, and it ain't pretty.  Definitely not a 'Luv My Texture' day.

Is it that serious?

I love that there is so much information available on the internet for various things.  I have been stopped with the perms for over a decade, and had been doing exceptionally well with my do's.  I love that there are so many websites and so much more information available to me as well as some who are starting out in this natural hair journey, but I have to ask sometimes - is it that serious?

One time I made a comment on a blog about how I blew out my hair once or twice a week with a hair dryer (GASP!  Are you gagging?) and the verbal ass whupping I got on that site was, at first, laughable.  Later, when the audacity of  tone of several comments by folks named "anonymous", really hit me, I wished I'd had the presence of mind to quip back in the sarcastic nature that I do so very well in person.  And for the ladies who prefaced their comments with "I'm not judging..." uhhh, yeah, you are, and uhhh, it's about how I treat MY hair, so o-k lady.

Anyway, I just find it amazing how, in loving our hair, some folks come across as so judgmental, and downright mean and rude in some cases.  I even realized that this kind of behavior even seeped into my subconscious when I find myself reassuring women with chemically treated hair that "I'm not that kind of 'natural'.  And please note: I used the word "natural" for the example I just gave - I don't walk around calling myself a "natural" - it just comes across as so divisive (like the vegetarian who comments on the slaughter of cows when a person is about to bite into their burger. To me, that's some mean shyt!).

I've recently had to remind myself that I have to do what works best for me, and I have not been doing that - for a while.  I have a relatively healthy head of thick hair and now I want to obtain some more length. In trying to achieve this goal I found myself following routine that, although healthy, was not necessarily the best for me, and as a result, I wasn't seeing any results :(

Well, I done did my hair - the way I've always liked - did my nails, handling my skin care regimen (I'll address that in another entry) and now I gotta figure out what to do with my eye brows. I write all of this to say that I have not - in a very long time - felt the way that I'm feeling about the effort that I am putting into myself in a very long time.  Sure, I'm always short on time - when have I not been?  And sure, this is all so superficial, but it's my time, and I sure feel like I'm worth it, and of course I will have some low days (like yesterday!), but as I say many times, as long as I don't give up, I'ma be all right!

Hair Growth: Update

Here's a look at where I was a little over a month ago (silly me deleted an update photo from February - I'll take another one this month)

I will start posting the various styles I do as well!

Hair Growth Progress: Update

It's been a while since I've posted photos of my hair growth progress so here are a few that I have taken over the past four months.  With the help of my homemade buttercream, protective styling (aka, my Aunt Jemima hair net and head band hair style aka laziness), this is where I'm at!

 

One thing that I had to do in this process is stop following all of the suggestions of so-called experts out there with regard to the care of my hair in it natural state. I've been natural since way before it was cool and in the process of ingesting so much more information from various sources, I started to become overwhelmed and paranoid about what I should and shouldn't be doing.  With the exception of the few months right after my son was born, I have always had a whole lotta hair!  And I had no problem growing it either.  Since my high school years I was always cutting it to chin length for some reason, but I always knew it would grow fast because I was always cutting it. Now I want to go a different route, grow it out and just be.  If the earlier photos of my journey this year is review, from back in May when I chopped it OFF, one can see that I have definitely come a long way in the past seven months!

Pics from the earlier part of my hair journey this year (May/ June comparison):

Next up, I have to start adding pics of styles I create.

Mean Girls... whatever

I just had to post/ rant about this.

I am 35 years old.  I'm a mom.  I'm well educated.  I work. I pay my bills. I do my thing just like millions of other folks out there maneuvering in a country full of economic and political upheaval, i.e. Important shit.  So why did a supposedly 'grown woman' feel the need to make fun of my hair yesterday? (lol and smh)

I was at a middle school orientation with my son.  We were broken down into groups for a tour and there was an interracial couple (the woman is Latina and the man Afr. American, which is not a big deal to me at all having been in the same situation and now raising a biracial child, anyway...) in our group, with their son.  All is well, and when the tour is over we all get into the elevator to leave, the couple is positioned right next to me.  I gave a nod and a smile (we'd chatted a little bit during the tour) and set my sights on stopping off at Mickey D's before heading home.  So then I hear the woman say to her man "Psst, look at her hair" and then she laughs.  And my immediate response was 1-eyebrow raise, and then 2- "Really?"

First of all, these folks were about in my age range, if not older.  Second, 'perdon chica, pero el pelo de tu esposo y tu hijo es mismo de mio' (in my broken Spanish I wrote 'Excuse me, but the hair of your husband and your child is the same as mine), and third, uhh, how old are you?  And fourth, 'screw you bia-tch because my hair is big and fabulous.

I found it really interesting that a grown woman would resort to that type of behavior as we were both at a school open house for our kids. And I also got irritated because there are still people who have an issue with big, curly, non-processed hair.  I've said it before and I'll say it again  - if my hair isn't grabbing small children, and as long as it's clean and there are no bugs hopping from my scalp to yours, step off (I actually wanted to write something a bit more vulgar, but I'm trying to live by example by taking the high road).  What is it with woman being so critical of other women?  I, personally, am so past all of that, but she instigated a flashback to those times when very few people (because a lot of kids were scared of me) bumped their heads on the kitchen sinks and came to school thinking that that day was a good day to f**k with me.  (Note: despite the previous line, I really am a nice person - but I'm also from the Bronx! lol!)