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!

This "Hair" is taking control of meeee!!!

(nerd alert: my take of Maroon 5's This Love, lol1)
Anyway, I was only able to wear my kinky curly 2-strand twists for a little over a week because my hair got DRY! And I moisturized my scalp, my hair, heck I was spraying water, water with veg. glycerin - I was trying everything I could to lock in the moisture and it was just not happening, so....

...let's try something different, shall we?

Tonight I am going to co-wash my hair with Suave Essentials Coconut Conditioner, apply a hair mask using a recipe that includes bentonite clay, honey, extra virgin olive oil, and apple cider vinegar, and finish with Organix's Moroccan argan oil renewing treatment.  I don't know if I'm going to style it wet or dry yet. It all depends on the results of the clarifying treatment.

Later that day...

The hair mask was incredible - felt like may hair and scalp were detoxed without stripping it of all its moisture.  I am also LOVING Organix's Morracan Argan Oil Renewing treatment.  I'd tried one of those argan oil treatment packets by Creme of Nature a couple of weeks ago and loved the results on my hair and felt comfortable enough to invest the $8.99 for the Organix treatment, and it was worth it.  My hair felt pampered and I think the detox treatment had a lot to do with how well my hair took to the renewing treatment.  It felt extra soft and manageable, and coupled with the Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner (as part of my hair washing procedure as I used this before the renewal treatment), I got the best results from new products in a long time.  Let's see how this holds up in this nasty heat-wave weather, but for now, I am content :)

I Luv My Texture, but....

... I need a break.  Seriously.  I'm about 2 seconds from cutting ALL THIS OFF.

It has been a pretty frustrating month whether it's my hair or my life, and with this heat of the summer about to reign its terror upon me, I cannot deal.

With the locks, for some reason the hair looks like it ain't growing, but I know that it is which means my ends are breaking off (I've noticed this the past 2+ weeks).  And, styling it just hasn't been fun for me. Also the shrinkage in this heat is killing me.  For a moment I thought about using all of these products to go the straight hair route for a minute, but in July? In New York? Not happening.

With the life, seems like life is a vampire and I'm the juiciest human around because it is sucking the life outta me.

So, what am I gonna do?

I'm gonna put some kinky twists up in my hair (I do them myself, so that says me buckets of money and my hairline - ya'll know what I mean!), and nourish my scalp back to health.

I'm gonna put the job hunt in full action mode.

I'm gonna stop eating these damn chocolate chip cookies on my table.

I'm gonna work out hard each day of this 3-day holiday weekend.

I'm gonna meditate like a mutha!

And I'm going to relax.
There's always going to be something to complain about or not be completely happy about, but at the end of the day I'm here. That's gotta count for something.  I think it does.