Naturally Fabulous....or Fabulosly Natural?

RELOCATION!!

2010-01-13T19:25:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have officially relocated my blog to

www.thenaturalchronicles.onsugar.com

check me out there ;-)

Update and First Twist Set!!

2010-01-12T15:26:00.004-05:00

Hey Naturalistas!!

This is my first post of the year so I'm gonna try to make it a good one. :-)

So here's an update for you. I just took my genie locs out for the 2nd time in 3.5 months. I have SO much growth that I can FINALLY do a twist set! And that's exactly what I did! I'll show pics in a sec. First I wanna talk about my experience with the locs. Well first off I just wanna say that I LOVED them. I loved how they fit my face and my style and I got complemented on them DAILY (no matter how old they looked). I really DIDN'T want to take them out but...when you have braids you get to a certain point where you start to miss your curls :(..that's what happened to me. Plus I couldn't really participate in the weekly Natural Hair chat on Twitter since I didn't have anything to chat about. Which brings me to my next point...

I'm SO excited to have my hair out again because now I can really take the time and figure it out. I can figure out what products it likes, loves, and hates. And I def intend to take my time and REALLY figure it out. I want HEALTHY, long, lustrous hair. And I'm getting there see? *I wish I had taken a picture just after I had washed it to show you but, I also used Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment and I LOVED it! Here's a tutorial from the Miss Jessie's website on how to use it. Ok so now on to my FIRST twist set! Ok well the twists itself were a little difficult to do because my hair is so thin around the edges. So I had a hard time trying not to do them too small OR too big...but in the end I guess they came out ok. Not as good as I would have LIKED for them to, but not as BAD as I had expected so...win. LOL I used Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding while my hair was still a little damp. I had started to use the Curly Meringue but I had remembered a tutorial I saw on the Miss Jessie's website of a twist out with the Curly Pudding so I just went ahead and used that. I think it looks OK for my first twist out LOL...what do YOU think? Ok...more big news!! I've decided to make a change for 2010! I'm going to completely REVAMP my blog and HOPEFULLY detatch myself from Blogger and turn it into it's own website! I've been inspired by a few bloggers recently. Wish me luck!! And if you have any suggestions on what I need to do, I'd be MORE than happy to hear them!! Until next time my natural sistahs and bruthas!

(P.S.-Sorry about the unappealing backdrop. I'm currently in the hospital... GRR :-\)

Peace, love, and curls ;-)

And I hope everyone has a GREAT year! I KNO I will!!

Curly Coils!!

2009-12-01T21:46:00.003-05:00

Hey guys!

Sorry It's been a while. But I had the yarn braids in my hair for a while so I haven't really had any hair issues or experiences to blog about. But now, I've taken the braids out for a few days just to let my hair breathe--also because I was dying to see how much growth I had.

Well...I had much growth, VERY happy about that. But I can't do ANYTHING cute with it. In MY opinion. I wore my TWA for the first time to work today and everyone loved. Everyone usually DOES love my hair...I'm just still a little self conscious about it I guess...I'll get over it. I DO love my hair.

Anyway, here are some pics of my growth and today's "almost" finger-coils...(almost because I didn't FULLY coil them...

That's about it! Enjoy!

Genie Loc Update

2009-11-11T01:16:00.003-05:00

So it's been about 2 weeks since I did my yarn braids/genie locs and I decided to take them out around the edges (front and back) and re-do them since it was lookin kinda rough....

And I just wanted to give you guys a visual update of how MY hair looks (my actual hair)....it's grown a LITTLE bit but not much. The picture I'm gonna post is actually a pic I took right when I was done taking the braids out and right before I washed it. Once I washed it, I encountered some shrinkage...which is cool because my hair is still VERY healthy. Like OMG it's SO soft and curly! I LOVE IT!! I almost can't wait to take ALL my braids out, but I wanna leave them in at LEAST til or thru December...
(Pic 1: Hair out)
(Pic 2: Locs before I took them out)
I also wanna mention that I actually WASHED my hair, not just co-washed. I used TCB Energizing Shampoo and Garnier Conditioner...I WAS gonna just co-wash but I felt like since I haven't even co-washed in a few weeks, it probably needed to be cleansed completely...

But anyway...that's about it...until next time dolls!!

New Protective Style: Genie Locs/Yarn Braids

2009-10-20T19:25:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a week or so but I've since moved to another state!! (YAAY!) So I've been busy with that....

Anyway...for the past THREE DAYS (yes...THREE days) I've been doing my hair. Genie Locs, or Yarn Braids. I've been wanting these for a while but for some reason, I never went thru with getting them. My mom thought they were ghetto (even tho she'd never really seen them), but I don't care...it's MY head! LOL and I think they look fine. They look JUST like pixies honestly...

Well I already know how to braid but I learned the extra details about yarn braids from someone on Youtube (BlackOnyx77) (Youtube is the BEST for naturalistas...)

Anywho....here they are!!

That's all for now! Let me know what you think!!

My new "outing" look!

2009-10-07T18:52:00.003-04:00

Ok so in my previous post (done like not even 5 minutes ago LOL), I mentioned another naturalista blogger named Mae from Natural Chica. Well she also has a YouTube page that ALSO documents her natural journey.

One day I was watching one of her videos and I noticed her hair style...it was coiled at the top (in the front) and she was wearing a beret. I LOVED IT!

So I kinda jocked it LOL. Check it out: My hair isn't all that long yet but...it looked OK. I mean...it was cool for what it was. I've also found that lately I'm kind of obsessed with finger-coiling my hair...even when I'm just gonna take it out in a few minutes...I just can't stop playing in my hair LOL

My hair isn't all that long yet but...it looked OK. I mean...it was cool for what it was. I've also found that lately I'm kind of obsessed with finger-coiling my hair...even when I'm just gonna take it out in a few minutes...I just can't stop playing in my hair LOL

K I think that's all. Check ya lata! MUAH!

Check out my feature on Natural Chica!!

2009-10-07T18:44:00.002-04:00

So one of the natural hair blogs I follow is called Natural Chica and it's run by a FABULOUS Naturalista named Mae.

Well she does a few features on blog. One of which is called 'Blogger Naturalista', where she interviews other natural bloggers (by natural blogger I mean bloggers who are natural, not people who blog naturally LOL). Well this week I'm featured! (Yay I'm important LOL).

So any of you out there who are reading, please go check it out!! In the interview I answer questions about why I chose to go natural, what my routines include, and much more...so GO! I mean NOW!! Go read it!!! Blogger Naturalista: Jessica

Thanks a bunch Loves!!! MUAH!

TWA and Confidence

2009-09-28T00:33:00.003-04:00

So a comment that I'm hearing ALOT lately is "I'm lovin that hairstyle/cut on you....you have the perfect face for it"....but the CRAZY thing is, it'll be at weird time...like when I'm sittin at home in my PJ's lookin like whodunit and why and someone comes to visit (family members or friends that haven't seen me since my BC).

What I'm getting to is....sometimes I have this confidence with my TWA where I'm like "ok people think it's cute so it MUST be cute." Or they'll be days when I'm ACTUALLY feeling it...but lately, and I dont kno if its cuz I've been watching too many YouTube videos featuring other naturalistas with BEAUTIFUL textures or what...but I just haven't been feeling my TWA. So most of the time I'll wear a headwrap in a bun....

But that's getting old because I only have a few colors and I'm getting tired of trying to match them...and ultimately wearing the same clothes...

I think a large part of the problem with my confidence comes from the dryness issue (see previous post). I just feel like a have "brillo-pad head". Seriously...And I don't know how to cure it. I haven't quite figured out which products my hair likes or dislikes just yet...but I DID find out yesterday that the Carol's Daughter Khoret Amen Leave-In conditioner could be one of the main things that's drying my hair out. Which saddens me because I LOVE Carol's Daughter....

I also feel like my hair is at a standstill with the growth. I know, I know...I'm not even 2 months in yet. But you guys have to understand. I havent had a relaxer since MAY. I should a LOT more than less than an inch of hair right now...

I feel like I'm complaining. Don't wanna go there.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE being natural...I'm just a very impatient person. I know what u all are saying, "If you're impatient then you don't need to be embarking on this journey because the MAIN ingredient is patience." Well that's one of the main reasons I AM embarking on this journey, to learn to PRACTICE patience. For the most part its not all that hard. But when I see people that have been transitioning for the same amount of time as me and that did their BC at the same time as me, but they have TONS more growth than I do, it just discourages me.

I'm not gonna give up tho. Someone left me a comment saying that after the third month, the growth would come a lot faster....I hope she's right.

How do u newly naturalistas deal with your TWA confidence problems...?

Dry Hair :(

2009-09-26T19:08:00.002-04:00

So lately I've been noticing that my hair has been REALLY dry....

I don't co-wash my hair everyday...mayb every OTHER day. And my routine includes my shecoconut oil (shea butter/coconut oil/olive oil/rosemary oil), Miss Jessie's Buttercream, and Carol's Daughter Khoret Amen Leave-In Conditioner.

I also make the mistake of not tying my hair up at night...but that's because A) I sleep crazy and the scarf will just come off ANYWAY, and B) the scarf usually leaves me waking up with a headache...

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to combat this hair dryness?? My hair feels so "crunchy" (as my aunt calls it) most of the time.... :(

Texturizers????

2009-09-26T18:46:00.003-04:00

Before I went natural, I wanted to try a texturizer because I was under the DUMB impression that it would make my relaxed hair curly. LOL....I was soon corrected.

Well...now that I AM natural, and I know what a texturizer actually does, I kinda want to try it...

But I'm on the fence because I know it's a chemical...and being natural is supposed to mean free of chemical products (hence the word NATURAL).

But I just want to see what it does to my texture...like if it will soften it up or whatever.

Any thoughts?????

One Month POST BC!!!

2009-09-24T20:46:00.002-04:00

Going into month 2

The beginning (month one)
SMOOCHES!

My First Out Day

2009-09-10T19:12:00.002-04:00

Well today was the first day that I wasn’t ashamed of my TWA.

I did my wash and go and added a little EcoStyler Gel to my edges to make them look nice, then I added a little yellow flower to the side (for presentation ;-)) and VOILA!

I went out and got SOO many compliments! So many people told me it was the perfect look for my face or that I had the perfect face for a short hairstyle. Which I knew already because my hair was already short, but I had never sported an afro before. I LOVE it tho. It makes me even more excited about my journey!!

Here are some pics:

Miss Jessie's

2009-09-08T13:50:00.003-04:00

First off, I wanna start off by saying that Shirai has officially quit on me…she got a perm. SMH...

Anyway…I was just on “vacation” in New York and I was staying with my aunt (who is ALSO a natural). And she introduced me to some new products. I’d heard of Miss Jessie’s™ before but I had never tried it. I didn’t even know where to get it. Anyway, my aunt uses the Curly Pudding®, the Curly Meringue®, and the Curly Buttercream®.

She let me try some of the Curly Buttercream® first and let me tell you…it’s FABULOUS!! It’s made with a cooling peppermint essence so it tingles once you put it on and it feels GREAT! It’s supposed to be good for 2 Strand Twists, Pony Puffs, Braids, Hairline Grooming Creme, Short Naturals and Fades, Growing out Natural Hair.

Then she let me try the Curly Pudding®, which I had heard a lot about and actually DID want to try. This stuff was really good too. I only tried it on a small portion of my hair and it made my curls pop! J The Curly Pudding® is supposed to transform kinks to curls…which it DOES.

She gave me her Curly Meringue® because she said it’s supposed to pretty much do the same thing as the Curly Pudding® and she didn’t need both. But I haven’t tried that yet. It’s supposed to be good for Fingerstyling, 2 Strand Twists, Spiral Rod Sets, Relaxed Hair seeking curly styling and Transitioners, Silkeners and Texturizers.

Yesterday I ordered my own Curly Buttercream® and Curly Pudding®. I got the smallest sizes since I don’t have much hair anyway.

So…so far I like these products. A lot of people probably wouldn’t use a few of these because they DO have parabens. But right now I’m not worried about that. I’m just trying to find something that works for my hair and this stuff does.

That's all for now!

New Co-Wash Routine!!

2009-08-26T01:39:00.005-04:00

Ok guys....scratch the deep conditioning treatment I made up the other day. Thanks to KinkyKurlyQueen, I found the BEST co-wash treatment!! A lot of you may have heard of it before. It's the Baking Soda treatment.

All you do is mix:
1 cup of Conditioner (I used Queen Helene's again...yea it's pretty much all gone LOL)
1/2 cup of baking soda
1 capful of EVOO

Apply to your hair evenly, cover with a plastic cap and a heated towel for about 30-45 minutes. Rinse out in the shower.

After I got out of the shower (and I usually do this EVERYTIME I get out of the shower), I applied a few drops of Rosemary oil DIRECTLY on my scalp, followed by my shea butter mix, then my Carol's Daughter Khoret Amen Leave-In Conditioner.

I had to run out and go somewhere but I have no air in my car so I had the windows down which also happened to air dry my hair and OMG! My scalp felt AMAZING! I can now see why Rosemary oil promotes hair growth. My scalp was tingling but it was a good tingle. It felt like my scalp was just open..in a good way LOL. Anyway...after my hair had air dried completely I couldn't keep my hands out of it! It felt SO soft!

I will probably do this treatment about once every 2 weeks.

*You don't need to use shampoo because the baking soda itself is a natural cleansing agent.

Also...and update from yesterday's "Frustrated" entry. Well amazingly, after looking at my hair today, I don't know if I just got used to my TWA or what...but I think my hair really IS growing! I still think I should have a LOT more growth than this for 4 months without a perm.

That's all folks!

Frustrated

2009-08-25T00:00:00.004-04:00

Today I was watching a few Youtube videos featuring other nappturalites. And I started to notice that alot of them had been transitioning for about the same amount of time I did before they did their big chop. But THEIR hair is MUCH longer than mine.

And it got me to thinking...I don't think my hair is growing...for some od reason. I've been using shea butter, rosemary oil...even MONISTAT! But nothing is working!! UGH!

Or maybe I'm just impatient....But I've been transitioning for about 4 months, my hair should NOT be the length of Solange's...

I did my chop on the 17th and I didn't have much to chop being that my hair was ALREADY short...But I guess I'll wait until the 17th of September before I REALLY start getting pissed off...

I just REALLY hate my TWA and I'm tired of trying to find something to wear to match the only 3 scarves I have (which is one of the reasons why I cant WAIT to get to NY so I can go and find some African fabric and make scarves out of them).

Just a little late night rant for you guys....goodnite :-)

Conditioning/ Pre-poo treatment

2009-08-22T15:35:00.005-04:00

So I had originally planned on doing an egg/mayo/olive oil protein treatment on my hair....but I went to go crack the egg, and the egg "white" was neon green. Yea. Needless to say I don't think those eggs were any good, so I didn't do THAT treatment.

Instead I made up another one. I put together a few ingredients I had in my kitchen and my hair products: Queen Helene deep conditioner, about 10-15 drops of Rosemary Oil ($7.99 from Whole Foods), a capful of EVOO, and a short pour (sorry I didn't measure it) of Spectrum Coconut Oil ($8.99 from Whole Foods). *Note: it was kind of on the oily side so I think I put too much Coconut Oil...so don't use much)

I applied it with an applicator brush and since I have a TWA I didn't need much. After I was done applying it, I kind of used the brush to massage it in my hair from side to side in kind of a scratching motion. *Scalp stimulation is crucial to promote hair growth.

I let it sit for about 45 minutes-an hour (I lost track of time cuz I was doing too many things) with a plastic cap on my head and for about 15 minutes I had a terry turban on top of the plastic cap (I heated up in the microwave for about 20 seconds at a time). Then I remembered something I read on Mane and Chic about aluminum foil while deep conditioning promoting hair growth, so I traded the turban for the aluminum foil (the turban wasn't staying hot anyway).

I washed it all out in the shower and my hair felt semi-soft after rinsing. Once I shampooed, it felt even SOFTER AND curlier. :-)

Then I just used my regular post-wash products: my shea butter moisturizing concoction followed by Carol's Daughter Khoret Amen Leave-In Conditioner...oh and Monistat :-) LOL

So yea I think I'll be trying this alot from now on...maybe once a week or twice a month.

That's all kiddies!

Shirai's Two Strand Twists

2009-08-22T12:21:00.005-04:00

Ok I just finished doing Shirai's hair. It ONLY took me 3 days :-/. Which is crazy cuz when I did my own it only took me 5-6 hours. But her's are longer and I haven't done someone ELSE's individual braids in a LOOOOONG time! Like YEARS!

Anyway...it looks aight considering im not a professional AND I did it for FREE LOL.

Also....back to the Monistat. I've been applying it all week and this is how. I mixed it with Doo Gro Medicated Hair Vitalizer Mega Thick Anti-Thinning Formula. The kind specifically for helping to thicken egdes and temples. I just cut up part of a Zip-Loc bag and mixed it together then cut a little hole at the bottom to dispense (kind of like a cake decorating bag). But I was talking to Think And Grow Chick and she just puts hers on straight up. I was thinking about doing it like that but I read that ur supposed to mix it. I think im gonna start doing it like that because I'm ready for MORE results! I'm dont like my TWA (next blog post).

Anyway...that's all for now kiddies!

NEWSFLASH!! (Yea I'm late but I AM new to this LOL)

2009-08-18T20:29:00.005-04:00

Apparently....MONISTAT makes your hair grow!!!

Crazy right??? The active ingredient in it, Miconazole Nitrate, is "a synthetic antifungal used to stop fungus. It can work to promote hair growth because its oxidizing agents provide oxygen for the scalp allowing it to "breathe" and promote a healthy growing environment." Source. We also ready about it on the LHCF.

So me and Shirai are trying it. We'll let you know the results in about a month or so...

I just tried it on my edges for right now soo...this is what I'm starting off with...

Wish us luck!

BIG CHOP!!!

2009-08-18T19:23:00.005-04:00

I have to mark down 8/17/09 as the day I did my BC!

Am I happy about it? Eh...

Do I like it? Not right now...

I dont like it cuz my curl pattern hasn't developed yet...I mean IF I'm even going to have one. But I'll be patient...I knew it was gonna take time.

Yesterday I went to Sephora and bought some Carol's Daughter essentials. I got the Khoret Amen Leave-In Conditioner and the Hair Milk. The leave-in is good as a refresher during the day when your hair feels dry (so I've heard).

So here's how it looked right before I cut it. I tried to get a pic of the length...but I forgot to take a pic before I washed it...

And here is the back after I cut it...hence the hair laying on the bottom of my neck LOL. The back has more curl than the rest of my head....

This is day 2...not much difference but ...whatev

And here is the transition style I've been wearing the past 2 days since I don't really like my TWA right now...

Well that's about it....until next time...

Henna

2009-08-11T21:18:00.004-04:00

So MY hair isn't long yet and I'm not really ready to try a lot of the routines or products that I'm seeing on all these blogs and youtubes and whatnot. But I keep coming across something that's peaking my interest. HENNA.

I'm not quite SURE of what it DOES to your hair exactly but I THINK I'm starting to get it. Apparently it's a chemical free(natural) dye that also strengthens your hair. I'm kind of wanting to try it. Not for the dye purposes but for the hair strengthening purposes.

A few weeks ago I was ALSO interested in Henna but for body art purposes. (I was feeling artsy).

Anyway, I found this website from the forums at NaturallyCurly.com that has REALLY caught my eye! I'm LOVING the products (not to mention the abundance of products) they have for sale. They are CHEAP too! The site is Mehandi.com.

However, apparently you can get some good hair henna at Whole Foods.

I think in a few months or so, if I remember, I might try it. When I do, of COURSE I'm gonna let you know how it goes!

Flat Twists

2009-08-11T20:09:00.003-04:00

I just finished doing Shirai's hair. Flat twist. I did her hair like that when were in Mexico since it was something simple that could cover her naps (he he he). So here are the pics:

And here is a pic of the products I used (the applicator bottle contains the moisturizing concoction--see previous post--I just bought a new bottle)

Let me know what you think!!

Shirai's Hair

2009-08-10T23:45:00.007-04:00

Ok Shirai is currently in the process of taking her braids out and she took a few pics of her hair so far. I'm SOOO hating on the texture!!! It's BEAUTIFUL!!! (She's in denial about it tho...)My Aunt told me I should embrace my OWN texture and she's right...I'll love whatever texture I come out with (but HERS is the texture I can only DREAM of LOL...actually my aunt has a great texture too LOL)

And here is one of my staple products I'm starting off with (that I got from Nina). It's what I'm using to moisturize my hair...and trust me, it needs it BADLY! I used to always be scared to put grease in my hair and when I DID use oil I used a VERY minimal amount because I HATE stiff hair...and I didn't want it to be stuck in one spot over my neck (you know what I'm talkin about ladies...). So the mixture is basically just shea butter with cococunt oil and EVOO (but my grandmother only have Regular OO so I just used that bottle for photo purposes). I put all of that together in an applicator bottle and mix it up. You don't NEED to heat it up but I do because the shea butter won't come out thru the tip because of the consistency (nor will the coconut oil). So I just pop it in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds (and it STILL wont get hot so it's cool)... It makes your hair soft AND smell good :-)

That's all for tonite folks! Good nite!

Two-Strand Twists

2009-08-10T18:30:00.005-04:00

So my first protective style (see glossary on the side if you are unfamiliar with certain terms), I decided, would be two-strand twists...done by ME! After my last few experience with braids done by the Africans, I decided that I'm not trusting ANYONE else with my hair but ME. Don't get me wrong, they do a BANGIN job, I just can't deal with the tightness and the breakage anymore (OR the attitudes...)

So I did my twists about a week ago. The back half and the sides are black (2) then a portion at the top is reddish (350). It was a little challenging being that it's my first time braiding my OWN hair (outside of cornrows that I actually havent done in a WHILE) AND it was my first time doing THESE types of braids. But IMO it looks pretty good! I had to recently redo the sides because it didn't look full enough. But now it looks fab... :-)These are pics from the first night I did it and the night after when I went out. As you can see in the last pic it's not very full...I fixed that.

I'll be back later with instructions on how I did it and what I used. I'm out of town right now and all of my supplies are at home so I can't post pics right now.

Lemme kno what ya think!

WELCOME!

2009-08-10T18:21:00.005-04:00

Welcome everyone to my new blog!

This blog will be solely focused on my natural hair journey...AKA my TRANSITION :-)

I started going natural...hmm it's hard to say when. I OFFICALLY made the decision about a month ago (July 2009). But I've been without a relaxer since May 2009.

Big chop...LOL...well I didn't really need much of a big chop YET because my hair was already short. Not to mention in bad shape (from the micros I just took out)

This is a pic of my hair JUST after I took my micros out and after I cut a good portion of my relaxed hair off.
This is a pic of the damage the micros did to my edges!! AHHHH!!! No worries...it's getting better. :-)

My sister Shirai is ALSO going natural. Her hair texture is SOO much better than mine *sad face*. I think she got the Indian genes of the family. Bah. Anyway, I cant WAIT to see how her hair is gonna turn out once it grows.

We're new to this so if you are natural or are GOING natural, feel free to post your comments, give advice, correct me when I'm wrong about sumthing LOL (I don't mind...it only helps me learn between right and wrong)...whatever...mi casa es su casa! :-)

Anyway...this is just the beginning ladies and gentlemen! Stay tuned...