Yes!  My hair type!  I love videos that feature people with tightly coiled hair, so I definitely needed to put this on my site.

This video serves as a great instruction for how to twist, and untwist, hair.   The video features Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme & Curly Buttercreme.  To be honest, I was happy at 1:56 of the video where the hair model reveals her twisted hair from underneath the dryer hood.  I personally don't know how people do it... spend hours twisting hair only to untwist it.  Hmp... but both styles looked great on the hair model, wouldn't you say?

So, has anyone taken the plunge and tried Miss Jessie's products yet?   How has it worked for you?  I'm a PJ (product junkie) at heart and plan to do some serious shelf stocking very soon... so, what's the one Miss Jessie's product that I should try?

First thing's first.  If you're just now hearing about the challenge, read about 2010 Healthy Scalp ♥ Healthy Hair Challenge here to get started.  Every month I will be posting progress photos of our challengers to show our overall progress with our hair and to motivate others to join.  The first objective is for you to reach optimum health with your hair.

Without further adieu, here was May's update...

looks like I've hit collar bone length officially

Um yeah, I really had to flex to get this update!  My next goal is now armpit length, which is where I used to be, or was on my way to achieving,  2 bad flat irons ago :-/  I can't wait!  Patience is certainly a virtue...

My hair length mid 2008

Poor hair... it was so much that I didn't know what to do with it I guess, lol.  I had it "professionally" pressed it and *poof* it went--over the course of many months, that is.  The hell I will press it ever again, even if for a photoshoot.   I now know I can slap a weave in my head if I ever get bored with my hair or need it in a style that would otherwise be damaging to my hair without the use of a weave.   I now know why so  many entertainers wear weaves and wigs--not because they don't like their hair, but because every set you go on there's someone waiting for you with a hot curler in one hand and a flat iron in the other--and they could give a care about how to handle natural hair.   As long as they're hearing some "sizzling" and "popin' " going on between your hair and their hot tools, then things are going just fine :-/  Direct heat and I are not friends, never have, and probably will never be.   Oooh, but I've got to post those pics from the photoshoot though....

Anyway, I'm just glad I'm back on the right track now.

Check out our Facebook Updates!

Check out our Twitter Updates!

What's your update going to be next month?  Healthier scalp?  Better hair care regimen?  Length progress?  Let us know and send your photo update to info[at]coilyhair.com to be included with next month's updates!

HAPPY GROWING!

The UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest is held every Memorial Day over a period of two days. If you live in L.A. and have never been (??) then you really need to check it out! The first day is not really Jazz but moreso R&B and Soul, while the second day--Memorial Day--is pure Reggae. I was "under the weather" but was luckily able to make it out for some of my favorite acts.

(2007) Kinky twist extensions with highlights; (2009) Coily full weave; (2010) Pushed back fro

Every year I have my favorites and this year hands down was Damian Marley & NAS... I loved every moment of their performance of their newest hits from their latest collab "Distant Relatives" ... and of course I loved their oldies, but goodies.

Sooo.... if you couldn't make it for whatever reason, here are some pics--natural hair inspirations, really--for you to enjoy (courtesy of FROLAB "Pick Fros, Not Fights")...

First thing's first.  If you're just now hearing about the challenge, read about 2010 Healthy Scalp ♥ Healthy Hair Challenge here to get started.  Every month I will be posting progress photos of our challengers to show our overall progress with our hair and to motivate others to join.  The first objective is for you to reach optimum health with your hair.

April's updates are coming late due to me focusing on Facebook (I know, baaad) for my updates.  So here it goes...

length check

More of my April 2010 hairstyles in my Easter post

Check out our Facebook Updates!

Check out our Twitter Updates!

What's your update going to be next month?  Healthier scalp?  Better hair care regimen?  Length progress?  Let us know and send your photo update to info[at]coilyhair.com to be included with next month's updates!

HAPPY GROWING!

The fact that many of our personal care products--especially black hair care products--that contain synthetic hormones that can cause cancer in women is definitely one of many reasons why I went natural in 1999.

Health expert Devra Davis, author of "The Secret History Of The War On Cancer," states that "9 out of 10 women were born with healthy genes" which is an astonishing statistic because this means that only 1 out of 10 women were born with cancer... which means the other 9 may be exposed to man made elements that caused cancer.  She also highlights the fact that African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer than Caucasian women and the fact that it is largely due to our hair products we use that contain placenta.

Listen to "Devra Davis: Chemicals, Cancer and You" or download it to your computer.

If you are newly natural, the first thing you should be doing is going through your product cabinet and tossing out products that have any man made chemicals that should not be going on your head.  However, some chemical-sounding ingredient names may not be harmful but actually may be a natural ingredient.  I used to assume that any ingredient that you can't pronounce is a chemical that should not be used in products, but that was wrong thinking.  These days, products list the "technical name" for even natural ingredients.  One of the few ingredients I avoid right off the bat are:

• Mineral oil
• Petrolatum
• Petroleum

You should absolutely avoid any hair product with these listed anywhere in the ingredients list.  I've stood by this for the past decade.  The reason why these ingredients are used in products is because they are CHEAP and therefore companies who feel we aren't worth the better ingredients (if you so choose to take it this way) or who don't want to spend anymore than they have to on a product, will use these ingredients in our hair care products.

Some other ingredients to avoid: Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Methyl, Propyl, Butyl, and Ethyl Paraben, Imidazolidinyl, DMDM Hydantoin, DEA, MEA, TEA, Fragrances, and Colors.

So this cancels out 70% or more of black hair products on the market today.  Fortunately, there are many other alternatives one can find for hair care.  You just have to be more open to trying unconventional ways of either obtaining your haircare products, or making/mixing them yourself.

Having natural hair is one thing, but using natural hair products is yet another ball game.  Search for natural hair products and take your own health in your own hands.  Make an attempt to follow a healthier lifestyle, and encourage those closest to you to do so as well.  I definitely believe breast cancer research is still necessary and vital.  Please consider sponsoring me by making a tax deductible donation for the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women's Cancers by June 11, 2010!

Original article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/110255-different-hair-care-types-africanamericans

African-American hair varies in texture and coarseness, and is able to be styled in many different ways. Many African-American women choose to make their hair straight by using relaxers or a straightening comb, while others choose to keep their hair in its natural state. It's all up to the individual.

Relaxed

Many African-American women choose to straighten their hair with a relaxer. There are a number of different relaxers on the market, which target different preferences and coarseness of the hair. Relaxed hair has been straightened with chemical relaxers, which can make the hair more manageable and easier to style. Relaxed hair can be worn curly or straight, and the versatility of it is endless. The hair has to continually be relaxed at the roots to straighten the new growth. The time between getting a relaxer usually varies from four to eight weeks. However, some people only get relaxers two to three times per year.

Pressed

Pressed hair is straightened with a straightening comb. The high heat of the straightening comb pulls the waves or curls, and straightens the hair. The hair has to continuously be straightened after washing to maintain this type of hair. When hair is pressed over a period of time, it may lose its natural curl or wave due to the excessive amount of heat being used.

Natural

There are a number of African-American women who choose to keep their hair in its natural state. The hair texture can vary from kinky, curly, wavy and sometimes straight. With natural hair, women are able to achieve a number of styles. Many times they wear a variety of styles that may include afros, twists and locs. Natural hair is often times thought of as being more cultural.

Every holiday I am pressured with thoughts of how to wear my naturally coily hair.  I remember many holidays where I felt pressured to have to press my natural hair out, usually to please someone else.   Well, after several bad presses (read in "My Journey") I have long accepted that I don't need to press my hair for the sake of wearing straight hair for the holidays.  I am perfectly fine wearing my coily hair the way it is.

So, this Easter I finally decided to leave my two stranded twists in (that I have actually been maintaining since last November) and just wash, condition, and oil them for the Easter holiday.  My plan was also to curl them the night before but I had way too much fun the night before and didn't get home in time to put my hair on my fave jerri curl rods to sleep in.    I went to church "as is" and was still pleased 'enough' to label it my 2010 Easter Hairstyle.  What do you think?  Share your links to your own holiday hairstyle.

:-)

Regimen:

Day Before:

• Rinsed twists under running warm to hot shower water; washed using Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Castle Soap.
• Used about 3 handfuls total of the soap to wash my scalp, using the pads of my fingers (focusing on my scalp mostly)
• Squeezing the life out of my Kenra Conditioner to use up the last of it to condition my hair; also added Pantene Moisture Conditioner (the one with the gold label)
• Left conditioner in for at least 10 minutes before rinsing out with medium to cooler water.  I rub my scalp with the pads of my fingers to make sure that all of the residue of the conditioner is rinsed off of it.  I have learned not to leave conditioner sitting on my scalp because it encourages things like flaking, dandruff, and buildup.
• I squeezed the excess water out of my twists in 4 sections:  right, left, middle and back.  I'll repeat until I feel I've squeezed out most of the water that I could squeeze out.  After the shower I just leave the twists to dry 30-50% before I start adding my products.
• I scrunched in my Cantu Shea Butter into my twists and then followed with a tablespoon's worth of my African's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil (not African Pride) and added to it my Avocado Oil and massaged throughout my scalp.  Oil always gives my fine hair strands the weight it needs and gives it 'movement.'  It also does a good job of sealing in moisture.  This took about 5 minutes to do.
• I then rubbed some more oil down the length of my twists.  I know this helps to create frizz in my twists but I do it anyway to ensure proper coverage of oil down my strands.  What  I usually do later is re-twist some of the more visible twists after they dry a bit so that the entire style looks less "ruff."

Morning Of:

• I freshened up the style with my Pantene Leave-In spritz.
• Spritzed my Organic Root Stimulator Nature's Shine Spray and gently massaged into my twists for sheen.

Then I was red' to go :-)

My first online natural hair journal.

Looking back to my first online journal entry.

Oct 10, 2003

This was the year I decided to do my own hair journal. I have been interested in the hair journals of others in an attempt to find the ultimate hair regimen that is best for my hair by seeing what others use. Well luckily, I've recently found a few people who have hair that comes close to my own... but not quite. The one person who's hair resembles my hair texture only has a picture journal, but doesn't talk about what products she uses or anything related to her daily haircare. So I got the thinking lately... why not start my own hair journal for people with my own texture of hair? Well, he' it go...

Today is the day I try something new with my hair regimen. I have tried once before but I am determined to try yet again... the no-poo method. Yes, it's a challenge, but I'm willing to try and try again until I find what works for my hair. But if I don't like how it's turning out, my shampoo is always an arm's length away.

For those of you who don't know about it, "no-poo" means you don't wash your hair with shampoo. It's encouraged to wash your hair with conditioner to maintain your hair's natural oils. It is said that washing your hair with shampoo dries out those natural oils form your hair because of its harsh drying chemicals, which makes sense. BUT, I have not agreed with this method for a while now because I don't understand how you're supposed to get your hair and scalp clean with just conditioner? Conditioner alone doesn't have a cleansing agent like shampoo does. When I first tried this I felt like I had dirty goo on my scalp, because when I ran my nails on my scalp for my clean test that's what was found. Since, I have tried to concentrate my shampoo only on my scalp to keep it from my hair--kinda like relaxer application.

Hair Battle Spectacular TV Taping in Los Angeles

If you just so happened to miss the FREE event, "My Black Is Beautiful," I'm not sure if you wanna miss out on the next.  Do you have a love for hair competitions?  Well there's a taping of a new show called "Hair Battle Spectacular" here in Los Angeles and I'm planning to RSVP a group for the taping in Santa Clarita, CA on Friday, April 16th from 1:00-7:00 PM (check in time 11:30 AM.  If you're interested, please RSVP to carol[@]audiencesunlimited.com to have the details emailed to you.   

About The Show:
Oxygen and 3 Ball Productions, the reality TV Production Company behind such hits as “The Biggest Loser” and “Beauty and the Geek”, are teaming up to delve into the outlandish world of fantasy hair design in their new series, “Hair Battle Spectacular.”

The show follows an elimination format that revolves around the outrageous and fantastic in fantasy hair creations. Each one-hour episode will have fantasy hair designers vying for the precious title of who will reign supreme and be named champion.  Every week stylists will be battling it out with outrageous and eye popping fantasy hair creations. Ten of the most talented fantasy hair stylists from around the U.S. will come together for a battle to see who is the best. Who can handle the pressure? Can they handle the live audience?  Can they bring their hometown talents to Los Angeles?  Will they make the "cut"?  There’s only room for one winner and the stakes are high.

Fantasy hair design is the “Def Comedy Jam” of couture styling!  The styles these artists create are half sculpture, half pop art and ALL hair. With models wearing their “spectacular” creations every week, stylists will battle it out on stage with a live audience cheering them on. The energy, fun and creativity will palpitate the room as the stylists work their magic. The show will not only follow a cutthroat competition every week, but also introduce viewers to the bizarre world of Fantasy Hair, where every stylist and every style is bigger and more dazzling than the last.

As well as battling it out in day-to-day competitions every week, our ten larger than life fantasy hair designers will be together in one location where they will live, create and compete against one another in a series of challenges escalating in difficulty every week, testing their creativity and expert skills. At the end of every episode, the weakest designer is sent packing, so that in the end, only the next greatest artist of fantasy hair design will win the title in “Hair Battle Spectacular.”

I'm really excited about this challenge taking place this year and motivated by everyone who has chosen to join!  Thank you all for signing up on Facebook, tweeting your interest on Twitter, RSVP'ing on the website and emailing me your starting photos.  Change happens with numbers so thank you!

First thing's first.  If you're just now hearing about the challenge, read about 2010 Healthy Scalp ♥ Healthy Hair Challenge here to get started.  Every month I will be posting progress photos of our challengers to show our overall progress with our hair and to motivate others to join.  The first objective is for you to reach optimum health with your hair.

Check out our Facebook Updates!

Check out our Twitter Updates!

What's your update going to be next month?  Healthier scalp?  Better hair care regimen?  Length progress?  Let us know and send your photo update to info[at]coilyhair.com to be included with next month's updates!

HAPPY GROWING!