Comments, Suggestions, Questions, Hairstories? I Welcome Them!!! - June 7, 2013

I just want to send out a super brief and friendly reminder that I wholeheartedly welcome any comments, suggestions, questions and hairstories you may have for me! I am (obviously) a very open person and value any opinions that come my way! Interested in the products I use? Want to know more about my hair texture? Need a step-by-step process of how I achieved a certain hairstyle? Wondering how I combat frizz? Curious about why I started this blog? Want to meet me? (Totally kidding about that last one). The point is, I want to hear from YOU!!! Hey...this gives me a great idea of either adding a "comments/questions" box to my blog or posting various questions and asking my readers to choose some to ask me! We shall see! In the meantime, enjoy my hairstories and keep smiling! :)

Making Curlfriends: Seeking, joining and supporting natural hair communities - June 7, 2013

[ Another look at my "crown" hairstyle ]

Natural hair is EVERYWHERE!!! We can't deny it or reverse it! I think it's great! No one can say they don't have the knowledge, inspiration or support to go natural because there are millions of natural hair gurus, hair bloggers and websites dedicated to natural hair! Some great benefits about going natural were saving time, saving money and embracing my true self. One of the best things about going natural was the multiple communities I was able to join, the many friends I made and the support I received. Since I went natural in January, I have made multiple curlfriends, found friends in people I didn't expect to, discovered many curly girls via Facebook and Instagram and have been introduced to a whole, wide world of awesome naturalness.

I have always had very few friends who were natural. Most of my friends wore weaves or wore their hair relaxed. My decision to go natural was a pretty lonely one because I didn't have support from anyone. However, the few friends that were natural were so kind enough to take me under their wings and offer amazing friendships outside and within the curly world. I want to shout out my dear friend (and AMAZING singer) Vanessa M., who was and is always so positive about my hair through all of its stages and continues to be a great source of information as I travel through my hair journey. When I decided to transition, my friends Nisha and Gaelle, both natural girls, were also very encouraging. They gave me style ideas and even accompanied me to Honey Fig, my lifesaver natural hair and skin care boutique (www.honeyfig.com). When I big-chopped, one of my close friends and fellow event planner Deneita, had also just cut her hair and was great in helping me get used to my new hair. I have many, many people to thank, like my wonderful parents, my stunning boyfriend and other friends and acquaintances, and no one goes unnoticed or forgotten, but these specific ladies displayed memorable actions.

Through friends and acquaintances, I was able to meet people who have helped me grow as a natural hair enthusiast. I now purchase some of my hair products from my good friend Shauntee, who makes natural hair and skin products under the name Nu'khara (Facebook: Nu'khara OR Shauntee Sutton). She introduced me to natural oils, offered twist-out advice and she forever supports me in my journey. I was also able to find amazing hair inspiration from various blogs and Instagrammers through Black Girl Long Hair. I now follow a ton of natural ladies and I am never at a shortage of hair advice, hairstyles, tutorials and pictures. Some of these lovely ladies have even followed me back!

As you can see, going natural opened the doors to a world of curlfriends and curly friendships. I have friends who are great friends but can also help me through my hair journey! I feel very blessed to have been able to benefit physically and mentally from my decision to cut my hair and embrace my curls. I love every moment of being a curly girl and hope I can inspire others to embrace their true selves! If you are unsure of where to go or look for curlfriends, check out Black Girl Long Hair (http://blackgirllonghair.com). The website always features diverse natural girls and in their interviews, you can find their Instagram or Facebook contact information. This is a great way to create your own curl community and have unlimited advice and hairstyles at your fingertips!

Here's how you can stay connected with me:

FOLLOW me on Instagram: @blackandkinky (I follow back!)
LIKE me on Facebook: Black and Kinky: a hair journey
SHARE my hair blog with friends and family: www.blackandkinky.blogpsot.com

Remember, I write with a purpose; I write with you (my readers) in mind. As always, thanks for reading! HAPPY FRIDAY! :)

Stop Complaining About Shrinkage! - June 5, 2013

[ The "crown" hairstyle: sides twisted and front section pinned back with bobby pins ]

 

When it comes to my hair, the easier the better! That's why I love the length that its at right now! I can do a simple wash and go and look amazing in about 30 minutes. I am also able to create multiple styles on dry hair, like the faux headband, the fauxhawk and one side pulled back, both sides pulled back, twisted or braided sides in 5 minutes or less. I have a handful of funky hairstyles that I can choose from and I am never bored! The one thing I have not taken the time to do is to attempt to stretch out my hair by doing a twist/braid out, banding my hair or taking advantage of any other stretching methods. "Stretching" your hair literally means to stretch out your curls so they look more loose. You can achieve a stretched or elongated look by twisting or braiding your wet hair and unravelling them once dry. Basically, your hair looks longer than if your hair isn't stretched.
My hair is currently (naturally) at least 6 inches but looks 3 inches because my curls are SUPER tight. If I were to take the time to do a twist/braid out, my hair would be able to flourish at it's real length. If only I wasn't so lazy!

By total accident, I discovered a way to stretch my hair without going through the gruelling process of a twist/braid out. Though I LOVE my head of hair to pieces, I just don't have the patience! But just yesterday, I styled my hair to resemble a style I saw on the Black Girls Long Hair blog, nicknamed "the crown" (see above photo). I wet my hair with water, added my Curls in a Bottle styling water-based gel and dried my hair a bit with my fan (yes, my fan). I then parted my hair and completed a French twist on each side. I also pulled the front section of my hair back too. I used my long, black bobby pins to secure the twists and front section. I kept my hair like this all day. When I took out the bobby pins at the end of the night, the sides of my hair were stretched beyond belief! I looked like the female Einstein! I then figured out that I could potentially achieve a stretched look with minimal effort by French twisting my wet hair (imagine cane row braids except with twists). EPIPHANY! Now, the only thing left to do...is to actually do it. I will take the time one of these weekends to give this a try and let you know how it goes!

Happy Birthday to Me! - June 5, 2013

[ Rocking my signiture wash and go style; front is pulled back with floral ribbon (hidden by all those curls! ]

Good afternoon everyone!! I am extremely excited that I was able to see another day and birthday! I feel AMAZING! First and foremost, I want to sincerely and warmly thank each and every one of you wonderful readers for taking interest in my thoughts, opinions, words, pictures and hairstory. Thank you so much for following me via the various social networking sites, clicking on my blog entries on google, sharing my blog with your friends and family, and thank you for being YOU! I now have readers all over Canada, the US, Germany and Russia! What a great accomplishment after operating for only a few weeks now! I feel so great to be able to share my journey with such lovely readers. I also want to mention that I've come a LONG way; in life and in my hair journey! I've been many, many years in the making and I'm so glad that I am finally 100% comfortable, accepting, happy, confident...the list goes on...with myself. I've learned so much about myself, life, love and of course, my hair! This day marks more memories of laughter, joy and life changing events. I am proud of all my achievements, creations, failures, lessons and everything that makes me ME. I could go on and on about myself, and seeing as this is MY blog, that seems perfeectly reasonable, but I do have another blog entry waiting for you! Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for reading. I hope you all can take something from my tangles, knots and random curls haha! :)

Oil vs. Leave-in Conditioner: What works as a daily moisturizer? - June 1, 2013

[ Hair after using leave-in conditioner; soft & defined! ]

Happy June everyone!!! I hope you all are enjoying the finally warm weather and of course, my blog!

Every head of hair is different; this is what I have been trying to emphasize throughout my natural hair journey and my blog. Curls also change over time, and I've experienced this first hand! After months of trials, tribulations and straight-up frustration and annoyance, I now have a flexible regime going for me, I have a handful of products that I use and I'm able to get the results that I want!

One of my most recent blog entries was about moisturizing your curls and how to tell if your hair is properly moisturized. Well, readers, I'm 6 months into my journey and I may have come to a conclusion that maybe oil isn't the right moisturizer for me and my curls! *GASP* I know, 6 months later eh! Since my big chop, I learned that my hair likes water based AND rich cream styling products but I also have always known that oils are essential for healthy, strong, shiny curls.

However, just last night, I realized that oil may not be a match for my leave-in conditioner! Instead of putting my sweet almond and jojoba oil in my hair before bed, I used my Curl Junkie Beauticurls leave-in conditioner, made with water, mango and Shea butters. This conditioner has more of a watery consistency with lots of "slip". I smoothed it onto my hair in small sections and immediately saw and felt the difference! Instead of just adding shine to my hair like the oil did, my hair was visibly moisturized as in shiny, my curls were more defined and they were moist, soft and untangled to the touch. After saturating my hair with oil, my hair was still always dry to the touch but I figured, you know it's oil, so it must be doing its thing! This random experiment is proof that you never really know until you try! This goes for anything! As long as the product, tool and/or routine is good (healthy and non damaging) for your hair, you have nothing to lose by trying it out! I would have never guessed that leave-in conditioner on dry hair could be a more effective moisturizing method for me. I'm glad I decided to stray from my regular oil path because I now found a new product that gives my hair what it wants and needs. Hopefully, I will see progress in terms of my hair texture after using this method for a few weeks. I will keep you posted on what happens! As always, thanks for reading! :)