Frivolous

Why hello there, how nice of you to visit

I've been natural all my life but I never embraced the natural me.

I've always loved natural hair; but I admit, I had low self-esteem during high-school and middle school, so I never learned to love my hair. I went to a predominately white school so I felt the pressure to straighten my hair. Mind you, I straightened everyday/week . I didn't even know what a heat protectant was at that time. My mother warned me, but I didn't listen. I wanted the look without the hassle. But really I didn't want to stand-out (I already knew I didn't fit in). I didn't even know what a split end was until the 11th grade (sad, but true)! So there you have it, the years of torture . I started pulling my split ends without end and I developed a habit...I just wanted to cut my hair. I ended up getting two bad hair cuts in one year My hair during graduation wasn't too hot . That's when my product junkyism was in full swing. I wanted everything that said "curls" on it. I wanted my curls back. But I lacked the funds/education at the time. I didn't know where to turn.

Straightening Days...
Notice the ends

Roller Set


My first wash-n-go


And then college came around...(will continue next time)

welcome!!!

sweetdrk1 wrote:welcome!!!

thank youuu

then college came around...

and I was surrounded by beautiful heads of curls, I kid you not. They were a great inspiration to me so I started taking better care of my hair and stopped straightening for a year (yeah I know...but it is possible) I gracefully transitioned into natural, healthy hair with braid outs and wash-n-go's. So there you have it, my hair story in a nutshell but I assure you it is more complicated than that!

_______________________________________________________________________________
My regimen today:

1) co-wash my hair with any conditioner around
2) Slather on some Aussie conditioner
3) Seal with some coconut oil
4) Put half my hair in a clip/ half-up, half-down

Pretty basic

I'm looking for more variety so if anyone has any suggestions, please don't hesitate. I don't bite (well, not people).

hahahaha loves the intro! lol, welcome!

NubieNatty wrote:hahahaha loves the intro! lol, welcome!

Thank youuu

What a great story!! Welcome to the BnB thread (we're the coolest thread around, but don't let Nikki know! LOL)

welcome and have fun here

Welcome! :ave you tried batu knots? Or a bantu knot out?

Welcome to the challenge!

Welcome to the challenge!!

thank ya'll I'm glad to be here

npmoore04 wrote:Welcome! :ave you tried batu knots? Or a bantu knot out?

I've never tried it on my curly hair but I do it all the time when I straighten my hair. Now I'm kind of curious. Can I just use conditioner or do I have to use some setting lotion?

No setting lotion need. I do mine with leave in conditioner. Actually after I wash and condistion or is I just cowash I put up in two strand twist bantu knots and let it air dry. And then take then out for a nice knot out. I will post pics tomorrow for you of the knots and the knot out.

2 Strand Twist Bantu Knots with leave in condish wore them for about 2 days



The result of the Bantu knot out ( just wore a satin bonnet to maintain it and fluffed and went in the morning)



Then I pulled that style into a puff a few days later




HTH

Welcome!
As I read your story I kept saying "me too"

@ npmoore04
WOW! I love it. Now I really have to try this, can I ask what products you used? And thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

tiashauntee wrote:Welcome!
As I read your story I kept saying "me too"

lol I'm glad I'm not alone, and thanks for the kind welcome

frivolous wrote:@ npmoore04
WOW! I love it. Now I really have to try this, can I ask what products you used? And thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

I used mixed chicks leave in when I did this. And there leave in is pretty thick so i used less than a dime size amount in each section on wet hair. so i kept my spray bottle handy as i did each knot. This was before I discovered Curly Nikki site and knew nothing about moisturizing and sealing ends. so i would suggest that you should use what ever conditioner works well for your hair as a leave in.

Welcome, and npmoore that bantu knot out is soooo cute!

okay...

so it's been a while since I've updated my journal but I have been really disappointed with my growth. My hair seems healthier since I started a new regimen but I'm not seeing any wow-worthy results. I am trying this new and fixed regimen of organix products (c/s) with shea butter as a sealant. I braid after I wash it and leave it be for a coupe of days. I do a w-n-g only when I leave the house, which isn't often. I also do weekly pre-poo treatments, alternating with henna and a butter (it's really heavy cream whipped in a blender). The butter keeps my hair moisturized while the henna strengthens it.

Her is a braid out from a couple of weeks ago


and a w-n-go from a day ago


hoping for growth

for some reason I am prone to bad salon experiences so that's why I avoid them all together now.

The worst by far has to walking in to a salon (out of recommendation of my mother's friend who had an appointment right before me) to get a trim. This lady had no idea what to do with my hair. She washed my hair and put me under a dryer with no products in my hair while she worked on another client (I thought that was kind of rude). I had never worn my hair curly before then so I asked her to put some product in there to make it curly. She didn't understand what I meant because she said my hair is already curly, there's nothing she can add to it. I'm not someone to complain but I realize that was the first sign that I should have hightailed out of there. Yeah, well being the naive teenager that I was, I stayed. What resulted from the dryer was a big poof and this lady had the audacity to start cutting into the poof. She took two snips and was done before she asked if she could straighten my hair. She took this weak-looking plastic straightener to my hair. That's when I told her I would finish flat ironing it at home and paid my $13 and left.

Sometime after that I went to another salon to fix my heat damaged hair. I walked out with my first perm. The lady was very convincing and she seemed to know what she was talking about. This is one of the mistakes I don't regret. Even though I hated the 7 months of the perm I couldn't take care of, it helped to make my hair more manageable while I transitioned. I'm sure I could have done that with the heat damaged hair but I think at that point I was just too frustrated with my hair.

Fast forward a couple of months later and I am dealing with the textures. I went to the salon to bc but I walked out with twists. The hairdresser I could tell was not a big fan of natural hair because she weaved-up like no other and she convinced me not to big chop. I don't think I was ready to bc anyway but those twists definitely weren't worth the $20 she made me pay hmph!

hey friv ur curls are goooooooorgeous!!

im so scared to step into a salon myself in fear of my own horror story, EEEEK!! not alot of people understand and i dont feel like explaining when i want to sit back n relax n pay!

u have a good reggie, stick to it and you'll see the results pay off in the long run.

thank you dear, that's exactly the kind of motivation I needed

And I don't blame you, the salon is a no-no for me but I do wish there were more natural salons. I just want someone who understands my hair.

I really do hope it pays off. I'm trying to stick to the same products for at least 2 months bc I used to change my products every week (I don't think that's a good thing). The health of my hair is definitely improving but I'm not getting much growth. It may just be my growth cycle or shrinkage though. I'll post some comparison shots soon. Thanks for stopping by!