CurlyPhD

Happy Monday, Curlies!!

I had a great weekend! I decided to take a weekend off from crazy amounts of school work and go shopping with the DBF. We shopped (and ate) until we literally dropped! I also had a great hair weekend and discovered that my DBF is VERY great at taking hair pictures. Here are two of my B-N-C that I am slowly perfecting! Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. I will be positing throughout the week as I work on my superb signature style for Thanksgiving fun. I have to work earlier in the day, but with that time and a half, I'm happy to serve as a psychiatric social worker for the day!

Me likey! Very cute. What products did u use?

Thank you so much!... I'm glad that you asked! I just realized that I put my routine as a post before all of them were lost... That will be what I post today! Stay tuned.

I think that my routine is becoming more and more stable as I tweek it and make it better. The picture that I posted yesterday was from a Braid-N-Curl that I did on Friday night and took out on Saturday morning. Here is what I did:

(1) Co-wash with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration once and then again with Organix Coconut Milk
(2) Separate my hair in two sections and clip away while finishing shower and getting into my comfy hair braiding clothes :-)
(3) Slather each side with a mixture of Samy Curling Creme and Palmer's Coconut Hair Milk (the mixture has more Palmer's than Samy, but a generous amount of both). I usually make sure I put it on every section of my hair to make sure it's saturated.
(4) Braid each side with about 6-8 braids.
(5) Curl the ends of the braids with spongy perm rods. I use the orange and gray ones. The grey ones are bigger, so I usually put two braids around those. The orange ones get the smaller braids around the edges.
(6) I just air dry usually over night. Sometimes the braids aren't fully dry by the morning, but they are set by then.

I still try some different products for the actual braids ( I tried something new last night), but the B-N-C that I produced on Saturday (pics in my Monday post) is one of the best that I've had. I just am not sure what I did differently than other times.

The PJ in me went absolutely CRAZY today. I was supposed to be only going to Trader Joe's for Tea Tree Conditioner and to Whole Foods for Coconut Oil. Trust me, I got those two things, plus Dr. Bronner's Castile Oil (the unscented AND lavender scent), Giovanni 50/50 Shampoo, Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose Conditioner, MSM vitamins, and some other vitamins... I don't know what got into me. The PJ in me told me that I NEEDED all of those things. LOL.

So, as I make my signature Macaroni and Cheese for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, I have my foil cap on with some AOHSR slathered all over my head. The heat in the kitchen is cookin' up this deep treatment and the Mac 'N Cheese! I shampooed with the Giovanni and I likes. It doesn't strip my hair like the others, which is most likely due to the great ingredients in it. While the Mac 'N Cheese cools, I will be washing it out, co-washing with HE Hello Hydration, and leaving in the Trader Joe's Tea Trea Condish. I also made the setting lotion concoction that CN suggested, so I will be putting that on top of the Tea Tree and doing my B-N-C for work and Thanksgiving festivities tomorrow. I will make sure to post the finished product!!

I wish everyone a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. Please remember to pray for those that are less fortunate, as God watches over all of His children .

I like dr. bronner's, it feels like im collectin the scents but its so much to do w/them. i mainly use it to wash up though. and yes i totally agree to pray for those less fortunate. i definitely dont take my blessings for granted.

My hair story...

My journey to healthier hair began in April of 2005. I decided to stop with the creamy crack as a graduation gift and have not looked back since. I transitioned for a year and got my hair pressed and trimmed regularly. The transition was not bad and I started to see my thick, healthy hair a few months after transitioning. In May 2006, in an attempt to get a nice cut to continue with the transition, I went to an expensive NYC salon. I thought that I would be able to get the exact cut that I wanted, because of the price that I was paying. Boy, was I wrong. The hair stylist cut off ALL of my hair, even the new growth. In some places, my hair was less than a half an inch long (or short).

During the Summer of 2008, I wore my hair in its natural state, but I did not have the opportunity to love what I had. I was not ready to have short hair and never got mentally prepared. On top of that, I was moving 700 miles away to graduate school in Athens, GA. Towards the end of the summer, I was so incredibly stressed by graduate school and my hatred for Athens, GA that, again, I was unable to actually enjoy my healthy hair. Starting in October 2006 I got it blow dried and pressed out. Though I was getting it pressed, my hair was growing and was quite healthy. I loved not having to get an expensive touch-up every so often.

For two years my hair stayed pressed. I would be in the stylist chair every two weeks for the press. I decided to try to see what I had without the hot comb. I loved my hair, but didn't utilize the support network and natural products that I should have to maintain it. i went back to pressing in September 2008. During the Summer of 2009, I tried again to stop relying on the hot comb. I started to research products and began to really understand my hair. I got it pressed off and on for special occasions, but I was really getting into the natural me!

On September 11, 2009, I got my last press! I have not looked back since. I discovered the online communities (that really make the differences) and started to learn about the products that make my hair really flourish. It's been a long, bumpy journey, but I'm getting there. I have to work on growing out the heat-damaged portions of my hair, but that is cake next to the last four and a half years. I'm on the other side of the mountain and love myself much more for it!!!

Permed hair:



5 Months after my BC:



Pressed hair:



My last press:



And now (picture used in previous post):



My journey continues....

I used to love pressing my hair too!!! When my hair is straight it shines more and looks darker...i still miss it but man do i love my curls...

can i say your face looks so beautiful with those curls framing it!!

Thank you, girl.... I was just thinking the same thing when I saw your pic... Pressed hair has a tendency to shine and (my favorite) be soft and fluffy... BUT, curls can be shiny, soft, and fluffy too. Plus, healthy ... Again, I love your curls. Beautiful!

It is COLD in Atlanta, people. I'm not just saying that either. I'm from Jersey, so I don't go crazy when the temp goes below 60. It was 32 this morning, though!!!

Anyway, I did my braid-n-curl yesterday. This morning it still wasn't dry! It was dry for the most part, though, so it worked well. I'm starting to realize that my b-n-c fairs better when I don't use a thick leave-in. I keep trying to use full on conditioners as a leave-in (a step many curly blogs suggest), but for some reason this really weighs down my hair no matter what conditioner I end up using. So, I tried my trusty Kinky Curly Knot Today, after a thorough co-wash with Trader Joe's Tea Tree Conditioner, HE Hello Hydration, AND Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner. I braided my hair up with some unrefined coconut oil mixed with some Butters-N-Bars shea butter mixture (I think it is called "Grow My Hair Long" with some tea tree in it). After I put the spongy perm rods on the braids, I left it alone for over 12 hours. Still not dry this morning, but looking very nice After my long drive to school, with the heat on, the damp areas dried up.

Here is what I'm workin' with today....

Thanks for the compliment!!!

You're welcome!!! Happy Holidays