Length Check & Trim

It's that time of year again! Time to whip out the blow dryer and flat iron for my six-month length check and trim. But something strange happened this time...

I wasn't excited.

Weird, right? Usually I can hardly wait. I'll plan for it ahead of time and check the weather forecast for rain. But some reason last Friday I found myself impulsively blowing out and flat ironing my hair out of obligation rather than joyful anticipation. It could have something to do with the fact that I'd returned that wonderful-but-oh-so-expensive Sedu Revolution flat iron that I'd purchased and used for my May blow out, so I had to resort to using my old flat iron, which is in terrible condition. But honestly, I think it's because I've grown to prefer how I look with my kinks and curls. 

It's important to deep condition before
applying heat to your hair!

However, I was glad to have my hair straight so I could get it trimmed. It was in desperate need of one. My hair had surpassed waist length, but my ends were knotty, frizzy and looked just plain awful. It looked like my ends had been stuck into an electrical outlet! So serious. It was driving me crazy.

My Mom wasn't available to trim it for me and I had to run errands that afternoon. So guess who stepped up to the plate? My awesome Hubby!!! That's right, ladies! I gave him directions, handed him the sheers and he proceeded to do an AH-MAHZING job!! In fact I went to see my Mom two days later so she could clean it up for me and make sure he'd got it all, and she said he'd done a great job! Love my Hubby :) He's the best!

Since my last blow out in May, I'd set a goal of growing out my layers so that the majority of my hair would be waist length, not just my fastest-growing areas, resulting in a fuller look. Well, my plan is working! The picture on the left was of my first blow out in 2011, the year I did my grow out challenge. As you can see, my longest point was about bra strap length, which is where the crown of my hair is now, as pictured on the right. 

What a difference two years makes!
Length of my crown (@BSL) is as long as my longest point two years ago!
Left: November 2011
Right: December 2013

Product Update

Alikay Naturals, founded by popular YouTuber BlackOnyx77 (Rochelle Campbell), sent me a couple of their products to review (my official review will be up on my YouTube Channel soon - stay tuned!), so I decided to put their Knots Be Gone Hair Detangler to the test. The directions say it can be left in, so I used it as my leave-in conditioner. Let me tell you, when I say my hair was SOFT...that is an UNDERSTATEMENT!!! I'm talkin' BUTTERY soft...like I-can't-keep-my-hands-out-of-my-HAIR, soft!! Yeah...more on that later! 

I applied Knots Be Gone to each section and detangled first with my fingers then with a wide-toothed comb. Then I set my hair in chunky twists until I was ready to blow dry. See the soft sheen of my twists?

I attribute the sheen to the aloe vera juice in the Knots Be Gone. AVJ is close to the pH of our hair, so it closes the cuticles. And what happens when your cuticles are laying flat (or "sealed")? Your hair looks shiny! :)

Next I took down each twist and applied a dime-size amount of heat protectant to each section before blow drying. This heat protectant is super heavy, so less is definitely more. I twisted each section after I'd blown it dry. I've never seen my hair blown out and twisted, and I've gotta say, I was really feelin' it!

See how rough my ends were? Yeah..... :/

All done flat ironing! Can you tell I wasn't thrilled? LOL!

                     

I was much happier after my dear Hubby gave me my initial trim:

If there's one thing I've learned about this straightening process, it's that I need to do it more often. When I was doing my grow out challenge two years ago, I was mostly wearing my hair in two-strand twists. This kept my ends protected and well moisturized, so getting trims every six months (with search-and-destroy trims in between) was enough. But now that I wear my hair out all the time instead of in protective styles, my ends are constantly vulnerable and exposed to the elements and they rub up against my clothes, chairs, sofas, jackets, etc. daily. Since I have neither the time nor the patience to do search-and-destroy trims right now, I need to straighten and trim my hair more often. I'm going to start with every three months and see how my hair does with that. That is why it's called a "natural hair journey" - I'm always learning and I love it!

How often do you blow out and trim your hair?

Learning How to Straighten My Hair

This post is WAY late, but of course I had to share my most recent straightening experience since this only happens every 6 months. 

For starters, this time around I educated myself prior to reaching for the heat. It's funny, but for some reason I'd never researched how to properly straighten my hair before. One particular You Tuber really helped me: Longhairdontcare2011. From the videos I watched, she seems to prefer to manage her curls by "heat training." This means she uses heat on a pretty regular basis so she's very familiar with how to do so without damaging her hair. And did I mention that her hair is about hip length? Yeah. She knows her stuff.

Armed with valuable info on how to straighten my hair safely, these are the steps I took:

• New flat iron My old flat iron wasn't good anymore because I'm pretty sure the ceramic surface had worn off and it didn't have a temperature control, meaning it reached its max temp of 450 degrees. Yeah I know, yikes that's too much heat. This time I purchased a new flat iron that I'd been researching for some time: the Sedu Revolution Tourmaline Ionic Styling Iron. I really like the Sedu because it has 1) temp control and 2) smooth plates made of tourmaline and ceramic, which I read are good for flat ironing safely. Also, I only had to use it twice: once to straighten and the next day to curl my ends, and my hair stayed straight for 24 days with very little reversion only around my edges. With my old flat iron - the FHI Heat - I'd have to constantly touch up my hair (even though I knew not to use a flat iron on dirty hair) because it would revert so quickly, especially with any humidity. But even with all the humidity in the air while my hair was straight this time around, my hair still remained straight. It was great!
• Air dried hair After learning that Longhairdontcare2011 air dries her hair before blow drying, I decided to do the same so I wouldn't have to blow dry my soaking wet hair, possibly causing more damage. But this is why it's important to know your hair, because while this technique works well for Longhairdontcare2011's heat-trained, wavy curls, it did not work well for my kinky-coily strands. I felt like I was causing more damage than I would have had it been wet. Maybe my hair is easier to blow dry when it's wet because my strands have a good amount of elasticity, meaning they can stretch significantly without popping.
• Protein conditioner co-wash Since I'd washed my hair a few days prior to straightening, I decided to skip the shampoo step and jump right to the protein conditioner. Since I'm pregnant and not able to spend a long time on my hair, I've decided to replace my monthly henna treatments with the ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor for my protein treatments. I like this conditioner; it is a light protein treatment that leaves my hair soft and strong.
• Heat protectant The first day I used a spray-on heat protectant. The second day I applied a teeny bit of a serum heat protectant to my hair, focusing on the ends, prior to curling. I have yet to find a heat protectant that I'm "sold out" to.

Post-wash. Twisted hair to air dry.

After blow drying. YAY FRO!

Testing for best heat setting.
Left: 340 degrees. Right: 400 degrees.
I went with 400.

Post-flat ironing, prior to getting a trim.

Next day, after a trim.

Second time using Sedu. Added Farrah Fawcett
curls :) This was my first time curling with
a flat iron. I really liked how it turned out.

The Sedu Revolution...

 

Love the smooth plates - they left my hair
so soft and smooth!

Ah, yes. Thank God for temperature settings :)

After rockin' the Farrah Fawcett look for a bit,
this is how I ended up wearing my hair for about
a week. Since it was so humid I was trying to
preserve my straight look.

I enjoy wearing my hair straight. The funny thing is, I have the habit of complimenting other naturals on their luscious curls, but when my hair is straight I feel funny doing that, almost like I'm a traitor or they wouldn't believe that I'm natural, lol. But otherwise I like the straight look. I might even begin straightening once every 3 months instead of 6 months so I can stay on top of trimming. I like my hair at the length it is, but in order for it to fill in the way I'd like, I have to make sure I take better care of my ends. Between straightenings I'll also be sealing my ends more, a practice that I never really got into since my hair was growing in spite of it.

Until next time!

Straight Hair is Back!

(This post is a little late. My hair has been straight since Monday.) 

After meeting my goal for race day and waiting 6 months to straighten my hair again, I was really excited to whip out the blow dryer and flat iron. I was much less strict this time around in terms of how much heat I used (in fact, I've touched it up a couple times since Monday). I also used a different heat protectant - it's a spray instead of a serum, which makes application easier and keeps my hair lighter and less product-laden feeling. 

May 15, 2012

Nov. 21, 2011

Since straightening my hair in November, I've noticed that my hair
is now filling in. Six months ago this same section
of hair was not this long.

On Tuesday night I did a search-and-destroy trim (I had been long overdue for a thorough one) and then touched it up with the flat iron on Wednesday. Overall my ends felt and looked better. The bottom right picture below is after trimming and touching up.

Nov. 25, 2011

May 16, 2012
My hair is about 2 inches longer at its longest point
and now lines up with my elbows.

My hair is now past bra strap length and about 2 inches from my waist. I'm surprised I was able to retain so much length over the past few months since I started running. More running means more washing, which means more wear and tear on my hair, which can make length retention difficult. But I guess my hair is as strong and resilient as I am. And I say that with all humility because truly, strength does not come without trials. Every trial, every test has a divine purpose. I believe God uses them to fashion us into the best version of ourselves that we can be - for His glory.

Nov, 21, 2011

May 17, 2012

                                                                               

Bye Bye Straight Hair!

After wearing my hair straight for 8 days, I was ready to get my curls back! I enjoyed the experience while it lasted, and I was a teeny bit sad to say good-bye to my straight hair because I knew it would be months until I saw it again, but I was sooo happy to get my hair and scalp clean! Eight days of straight hair = dirty hair! I had put so much product on it because I was so paranoid about it reverting. Yuck.

I baggied my entire head last night with my
Yummy Moisture Treatment + molasses.
The results? Today my hair is soooo soft!

But, I digress. Since my hair was loaded down with product, I whipped out a sulfate shampoo, something I hadn't used on my hair since probably early summertime. Surprisingly it felt good though. I was just so happy to have my scalp and hair CLEAN that it didn't matter how my hair felt, lol. I applied the product to my scalp and concentrated massaging it in there. Then I ran my fingers down through my hair, spreading the product through but being careful not to bunch up the hair. I was still a bit worried about my hair tangling because of the shampoo, but thankfully my method of finger-combing and braiding/twisting under the running water, which I learned from Naptural85 of YT, kept my locks from locking, lol.

Now I'm sitting here with saran wrap, 3 plastic shower caps and 2 stretchy headbands on my head, letting the moisture treatment do its thang! I plan to top off this lovely treatment with my first TnC (twist n' curl) à la hairscapades.com. :) 

7 Months of Growth!

My hair is now BSL (16 inches at the longest point). This is the longest my hair has ever been in my adult life!

In April 2011, after watching Kimmaytube for months, I decided to do my own grow out challenge. For 6 months I committed to gentle handling, protective styles and most importantly, no heat. Since flat ironing was the only way I used to know how to style my natural hair, this challenge was a big deal for me, not to mention the fact that prior to becoming inspired by Kimmaytube I didn't care for protective hairstyles and couldn't ever imagine myself wearing my hair like that. Click here for a mini timeline of my before pictures.

Initially I thought it might be difficult for me to put the blow dryer and flat iron away. But not too long after I got started, I was hooked! Naturally (no pun intended, lol!) there was a learning curve with technique, products, etc., but I fell in love with protective hairstyling, particularly the two-strand twist. At first I'd twist my hair for the effect: a twist-out. But then I started leaving the twists in for a few days, and I discovered that I loved the twists even more than the twist-outs! This was totally unprecedented for me because prior to embarking on this 6-month journey, I'm embarrassed to say it, but protective hairstyles really turned me off. 

Now, I can't imagine living without them!

I grew up believing the myth that black women couldn't grow our hair long. When I started my GOC, I aimed to blow this myth out of the water. Empowered by Kim Love's videos, I knew I would add inches to my hair. But what I didn't expect was the passion I developed for natural hair. This passion led to hours upon hours of research as I sought to learn more about healthy hair care practices. 

Then something interesting started happening.

Over the summer I started running early on Saturday mornings. Now, to be clear, I never liked running long distance. In fact I used to proudly boast about my strong distaste for the activity. But I soon became addicted to my Saturday morning runs, and I discovered that listening to praise and worship music enhanced my workouts...I could run longer, faster and harder than ever before. Not only that, but now I loved to run. 

Running was only the beginning. On July 16, 2011 I rose early to have devotional time and I've been doing that ever since. In the past I had tried to commit to morning devotions, but that's just it...I tried. Trying implies you're not fully committed. And I hadn't been. But this time my circumstances were different and I made the decision to stick with it. I gained some ground and saw some spiritual growth, but it wasn't until I started an amazing book in September 2011 that my spiritual walk was enhanced infinitely. 

I knew I would never be the same.

Now what does all this have to do with my hair journey? For those of you who aren't believers, I'd encourage you not to close my page just yet, because there's a message here for you too.

My GOC has been instrumental in teaching me that I have so much more to give. It made me realize that I have greatness inside of me. And I'm here to tell you: so do you. As silly as it may sound, I realized that if I could grow my hair longer than it's ever been then I also had the potential inside of me to do much more with my life. For years I'd allowed the myth about black women's hair to hold me back; I never even thought to research it. And for years I let other people's beliefs keep me mediocre. 

No longer. I wasn't created to live in mediocrity. I was designed to pursue excellence.

I refuse average. Do you?

Straightening Q&A

Source

Now that I've finally straightened my hair, you may be asking yourself some questions...

So how long is your hair??

My Hubby measured it with a tape measure and it is 16 inches at the longest point. It is just past BSL and I can grab it when I reach up my back.

How long did it take you to straighten your hair?

About 3 hours. I really took my time, making sure to handle my hair gently.

Are you mixed?
No, I am not mixed. Both of my parents are black.

Your ends look rough...are you going to trim your hair while it's straight?

No, I am not going to trim my hair. Since my goal is to retain length, I am going to stick with my "search and destroy" method of trimming, rather than just trimming to trim. After all, it is a myth that trimming helps your hair grow. Yes, it helps your hair grow healthy and prevents split ends from ruining entire strands of hair, but it does not make your hair longer. Think about it: you're cutting your hair! lol (It took me a while to realize this, lol.) My rough ends don't bother me since I'm wearing my hair curly most the time anyway.

Are you planning on growing it any longer?
Yes, my current goal is to grow it waist length (when stretched). I also want to grow out the layers so my hair is long and almost even in length.

How long are you going to wear it straight?
As of right now I don't plan on straightening my hair again for several months, but I have yet made a final decision.

Will you ever use the creamy crack again?
No, I don't plan to. I am absolutely head-over-heels in LOVE with my natural hair. I couldn't imagine going back to the creamy crack.

Any other questions? Please feel free to comment or email me at nyasmaman@gmail.com. 

My Straightening Process

The tools that I used: 2 Goody barrettes, rat tail comb, 2
clips and a tape measure. (Not pictured: wide-toothed comb.)

These are the steps I took to prepare my hair for and protect it from the heat.

Straightening Prep

• Detangled with olive oil then shampooed with KCCC
• Deep conditioned with my Yummy Moisture Treatment (I also added some Shea Moisture CE Smoothie to it for an extra boost). Put on 2 disposable shower caps plus my thick shower cap and left it in for 35-40 minutes. Afterwards, following Shelli's tip of hairscapades.com, I took off the shower caps and let my hair cool for 10 minutes before rinsing it out (this closes the cuticles).
• Diluted my detangling conditioner with water and poured it over each section before rinsing out the deep conditioner completely with lukewarm water (I was supposed to use cool water but I was already so cold in the shower! lol). Detangled a bit again then twisted up each section.
• (Note: I do not dry my hair at all after washes - not with a towel, t-shirt or anything.) Applied the Kimmaytube leave-in conditioner (my hair's favorite!) to each section then braided each section up for bedtime. 

By morning (actually only a few hours later because I went to bed late and woke up pretty early) my hair was still very damp, which I expected. This actually worked out great though because the heat protectant directions indicate to apply it to wet hair.

Straightening Process

• Starting from the back, I parted my hair in long, narrow sections straight across and applied the heat protectant thoroughly from root to tip, focusing on my new growth and ends. (Note: I researched heat protectants for weeks before deciding on and purchasing one. I am very picky about what I put in my hair. I might post later on how I chose the heat protectant.)
• My blow dryer has the following settings: Cool, Warm, Hot, Very Hot. After applying HP to each small section, I combed it with my wide-toothed comb then I blow dried each section on Warm (I have a comb attachment on the end, too). The only time I turned it up to Hot a couple times was for the crown, which is thicker and curlier. I figured if I had to use more heat, I'd rather have it come from the blow dryer than the flat iron. I repeated these steps for my entire head.
• When I was about halfway through blow drying, I turned on the flat iron (courtesy of my sister, thank you, Trelle! :) if you ever need an event planner then you absolutely must call her - she's AH-mazing! partiesbylu.com). The temperature range is 140 - 410 degrees. I wanted to use the least amount of heat possible to achieve straight hair, so I turned it down to somewhere around 300 degrees, probably less, much closer to 140 degrees than 410 degrees (I couldn't tell because the degrees aren't marked off in the middle). I was surprised to discover that I had to turn down the temperature several times during the process. The few times I saw smoke I turned it down. Anyway, to flat iron I started from the back and once again parted my hair in long, narrow sections. I applied a little more HP to each section, took small (maybe 1"x 1"?) sections, gently combed them from tip to root, then ran the flat iron over them. (I know in my post on flat ironing I said it's best to hold the rat tail comb in front of the flat iron for each pass in order to avoid tangles, but I tried that and it was just too awkward for me. I could probably do it on someone else's hair, but not on my own, especially at my length.) I repeated this process for my entire head.

After flat ironing, I smoothed a little more heat protectant over my ends, roots and edges. Later, I got a hold of some a "Texture Balm" (similar to a pomade) and smoothed it over my hair. I will continue to use this throughout the week to keep my hair smooth.* Each night I plan on wrapping my hair, although I haven't done this forever so hope I haven't lost my touch!

* Starting November 25 I replaced the texture balm with an anti-breakage serum.

Straight Hair After 7 Months!!

I just finished straightening my hair a little while ago and wanted to write as soon as possible to record my first reactions.

Here are a few of the things I said to my Hubby immediately after I'd finished flat ironing:

• "I feel silly!"
• "I feel like the girl from The Ring."
• "I feel like a dog!"

Now, seven months ago when I vowed not to use any heat for six months with the intention of growing my hair, I never would've imagined that I'd say these things. After all, having long hair (what I used to call "back hair" when I was little) had always been a dream of mine. But as I got closer to finishing with the flat iron, I found myself making funny faces at my reflection instead of smiling from ear-to-ear like I'd expected. Who was this person looking back at me in the mirror?? I felt...different. It wasn't a good or bad different...just different. After going so long without straightening my hair, I'd definitely grown accustomed to my protective hairstyles. I just love them!

Interestingly enough, as I flat ironed my hair, I enjoyed seeing how far it went down my back. It was long - not as close to waist-length as I originally thought, but it had still grown a lot. But still, the finished product surprised me. I felt like I was wearing a wig! LOL!

It is now evening and I'm still adjusting, so I'm interested to see how long it takes for me to get used to my hair being straight....

9 Tips for Flat Ironing Your Hair

I am getting so excited to straighten my hair! I keep seeing women with long straight hair everywhere I go because I'm thinking about it so much! This will be my first time straightening it since early April 2011.

At first I was scared of causing heat damage, so I vowed not to use a flat iron. But as I did more research, I discovered that an important part of preventing or minimizing heat damage is to use a good heat protectant. After scouring through what felt like dozens of heat protectants, I finally found one whose ingredients I am happy with. So I will be using a flat iron, but here are some tips I've found on safely flat ironing your hair:

• Always detangle your hair first! I know this goes without saying, but I still had to say it! lol
• Moisture, moisture, moisture I've been learning that it's vitally important to make sure your hair is properly moisturized prior to applying heat. Deep condition beforehand.
• Use a heat protectant Prior to putting any heat tool to your hair, you want to first apply a heat protectant. There are many options to choose from, so find the one that's right for you. 
• Choose a flat iron with temperature control If you use a flat iron that has no temperature control, chances are it will get too hot, probably 400+ degrees. At those temperatures you are literally singing your hair.
• Use as little heat as possible to get your desired effect Figure out the lowest temperature setting that will yield your desired results.
• Once, twice, but not thrice The fewer passes you make on each section of hair, the better.
• Small sections When grabbing sections to flat iron, make sure they're not too big. If you flat iron too much hair at once, it'll take more passes to get your hair straight.
• Use a fine-toothed comb If you've ever had your hair flat-ironed in a salon, you probably noticed that the stylist used a fine-toothed comb in front of the flat iron on each pass. I haven't found much info that says this is absolutely necessary, but it is recommended if you'd like to take extra precautions against taking fewer passes with the flat iron.
• Different texture, different temp For the thicker, curlier, or kinkier parts of your hair, use a slightly higher temperature. For the areas of your head that have a looser, softer or wavier texture, use a lower temperature. I would probably avoid using high heat along your hairline in the front and back. 

I will be posting the results of my straightening and length check soon. I'm so excited! Stay tuned :)