Cornrows

Here is just a quick picture of the cornrows that I have in now. I will be taking them down next weekend..the 4 week mark.

Go Jeri Go Curl..the Wonders of Curl Activator!

Ok y'all don't laugh at me, but I love me some "curl activator" LMAO!! When I first did the big chop I saw lots of people saying how jeri curl activator helps to moisturize their natural hair, so I bought a jar of Long Aid Curl Activator Gel with Aloe Vera for extra dry hair. I used it this summer and was like...YUCK!! I totally hated it, it made my hair feel slimy, so I tossed it under the sink with plans to just trash it at a later date.

The past few weeks my fro has been hard and dry...that dreaded Brillo pad feel many naturals talk about. I figured that the cooler temps are zapping my hair of its much needed moisture. Low and behold, I'm cleaning out the bathroom cabinet and see the curl activator and decided to give it another try. When I tell you my hair drank that activator right up and smiled....no sticky slimy feeling and no residue, and the one application left me moisturized for a few days. When I felt I need more moisture I simply rubbed a bit of the activator in my hand and smoothed it through my hair and presto my hair's thirst was quenched!!

My conclusion is that applying curl activator to my hair in the summer was just to much. It gets very hot and humid in Minnesota (most people don't realize that) and there was no need to use curl activator because of the humidity already in the air and my already adequately moisturized hair. By adding the activator it was just overload and sat on my hair like a slimy mess.

So for those of you struggling with keeping your hair moisturized this winter give regular old curl activator a try...the first ingredient is water and the second is glycerin, so your hair will thank you for it. I use a quarter sized amount and it work great!

It's About Time to Protect the Fro

Think it's time to give my fro a rest. I will be getting cornrows over the thanksgiving holiday...a style that will last me until Christmas. The goal is to keep my hair in a protectives style until the first of the year...wear it out for a week or two and then braid it back up. It's cold as hell in Minnesota and I would just rather not have to deal with what seems like a loosing battle of moisture in the weather to come.

I use the same braider all the time and she takes great care not to braid to tightly, especially at the edges. Trust me ladies, when brads are put in to tight they will wreak havoc on your edges and you will be highly pissed!

I go with simple styles like this cuz I hate taking down braids..LMAO

Henna/Indigo Update

Some of you inquired about how long "coverage" last with the henna/indigo treatment. For me (and I can only speak for myself), my few strands of gray remained stained black for about 5 weeks. Since I generally do a henna treatment about once a month this works well for me, but I think I will try doing a rinse after I use up my last batch of indigo to see what those results are like.

For those of you who don't know what a "rinse is, here's a brief description:
A hair color rinse deposits a temporary color on the hair. It can deepen the color, add shine, or refresh existing but "blah" color. It doesn't lighten hair because it contains no peroxide,nor do they contain ammonia. They usually last up to 8 shampoos before you have to reapply.

Rinses are safe because they only deposit color on the hair shaft similar to henna.

We Got Good Hair Y'all!!

I just love his videos on youtube and this one especially made me smile. It is true..."our hair holds water" And there is nothing like natural hair when it's wet...hell my hair even suprise me sometimes and it's on my damn head.

What Works for 1 Person May NOT Work for Another

Word of advice....when you try a product and your hair tells you "No...I don't like this mess" do not try it again more than one additional time!! I knew that Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme was not for me after two separate applications, but my dumb butt decided to give it one more try...after all Miss Jessie's ain't cheap!!
I twisted my hair applying the Miss Jessie's to each section of hair before I twisted for some much needed moisture during these cooler months. My hair told me no the first and second time I used the products and this time it SCREAMED it. For 2 weeks I gave my hair exactly what it did not want and I paid the price. Upon washing and detangling this week, I had more shed hair than usual and my tresses felt like crap. Miss Jessie's has mineral oil in it, and my hair hates mineral no matter how low it is on the ingredients list.
The plan now is to baby my hair until the end of the month, with weekly deep conditioning, and co-washing as needed during the week. I will also moisturize and twist it each night before bed. Over Thanksgiving I will pay a visit to my braider and get a protective style for a few weeks.
I'm not knocking Miss Jessie's products, they just happen not to be a favorite of mine and my particular hair...but listen to your hair people and discontinue use of products that your hair rebels against no matter how much they cost!

Product Giveaway!!!

Henna/Indigo...for Jet Black Hair

Lord help me! First of all henna takes long enough but doing henna then applying indigo if you want jet black hair is a pain in the ass. If you are going to do a henna/indigo treatment, be prepared to devote you whole day to messing with your head and try to get an early start!
So I applied the henna to my hair and let is stay on for 4 hours. I then washed the henna out and whipped up a batch of indigo. (Note: Indigo can NOT be made ahead of time nor can the excess be saved/frozen, as it will go bad after 1 hour.) I put the indigo on and let it stay in my hair for about 2 hours. It's my understanding that indigo really doesn't need to be left in your hair for more than 2 hours since it stops "processing" after about an hour...I just figured I would cover my bases and leave it in for 2 hours.
I will say that the indigo doesn't apply as easy as the henna...it has a tendency to kind of crumble, so you need to take your time applying it for even coverage. I think next time I will add more water to it...perhaps it needed a more yogurt like consistency...my batch was mashed potato consistency.
As for the results...they were GREAT! In the end it was well worth the time, energy and effort! The few gray hairs that I have are no more and are now jet black. Since natural hair tends not to "shine" using the indigo seemed to give it a little boost. I will definitely be doing the henna/indigo combination from now on. And as always the conditioning properties of henna are fantastic! I buy my henna and indigo from Mehandi

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner

Hmmmm...where do I start with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner? Lots of people rave about this stuff...what a great deep conditioning treatment it is and how it provides outstanding slip. Let's just say I won't be buying this stuff again.

One thing is for sure..this stuff is thick..I mean really thick. It coats the hair great for that very reason...its thickness, but for me that's about all it does. Depending on a person hair texture, the thickness of the conditioner would make it outstanding for detangling, but if you have a more coily texture it's simply an average conditioner for detangling. And as far as its ability to actually "condition" the hair, I'm not impressed.

The stuff is so thick that yes it coats the hair but I don't feel that it really conditions. I've been using the Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner for co-washes and will continue to do so until the bottle is gone, but I won't be repurchasing. There are superior conditioners out there that provide better slip and conditioning properties that are equal or less in cost.

To Dye or Not to Dye

I need to color my hair..notice the use of the word "need." Now that I have gone natural, my gray hair is more noticeable. It's not that I have very much at all, but I'm gonna go ahead and be honest and say that I am vain...lol
Next week I will try doing my henna treatment followed up by an indigo treatment and see how well that colors the gray..more importantly how long it stays colored. In the meantime I will be doing some research into hair coloring options. I'm thinking that a rinse would be best as it would not damage my hair, but I don't want to deal with black shit dripping from my hair when i run...just keeping it real.
If you have any hair coloring / dying tips or advice feel free to share!

Hair Gel

I've been natural now for 3 months and to date I have never put "gel" in my hair and god only knows what possessed me to do so today. I as watching someones video on YouTube and she was laying down her edges with gel and my stupid butt thought "I should try that." No boo boo...don't try that...lol I have never liked how gel felt to the touch and I certainly didn't like it this time either. Once I started applying it, I immediately felt like i was putting ish/gunk in my hair that didn't need to be.
Granted gel may come in handy some day, especially as my hair gets longer but there is no need for me to have that mess in my hair now. For all y'all that love gel I'm not knocking you...it's just not for me at this stage of the game.

Oyin Honey-Hemp Conditioner

Is it just me...but I don't really like the smell of the Honey-Hemp conditioner. It smells mildewy to me...lol I know it sounds odd, but that is what I think of when I smell it. The funny thing is that people always rave about how much they like the smell, but I'm not digging it.

Aside from the smell, I'm no sure this is the co-wash conditiner for me...it's just not thick enough. Plus, unlike some folks who will apply a cheap conditioner first when they co-wash and then rinse that out and apply "good sutff", I use one product, and this stuff is kind of pricey for the amount you get.

On a positive note, this stuff makes a wonderful leave-in conditioner for my hair and that is how I plan on using it in the future. For the next month I am using it to co-wash (to see how my hair responds to it), but after that I will use it as a leave-in.

Stay tuned for more Oyin product reviews.

Shed Update

What a difference 4 weeks makes!

Less Shed...YEAH!

Looks like the shedding is getting a little less each week.I am co-washing on Wednesdays and finger detangling. On Sundays I co-wash and deep condition and detangle with a wide tooth comb. I am going to stick with regimen and continue to use the same products for at least 2 months and see what happens. I will give an update on product later.

She likes my hair...She Really Likes It!!

Today someone had fro envy for my fro..can you believe it!?!?! A woman who has been natural for more than a decade came up to me and asked "how do you get your hair to do that?" I was in shock...was she talking to me? I was like...do what? This is just what it does. I just cut it all off a little more than a month ago and I don't even know what I'm doing, let alone purposely making my hair do something...lol She got a chuckle out of my natural hair ignorance.
Her hair was cut in a TWA and she stated that she wanted her hair to do what mine does and that when she lets it grow out she never knows what to do with it so she ends up chopping it off.
I found it interesting that even when we are nappy..heck dare I say more so when we are nappy, that we envy the lusciousness of others kinks, coils and curls. Here I am lusting after Jill Scott's Afro puff counting down the days until my hair "will do that" and here this woman is checking out my kinks with envy. Funny ain't it?

My Shadow in Twist

Hair Therapy Wrap

I heart the Hair Therapy Wrap...It makes deep conditioning so easy and I don't have to waste time sitting under a hooded dryer. While i was deep conditioning this morning I took out the trash and unloaded the dishwasher! This baby is well worth the investment at $21.95, even if you look a little funny wearing it.

Shed Update

Alright...this is the amount of shedding I had when i co-washed this morning. It may be a little less than last week but I will keep monitoring and updating each week. One thing i will say is that I have always shed a lot, even when i was relaxed. I would have hair all over the bathroom. My hair looks and feels healthy and doesn't seem to be thinning. Who knows, this may be "normal" for me since we are all different, but I do want to be proactive about this just in case.

That looks like a lof of hair to me???

I’ve been natural for exactly 38 days now, and so far my routine has been pretty basic, but I think I may need to change things up. Does this look like a normal amount of shedded hair after a week?

I guess I should explain a bit more. Generally I have been pre pooing, then co-washing and detangling and following up with a sulfate free shampoo. I have been doing this once a week. I do not comb my hair after the initial styling except to fluff/pick out wit my fingers each morning.
I’m thinking I may need to start doing light protein treatments and adding a co-wash in the middle of the week.

So here’s my planned routine:

Sunday’s
-pre-poo
-co-wash
-detangle with wide toothed comb
-wash with sulfate free shampoo
-use Aphogee 2 minute Keratin Reconstruction (rinse out)
-follow up with Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer (leave in 2-5 minutes & rinse)
-add a leave in conditioner

Wednesday’s
-co-wash
-finger detangle

My First Henna Treatment

I'm a little late with this post,but I did my first henna treatment about 3 weeks ago. To be honest I was doing it to cover the few strands of gray hair that I had peaking through my fro.
I co-washed first with Aussie Moist (I LOVE this stuff) then i decided to also wash my hair after the co-wash. A lot of people only co-wash before doing a henna treatment but I thought it would be better to have clean hair so that there was no barrier between my hair and the henna. I washed my hair with this shampoo bar I purchased from an Indian store(i'll do a seperate post about this shampoo bar later).
After shampooing I applied the henna. I purchased my henna from Mehandi they make a finely sifted henna just for "African Hair." I mixed my henna with lemon juice until it became the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes, covered it and let it sit over night. The next day before applying my henna I added 2 tablespoons of raw honey and brewed a cup of green tea which i added to the henna until it became the consistency of yogurt(next time I will go for the consistency of cake frosting). I applied the henna to my hair and covered it in a plastic shower cap and went to bed.

The next morning I filled my bath tub with water and bent over the tub dunking my head in the water to loosen the henna until most of it was out. Then i hopped in the shower and rinsed the rest of the henna out. I applied Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose Conditioner to my hair and covered with a plastic cap for an hour to achieve a good deep conditioning. And that was it...i rinsed it out and my gray was covered perfectly. I plan on doing henna every month.

By the way, I used the henna with the auburn stain, and it only took 100g to cover my hair.

Kink of the Day (KOTD)...Flower Power

Hair Update

I know I look at HOT MESS!!

KOTD (Kink of the Day)

Why does my hair always look lopsided???LMAO

Has My Natural Offended You?!

I stole this from Tamara over at Natural Hair Rules....it is so ON POINT!!



Excuse Me, Has my natural offended you, has it questioned your authenticity? Has this beautiful crown caused you to bow to its glory?

No?! Then why do you feel the need to explain yourself; make excuse as to why you too are not natural.

This journey is a test of the triune being that brings a higher sense of self; exposing all hidden fears.

So I’ll ask again! Has my natural offended you? What God creates is good and His Righteousness prepares a path of favor and prosperity.

If my natural has offended you; I make no apologizes for I have been delivered from other opinions of me. No longer will I accept the paragon of straight-haired beauty.

My natural transcends all definitions of beauty. It has provide me with the to tool to be me, uniquely.

I will no longer be swayed by the fallacies that natural is ugly and unprofessional. I will learn to be the Queen I was created to be; chemical free. Naked and unchanged.

If my natural offends you; take the time to examine self because I was created in His image

Vegas Bound

Heading to Vegas for a few day and hoping I can protect my kinks for the desert heat. I am taking along a travel size bottle of hello hydration conditioner (I will use the hotel conditioner first and then finish up with my stuff), Komaza Care Coconut Curl Spray and Coconut Curl Moisturizing Cream. You know you can only fit so much in those quart sized bags...lol I'm also take Phyto's Protective Sun Veil to protect my tresses from the ravages of the sun. Hopefully I can maintain my hair and keep from looking crazy since I plan to spend as much time as possible in the pool and poolside.

KOTD (Kink of the Day)

The Coil Review...Lookie Lookie!!

The Coil Review Re Launch from Tricia (T. Mezz) Messeroux on Vimeo.

Kink of the Day (KOTD)

Here is a pic of my hair today, along with a cute headband I bought in anticipation of going natural from Banana Republic in the Fall. Tried to find a better picture of the headband online but no luck, so my crappy phone pictures will have to do. Hmmmmm...my fo-head looking kind of shiny...lol I'm a matte kind of girl so that ain't cute..hee hee

Hairspiration

When my kinky curly fro grows up, it wants to look just like Mma Ramotswe!! Now for those of you who don't know who Mme is...y'all better not sleep on Jilly from Philly (Jill Scott)! She kicks ass in her performance as Precious Ramotswe in HBO's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Kink of the Day (KOTD)

OK..you know how some folks do Face of the Day (FOTD) on beauty blogs??? Well I think I will start doing Kink of the Day (KOTD)to document good and bad hair days. Now I cant promise that I will do this everyday but I certainly will try to post pics several times a week.
Update on the Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding kooties that are in my head after twisting with that stuff...I'm going to co-wash my hair tonight to get these particles out of my hair and then twist with Komaza Care

Day 1

Tried a twist out using Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding...not sure about this product. It looks like i have dandruff in my hair or more so what your hair looks like when you take braids down...you know that mess that is in your hair..y'all feeling me? Anyway,I will give it one more try but I don't think it's the product for me.

The Deed is DONE

Damn I didn't expect it to be this short/shrink! That's Ben doing the cutting...he has been doing my hair for over a decade and I wouldn't trust anyone else with a pair of sissors at my head whether relaxed or natural

2 1/2 hours until the big chop!

SCARY!!!! My ass is looking like a crackhead! But I had to post a picture of my last set of cornrows after they were taken out.

I Guess I am My Hair

I'm scared y'all. It just dawned on me that I will have no idea how to do my hair after tomorrows big chop. I got some cute hair accessories so hopefully they will make up for my impending styling mishaps.

Impending Big CHop

I know its been a minute since I last posted, but things are about to get cooking..lol I will be doing the BIG CHOP this Saturday, May 30!! So the adventures in natural hair will really be on and pop'in from here on out.

I am going to my usual stylist to have my hair cut, and I will be taking my own products, such as shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, leave in conditioner and something to enhance the curl definition. I know a lot of folks will just cut their own hair, but I am not that brave, plus it may need some shaping up and Ben is the only person I've trusted my hair to for over 10 years. He is actually the one who put the natural bug in my ear several years ago. Anyway, until Saturday......


P.S. I cant wait to take these damn cornrows out of my head..lol My hair has basically been in protective styles for the past 9 months and I am so ready for it to be free, even if it's a TWA ;)

Nappy Words of Wisdom

Here are some Nappy Words of Wisdom that I received today from a friend. Portions bolded for emphasis..LOL

“Oh get over it and the shrinkage and all that. You'll be happier because you actually will have a "style". As well you do your hair more damage with the in between stuff. I thought about the grow out but then I remembered that I'm not as patient as I aspire to be AND I like to look coiffed:-). You will love your hair. Cut off the crap and get at it girl! Stop worrying about length. I was bald! Now I have a curly little fro. It’s damn sexy. Chat soon. Be phenomenally fierce and do your thing!”

Big Chop Countdown

Got the new corn rows in. I will likely end up getting one more set of corn rows before i big chop...basically 10 more weeks of rocking braids before I unleash my naps..lol

The big chop countdown is offically on!

Taking Down Corn Rows

So I took my corn rows out after having them in for 5 weeks. It was much easier to detangle than last time. I was shocked at how long my hair has gotten when stretched, but that really doesnt matter since I will be cutting down to the new growth sometime in May.

I can already tell what part of my hair will likely be more course. The back of my head detangles easy as pie, as well as the side and the front third, while the top of my head and the crown required some patience on my part..lol

Anyway, check out some pics of my afro after I took my braids down.