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!