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NappymeHappyme
If you've made it here, please know that I now longer maintain this site as my hair journal. I basically use it now as a photo storage facility. Instead, I have two very active sites. One is a blog entitled Nappturology 101; this is where the majority of this site's content lives currently, and can be reached at nappyme.wordpress.com. And the other site my hair care forum for women with 4B texture hair and anyone else who wants to or really needs to learn about caring for our hair type. You can visit and or join our forum which is located at cNappymeNow.com.

Signed,
Nappyme
 
Date: February 14, 2006 Hairstyle at left Chunky Twists (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Napptural. That's me. I'm simply in love with my nappy, kinky, coily hair in all it's glory. For good or for bad, for better or worse, I'm in love. My hair is nappy, and quite frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I do not know the exact date I made my decision to begin my napptural journey. In 2002, I was extremely overweight, and was literally sick and tired all the time and suffering from chronic fatigue. The diagnosis: Type II diabetes. No cure, but a new diet, exercise and weight loss could help me live a normal, healthy life. Once I got that in my head, the exercise part posed a huge problem for me. How could I find the strength to do it? When could I do it? And, what, was I going to do with my hair? Several months earlier, I had already begun to be disgusted with my hair once again. It was thin and whispy. It wouldn't hold a style. I started noticing that my hair was all over the bathroom floor whenever I combed it. And in addition to that, I was seeing an inordinate amount of hair wash down the drain when shampooing. So, I had already decided that I wasn't going to ever relax again. My game plan was to find some way to give my hair a rest, while it grew out and then go back to doing a good old fashioned press and curl. So in the meantime, I had started working out, but was searching for someway to not put anymore stress on my hair during this transition period. First I tried wearing my hair up in a phony pony. But my broken off kitchens would show, and that made me self conscious. Then I tried getting flat twists. The kind where the twist the hair under, use a bunch of gel and then stick you under a dryer. But I had already had significant new growth, and it just would get dry. After only two workouts my hair looked down right nasty. So I took that out. So I resorted to blow drying my hair and hot curling it before I went back to work. Now let me tell you blowing drying and frying sweaty hair was not a good idea. I knew this, but I was at a loss as to what to do. That's when I discovered microbraids. One Saturday, I was in one of the Cleveland burbs, and I spotted an African Braiding Shop. Did a U-turn to get a parking space and went inside. One lady was getting her hair done. The braids were gorgeous. She said she'd been getting her hair braidedfor several years and really loved them. I sat there and watched for a little while longer. Asked some questions, and after deciding they'd be professional enough to were to work, I made an appointment to come back at 1 p.m. and by 11 p.m. my hair was a done deal. I had a head full of waist-length microbraids. I sported my new do with much pride for the next three-and-a-half years. I loved them. I could workout all I wanted to now and not worry about my hair. They were also versatile. I could wear it back in a ponytail, up in a bun, spiral curled or back in one big corn roll. I was in heaven. And over the next 8 months, I dropped 60 lbs, went from a size 26 down to a misses 18. Even lost 1/2 a shoe size. And to top it all off, my hair was gorgeously waving in the wind. Yep, I was cute! Now I really thought I'd wear my braids forever. So when I'd go though my ritual of taking them down every three months, I didn't even care where I was cutting the braid so I could remove the synthetic hair. But one day, during one of my take-down sessions, I shampooed my haif and discovered all my relaxer had been cut out, and I had four inches of healthy, thick new growth. That's the first time I had seen healthy virgin hair on my head in probably twenty years. Hmmm...maybe when it gets long enough, I'd be able to sport a p.ress and curl occasionally. But no matter, I certainly couldn't be bothered with that right now. I quickly recovered my thoughts and plaited up my hair. On Sunday, I went and got my micros put in again. So for the next three years or so, I kept my hair braided relentlessly...never missing a beat. In for three months, remove on Friday night/Saturday morning. Shampoo and plait. On Sunday rebraid. Good to go on Monday. I really, honestly thought I'd wear microbraids forever. Every three months for three years, I'd take my hair down on a Friday night, wash it and then plait it up. I'd get my hair rebraided into micros on either Saturday or Sunday. Good to go on Monday. When I moved back to my hometown in 2003, I found an excellent braider. Problem was that her availability was unreliable. As a result, I found myself leaving my braids in way too long and my edges started snapping off. We'd make an appointment, I'd take my hair down and she would call and reschedule. This happened so much that for I started contempating what to do with my hair, my own hair between braidings. Now that's where my friend Kim comes in. She's been naptural for about 15 years. Wow I sure admire her. Her hair is probably about 15 inches long or more. It's so thick that I promise you that for every one hair on my head, I betcha Kim has 10! When she gets a straw set, her hair so thick and gorgeous that it looks like a wig. Plus she has a head full of gray hair and she's two years younger than me. When she gets her hair done, she is simply a show stopper! So I started asking Kim about her hair. Several things stick out in my mind about that conversation. *I'm comfortable with nappy hair *What's on your head is in your head *I'm no longer willing to compromise who I am. This is who I am. Hmmm.... That's when I started experimenting with napptural hair styles with a sense of purpose, and well pride. But I found that I wasn't where Kim was in her nappturality. I wan't totally comfortable being nappy. The evidence? When I found myself out of work, I would get an interview, I'd take my hair down, wash, press and curl it. Nope, not comfortable yet. Then, I got tired of doing that, so I bought several wigs to wear on interviews. Boy how I hate wigs. So, I went back to a press and curl and that's how I damaged some of my hair. In all the years that I had been pressing and curling my hair, I have never had this happen to me. I actually burned my hair permanently straight in a couple of spots in the front on my right side. As a result, double strand twists don't work so well for me right now because, my hair in the front is really scraggly, like how it would look if you were trying double-strand twist relaxed hair. Now, because of this, I'm at a place in my life where I realize that for me, having straight hair, under any circumstances is simply not an option if I want to continue to have long, strong healthy hair with good texture. Now, finally, I can say that I'm nappy, happy and free!
Chunky Twists Continued... (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) I like the idea of twists. However, I'm not real comfortable with this style because of my scraggly ends in the front. I sure wish I could turn back the hands of time and erase that hot comb session that permanently straighted my hair. If I twist it right, I can sometimes camoflage (sp) the problem. But I'm afraid that One day I'll have to do a big chop...Oh well. Question? Has anyone ever experienced this problem, and if so, what did you (currently are you doing) about it?
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) I've also tried, straw sets. Kim's hair is gorgeous in a straw set. Mine was just ah-ite. Plus, I have to come up with styles that work with me...I sweat really badly in the scalp at night, so whatever side I sleep on is yucky and matted in the morning. Since I sweat styles out very quickly, I have to reserve fancy dos for times where I can get my hair done during the day, and then go to my special event that same night cause the next day, that do is history! Oh, by the way, you can see one of Kim's fresh straw sets on page 2. Check her out, she's on her way to being a famous romance writer at the time these pics were taken, Kim was doing a book signing at the local Borders. I, of course was the photographer! Anybody out there know what I'm talkin' about?
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) I love the twist out styles that I've seen on other people, but the scraggly-ends and night sweats pose the same aforementioned problems. Another issue I have is that I find double strand twists to be fairly hight maintenance. If I leave them in longer than a week, my hair becomes very fuzzy, (even if I tie it up at night) and also begins to lock-up fairly quickly. As a result, I shy away from two-strand twists styles...only going there if I get extremely bored and having nothing else to do except play in my hair! That's how I got this style. LOL!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hair style: Flat Double-Strand Twists pulled back into a French Roll. Now I absolutely love this style. My own invention, thank you very much! Not sure how I came up with it though. I also love this because I finally have about 1/2 inch of new growth where my hair was broken off around the edges. The first couple of times I wore this style, my sister couldn't catch some of the hair in spots along my front hairline for the flat twists. Now she can so it stays looking neater, longer.
Just got it done yesterday. I part and my sister does the twists. Since I'm still looking for a job, this is the style that I'll start wearing on job interviews. Look at my hair! It's so thick and healthy. If anyone wants instructions on how to do this, I'll try to give step-by-step instructions below. If you need clarification, you can contact me at NappyMeHappyMe@aol.com. The quickie steps are as follows: 1) Part hair from ear to ear across the top of the head. 2) Secure the hair in the back out of the way. 3) Part the hair in sections that are about 1/2 in thick from front to back with a slight curve pattern. 4) Do Double-Strand Flat Twists (DSFTs) on the parted sections. Altogether, I have about 13 DSFTs in the front.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic)
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic)
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) This part is kind of hard to explain. 5) In the back, part your hair behind both ears running down the back and across the kitchen ares. Make about four shallow DSFTs on each side and one or shallows ones right at the bottom of your kitchen (don't know what else to call it.) 6) Take all your hair, pull it back and create a French Roll. The loose hair in the back create volume so your Roll isn't flat. 7) Secure with butterfly clips. Personal preference...I hate hairpins! 8) Optional curls on the side. You can either pull the hair back into the bun or leave some out for the little curly Qs on the sides. I use the flexible rods that come in multiple colors depending on size. The ones I use are yellow.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) This style lasts for a couple of weeks as long as I tie it up every night. To save time, I leave it twisted when I wash it, that way the parts are still in tact when my sister retwists it for me. Between the two of us, it takes a couple of hours. I've tried having someone else who specializes in natural hair care do this style for me, but I guess I'm too particular about how it gets parted. So when she did it, I hated it. I'll apparently have to stick to the buddy system created by me and my sister.... Now if I could only get her out of that darned relaxer! All comments are welcome!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hmmm, next time, maybe I'll put Curly Qs in the back too!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Probably won't post a new hairstyle for at least two weeks. Until then, I'll keep you updated on how well the style is actually holding up as well as posting pics of my napptural friends and their prospective journeys. Stay tuned for more entries. Take Care and God Bless!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Probably won't post a new hairstyle for at least two weeks. Until then, I'll keep you updated on how well the style is actually holding up as well as posting pics of my napptural friends and their prospective journeys. Stay tuned for more entries. Take Care and God Bless!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hair style: Small Double-Strand Twists Me and my niece at the zoo not quite a year ago. Looking back at my hair, I think this was in April of '05, it has come such a long way. These twists are one of my first napptural hairdos after coming out of braids. Yes I'm obsessing. I hate the scraggly twists in the front (damned that pressing comb). As a result, I'm putting on a really brave front here because I don't think my hair is very cute in this hair style. On an up note, my niece in this picture was probably barely 10-years-old. Remember Keisha Knight-Pulliam (Rudy) on the Cosby Show? Remember how thick and pretty her hair was back then. Well she had nothing on my niece in the hair department. But alas, she was the victim of a relaxer at the tender age of six. Oh yeah. It only took about six months to destroy a beautiful head of hair. She's 11 now and has been growing it out ever since. Her hair is now past her shoulders but I don't think she ever regained her thickness. Hope she'll get her length back. Before the chemicals, she could almost sit on her hair. Today, she sports Double-Strand Twists, Flat Twists and French Braided hair styles. She tickled me yesterday when she came to me to show off her flat twists. "I don't think it's ever going to be as thick as it used to be," she said. "I wish mama hadn't put that relaxer in my hair when I was little." Yep, got that right! I'm so glad we're teaching her to love her hair in it's natural state. Fortunately, she won't be one of those kids who turn into adults never knowing their natural hair and how to care for it. She is so lucky in that regard. Now if we could just get her mom out of that darned relaxer! Oh my gosh...I really need to lose so weight! I think I'll also chronicle my weight loss journey as well. So far, I've lost about four lbs. My goal: 60 lbs by June. Can I do it? Stay tuned!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hair style: Small Double-Strand Twists Me and my niece at the zoo not quite a year ago. Looking back at my hair, I think this was in April of '05, it has come such a long way. These twists are one of my first napptural hairdos after coming out of braids. Yes I'm obsessing. I hate the scraggly twists in the front (damned that pressing comb). As a result, I'm putting on a really brave front here because I don't think my hair is very cute in this hair style. On an up note, my niece in this picture was probably barely 10-years-old. Remember Keisha Knight-Pulliam (Rudy) on the Cosby Show? Remember how thick and pretty her hair was back then. Well she had nothing on my niece in the hair department. But alas, she was the victim of a relaxer at the tender age of six. Oh yeah. It only took about six months to destroy a beautiful head of hair. She's 11 now and has been growing it out ever since. Her hair is now past her shoulders but I don't think she ever regained her thickness. Hope she'll get her length back. Before the chemicals, she could almost sit on her hair. Today, she sports Double-Strand Twists, Flat Twists and French Braided hair styles. She tickled me yesterday when she came to me to show off her flat twists. "I don't think it's ever going to be as thick as it used to be," she said. "I wish mama hadn't put that relaxer in my hair when I was little." Yep, got that right! I'm so glad we're teaching her to love her hair in it's natural state. Fortunately, she won't be one of those kids who turn into adults never knowing their natural hair and how to care for it. She is so lucky in that regard. Now if we could just get her mom out of that darned relaxer! Oh my gosh...I really need to lose so weight! I think I'll also chronicle my weight loss journey as well. So far, I've lost about four lbs. My goal: 60 lbs by June. Can I do it? Stay tuned!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hair style: Small Double-Strand Twists Me and my niece at the zoo not quite a year ago. Looking back at my hair, I think this was in April of '05, it has come such a long way. These twists are one of my first napptural hairdos after coming out of braids. Yes I'm obsessing. I hate the scraggly twists in the front (damned that pressing comb). As a result, I'm putting on a really brave front here because I don't think my hair is very cute in this hair style. On an up note, my niece in this picture was probably barely 10-years-old. Remember Keisha Knight-Pulliam (Rudy) on the Cosby Show? Remember how thick and pretty her hair was back then. Well she had nothing on my niece in the hair department. But alas, she was the victim of a relaxer at the tender age of six. Oh yeah. It only took about six months to destroy a beautiful head of hair. She's 11 now and has been growing it out ever since. Her hair is now past her shoulders but I don't think she ever regained her thickness. Hope she'll get her length back. Before the chemicals, she could almost sit on her hair. Today, she sports Double-Strand Twists, Flat Twists and French Braided hair styles. She tickled me yesterday when she came to me to show off her flat twists. "I don't think it's ever going to be as thick as it used to be," she said. "I wish mama hadn't put that relaxer in my hair when I was little." Yep, got that right! I'm so glad we're teaching her to love her hair in it's natural state. Fortunately, she won't be one of those kids who turn into adults never knowing their natural hair and how to care for it. She is so lucky in that regard. Now if we could just get her mom out of that darned relaxer! Oh my gosh...I really need to lose so weight! I think I'll also chronicle my weight loss journey as well. So far, I've lost about four lbs. My goal: 60 lbs by June. Can I do it? Stay tuned!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hair style: Small Double-Strand Twists Me and my niece at the zoo not quite a year ago. Looking back at my hair, I think this was in April of '05, it has come such a long way. These twists are one of my first napptural hairdos after coming out of braids. Yes I'm obsessing. I hate the scraggly twists in the front (damned that pressing comb). As a result, I'm putting on a really brave front here because I don't think my hair is very cute in this hair style. On an up note, my niece in this picture was probably barely 10-years-old. Remember Keisha Knight-Pulliam (Rudy) on the Cosby Show? Remember how thick and pretty her hair was back then. Well she had nothing on my niece in the hair department. But alas, she was the victim of a relaxer at the tender age of six. Oh yeah. It only took about six months to destroy a beautiful head of hair. She's 11 now and has been growing it out ever since. Her hair is now past her shoulders but I don't think she ever regained her thickness. Hope she'll get her length back. Before the chemicals, she could almost sit on her hair. Today, she sports Double-Strand Twists, Flat Twists and French Braided hair styles. She tickled me yesterday when she came to me to show off her flat twists. "I don't think it's ever going to be as thick as it used to be," she said. "I wish mama hadn't put that relaxer in my hair when I was little." Yep, got that right! I'm so glad we're teaching her to love her hair in it's natural state. Fortunately, she won't be one of those kids who turn into adults never knowing their natural hair and how to care for it. She is so lucky in that regard. Now if we could just get her mom out of that darned relaxer! Oh my gosh...I really need to lose so weight! I think I'll also chronicle my weight loss journey as well. So far, I've lost about four lbs. My goal: 60 lbs by June. Can I do it? Stay tuned!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Y'all, check out my friend Margaret! Isn't she's simply gorgeous sporting her TWA! When I emailed my friends telling them to check out my Hair Journal, I found out she had joined the naptural journey as well. Here's her initial response to my journal: "Did I tell you I went natural back in 2004? I had to have surgery, and didn't know what I was going to do with my hair. I decided that was the perfect time to go natural, so I had my hair cut in a short fro in July. I've been natural since, and LOVE it. I did not realize how much bondage black women were in when it comes to their hair. I just felt so liberated when I went natural, and I also came to love the texture of my hair. We have been brainwashed into believing the texture of our hair is ugly; that nappy is a bad thing. I really feel sorry for all the women who are still wearing those perms. They really need to know the secret of nappiness. I wish I'd known about the secret a long time ago. Why didn't you tell me? Of course I'm trying to get my sisters and sister-in-laws to go natural, but they aren't buying it. Their loss" Q: Going napptural for most people isn't an overnight decision. How did you come to appreciate nappturality, and what set you on the path to becoming a naptural beauty yourself? A: "I went natural because I was sick of sitting in the salon all day just to get my hair washed and styled. Heaven forbid when I had to get a relaxer; it was torture. But in Dallas all I saw was natural hair. That's when I started wanting the natural look, but I was too scared to do it. I went to Birmingham to visit in February, 2004, and one of my girlfriends had her hair in a short curly fro. Her hair was so beautiful, I asked what she was doing to it and she told me nothing. I decided then I was going natural. If it was that easy, I was in! I was still too scared to go natural, but I did stop putting relaxers in my hair. My chance to really do it came when I had my surgery. I didn't want to fool with my hair, so I had it cut off. Plus I was loving the styles the women were wearing in Dallas, and I saw there was a lot of versatility with natural hair. I really don't think I would have gone natural if I hadn't lived in Dallas. Natural hair was so prevalent there, and I saw it all the time. It just kind of grew on me." Q: What is your biggest challenge? A: "My problem is my hair gets so dry. I dye it about every six months, and I need to stop it. I think the dye's adding to the intensity of my dryness. I had someone tell me to use shea butter on my hair, but I'm not sure if that's greasy. I don't want a greasy head. I'm also using some type of moisture lotion I bought at the salon about a month ago when I had my ends clipped. Being natural I thought I wouldn't know when my ends were bad, but I can see and feel them. I thought I wouldn't have to have them clipped when I went natural. Boy was I wrong. But anyway, that moisture lotion works really well, but it makes my hair draw up. It's more for people with texturizers. I have bought so many products till I'm just sick. I'm just trying to find something that works, but I haven't found the perfect fit yet. That's the only negative thing I've run into since going natural...the dryness! "This was taken a year ago. I started letting my hair grow out over this past summer (it sure doesn't grow fast) so it's a little longer now." Y'all need to give a shout out to Margaret for making the leap to nappturality. She looks devine!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Here's my friend Kim. She's a national best selling romance author and she's been napptural for over 15 years. One day, she did the big chop and ended up with about four inches of hair. Said her mother would hardly speak to her for awhile. She got over it though...LOL. The biggest picture is of Kim after receiving a Women of Color award. The smaller picture is me and Kim at the table at the end of the banquet. I'm sporting some of my first set of twists...still didn't like them though even though I stuck with them! Kim's hair had just been done up special for this occasion but she later confessed that wasn't exactly her style. The pictures along the right were taken by me at her book signing. That's right. Kim's a national best selling romance author. (Oh...I already said that! I'm just so proud of her....like Gail cheering Oprah on!) She writes under the name of Kim Louise and was working her book signing at Borders last year...I think it was July. She's sporting a gorgeous straw set. Ah, simply show stopping! Click on the image to get a better view of the smaller pics. Also, she's thinking about dreads...I'll keep you posted. Here are a list of her books, which you can find on http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/104-5479206-5855149?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dstripbooks%3Arelevance-above&field-keywords=kim+louise: 1) With Open Arms 2) Can I get an Amen 3) Chicken Soup for the African American Soul. Look for Kim's story "The Nod" 4) A love of Their Own 5) A Thousand Kisses Anthology 6) The Glory of Love 7) True Devotion 8) Season of Love 9) Falling for You 10) A Touch Away 11) Destiny's Song She's working on a new book and is now writing for Harlequin Romance. I'm sure she has told me the title, but I can't remember it right now. I'll keep you posted on this too or you can go to her web site (listed below) for more information. The middle picture is Tish sporting twists and buying the Chicken Soup book. The bottom picture is of Kim and a new fan sporting a low puff in the back. You can find more pictures of Kim on my photography website http://imephotography.smugmug.com/gallery/699147. When you get the chance, Kim's web site is at http://kimlouise.com/ Coming soon: An interview with Kim about her new book and living life nappturally.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Flat Twist French Roll - Click on graphic for large view February 22, 2006 Ok...I'm now into week two with this hair style. In pictures, this do looks pretty good. But don't let them fool you. The fuzz factor is pretty high. On a scale of 1-10, me thinks the fuzz factor is about an 8. Can I get nearly another two weeks out of this style? I don't think so, not without doing a retwist. But first, I think trying using some spray moisturizer and then take the back down and retwist the French Roll...ok, its a bun to some of y'all...I just happen to think French Roll sounds more chic! I've been talking about the spotty damage I have from pressing my hair. Take a look at the long curly cue...as you can see, it's pretty straight...it will not nap up, not like the other one. One of these days, I'll have to do a big chop to get rid of the damaged hair. It's not urgent. I'd say 97% of my hair is healthy. but the damaged hair is in the front and it limits my hair styles. For instance, I don't like to wear Double-Strand Twists because of how the stragly ends frame my face. If any one has a favorite Flat Twist style out there you think I might like, please let me know. I'm in search of some good ones because, as much as I like this one, I'm sure it will get old--fast!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Workin the flat twists....February 23, 2006 Ok y'all, I'm trying to work the heck out of these flat twists in the front. They were looking kind of ragged. After I posted the above update, I couldn't take it no mo, so I retwisted the front myself. Not too bad for my first try. Not as good as my sister would do though. After I took my hair down in the back, I discovered it was really dry and very tangled. I tried the finger detangling method...nope...no good...must moisturizer thoroughly and brush it out really well. This also got rid of a great deal of shed hair...hope that was shed hair. I got a little nervous about leaving the butterfly clips that secured my French Twist in so long. Next time my sister does my hair, I'll have her check for breakage. Then I tried to put my French Twist back in, but my hair wouldn't cooperate. So, I decided to pull all my hair back and put it into a puff. I took all the loose hair that had been tucked into the bun and made small Double-Strand Twists. Don't know how long this is going to last but I'm gonna try to make it to Sunday before I either wash it or take the back down and do regular double-strand twists in the back. I think I've tried that do before, but I can't remember what I thought about it. I spritzed my hair with some moisturizer and used my hands to smooth it down before I let my niece take these pictures. (That's why my fo-head is shiny...oops!) She's getting to be a pretty good photographer don't you think?
April 11th 3:01 a.m. (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Can't Sleep. Can't stalk the Nappturality.com forum because it's down for maintenance. Could work on some photography orders. Nah... Oh, I know, let's update the hair journal. Luckily, my tripod and camera is all set up and ready to go. Ok, I wore my low puff, no flat twist style for about four days before my edges started getting on my nerves. By day four of low puff, my edges weren't cooperating anymore, wouldn't lay down and blend in no matter how much product I slathered on it. So, I gave it one final brushing and commensed to putting in another flat twist style. Now I didn't go through my usual iterations of pics for this, simply because ithe style is nothing new. But I will tell you, the flat twists in the front came out soooo well. I'm getting so good at this. And, I've even figured out how to keep the twists going and laying in the same direction, no matter what side of my head I'm working on! My mom saw my hair yesterday, asked me who did it! Ha, "Me!" I'm wondering how long this do is going to last before my fuzz factor kicks in. Hate fuzzy hair. Some people don't seem to mind and can go weeks on end before they retwist or restyle. I've tried, and I just can't do it. But, I think this one is going to last a little longer than my usual 3-4 days. That's because, I twisted the hair in smaller intervals near the scalp. I hope that makes since because I can't think of a better way to explain it. I'm hoping this method secures the hair better and won't allow it to work it's way out of the twist as much...hense, keeping the fuzz factor at bay for a longer period of time. That would be wonderful, but well see. I'll keep you posted. Now the reason I only flat twist the front is because I can't see what I'm doing in the back. But even if I could, I'm not real sure that I would flat twist the back anyway, I like the single twists better for styling purposes. Right now, I just have my hair cliped on either side, just behind and above the top of my ears. Pulling a twist from behind gives you a good idea of some of my length. I say some, because actually, my hair was in a layered cut and is various lengths, depending on where I pull a hair sample from. I think along the back, front top, and sides, my hair is about 8 inches long. Top crown area is the longest at more than 11 inches long.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) February 23, 2006 Look at this cutie and those luscious bob-length Double-Strand Flat Twists (DSFTs)...she's my niece...our future WNBA basketball player. This 11-year-old, 5'4" dynamo plays on three teams. Scores in the double-digits most games. She's also a straight A student in one of the best middle schools in the city. Told me today that I was her favorite aunt...I think that was because I picked her up from school and then took her to get something to eat. These chunky DSFTs are a must have do for any fashion conscious 11-year-old that wants to look good both on and off the court. I measured her twists in the back and they're about 8 inches long. The last time I measured her hair when it was out, I think it was about 16 inches long, so she has about 50% shrinkage. This do is probably more than a week old. Although you can't tell it from the picture, fuzz factor is about a five on a 10-point scale. It would probably be lower than than but tying it up at night is totally out of the question. I made her spritz some moisturizer on it and brush the edges down before I took these pictures. Maintenance: With sixteen inches of hair, her mom does not take it down to wash and condition it. It's usually only taken down to do a new style. The one thing I don't like is that her other aunt warm combs it before she braids it. Can't control that now can I. Fun fact: She hates getting her hair combed (no surprise there) particularly her edges since the knot up really badly. So one day recently, she decided to shave off her hair line in the back and in the front. I kept looking at her thinking her forehead had surely gotten bigger. I mentioned something to my sister who told me about the razor incident. It is growing back nicely though. Back in the day, we would have gotten our butts toh-up-from-the-flo-up. But in this day and age, apparently you just take away the kid's iPod. But then, that leaves their x-box or DVD player to entertain them...hmmmmm.
February 26, 2006 (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Today, for the first time since I stopped wearing braids, which was sometime last summer, I finally have a twistout style that I absolutely love. I've seen sooooo many on Nappturality.com and I've always wished I could do that to my hair. Well today, I did it! I finally did it. Instead of trying to twist out and style regular twists, I took down two-week old Double Strand Flat twists, (see previous posts in my journal) and styled my twist out into a nappy, wavy bob. My hair is almost 11 inches long now, and I think that also helped make the difference. Family reactions: Mom..."Is that how you want it to look?' Sister..."Why did you take your hair down?" Niece..."I really like it." Sister-in-law..."It looks nice, it really does." Brother and nephew...no opinion! Of course, my friend Kim, who has been natural for over 15 years loved it! She took the pictures for me at her house, and I pulled them into photoshop and made the portraits. I can't wait to try this again on cleaner hair. I'm only going to get one wearing out of this because later this morning, I absolutely have to wash it...I can't stand it no mo! If you visit my journal, please let me know what you think!!!
It's Shampoo Day! (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) After three weeks and three hair styles and a whole lot of product build up as well as an extremely itchy scalp, I couldn't take it no mo. So today is shampoo day with a capital S. It's a long story, but I always shampoo my hair at my friend Kim's house. I don't really use any fancy or expensive products. When I shampoo, I either use Head and Shoulders or Suave...no particular type. Since I have really bad build up of every kind, today, I'm using Head and Shoulders. When I use H&S, I usually saturate my hair and then manipulate my scalp with my fingers for about five minutes. Then I wet it back up and wash it out. I never have to do a second lather and rinse. After the first rinse, I'm ready to condition. Kim didn't have her camera ready when I first started the process, so the pictures at right pick up after I had already conditioned my hair. Usually, I put a plastic grocery bag on my head and sit and watch a little TV. But today, I was thinking that maybe I could make it to my friend's wake service, if I could speed the process up a little bit. Got started at 1:30 p.m. Surely I could be done by 5 p.m. Right? Wrong. Altogether, today's shampoo and styling session took about five hours. Doesn't help that I ate up a lot of time posing for the camera. Got done at 7 p.m. I think though, in the back of my head, I really had decided to skip the wake and just go to the funeral on Monday. In the end, that's what I did. Before I actually got started on conditioning, I had this conversation with Kim. "Kim, do you have anything I can deep condition my hair with?" "Well, you could use eggs...but I don't have any. Or, mayonnaise is good too...but I don't have any. Bananas, extra virgin olive oil, they're really good too...but I don't have of that stuff either." Girl...what the heck... "KIM! Let me ask you again, do you have anything that I could use to deep condition my hair with?" "Uh...the answer to that question would be no. LOL." She is soo funny sometimes.
Let's play how long is my hair? (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Couldn't resist doing these pics because I've seen them in everyone else's albums. After that I got to washing the conditioner out of my hair. As I look at the collage the pictures in the right column are actually in the wrong order. The two on the bottom are of me combing my hair as I rinse the conditioner out of my hair. I've always detangled like this and it works really well. Top two pictures in the right column are of me doing my final rinse.
Moisturzing (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) I don't have a large arsenal of moisturizing or styling products. Other than the occasional afro puff, my hair is almost always in some type of a protective twist style. Here's what I use: * Care Free Curl moisturizer and curl activator or Wave Nuveau moisturizer (I'm don't have a preference, either seems to work fine) *Pink (brand) Twist and Loc cream When I first started wearing my hair completely natural...meaning no more micro braids with weave hair added in, I really had no idea what to do with my hair other than a press and curl. Since I was working out all the time (boy do I need to start going back to the gym) a press and curl was obviously not practical. So I started trying to wear twists. Boy were those early twists hideous! My ends were soooo straight in spots from the constant pressing. But I stuck with my twists. I tried fat ones. I tried skinny ones. They were pitiful, and my twists wouldn't even plump up. And talk about dry...I'm sure someone would have had the right to call the fire department to report me as a walking fire hazzard. What a difference nearly a year has made. The first time I went to someone who specializes in natural hair care, the first thing out of her mouth was that my hair was dry. "Well yeah," I thought. I let her do some twists on me. They looked a little better than what I had done, but I still wasn't impressed. It wasn't her...it was my hair. A miracle wasn't going to happen. I had been abusing my hair with heat and healing was just going to take some time. I'm sure she gave me some moisturizing tips, but I don't recall any specifics. But sometime after that, I was in one of our local beauty supply stores browsing when it just occurred to me to try some curl products. Right after college, I had a curl for a brief moment, and I remember I liked the way the products made my hair feel. And that's when I made the decision to go with Care Free and Wave Nuveau products. I haven't regretted this decision yet. Right after I shampoo, I saturate my hair with the curl activator. One of the main reasons I decided on a curl activator is that I hoped it would breath some life into my damanged hair. After I work that in, I saturate my hair with moisturizer. Then I braid up most of my hair and begin working on my hair style using the twist and loc cream. While I work on my twists, I do not let any of my hair dry out. I contantly spritz the rest of my hair with moisturizer. Once I'm finished, I saturate my entire head with moisturizer. Fortunately, this stuff dries fairly quickly. And to me (I made Kim smell it to), non of the curl products have a heave scent. In fact, the moisturizer products don't really have a fragrance at all. Y'all might laugh...but me thinks I'm doing something right! My hair looks and feels 200% better than it did last spring when I first took it out of braids. Oh there I go again. Check out the bottom right picture. I'm playing the How Long is My Hair game again! One thing that strikes me about my hair is its color. If you look closely at some of the pcitures, you'll see some definite red undertones. Sprinkled throughout, I actually have strands of fiery red hair. I always knew that I did, I just didn't realize how much until I looked at these pictures.
I'm done! Yippee! (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Finally, I'm finished. Now I have a head full of gorgeous twists. Just look at them. I can't believe this is my hair. MY hair! Even newly twisted, look at how thick it is now. I'm telling y'all...last year, there is no way that my twists were looking this strong and healthy. In the back, You can't even see the parts. Eventually, My shoulder length twists will shrink up well past my collar. I prefer that anyway because with my current length, fresh twists sit on my shoulder. When they first dry they're kind of crinkly. But by tomorrow morning, I'll have good bob-length shrinkage. I like the flat twists in the front. Single twists in the back. Eventually, the way I parted my hair, along with the flat twists in the front will set the stage for my forming my twistout . In the mean time, I can vary my style by pulling all of some of it back into a pony tail. Moisturize once or twice a day for the life this do. Tie up at night (without fail) to make it last. I'll touch up this style by retwisting in spots as necessary. I even went out and purchased some hair jewelry, to dress my hair up a little. The little adornments are soooo cute. I'll post pics of that later in the week. Until then.
Twists, Beads and a Hairband (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Ok I promised some pics of my do dressed up and here it is! Taking these pictures using my Canon digital SLR was no easy feat. I propped a mirror up and tried to get a good angle. I think all together I took 15 or 20 pics just to get the four good ones you see on your right. So, what do you think? Well, I think it's darned cute. I found the hairband at Claires and the hair jewelry at a local hair supply store. The hair jewelry thingies are not really beads at all, but I don't know what else to call them. When I went to the hair supply store, I did my best to try and describe what I was looking for. The young lady finally had an "ah ha" moment and found exactly what I wanted. Silly things don't even have a name. They're made by Magic Collection and all of their little adornments are merely labeled Hair and Nail Decorations. Go figure. If you've never used these before, (I hadn't either) the little metal tubes have a design cut into them. To put them on, you simply pull them apart, stick your twist, braid or lock inside, and the pinch it closed. They're a little fragil, and I've already broken a couple. They come in packages of 15 for 99 cents. Decided not to sleep in them, so yes, I take them out in the evening before I tie up my hair. Now I just need some big funky earrings to go with my funky do!
New Twist, Old Do February 12,2006 (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Ok. I am sick to death of only being able to wear my hear back in flat twists. I tried another twist out and it was straight up a disaster. Seems to work best on hair that's hasn't been just washed. It just wouldn't act right. Hair that had been in flat twists in the front was really poofy. The back had been done in regular twists and that turned out really flat. Together, it just wasn't a good combination. So I ended up with an afro puff for a day or two. Edges are still not long enough to lay down right so, I was just looking crazy about the head until I decided to corn row the front. Still in one area, I can't catch the edges so they work themselves loose in about three days, and once again I have a little fuzzy halo going on again. This is driving me crazy! Well then, I decided to twist the front and pull that back into a puff. That lasted another three days. I retwisted and wore a loose puff for a day. It was rather cute but I can't wear a puff for too long because my loose hair tangles so badly and I end up snapping of my ends when I try to detangle. A young lady with a gorgeous TWA complimented my loose puff and of course I returned the compliment. Then Friday, I decided to do chunky flat twists. By the end of Saturday, my hair was looking rather worn...didn't look too badly though. But can I tell you how sick I am of having to wear my hair twisted back?!!! Tried a couple of things before I came up with the bangs. I really like this. I took down several flat twists in the front and made regular twists. To hide my heat damaged ends (see pic 4), I swooped my bangs behind my left ear. Voila! New Twist on an Old Do. I'll have to keep experimenting on different ways to wear the front of my hair. I'm just not willing to do a big chop since I have good length, hardly any split ends and otherwist healthy hair everywhere else. I'm going to try pin curling the ends tonight and see what happens in the morning. If it doesn't act right, I'll just keep it swooped behind my ear.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hi there, I'd like you to meet Curlie Bob! This is my latest take on getting the most out of one particular hair style. As much was I liked Old Do New Twist, my hair as fuzzy and the next thing I knew I was working on this new style. Working off the same parts, I made flat twists along the hair line and then single, smaller twists everywhere else. Then, I pin curled the front....
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) ...and since I didn't have enough clips for the back, I put bantu knots in the back. Wrapped it up and went to bed. When I took it down this morning, I wasn't really feelin' it. But after about an hour, the hair relaxed a bit so that it would fall a little more how I wanted it. As a permie, my staple was a shoulder length Bob style. I see I still tend to gravitate towards that shape. It kind of falls in a Bob Style...hence Curlie Bob!
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Too bad I've already pinned and wrapped my hair up for the night. As the day wore on, the twists relaxed more, shrunk and fattened up into a really nice shape. Mind you, it's been three weeks since I washed it back on February 28th. Seems like the older my hair gets, the better it acts. But no matter what I do, my fuzz factor seems to set in really badly by day three and I have to do a retwist. Let's see how long this one can last. Product: In stead of my Luster Pink Short Looks Twist It, Hold It Shine It cream, I used Isoplus' Dreads, Locks and Twists Molding cream. I just wanted to try something different. I THINK I like it. Nearly 24 hours later, my hair still feels slightly moist but not tacky or sticky. Thumbs Down... Isoplus' Braids, Locks and Twists spray. Oder alert! Oder Alert! This stuff STANKS! Normally, I smell before I buy. Didn't do that this time and that's what I get. Whew! Why did I buy this? I didn't need it. I still have plenty of Care Free Curl Moisturizer. Hope I can find my receipt, and I hope they take it back. I don't even care if they don't give me my money back as long as I can get something else in exchange. Anyway, I really, really, like Curlie Bob and I think it's going to be a staple in my style book. What do y'all think? Did I do good?
Flat Twists Loose Puff (cont'd on pg 4) March 26, 2006 (Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Hi everyone! This will no doubt be my last update for March. If you've been following my journey, you know how sick I am of wearing flat twists in the front. I do this because my edges are really broken off from wearing micro braids for over three years. I'm soooo lucky I don't have traction alopecia. Because I've been keeping my edges protected in the flat twists, they're growing back nicely, and I think they're about 1/2 inch long in most spots. But nevertheless, it still really limits my hairstyles, but I'm getting doggone creative with what I can do with flat twists in the front. But I must say that I like the way this new style for me turned out! Me thinks its absolutely adorable. And, me thinks I'm really cute! How to: I would have never, ever thought of doing a loose puff on my own. I owe this style to having gotten ideas from various hair albums and blogs that I visit. A loose puff gives the illusion of a much more volume. I tried several different sized bands. But to achieve this look, 1) I pulled my hair back and secured it in a band. 2) Then I placed flat metal hair barrettes around the puff in a circular pattern. Each barrette must touch the other barrette. (I'll post a picture of these when I get a chance...just don't use any hinged barrettes. Your hair will get caught in the hinges, you run the risk of your hair catching and litterally being cut!) I know...it happened to me on several different occasions when I was wearing relaxers. So you can only image how hard it would be to try to take hinged barrettes out of natural hair! DON'T DO IT! If you don't know what I'm talking about, wait until I post the pictures! 3) The further you place the barrettes away from the secured puff, the bigger your loose puff will be. 4) Take your hair out of the band. Your hair will stay within the confines of the perimeter you made with the barrettes. If you like, you can untwist the ends of the flat twists so that they blend in better with your puff. As always, if my directions don't give you a good visual, make sure you email me at NappyMeHappyMe@aol.com. Oh, and I went on an interview this past Friday, and this is the first time that I've worn my hair natural for an interview. Usually I would always press my hair. Once, I even wore a wig. But no more! Finally, I've broken those last chains of bondage. I think the interview went very well, so I'll let y'all know what happens.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Here are the pictures of the clips that I promised y'all. The ones on the paper card board thingy are the ones I used to create the barrior for my loose puff. Like I said, I've tried various sized bands, but they don't feel very secure. The other two on the mirror are great for holding down hair, like when my sides and back weren't long enough to reach into the band securing my puff...back before I started doing flat twists. Now, I just use them sometimes for decoration.
(Add gallery comment below. Click on image for larger view and leave comment on individual pic) Yuck...I hate this angle. Kind of looks like an old lady do. But I didn't really feel like trying to get a better one but I think it's important to show all sides of a style...just in case some might want to see how the style looks from all angles.