Loc/ Yarn Braid Tutorial

She makes me want locs even more! I love her videos BronzeGoddess01

Winter Routine

So I joined a growth challenge on naturallycurly.com about two weeks ago. Mostly because I knew if I didn't make some kind of commitment to do something with it soon I would end up with some bad breakage...I was getting too lazy. So from now until April I'm going to be making it a point to keep my routine and wear a lot of protective styles. I went a head and put my hair in genie locs last Wednesday, and while I was doing I discovered I'm actually to armpit length....that's what's up.

I'd never done a length check before so needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Especially since I'm not even at two years yet. So here's my routine:

1. Wash: weekly/bi-weekly (depending on my hairstyle and how my hair feels)
2. DC: weekly/bi-weekly
3. Seal: acv rinse and my leave in
4. Moisturize: every other day with my water, shea/oil mix
5. Wear protective styles 

6. Vitamins: Flax seed oil, biotin, glycerin, omega 3,6,9, multi, and garlic
7. Exercise daily

 Now about these yarn braids....I've been on the fence for a while now about locs and I gotta say these are really pushing me in that direction. I'm really feelin the way they look, so don't be surprised if you see me locking it up sometime soon lol. I think I'll keep these in till the end of next month. My head has been itching like crazy and I know I'm not allergic to yarn so I have no idea why but it's driving me nuts!

Me All Day

I was born and partly raised in Los Angeles, Ca, but also partly raised in Tucson, Az. During most of my younger years I was natural. Long hair down my back natural, all the way up until I turned about 12. In California I remember there was always some boy in my ear about how pretty I was. Then I turned 10, moved to Tucson, and everything changed. Black girls aren't received, or at least weren't when I was growing up, with open arms there. Little black boys have the pick of the litter. White girls, Mexican girls, Mixed girls (Asian...yes there was a few), so where was there rooms for us? Especially with so few little black boys? 

Now don't think your going to start dating other races young lady. We don't get down like that....

So where am I left?

It wasn't until I got older that I realized how bruised my self esteem was from all this. I didn't have a great family life so unfortunately my self worth came from places it shouldn't have. And while it really shouldn't have matter what those little boys thought it did.

I tried everything I could at the time to get someone to notice me. That long thick hair.....I cut off until I had little 1 inch baby curls all over my head. It grew back, then every couple months I relaxed it and dyed it every color I could. I never felt beautiful. I repeated this process, cutting, perming, and dying every year until I turned 18.

I had a bun in the oven!

Ever since I could remember I heard the old wives tales, not to perm/dye your hair when you were pregnant. I was so conflicted with what to do. I hadn't seen my really hair color in years, let alone texture. What was I supposed to do for nine whole months? After much debate with my then husband I figured that my little baby didn't ask to be here. So I have to try and give it the best and healthiest start I can. I started what I now know as transitioning. I was always planning to start back relaxing though as soon as the baby was born and I was done breast feeding. Except, a couple months later I was pregnant again, and my whole life changed.

This time my pregnancy was different. My life was crumbling around me. I was all alone in a new state with no home to return to, and no family to turn to. Over the next nine months I began a journey with God that I never knew was possible. By the time I was ready to have my son I was mentally and spiritually stronger than I had ever been. Because I was only at home I hadn't learned to do anything different with my hair. I wore it in cornrows, puffs and ponytails. Outside of that I had no clue what I was doing. So after Jeremiah was born, and I was done breast feeding, I just went ahead and texturized it.

But I didn't feel like me anymore.

Over the course of the next year and a half I did everything again. Cut it, permed it, colored it and did it again. No matter what I didn't feel like me.

So in March of 2009 I big chopped.

I will NEVER look back. For some people it's nothing more than just hair. For me it was more than that. It was me accepting and being exactly who God made me to be, and being content with that. I'm me all day. I can't and won't be anybody else, and if you don't like that....well....that sounds like a personal issue lol.

Ms. Knowles

Oh how I love thee, for you my dear are absolutlely FAB.

Pictures obtained from Solanges blog mydamnblog

Brainwashed

When it comes to the black community there are certain things we just don't do. Yes, there are always exceptions to most things but for the most part as a whole you'll find that our people generally stick to the same ole, same ole. 

My daughter is 4. She just turned 4 last month and has the most georgous light brown curly hair. She hates it. She hates everything about what it means to get her hair done. The washing, conditioning, combing (which I've become a  pro at by the way) and braiding or ponytails...whatever. She HATES it. So I want to cut it. Not into a fade or anything drastic. Just a short curly fro. Less combing, and she will still look like a lovely little lady. Except I told my family of my idea and a shit storm insued. WTF. Nobody likes the way she cries when she's getting her hair done. They've gone so far as to pick her up and leave the room with her to stop her and give her (or themselves rather) a break. But when I find a solution to make us both happy I get drama. What gives?

I believe this goes back to black culture. I've cut my hair Halle Berry short numerous times, and everytime I did there was some group of women in my ear telling me how it will never grow back....Really? Never? I'll take that chance. And it always grows back and down my back. I've never had a problem retaining length. Neither will she. Her hair is already down her back, it will grow back, so why not cut it. We put poison on our hair and expect it to grow and be healthy. Then get paranoid when it doesn't and thus a vicious self esteem cycle begins that black women can't grow long hair. When we are more than capable of doing it just like everybody else. How backwards is that? The very thing we swear by to keep our hair "healthy" and "manageable" is the very thing keeping our hair from being healthy and manageable. When do we break the cycle?

Lauryns Roller Set

I've been wanting to do something different so I've been thinking about doing a roller set. I want to get the lovely Ms. Hill's look.

I'll make sure I let you know how it goes.

The New Badu

Ms. Badu's new style is creating quite a stir.

I say more power to her.

Although I'm gonna miss the hell at that fro.