July 21, 2012

  • The YouTube Search

    My newfound excitement about going natural led me on a search for more answers.  How would I do this?  Chop my hair down to nothing (although I don't think I possess courage to rock a "boy cut" as my 11-year-old daughter calls it)?  Should I grow it out even though I'm not adept at doing hair (can't braid, can't do twists...etc)?  The latter seemed less scary.  So, I decided to collect as much information as I could.  My first stop: YouTube!!  Of course!  It's filled with numerous videos on how-to.  I looked up how to transition.  I came across many tutorials but my most favorite of them all was MahoganyCurls.  I think she started her natural hair mission in 2009 (don't quote me on that).  At any rate she was talking about The Curly Girl Method.  What in the world could The Curly Girl Method consist of?  I watched a few of her videos and became more and more intrigued.  Apparently curly hair (as is most African American Hair) needs extreme moisture to reach it's full potential.  The book?  The Curly Girl Method by Lorraine Massey.  I looked on Amazon to find this book and I did find it but I'm an impatient woman (which is probably is going to work against me while trying to transition).  Anywho....I decided to venture to my local library in hopes they "might" have it.  I was actually quite shocked they did.  In fact, they had both versions.  Lorraine apparently was born a curly girl into a family of people without curls and always felt different growing up.  This differentiation is what led Lorraine to go into hair care and develop her very own curly girl salon (I'm sure it's not called that but you get the point).  Her salon specifically caters to women with curly hair no matter the ethnicity and her curly method seems to be working for a lot of women no matter the race (per YouTube testimonials).  Her first book (due to my slight OCD I had to read them in order laughing) I wasn't too impressed with.  It was published in January of 2002.  I hurriedly read through the first sections and then skipped ahead to the section on African American hair.  I was so disappointed.  After stressing so much in the beginning of the book about not fighting your natural tresses, Lorraine had someone write about African American hair and "texturizing".  Texturizing is not natural.  It is a perm that changes the natural texture of the hair even if ever so slightly.  The remaining portion of the write-up spoke about different braiding styles and updos.  Come on Lorraine!!  I want to embrace my natural hair not be afraid of it (which is what this first printing kind of did....made me a litte afraid).  On to book #2.  This book was printed in December 2010.  Guess what?  Lorraine got with the program and realized that just because black hair is a different texture doesn't mean that it should be something to be altered or afraid of.  This new book also includes a instructional DVD that actually shows you how to do the curly girl method.  What is the method?  Ditching your shampoo (with sulfates) and co-washing your hair with conditioner (free of silicones).  You see silicones (any ingredient ending with "cone" such as dimethicone, etc.) is very bad for curly hair.  It dries out the hair by creating a thin layer on your scalp so that moisture can't reach your curls.  And as I stated curly hair NEEDS moisture and lots of it.  It also uses gels (clear gels) free of alcohol.  Ecostyler Gel is highly recommended by YouTube users along with Tresseme Naturals conditioner.  However, I can't use Tresseme Naturals conditioner.  I am allergic to aloe vera (yeah the one ingredient that is supposed to heal rashes, sunburns, etc. causes a horrific rash on my skin).  So, I searched for other conditioners that were "cone" free.  I found VO5 doesn't use cones and is very affordable (about .97 cents per bottle).  It is very liquid so I recommend only using that as your cowash and then following it up with a thicker conditioner such as Tresseme Naturals as your leave-in conditioner.  I found Suave Naturals doesn't have cones, is very thick, and aloe vera free (also very affordable at $1.79 per bottle in my area).  Tresseme Naturals runs a little under $5.00 per bottle.  Yes, I know I said use it as a leave-in conditioner (even though the instructions on the bottles say to rinse out).  This is part of the girly method that helps to truly moisturize those curly strands and transition your mane from a hot mess to beautiful tresses.  Check it out for yourself.  Research on YouTube and either buy the book, download on your Kindle (sp?), or rent from your local library.  I've started doing a portion of the method.  I've started co-washing with the conditioner and leaving the thicker conditioner on my hair for a while as instructed by the bottle.  I can't use it as a leave-in just yet because of my relaxer.  Having two hair textures really sucks right now but it is what it is.  My hope is that by ditching the shampoo and co-washing that my natural hair will be in better shape once I do the Big Chop!  laughing  Well it's on to more research.  Until next time peeps!