A lot of people find that the curl typing system is controversial.  Most believe it’s a way of saying one curl pattern is better than another when, in fact, the reason the curl typing system was created was to show you how to care for your individual hair.  Nothing more.  Once you know your hair type, you’re better able to search online for products suited for your hair type and look for hairstyles suitable for your hair type.  Of course, the choice of products will also depend on your hair’s porosity, width, and density but at least you’ll be headed in a more positive direction once you learn your hair type.  See the chart below to determine what your hair type is.  My hair currently is 3b on the top and back and 3c on the sides.  I’m not sure what the sides will eventually look like (due to the scab hair issue).  But this is where I currently stand and I am better able to deal with the hair that is growing out of my scalp at present.  

The letter a, b, or c after the number tells you how thick the hair strand is.

Type 1 hair is straight with no curl or wave pattern.

Type 2 hair has no real curl but some soft waves are present.

Type 3 hair is “S” shaped and has a more definite curl pattern.  It will either straighten or curl up into ringlets when wet.  Will dry in a tighter curl pattern.  

Type 4 hair has no “S” shape.  It has kinks and twists that form either an “L” or an “O” shape or tight coils.  This curl pattern doesn’t change in appearance when wet or dry.  This is the most fragile of all the hair types due to the inability of the hair’s natural oil to reach the ends of the hair.

Pictures of the different hair types are as follows:

 1a  1b  1c

2a  2b  2c

3a

 3b

 3c

 4a   4b  4c

So, during the last several years I’ve colored my hair.  The most usual color has been either dark brown or black even though my natural hair color is light brown.  The darker color has always been more flattering against my skin tone.  Well, I decided it was time to color (and cover up those grays) again.  So, I decided that since I was adventurous enough to cut my hair then maybe a change in color might not be so bad.  So, I did a poll and several people agreed on red.  So off to the store I go.  I’m allergic to aloe (as I’ve mentioned before) so that made it a little tough to find a semi-permanent color (please remember the color is semi-permanent).  I settled on Dark and Lovely Ravishing Red.  Looked harmful enough….not too bright.  

I proceeded to put this color in the front of my hair and realized I hadn’t washed my hair first so I quickly rinsed and washed my hair.  This is when I noticed the color had already taken (in about 2 minutes).  This should have been my first RED flag.  But no, I continued on.  The box said for more VIBRANT color to sit under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes.  So, yes this is what I did.  Quite messy! My daughter had to make several trips to the kitchen sink for wet paper towels to wipe up the side spills flowing from my head which she described as “looking like blood”.    At 17 minutes, I could take no more and made a mad dash to the bathroom to rinse it out.  It took about 15 minutes for the water to flow “clear” as the directions stated.  So, I excitedly ran to the mirror only to find .  WTH????????  I wanted to cry!  What was I supposed to do with the Bozo the Clown look?  It looked nothing like the box said it would (you know the side pic with “if your hair color is this….this should be your result).  It had to be a joke.  Bring out the hidden cameras!!  But alas, it wasn’t.  Panic set in.  I mean this color is a good look for a boa but NOT the hair.  I’m not good at sporting a Ronald MacDonald look!!!  I had to think quick.  It was already past midnight and I had to get up at 5:30 am for work.  My first thought was “don’t go to work” but then I remembered my overtime and realized if I didn’t go I wouldn’t get paid overtime.  I’m sorry not even Bozo the Clown could make me give up my money this close to Christmas!!  So, on to .  WASH MY HAIR as many times as it would take to get rid of it.  Remember, at the beginning of my blog I said this was semi-permanent color but somehow I think that was a misprint on the box.  

Here’s what I did:  

Washed my hair with and then I remembered this was silicone free so it was probably not harsh enough (and the color was still there).    

Second, I washed my hair with and then remembered this was a worse choice because it’s sulphate and silicone free.  You see panic makes you do stupid things!!  

Third, being in true panic mode I frantically tried to remember what the harshest shampoo I had in the house was (luckily I hadn’t given away my hair products yet).  I had heard Pantene strips perms so why not use it for the color.  So I used and washed my hair TWO more times.  Yep, we’re up to four times being washed!  The color was still there and hanging on for dear life!!!  Why?????

Remembering none of this was Curly Girl friendly I washed one last time (up to five times washed) with to remove the silicones.

Exhausted at this point, I decided I would just put conditioner in my hair and call it a night.   However, I just couldn’t live with the thought of being Bozo for the whole day so I rinsed this out and lo and behold I noticed that the conditioner made more color come out than the shampoo (go figure).  So I got an idea!!

I decided to use  and cover my hair with a plastic cap for 30 minutes hoping the sea kelp (detoxing ingredient) would draw out the color. I must note that my head felt like it was on FIRE this entire time (I guess numerous washes with non-friendly CG products had really opened up my pores).  But I hung in there.  Yep, more color down the drain.  But my hair was still pink.  UGH!!!!

So, I decided at that point I would repeat the process.  I did another round of  and combined it with .  I then added a plastic cap, tied my hair up with two scarves (so the cap wouldn’t slide off) and slept in my combined formula.  I could barely go to sleep due to the intense (what felt like FIRE) on my head.  I am a DETERMINED woman though!!!

Fast forward 3 hours later (yep it was after 2 when I finally went to bed).  I was still panicked at looking like a clown so I had to think of what else I could do.  Vinegar!!  I rinsed my combo out and then I poured white vinegar on my hair, covered with a plastic cap for 20 minutes and then jumped in the shower and cowashed one last time with .  I stepped out of the shower and Praise God the color was at a normal level that I could tolerate.  One day and another cowash later here’s my final results.  .

What did I learn from all of this?  Stick to what I know.  I will be going back to the black in two weeks.  Once you go black, you never go back.  

Can men do this program and succeed?  Again….YES!!  My uncle has decided to embark on his own curl journey with much success.  He, like me, was also surprised at his curls.  Take a look.  

See where my little cousin Jamie gets his good looks?  Way to go Uncle James (LOL, he’s more like my brother-in-law).  

I last gave an update of the scab hair that I cut off on 08/06/12.  Today I cut off more scab hair (same area).  It’s almost two weeks later (12 days).  You would think that there would not have been enough new growth to cut off additional hair but there was.  I find it amazing how fast my hair is growing now that I cut out the relaxer (especially in the “scab hair” area).  My only theory is that my follicles are happy to be rid of the relaxer and are quickly healing themselves.  I also noticed the hair I cut off today is a little less coarse than the hair I cut off two weeks ago.  This makes me happy because this proves to me I made the right decision getting rid of the creamy crack (relaxer).    

Let’s see the comparison:

08/06/12 Scab Hair08/12/12 Scab Hair

See the difference in the texture?

08/06/12 Scab Hair08/12/12 Scab Hair

The new hair texture is not as coarse.  

It is almost three weeks (this coming Tuesday, 08/14/12) since I began my Curly Journey.  As each week passes I see more positive change.  I’m excited to see where this journey will lead.  

If you really know me you know that I’m always reading and researching.  My desire to learn never ends.  Thus how I happened upon the Curly Girl Method.  But something else has also sparked my curiosity.  It’s called “Curly Like Me” by Teri LaFlesh.  Teri is biracial and grew up in Kentucky.  Her tightly curled hair was never properly cared for and was severely damaged with the use of relaxers as a child.  Thus led her on a quest to find a program that would help her natural hair to grow healthy and strong.  Teri has her own website which is found here:  www.tightlycurly.com.  Yes my curiosity is getting the best of me and I want to try her method because her hair is gorgeous.  However, I’m going to stick with The Curly Girl Method for now because I’m finally starting to get all day moisture after a little over two weeks.  

Here is what Teri had to say about scab hair (which adds to my belief that the hair currently growing on the sides of my head – where I had the most damage is truly scab hair):

You may wonder if men can do the Curly “Girl” Method.  Of course they can!  That’s just the name of the book.  The method is just about defining your curls in a healthy way.  

To prove my point here is my handsome, young cousin James.   James is 19, works and goes to college.  He has decided to embark on the curly journey with me (thanks James!).  James co-washed his hair with a conditioner and then styled with Laila Ali’s Curl Defining Gel and Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel .  

Look at his wonderful results (and he just started yesterday)!  This is going to be a wonderful journey for him.  He’ll have the ladies swooning and my aunt and I might have to fight off a few for him.  LOL!

As a “curly” girl you should include a deep conditioning treatment in your hair care routine.  If you’re following the Curly Girl Method remember to look for a deep conditioning treatment free of silicones, sulfates, parabens, phthlates, petrolatum, etc.  Try to find a deep conditioner that uses natural ingredients (without loading a heap of unnatural ingredients in with it).  

I deep condition my curly tresses once per week.  The product I use is by SheaMoisture (love this company).  It is called Raw Shea Butter DEEP TREATMENT MASQUE.  It has sea kelp, argan oil, and shea butter (of course).    I bought this product at my local Walgreens for $9.99.  It is also sold at Target for the same price (I think, don’t quote me on that).    

This product has no (per their label) parabens, no phthalates, parafin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, PABA, synthetic color, DEA, or animal ingredients.  This product is also not tested on animals for you animal lovers out there.  

Ingredients:

• Sea Kelp – trace minerals detoxify hair follicles of impurities and residue (this should help my scab hair issue).  
• Argan Oil – restores shine and rebuilds hair elasticity.
• Shea Butter – Deeply moisturizes and repairs damage to hair and scalp (essential if you been abusing your hair/scalp with relaxers for a long time like I have).

SheaMoisture’s Directions for Use:  Leave on hair for 5 to 30 minutes, then thoroughly rinse, or leave in hair and use as a frizz-free moisturizing styling cream.  

How I Use:  I place a generous amount in my hair, cover with a plastic cap, and wear it for several hours or overnight.  I keep the plastic cap from coming off my head by tying a silk scarf around my head (actually two) before I go to sleep.  In the morning I rinse out my hair and follow-up with conditioner.  

You may ask why I follow up with a conditioner after doing a deep conditioning treatment.  It’s because I have high porosity in my hair from prior damage so my hair tends to soak up products.  By adding the additional conditioner (after the deep treatment is rinsed out) allows my hair to continue to be moisturized throughout the day.  And my hair thanks me for it.  

Want to check your hair porosity?  Go here:  http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-porosity-and-curly-hair

For more information on SheaMoisture products:  http://www.facebook.com/SheaMoisture

What deep conditioning treatment do you use?

Okay, so I’ve been using the Tresseme Naturals (alone) as my leave-in because it flaked with my Eco Styler gel.  While it did leave my hair soft and moisturized, it did not define my curls as well as the Suave Naturals Coconut conditioner  with the Eco Styler gel.  So I made an executive decision.    I decided to use my VO5 Champagne Kiss as my pre poo (click here if you don’t know what pre poo means: http://youtu.be/dIf-fVhfpWQ), my Tresseme Naturals conditioner as my co-wash, and the Suave Naturals Coconut conditioner as my leave-in.  This is followed up with the Eco Styler gel to smooth down my edges.  This method has left my hair moisturized with definite definition.  I can say that I’m extremely pleased.  

When I first performed my Big Chop I noticed that the hair on the sides of my head was different than the hair at the top of my head and back of my head.  I didn’t think anything of it since The Curly Girl handbook noted that it may take some time for curls to come in on some parts of your head.  But how long?  No matter how much I moisturized this area it felt rough and dry.  Again, I figured I’d give it a few weeks and then maybe some changes would be seen.  After all this is the area of my head that had the most damage when I had a relaxer and refused to grow.  I’d never had problems with my hair growing before so this was traumatizing to me.  The hair on the sides of my head just kept breaking off and actually looked as if someone had chopped off my hair in the middle of the night.    I knew damage was present in these areas.  Hair dye and the use of relaxers (always starting in these areas every time when putting on the relaxer) had taken it’s toll.  I had read how relaxers cause damage under the scalp (well it is lye..the same ingredient used by plumbers to clear out drains) so that makes sense.  With the use of relaxers you damage the hair follicle beneath the skin so the hair ends up dry and coarse.  Per the Method it can take weeks to months to repair the follicle damage.  Curious, I researched more on YouTube and came across several videos speaking about “scab hair”.  What in the heck was scab hair?  To get more information review this link:  http://growblackhair.net/scab-hair-it-is-real.  Apparently when you apply the relaxers over a long period of time (for me it’s been most of my life…I’m 40 now) some of the chemicals seep beneath the skin and affect hair that hasn’t emerged from the scalp.  So, straight hair will grow in (because it has already been affected by chemicals).  This scab hair can take anywhere from six months to one year to completely grow out so that your “real” hair texture will begin to grow.  The best thing to do for this is to continue to moisturize well (even if it appears it’s not doing anything).  This is so that as your hair grows, your real texture/healed follicle will receive the moisture it needs to be healthy.  Frequent trims to remove the scab hair may also be necessary (because it’s basically like having split ends on the end of healthy hair).  I began to look at my hair more closely and realized I have scab hair on the sides of my head.  The texture is very coarse and doesn’t contain any curl pattern whatsoever.  Now, I could have chalked this up to a different hair texture/pattern on my head as most do.  However, it doesn’t fall in line with what I’d experienced before my Big Chop which was major damage in the areas where the hair is growing differently.  I’m willing to wait out the next six months to a year to obtain fully healthy hair.  In fact, I chopped off a bit of the scab hair today to speed up the healing of my hair and will continue to trim as necessary.  After I chopped my hair today I did an image search for scab hair and found that my hair was eerily similar to those who chopped their scab hair as well.  Take a look and see for yourself.

Image of Scab Hair I found today on Google:  

Second Image of Scab Hair I found today on Google:  

My own chopped hair:  

Another image of my chopped hair:  

See how coarse my hair looks above.

Now here are some pics of me after the chopped hair has been cut off.  My sides are still a bit coarse but much better.  Notice the difference in the curl pattern on the sides versus the top and back.

Left side of my head.

Right side of my head.  This side seems to have better definition than the left side which is odd since is the side that experience the most severe hair loss.

So tell me, do you think scab hair is real?  What has been your experience since going natural?  Love to hear your thoughts.  

Okay, so I decided to branch out and try the other Tresseme Naturals (that do not have aloe) conditioner.  It’s a thicker consistency than most conditioners and have rave reviews on YouTube.  So, I tried it with the Eco Styler gel.  Big Mistake!!!  White flakes.  Oh no!!  You’re welcome to try it for yourself (could just be me).  

I wasn’t ready to admit defeat just yet, and wanting to drop the gel from my styling regimen for a little while to see how my hair would react without gel, I decided to use the Tresseme Natural conditioner alone (no gel). I must admit this worked out very well.    I was highly impressed and have decided to use this as my new regimen (it may change as my hair grows).    I will also say that, although I really liked the Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner, my curls weren’t as defined when I used it alone (no gel).    Suave is $1.79 and Tresseme is around $5.00 (depends where you buy it).  I guess in my case, I got what I paid for. 

So for me:

alone = no real definition with my curls.

plus  = great curl definition

plus  = HUGE DISASTER 

alone = 

So tell me, have you experienced different products together? How is it working for you?