February 14, 2013

• The Curly Hair Journey Continues!!

  Well, I know it may appear that I have abandoned my curly hair journey.  However, I have only been on hiatus trying to find winter products that would work with my hair.  I am still not really sure of my hair type….beginning to hate the whole traditional hair typing system.  However, I clipped a piece of my hair and compared it to the Curly Girl hair typing system  (which is easier) and think that I have Botticelli Curls (see my pic below and let me know which curl type you think I have).   My beloved Suave Coconut conditioner started flaking in my hair.  This led to experimenting with other hair products (have to be careful because Eco Styler doesn’t play friendly with a lot of products).  I found Ology (Walgreens brand) Cucumber and White Pear conditioner .  This product worked as a leave-in but the drying time was off the chain (9-10 hours per day).  I am in Kentucky and the winter season here is no joke.  Going out in at 7:30 am with wet hair when the temp most times is in the teens is no joking matter.  I tried sitting under the hair dryer (big mistake….hard hair and this was on low heat for only about 10 minutes).  I tried diffusing….even worse.  I thought I was doomed to the long daily air drying time.  That’s when I came across a product I had brought back in the summer: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hisbiscus Curling Milk .  I had previously used this on dry hair and felt it didn’t do much for my hair.  This time I decided I would use it as my leave-in, after cowashing, on soaking wet hair.  Two quarter sized dollops, followed by my EVOO and Eco Styler Argan Oil gel and I was in love!!!  Bonus: my hair dried in 6 hours!!!!!!  Extra bonus:  It completely eliminated the crunch….no need to scrunch.  My curls were extremely soft and defined.   I will attach pictures below.  Also, during this time (12/15/12 to be exact) I completed one last chop on the scab hair.  Please see my prior posts to see my battle with the scab hair.  This was my fourth and final time cutting my hair since July 2012 and voila’ success!!!!  I am attaching pictures of the hair that I cut off and pictures of my hair now that the scab hair is finally gone.   I’m so happy that I made this move and went natural.  It was the best decision ever and I probably would have never done it had it not been for my daughter (and her want for straight hair) and the last relaxer totally destroying my hair.  As my journey continues my mission is to grow out my hair and keep it as healthy as possible.  My new challenge: grow out my thinning edges in the front of my hair (as a result of the last relaxer).  Last night I decided to massage coconut oil into my hair (100% coconut oil used for cooking).  It’s supposed to penetrate and moisture the hair.  This evening I bought castor oil .  I’m a little worried about using the castor oil because I’m afraid it might weigh my hair down (as grapeseed oil did…..even when used sparingly).  Coconut oil and olive oil seem, so far, to be the only oils that haven’t weighed my hair down and made my curls limp and greasy looking (and this is after co-washing the oils out of my hair….or so I thought I had gotten the oils out of my hair…..ended up shampooing each time with a sulfate-free shampoo).   I purchased the castor oil at Walgreens.  It’s not cold pressed but it is 100% castor oil and that’s all I’m concerned about at this moment.  I plan to massage this into my scalp a minimum of three times each week.  But I’m getting ahead of myself and that’s a discussion for my next blog.  Later!  

   

  Updated pictures of my hair since going curly girl July 2012 (my hair is completely dry):  

  These pictures are the back of my hair.

  This is the top of my hair.

  No more scab hair on the sides of my hair!!!  Hooray!!

  The last bits of scab hair that I cut off on the left and right side of my hair on 12/15/12.  The white stuff is conditioner so I could tell where the scab hair was without cutting my other curls (that weren’t damaged hair).

  This is a piece of my hair that I recently cut.  I think it looks like the Botticelli curls (Curly Girl method of hair typing).  What do you think?  

  Botticelli curlCherub curlsCorkicelli curlsCorkscrew curlsFractal or zigzag curlsS/wavy curlsWavy hair

   

  It’s kind of hard to tell at a glance between Boticelli, Cherub, and Wavy.  Cherub hair is baby fine and thin (so that rules that out for me).  That leaves Boticelli and Wavy.  A hairdresser years ago told me my natural hair was wavy (when I had gone for a hair consultation).  I blew off what she said thinking she didn’t know what she was talking about and that I HAD to have the relaxer.  This was while I was in college.  If only I had listened.  I think I fall more in line with Boticelli though because my hair seems to be a tighter curl pattern than the “wavy” hair but who knows.  Time will tell (as my hair grows).

  What is your opinion?  

  • 10:06 pm
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