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? 

In an attempt to make my daughter's "hair" years memorable in middle school, I decided to watch some hair tutorials on YouTube and get some curly-inspired styles for her hair (so she wouldn't want to keep straightening her hair).    Thus my first attempt at a two-strand twist on her hair.  

What I used:

• Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner 
• Water (spray bottle)  

 

Time:  

Here is my daughter's naturally curly tresses before we began the process:

 

I parted her hair into four sections.  With each section I divided into smaller sections, spritzing with water, adding conditioner, and then twisting the hair.  

 

This process was so worth it.  

 

She looked gorgeous when it was finished.  

 

We then placed a silk bonnet on her head for her to sleep through the night (and so her hair would dry completely overnight).  

 

Here is the final result: Isn't she beautiful?  

 

I would like to take this moment and give a shout-out to Mahogany Curls.  She is the reason I had the courage to go natural!  Thanks Jess!!  

Check Jess out here:  http://youtu.be/oOrj5ja9DP0

 

It's been eight days since I started the Curly Girl Method.  I'm loving my curl definition!  I cowash and condition in the shower with VO5 Moisture Silk (Champagne Kiss) conditioner.  I completely rinse the conditioner out.  I then use Suave Natural Coconut conditioner as my leave in followed by Ecostyler gel (the clear one).   

 

I honestly never thought my natural tresses would be so pretty.    So happy I had the courage to do this....even if it took 40 years to find my natural self.  

Lorraine Massey (The Curly Girl Method) has created seven groups to define the different curl patterns.  I will give a synopsis of these groups below.  

 

Corkscrew Curls 

You know that your curl pattern falls into this group if your curls are defined by lots of small spirals, your frizz factor is high, you have curls that shrink up as tight as a French poodle’s if your hair is cut too short, your hair appears thickly textured but is actually quite delicate and fine (like a baby’s) when viewing a single strand.  This is why people with your hairs is so fragile and breaks easily.  Your hair will also soak up as much conditioner as you put in it, it will get tangled under the nape of neck because of the natural movement of your head throughout the day, and your hair will have a spring factor (pulling one curl down at a time and measuring) of 9 to 12 inches.

 

Botticelli Curls

You will know that you have this curl pattern if you have curls of all shapes and sizes on your head.  Because of this you should never cut your hair when it’s wet.  You will also have looser curls that are the shape of soft S’s combined with a tighter set of curls.    Some of your curls will have a rope-like appearance and your hair will appear to wilt if it gets too long (the weight of the top hair weighs the hair down).  You will have curls that vary with the seasons (looser in some seasons while tighter in others).  Your hair will have a spring factor of  5 to 8 inches.

 

Corkicelli Curls

 You will know that you have this curl pattern when your curls vary in pattern (versus shape and size like the Botticelli).  You have have tight curls around your face and neck but looser curls in the rest of your hair.  Because of this you should never cut your hair when it’s wet because the curl patterns are not as distinct when wet.  Your hair will be drier than the first two patterns and will have a high frizz factor if not kept hydrated.  Your curl patterns stays the same through all seasons however your hair can appear shorter on longer based on the weather and how humid it is.  Your hair will have a spring factor of 5 to 10 inches.

 

 Cherub Curls

 You will  know that you have this curl pattern when you were born with those curls.  Your curls will resemble those of a young child, spirals that are baby-fine no matter your age.  Your curls easily move about with any interference such as too much touching, the wind or moving around in your sleep.  you were born with those curls.  Your curls will resemble those of a young child, spirals that are baby-fine no matter your age.  Your curls easily move about with any interference such as too much touching, the wind or moving around in your sleep.  Your curls appear translucent  and weightless to the touch almost like a halo.  Your pattern is defined by a different curl lengths on your head and seem to take a long time to grow (but can grow with the right care).  Your curls have a short life span because they break easily from being so fragile.  Your hair will have a spring factor of 5 to 10 inches.

 

Wavy Hair

You will know that you have this curl pattern when you have hair that you always assumed was straight, had straight hair when you were little but possibly changed to wavy during puberty.  When coming out of the shower or at the beach your hair will develop an occasional natural wave.  You will have frizz around your crown and on the ends of your hair on humid days.  Your hair will look like it lacks maintenance and will be flat on the crown.  Your hair will appear flat in the winter.  Your hair will be dry on the ends and have a spring factor of 2 to 4 inches.

 

S’wavy Hair

You will know that you have this curl pattern when your hair might appear straight in the winter time without any extra effort.  Because of this you will have to put extra effort in to get waves in your hair.  You frizz factor will little to none and your hair will have a natural shine.  Your curl pattern has a slight bend at the ends of your hair.  A layered cut looks best for your hair type.  Your hair has a spring factor of 1 to 2 inches.

 

Fractal or Zigzag Curls

You will know that you have this curl pattern when your curls might have a variation of descriptions such as corkscrew, twizzles, micro-spirals or fractal.  A close-up look at your curls reveals a zigzag patter that is almost step-like. This curl pattern is extremely dry and very sensitive to handling.  Your curls remain the same throughout all the seasons.  When the hair is pulled back too tight, relaxed, or has the weight of a weave it will result in a receding hairline for this curl pattern.  Your hair has a spring factor of 9 to 16 inches.

 

 

Each of these curl patterns have their own unique cleansing routine which you can get more information about in The Curly Girl Method by Lorraine Massey (2010 edition).