You rockin' a fro for the 4th?

Will you be rocking a fro for the Fourth of July? I will! Hopefully I'll be able to make it act right =)
Anyway, the idea was first thought up over on The Long Hair Care Forum and many naturalistas will be taking part! Some are even printing out the logo (pictured above & created just for the occasion) to put on tshirts. I love it and I'm gonna try to do the same! I'm thinking either a tiffany blue or pink shirt to go with the brown... Dunno if it would really *POP* on black... White maybe?

ANYWAY, here are the two blogs I got my info from. One even has instructions which I definitely need!

My Hair.....Is Me: Afro Independence Day 2010
Her Best Hair: Preparing for Afro Independence Day

What are your go-to products? (Plus a Product Give-away!)

When I first started transitioning and reading about natural hair, the term product junkie jumped out at me. It seemed inevitable that I would go through product after product trying to find the perfect shampoo, perfect conditioner, perfect whobobbitz to do this, that and the other to my hair.

Fortunately, that has not been the case. From the time I decided to take charge of my own hair care (remember the horror story that prompted that?) my arsenal of products has been relatively small and consistent (though some changes need to be made). A good number of them are from the same line because they seem to work great for me. Of course I don't do a lot in the way of recommending different products because I'm still learning all of this stuff as well. So here is my disclaimer: While *most of* these products work well for me, I do not know how they will work for you. Look into product ingredients, speak with a professional if you feel the need, and make an informed decision! "Tori D. said..." will not hold up in a court of law! =D Also, please note that these products are not 100% natural. While I do try to look out for "cones," petroleum/petrolatum, and mineral oil, I'm not a stickler for everything being all natural.

The Good

1. Optimum Oil Therapy Recovery Shampoo: I love it! It gives a little bit of later but not too much (unless you go way overboard with it, as I have done on a couple occasions). It gives me a pretty good amount of slip, so I can easily run my fingers/comb through my hair after washing.

2. Optimum Oil Therapy Moisturizing Creme: This product is great for detangling! I often use it before washing my hair since I've learned that detangling is a must before the water hits it. I would love to use it every day, as it gives a ton of moisture, but I don't since I've noticed it takes a while for the white color to fade. Although it says it works as a heat protectant, I have not used it as such just yet. I will try it out and see how well it does.

3.  Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak (not shown) and Palmer's Coconut Milk Protein Pack: I use these together when deep conditioning. Usually I let it sit for about 30 minutes or more since I'm usually trying to watch TV while doing my hair and lose track of time. I've noticed that my hair is a bit softer when I use them as opposed to just shampooing. Never used either of these for a co-wash so not sure how that would work. Also, I don't know if there are any real benefits to using them both at the same time, but I like the way it feels when I do so... *shrug*

The Bad (or just bad rap?)

Motions Leave-In Conditioner: I admit it, I may have dropped the ball on this one. I got this before I was into the whole "read the label" thing, so I didn't realize until last night that this product is chock full o' "cones." Now, I have read conflicting information as to whether or not silicones are bad for your hair, but I'm trying to stay clear of them. Plus, I'd love to find a leave-in conditioner that also works as a detangler. But honestly, I don't have any complaints about this particular product. If you're not picky about the cones, this may work for you.

The verdict is still out

1. Cantu Shea Butter: I really only use the shea butter when I'm doing the two strand twists. It works great for holding them in place, plus it gives the hair a little extra shine. Admittedly, I'm not that familiar with the benefits of shea butter. I don't have anything bad to say about it, but I don't know if it's something I'd keep in rotation.

2. Optimum Oil Therapy Scalp Quencher: I just started using this about a week ago. My scalp was getting a little dry so this was just a shot in the dark at finding a solution. So far... meh.

Honorable Mention

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil: I did a post on my first experience with coconut oil, and not much has changed since then. I still use it mostly for my skin! However, I do occasionally use it in my hair, mostly to give it shine. The drawback is that instead of my hair absorbing the oil, it just kind of sits there, leaving my hair feeling greasy. No bueno. I'm considering trying TT's coconut oil that is specially formulated for hair. We'll see.


There are some products that I want to try because I've heard good things about them. Namely, Miss Jessie's, Carol's Daughter Hair Milk, and (to a lesser extent) Mizani's True Textures line. Plus there's the little voice in the back of my head saying, "Yeah, your hair is doing okay now... but what if it could be better?" And considering my most recent hair issues (shedding and tangling are a beast right now!), I probably do need to make some additions and/or adjustments to my product arsenal.

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Now for what you really want: the give-away!

This is not my giveaway. It is being done by fellow blogger/naturalista JenellyBean at Kinky Curly Coily Me! to celebrate reaching the 100 follower mark. She is giving away samples of We Rock Roots products (click here for details). To enter, all you have to do is send a picture of you rocking your natural hair to KinkyCurlyCoilyMe@gmail.com. But hurry, the deadline is July 4. Yeah I know I gave it to you on short notice, but c'mon, all you're doing is taking a pic and emailing it! You know you have 681 pictures of yourself on your phone.... No? That's just me? Oh, okay then....

First Month 100% Natural, In Words & Pictures

Has it been a month already? Wow!!

So far, so good! I've been getting a lot of positive feedback about the new look, and the supposed "guts" that it took to go natural. (More on that later) My biggest critics have been my parents (big surprise there), but even they have had to admit that they like some of the styles. The chunky twist out is a hit with them. I guess with that they can see that I didn't cut that much of my hair. (Side note: When my dad noticed that I cut my hair--a full WEEK after the BC--he said I looked like a boy. Ironically, the day after I did it, he was talking about how cute my hair was. *insert major side-eye here* ) My aunt/former stylist saw it and said it looked pretty good. And I've gotten comments from friends, coworkers and strangers on how cute it is and they could never do that. Usually I'm good at restraining myself from commenting. Inside I want to go into a diatribe about "You can do it if you want to. This is the hair God gave you! It's not that hard, just requires patience... yadda yadda yadda" but usually I just act like I don't hear it.

Anyway, on to the pictures! Surprisingly, I haven't taken that many pictures since cutting it. That's mainly because most of my previous pictures were taken at work. Now that I'm in a new area with horrible lighting and a lot more work to do, I don't get to pose for the camera as often. But I do have a few I haven't shared! Y'all already saw the slightly rough picture from the cruise, when I still had a little bit of permed ends. I've trimmed those (still need a professional trim though) and have pretty much perfected my wash & go.

plain old wash & go

chunky braid out

after i picked out my fro. didn't realize it would be as big as it was!

 Today, 30 days in!

(I'll add more once I get to my digital camera)

So here are the things I'm dealing with now:

1. I still need a stylist. I know I've been doing this for a few months now, but it would be such a relief to have someone who has been taught about hair taking care of it.
2. Dryness. I'm searching for something that will help my hair retain moisture & a bit of shine without it being greasy. Because greasy is not cute at all.
3. more style options. I know I've talked about this previously, but now that my hair is even shorter, I'm at even more of a loss as to what to do with it.
4. Tangling & shedding (all the more reason for me to have a professional natural hair stylist)

There you have it! My first month au naturale!

"It's because of Erykah Badu's video."

That was the reasoning that someone gave as to "why everyone is going natural now."

I shyt you not.

Now, there are several things wrong with this:

1. The only thing Ms. Badu kept on in that video was a do-rag. You couldn't even see her hair! So #logicFAIL

2. Not everyone is going natural, proved by the four chicks around me exclaiming that they could never do it in the conversation that included this absolutely absurd remark.

3. Just as with everything else, people have their own reasons for doing things. Some for healthy hair's sake, some for the pro-Black thing, some just cuz they like the look. Why try to lump everyone into a category?


What are some of the most laughable comments you've heard about natural black hair?

The BC Story

Saturday, May 15 was my birthday and the day I'd planned on doing the big chop. I was a little hype (or trying to be), but mostly I was nervous. I still wasn't sure how I'd look with the super short hair and I wasn't excited and ready like I thought I should be. I read all these stories about people just being too frustrated to deal with two textures or feeling like it was just time. "You'll know" they say. Well I didn't know it that day so I didn't do it. "F it," I thought, "I'll stick with these twists & twist outs for a couple more months and decide what I'm gonna do once it's been a full year."

Well, I did not make it to July. I barely made it to June. On June 1 I woke up and my hair looked like absolute crap to me. Granted, it didn't look much different than it had the day before, but I was sick of it. The ends were just hanging there, all lifeless and boring. I decided that morning that I was not gonna deal with it another day. That kinda threw a little wrench in my plans, considering that I didn't want to cut my hair myself. Me + scissors + hair = bad business. (Or at least it seemed like it would. I've never before attempted to cut hair.) But I spent the day online looking at BC videos and searching forums to see how others had done it.

When I finally got home that night, I was a little buzzed but I was determined to go ahead as planned. (BTW, I would not recommend anyone try that!) After I washed my hair, I took the scissors & went to work! I'm mad cuz I ended up chopping off some of the new growth in the back :( Shoot, I couldn't see it! And there ended up being more permed ends left up front than I realized. I was in shock for a little while, and a few tears did drop. My hair had never been that short!

fresh off the chopping block. in shock & still a bit tipsy...

But anyway, I twisted it & then took it down the next morning....

AND I LOVED IT!!

I didn't have any idea that those kinda curls were hiding under there! I could not keep my hands out of my hair (and still have problems w/ that now). I didn't care for the pix I took from the front that day, as something about them seemed a little off... But here's a pic from a few days later and another from today!

I'll try to do a length check soon. I want to look into different heat protectants before I flat iron my hair to do it. But just from doing a little pulling, I think it's just a little above my shoulders. Not bad huh?

So now I'm trying to find another style I can do besides my little fro (woohoo that it's no longer a "faux-fro!"). Or at least some accessories!

Anyway, whaddaya think?

"A Transition Story!"

Found this great site that lets you create comic strips/collages, so I figured I'd compile a little pictorial history of my transition so far. (Yeah it's a little vain, I know lol)

Who have you inspired?

To go natural, that is...

I don't know of a single woman rocking natural hair that didn't transition due to the influence of another naturalista. (Clearly I'm not talking about those who never had a perm.) For me, it was Jill Scott and five of my line sisters. And of course there were all the ladies rocking hawt natural styles & posting pix on blogs. They all gave me the "that could be me!" feeling.

So now that you're natural or going natural, have you inspired anyone to make that change as well? So far I'ev got two! One of my classmates told me at the beginning of the semester that she was thinking about it and was going to try transitioning for a while to see how she liked it. Last week I came to class and she had a cute, fluffy TWA! And actually it's not so teeny-weeny. For just a few months, it's a pretty good size! Secondly, a lady at my church said that she wants to go natural as well. She plans to transition mostly by wearing braids. I'm happy for them!

So again, who have you inspired? And who inspired you?



(yup, short & sweet today. i'm supposed to be working! lol)