In Search of "Beautiful"

I am a visual artist, and I love to post images that catch my eye and music that inspires me.

My tumblr serves as my playground.

You can check out more about me and my work on my art process blog: In Search of Beautiful

P.S. I LOVE getting messages and questions in my ask box.

Thanks :) I’m happy to say that my hair is growing at a healthy rate. My biggest ongoing challenge is keeping it moisturized so my ends don’t snag or get knots.

Very nice…It has grown tremendously since I last saw some of your hair photos…

I’m putting up a series of blog posts today (and photos) about my natural hair journey. Today is 1 year since my BC.

You can read about my decision to go natural here.

You can read my Product Reviews (part 1) here - these are products I LOVE, and products that are just ok.

(On all these posts, I welcome your tips, comments, suggestions)

MY HAIR TYPE

My hair type is a combination 4a/4b, with 3c sections in the nape, crown, and front of my hair. My hair is thick and coarse overall, but in the nape and crown, it is a finer hair texture.

I don’t think hair typing is the best way to approach hair care, to be honest. There are so many other factors that go into perfecting your regimen besides the tightness of your curl pattern, such as porosity, the condition of your scalp, climate of where you live, sensitivity to silicones and proteins, the fineness (or coarseness) of your hair, etc. Not all 4a’s will respond to products in the same way due to these factors.

PRODUCTS I WILL NEVER BUY AGAIN: Again, keep in mind that not all 4a/b are the same. You have to learn your hair’s porosity, coarseness, protein/silicone sensitivity, etc.

- Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz: My hair almost packed its personal belongings and quit on me when I used this. It gave me knots and made my hair crunchy. I gave it to my mom who is more in the 3a type hair range, and she loves it.

- Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper: Just awful. My hair was so dry, crunchy and full of knots. Took 2 good washes with shampoo and deep conditioner to get over that one. I think my hair just doesn’t like these types of serums. I think it would be another great product for mi madre.

And this next one hurts me to write (and is probably sacrilege to a lot of 4a/b types). This was my staple product and I still think it’s a FANTASTIC product and I recommend it to most of my friends with in the 3a - 4b hair type range, but it’s just not for me:

- Kinky-Curly Curling Custard: I will never buy this product again. When I first BC’d this was my staple product. It defined my curls just right, gave me great wash-and-go’s and overall flyness. But, as my hair grew, we broke up. Here’s why I won’t be buying this product anymore:

1. It doesn’t play nice with other products: This is a HUGE ISSUE for me. My hair is thirsty and I MUST use oils and creams for my curls/kinks. KCCC will flake up or leave white residue in your hair if you do this. So, I stopped using my oils and creams, and stuck to the Kinky-Curly product system for months. My hair “looked” nice, but it was drying out terribly and even after a trim I had single strand knots, etc. I know what my hair can do when moisturized properly, and this product doesn’t work for me. This is actually why I’m not doing wash-and-go’s anymore, because I am doing an intense moisture repair regimen to recover from months of constant KCCC use. I’m only doing twist outs for a while.

2. The price: At $30 a jar, I can’t justify buying it knowing that it is not contributing to the overall health of my hair.

3. My lifestyle: I can’t deal with walking around, working out, attending meetings and art events, and having sexy time with gunky gel in my hair for 24 hours, after shingling my hair for like 2 hours, ack! KCCC takes FOREVER to dry, and my hair is not even that long.

4. It’s inconsistent: Sometimes my hair would be perfect. Sometimes I would end up with white flakes and residue. Sometimes I would end up with obvious dryness. Sigh. Too much trouble overall for the price.

I’m putting up a series of blog posts today (and photos) about my natural hair journey. Today is 1 year since my BC.

You can read about my decision to go natural here.

(On all these posts, I welcome your tips, comments, suggestions)

MY HAIR TYPE

My hair type is a combination 4a/4b, with 3c sections in the nape, crown, and front of my hair. My hair is thick and coarse overall, but in the nape and crown, it is a finer hair texture.

I don’t think hair typing is the best way to approach hair care, to be honest. There are so many other factors that go into perfecting your regimen besides the tightness of your curl pattern, such as porosity, the condition of your scalp, climate of where you live, sensitivity to silicones and proteins, the fineness (or coarseness) of your hair, etc. Not all 4a’s will respond to products in the same way due to these factors.

MY SHANK-WORTHY PRODUCTS

When the zombie apocalypse happens, these are the products I will shank my way through hordes of rabid bloodsucking undead to loot from a store. Can’t do without these, in other words:

-Aussie Moist: This is my go-to conditioner for co-washing. And it’s $3 a bottle at my local Walgreens. Swag.

-Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque: My deep conditioner. Hair is soft, shiny, (dare I say bouncy) afterwards. $9.99 at my local Walgreens

-Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner: I love this creamy conditioner, keeps my hair soft and makes detangling a breeze. My comb just glides through my hair. A little goes a long way. $10.99 at Whole Foods.

-Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO): Hands down the best moisturizing product I have used. I use it to pre-poo, as a hot oil treatment, for sealing my hair, for twist outs, you name it.

-Unrefined shea butter: Right up there with EVOO as a hair must. I use this for my twist-outs. My hair LOVES anything with shea butter in it. When I evaluate a hair product, I’m always thinking does it make my hair look flyer than EVOO and Shea butter? If not, trash it.

-Honey: Yep, that’s right, regular old honey in the bottle shaped like a bear. I know honey gets mixed reviews on natural hair blogs, but for me it’s liquid gold. I did a pre-poo with 1 part honey and 1 part olive oil, left in overnight (although I think a few hours would be fine) and then co-washed it out. Let me tell you my curls have never been that defined, ever. EVER!!! This put Kinky-Curly Curling Custard to shame. I was shocked! When I start doing wash-and-go again, this will be a must. I will use honey in my hair before my illicit affairs with Dwayne Johnson and Djimon Honsou.

-Oyin Handmade Greg Juice: Nice citrus smelling spritz. Great for refreshing curls and 2^nd day hair.

PRODUCTS THAT ARE OK, NOTHING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT. MEH.

Basically I bought these, tried them out. They are ok, but not sure if I will buy them again:

-Everyday Shea Moisturizing Conditioner: Needed a conditioner that day and I hadn’t started using Aussie yet. This was good for co-washing and also as a deep conditioner. No complaints, but just does not compare to the glory of my hair with Aussie Moist. But at $7.99 for a HUGE bottle at Whole Foods, not bad.

-IC Hair polisher Styling Gel: Not that great. Left my hair dry with repeat use.

-Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl Crème: I’m on the fence with this one. I think it will be a great product once I start doing wash-and-go again. It’s very light and creamy, almost whipped texture. But with twist-outs, it’s only OK. My hair just soaks it up and it doesn’t really last past a day or two without me feeling like I have to put a whole bunch in my hair again.

-Kinky-Curly Come Clean shampoo: I’ll finish the bottle I have, but I think there are probably better products out there. Nothing wrong with it though. It’s gentle and doesn’t strip my hair like most shampoos.

-Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding: I REALLY wanted to love this product. But like the Curl Junkie Coco Curl Crème, I’m on the fence.

Today marks 1 year since my BC!

Disclaimer: I am not a hair blogger, so don’t expect this to continue after today LOL. And for those of my followers who could care less about my hair politics, just bear with me m’kay? Thanks!

Today makes 1 year since my big chop, and I have ZERO regrets. Actually only one, that I didn’t do this sooner! I have made some mistakes along the way in my natural hair adventures, but I have learned so much about my hair and what it loves, especially over the past month, and I’m super excited about the next year.

When my hair was relaxed, I suffered from dry itchy scalp, dry hair, and breakage ever since I could remember. My hair has been relaxed since I was 5 or 6, so I had never really gotten to know my own hair texture (sounds psychotic when you read that right?). My hair would grow quickly and actually was pretty long (mid-back), but every time I got a trim, I would have to cut off an inch or so due to split ends, breakage, etc. Once I entered college my bra-strap length hair broke off, and never again grew past my shoulders. I would have severe scalp burns and scabs from the chemicals. Shit hit the fan when after a bad perm, and then a prolonged illness a couple years ago, my hair thinned and began to shed in handfuls. I had bald patches. I had to end up getting scalp injections (yep, you read that right) and use steroid creams to get my hair to re-grow in my crown and nape. Looking back, I can’t believe I tortured my body that way just for straight, socially acceptable hair.

Enough was enough and I transitioned my hair for about 4 months. After visiting my homie str8nochaser last year and seeing her natural hair glory, I flew back to Houston, took out some scissors and clippers in my bathroom, and cut all my hair off.

I have no more problems with dry itchy scalp since going natural, and my hair in my crown, nape and temples has grown in so thick, you never would have known that I used to have bald patches in those areas. But, my hair itself is still sometimes dry. I think this is mostly due to me not having a good moisture regimen for most of the year AND using a particular styling product that although it made my hair look fly and curly, was only hurting my hair’s health in the long run. More in a later post.

MY HAIR TYPE

My hair type is a combination 4a/4b, with 3c sections in the nape, crown, and front of my hair. My hair is thick and coarse overall, but in the nape and crown, it is a finer hair texture.

I don’t think hair typing is the best way to approach hair care, to be honest. There are so many other factors that go into perfecting your regimen besides the tightness of your curl pattern, such as porosity, the condition of your scalp, climate of where you live, sensitivity to silicones and proteins, the fineness (or coarseness) of your hair, etc. Not all 4a’s will respond to products in the same way due to these factors.

MY NATURAL HAIR PROPHETS

These are the folks leading me into the promised land:

str8nochaser: my sister from another mister. GLORIOUS natural hair. Check out her tumblr if you’re grown. ;)

KisforKinky.com – my holy grail of hair info. I wish I had known about the site when I first BC’d. In the couple of weeks since I discovered it, my hair has gone from desert to dessert (← ahhh see what I did there?)

Nikkimae2003 on youtube (of Naturalchica.com): Great advice on hair styles and products

Naptural85 on youtube: This woman has her regimen and homemade hair products DOWN! Her hair type is different from mine, she’s more curl and I’m more fluff, but still a must-watch.

BGLHonline.com – great info on all things related to natural hair

Yes ma’am! Remember I cut as soon as I got back from visiting you in Philly :))

A year already!!!!

My hair is off the chain today. Moisturized, kinky, curly, twisty goodness.

I’m coming up on one year since my BC, on May 12th. So I’ll post pics, product reviews, what I’ve learned, the whole shabang.

Watch this space :)