Tangle Teezer

So I watch a lot of youtube videos looking for tips and I have noticed a lot of people using the Tangle Teezer. So I decided to try it out for myself. I decided to get the original Tangle Teezer and not some knock off brand that way if the results were good or bad I would know it was as a result of the actual product. I've noticed some people use different brand names and call it by the same name but if you get bad results but  you can't blame Tangle Teezer if you did not use the actual product. Anyway...today I co-washed my hair. I have started separating my hair in three sections and wash each individual section. My hair is very thick and I find it easier to wash this way. So I co-washed with Nexxus and rinsed it all out of my hair. Afterward I sprayed a watered down conditioner on my hair and used the Tangle Teezer to comb through it. I must say it passed through my thick hair with no problems and no snagging. The bristles on this brush are a soft plastic so I did not think it would penetrate to my scalp but it did. I was pleasantly surprised and I would definitely recommend the Tangle Teezer to anyone. If anyone else has used the Tangle Teezer please let me know what you think of it. I purchased mine from Amazon because Sally's ran out. So I hope this was somewhat helpful and I look forward to your comments.

Braids 1st Week

So....I washed my braids (5 Nov 11) with Suave mango mandarin shampoo and conditioner. I wouldn’t normally use Suave but a lot of youtube videos I’ve been watching show many young ladies using this product. I have been using Nexxus, Pantene, Miss Jessies’s, and other higher priced products and I have not really been too impressed with them so I decided to try something new.At $1.99 for a 22.5 fl oz bottle it is by far the best priced product. This is what it looked liked washed and dried. I put some coconut oil on the hair and scalp and African Shea Butter on the braids to try and reduce the fuzziness. I will add some more tonight and put my scarf on. I don’t think I will curl the ends this week. I’ll just let them hang. Since I am in the military, I just put my hair into a small bun in the back so it won't hang below my collar and it is working for me. Some of the braids did come loose, in the back so I just twisted them back up because I couldn't re braid them. So this style is a great option especially if need a protective style. However, it is kind of cold here in VA and I did not appreciate the cold air blowing across my scalp so I may leave the braids to the summer months. 

Well I decided to give these braids a try and so far I must say that I like them. These were done on 29 October 2011 and I think they make me look different but that’s probably because I’ve never really wore braids before. The plan is to keep them in until Christmas which is about 2 months from now but that all depends on how well I can keep them up. As long as they still look good I will ride them out. Sure will be nice to wake up in the morning without having to brush and comb my hair. Talk about a time saver. I got these done at Naturally Yours Barber and Beauty Shop in Petersburg, VA. Lovely girl named Ashley braided me up in about 3 hrs and this is my hair, I did not add any hair in it. She roller set them to give me that curly look. They are a little smaller than I wanted and I’m not looking forward to taking them out when the time comes but for now they are great. Forgive my pictures, I know they don't look the best but it's the best I can do for now. Just a reminder for some, it is important to wash your braids and keep your scalp clean just like you do for unbraided hair. 

Products

So...a friend wanted to know what brand of oil I was using on my hair and right now I rotate between Nature's Way Coconut Oil, and Now Solutions almond oil, jojoba oil, and grape seed oil. I have mixed the jojoba and almond oil into a 50/50 mix, for no particular reason. So I use that mixture and the grape seed oil when I want to make my hair extra glossy. The coconut oil I use on my hair when I need a extra conditioning boost especially on my ends. The coconut oil actually absorbs into the hair shaft and the other ones kind of sit on top of the hair making it shine. I have posted pics of the products that I use and I bought them from Amazon but you can find them almost any health food store, grocery store, or even beauty supply warehouses... as long as the oil is the only ingredient listed on the packaging. I really like the oils that I use and I have no complaints about them. So if you decide to give them a try let me know how they worked for you.

Oct 26 2011

I decided to begin this transition because I was tired of getting chemical burns during the relaxer process. It did not matter what type of perm, whether I scratched my scalp or not, I always got burned. And I am sick of it. Then I watched Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” and what I saw made sense. I wasn’t entirely convinced though and didn’t take the plunge until a good friend went natural and I figured if she could do it, so could I. In this photo my hair is freshly washed and oiled. (Coconut oil on the scalp and a combination of grape seed and almond oil on hair (about a 50/50 mix) and someAfrican Shea butter on the ends) I am not sure how long I will transition my hair, I will play it all by ear. I have no set timeline for anything and I am still trying to find the best products that will work on my hair. I am going to do my best to document everything that I am doing but we'll see. I'm new to this blogging thing so work with me.

In The Beginning

In the beginning there was a cute little colored girl with pigtails. She grew up in a small town in Nebraska and never could really understand why she could not wear her hair the way the other little white girls did. She spent countless hours sitting in front of the stove getting her hair pressed trying to get it as straight as the other girls. However, she still had to wear pigtails and her hair never did blow in the wind and fall back into place. She pretty much had to forget about swimming because she did not to be the only one at the pool wearing that ugly swimming cap and besides once her hair got wet the silky straightness was gone. Thus began the lifelong quest for ultra straight and sleek hair. I have been getting my hair processed since Jr High School. I started in 8th Grade with my first Jheri Curl which I never got the hang of. I never kept enough activator on it so it always looked all dried out. I did not like all that drippy wetness of the curl. I felt like that family from "Coming to America"..."Just let your soul glow...." messing up a lot of chairs in the process. Then I graduated to the relaxer and I've been hooked every since. So that makes about 30 years of getting my hair chemically processed. Wow...30 years...I'm getting old. So I have decided that it is time for me to embrace my natural hair. After watching Chris Rock's "Good Hair"it started making a lot more sense. Why should I subject myself to more chemical burns, and trust me 95% of all relaxers I've had burnt my scalp, and it seemed to be getting worse. I've had a few friends that have made this transition and have had a good experience with it so I decided to give it a try. I am committed to transitioning to my natural hair state and so far I like the way my natural curls look. They are not as bad as I thought. What is not giving is if and when I will do the "big chop". I plan on documenting my journey and posting plenty of pictures so I can track what I did and what worked the best for me. My last relaxer was in August 2011 and I have a long way to go but I will make it through.