All I Want For My Birthday!

This past weekend, I celebrated the BIG 2-5. Outside of finding the “right” dress, my other biggest stress was my hair.  I made the decision that I would not be straightening it, yet I had no hairstyle in mind . On the week of my birthday, I came up with doing something “big and bold.” I wanted my hair to stand out. 

This idea was influenced by India of MyNaturalSistas. I pretty much stalk their Instagram and Youtube channels for daily inspiration. India and her two younger sisters have beautiful hairstyles while catering to their individual hair textures. I am drawn to India because I feel we share similar curl textures. In addition, I love her tutorials on her infamous blowouts. Another Youtuber that influenced me goes by the name of AfricanExport. After spending what it felt like hours on both of their channels, I was determined to do my own version of a blowout hairstyle. 

I gathered a few of my staple products and went to work! Before blowing out my hair, I applied Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Heat Protectant. It is important to apply a protectant to avoid any kind of heat damage.  Once my hair was completely stretched out, I used Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls as a moisturizer for my two strand chunky twists.  Lastly, I sealed my ends with Jamaican Black Castor oil. In order to add extra curl to my ends, I used my medium size hair rod curlers. 

In the end, I was pleased with my results.  The first night, my blowout twists frizzed/puffed up after a night of dancing with friends. In my opinion, the bigger the hair...the better! For the actual night of my birthday, I decided to re-twist my already blown out hair and Bantu knot the ends for a different look. Overall, my birthday weekend was filled with positive energy and I truly enjoyed myself.  Below are a few pictures I wanted to share of my results and birthday! 

Hope you all enjoy  <3

Full Blowout

Moisturizer applied and Curl Rods for the ends

1st day results!

Birthday hair results!

Don't Get Sucked In: My Thoughts on the Hair Typing System

The hair typing system, seems to be a common topic of discussion when I meet other natural hair women. Two years ago, when I made the decision to do the big chop, I was naive to the labels attached to the natural hair community. 

My natural hair texture (No products added, just water)

I was introduced to hair typing when I was told by random natural hair women that I had “4a curls.” At the time, I was unaware of what that meant, so I ran to my best friend…YOUTUBE. It was then that that I was immersed into a realm of natural hair typing. So many woman had videos categorizing their hair as “3a, 4b, 4a, 3b,” and God knows what else. According to the Andre Walker's Hair Typing System, Type 4a  is kinky (soft) hair that tends to be very fragile, tightly coiled, and has a more defined curly pattern. During the beginning stages of my big chop, I wanted to take in as much information about natural hair as my brain could store. I found myself getting rather frustrated trying to document any products that seemed beneficial to type 4 hair women.  There was just too many and I needed to find out what was right FOR ME. 

My hair would fall between 4a/4b

As my hair got longer, my motto was, “more simpler, more better.” Instead of trying to go by a chart, I began to learn and understand my hair’s likes/dislikes. To me, the art of learning your hair is experiencing it. Trials, fails, and triumphs. Technically, if I went by the "hair typing chart" my hair would technically be a 4a, but in reality, my hair is filled with various curl patterns throughout my crown. The front of my hair has a looser curl pattern, while the middle and back have more of a thick, kinkier curl definition.  I learned that although some women may have a similar curl textures to mine, the products they used did not necessarily work well for me.

I am fully aware that the chart is helpful and offers product tips to some individuals. Just don’t overwork yourself in feeling you have to find a category/label to define your curl pattern! If you are looking for helpful options then by any means use it. However, give yourself the freedom to chose what works for you. We live in a world, where we are so quick to label and categorize everything in order to make it more familiar to ourselves. One thing is for sure, my hair is far too unique to be a number/letter combo. 

With Love.

 Christine

Beautiful Concrete Jungle

The weekend before last, I took some time away from D.C. to visit a few close friends out of town.  It was much needed.  Although I have a love hate relationship with N.Y.C., it is still a second home.  With Josh, a freelance photographer and close friend of mine, I was able to catch up on life on a walk around Soho.  I enjoyed his company and conversation. The sun was setting and we decided to capture a few beautiful moments.  I love his unique style especially how he was able to grasp the details in the view as well as my hair.  That day my hair was in Day 2 Bantu Knot curls. Out of so many pictures here are my favorites...

 

Introduction...

Hi-yah!

My name is Christine, after much debate with myself I made this decision to start this blog. The idea came about a year ago, but I lacked the confidence to share my experience. I never considered myself a writer, and with all the blogs out there focused on natural hair, I questioned if people would even consider my words to be important. With the help of family, friends and few outside influences, I believe that I am able to offer encouragement and inspire people. This blog will be a positive environment where I will share my highlights and embarrassments. In addition to my personal hair experience, I also want it to be a reference point for others to grab inspiration. 

First things first, let me give you some brief history about my hair. I got my first perm at the end of 6th grade. My older sister already had a relaxer, and I wanted one too. After weeks of begging my mom, she finally gave in and allowed me to relax my hair going into 7th grade. I thought I was hot stuff, my hair was straight, bouncy, and easy to manage. Then my experimental phase began, I started coloring, cutting, and finding ways to not be bored with my straight hair. Now lets fast forward to my senior year of college. For those of you who do not know, Umass Amherst is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded my trees, and nature. It was not bad, but for my hair it was not the best case scenario. The closest salon that I was able to receive my perm was about 40 mins away. In addition, to distance, I was a broke college student that needed that $50 that would otherwise be spent on my hair, now needed to go toward surviving on campus. The summer after my college graduation, I found myself frustrated with my hair. I was done with the breakage, losing Saturdays in the salon, and spending about $200 every 3 months on my hair. February 2010, I got my last perm and began to transition.

The summer of August 2010, I made the decision to do the big chop. I transitioned for 7 months until I grew impatient with my hair. I was self conscious about how other would react to cutting my hair. The shortest I ever cut my hair was shoulder length. Although, I was nervous about the unknown, I knew this would be the best decision for me. Its been two years since my cut, and I do not regret it. I learned so much about myself by making healthy choices for my hair. Below, I wanted to share some pics of then and now. 

August 2010 // Big chop day (Harlem, NY)

1 year mark...!

2 year mark...!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Hope you visit again!

Peace, Love and Curls,

Christine