Check Em Out!

One of my Christmas gifts from my boyfriend was this book (photo below).  I started reading it that same Christmas Day and find it very interesting.  It had rave reviews, he told me, and I can see why.  It delves into the history of black hair from its roots in Africa and the pride with which Africans wore their hair, the various styles and how even the process of doing the hair was meaningful and ritualistic (makes me think twice about complaining with every twist I put into my thick kinky hair) and goes through each era and the changes in the perception and treatment of black hair through slavery to present.
I plan on making several posts about what I learn in this book but for right now, this is just to get you guys ready for the knowledge I'm about drop... yes, open your  minds and be educated.  On a serious note, I do recommend this book for those of you interested in reading.  It is definitely an interesting, informative and highly acclaimed choice of reading material.  I will say more about this later.  Stay tuned!

In addition, I received in the mail yesterday from my bf, a head massager.  Yes you read right, it looks like such a simple contraption but it feels sooooo good on my scalp and helps to distribute oils and stimulate hair growth without messing up your do.  I loooove scalp massages and I'm sure i"m not the only one.  I'm always hesitant to try to massage my own scalp because first of all, it's awkward, it messes up my hair style if I have one at the time and I'm afraid it will cause my hair to tangle or cause breakage.  This head massager slides easily past your strands to get to your scalp for the most relaxing, mind blowing scalp massage you'll ever give yourself.  Seriously, try it!  You can get it on amazon.com.  They have various types and brands, just search head massager.

Holidays, Celebrations, and Hair

Hello Naturalistas, it's been awhile.  It's been a busy busy holiday between working, and spending time with family, I've not had a lot of time to myself.  So here is a recap:

Dec. 21 was my birthday.  The weekend before I had a whirlwind weekend that included shopping with my mom, dinner and drinks with my sis, a housewarming party put on by one of my best friends and then a drive to Miami for some quality time with the bf.  My birthday fell on a Wed which meant I had to work, after which I went to dinner with the bf and watched X-Factor finale.  (Yes, I couldn't miss it!.. even on my bday).  I then finished the short work week and spent Christmas Eve with my family for our very first Christmas breakfast complete with some of my favorite Jamaican foods.  After I digested my food and watched my nephews open presents, I drove over 3 hours to spend Christmas with my bf and his family.  I returned today the 27th and have a few more days of work before the New Year's holiday for which I have no plans as yet so we'll see how it goes.  The end.  Pictures are below.
 My hair was an adventure. For my pre-birthday dinner with my sister, I did a chunky twistout.  My sis who's also a naturalista kept her hair in twists with a bun in the back and a side bang with the cutest bow headband.   Btw, she pulls this look off well.  Whenever I try hair accessories, I wind up looking like a 10 year old... no lie!

Checking out my chunky twist out in the mirror before going out

Out to a pre-birthday dinner with my sis

 For Christmas Eve, I didn't feel like undoing my twists so I started experimenting with a retro bang while and a polka dot headband... I didn't quite get it right but here's a picture:

Experimenting with a retro style for Christmas Eve... "I Love Lucy" anyone?

 So you guys have to forgive me.  I did take my twists down for Christmas Day but unfortunately I don't have pictures.  The below picture is of my hair the day AFTER Christmas when my twist-out basically turned into a shrunken 'fro aka NOT my intended hairstyle but since my hair has proven that it's the boss of me, I just had to roll with it. 

Lounging around doing nothing day after Christmas

 When I finally got tired of the shrunken fro that was gradually turning into a tangled tumbleweed mess, in a fit of rage and frustration I made some large twists and pinned them up.  This is how I wore my hair up to now.  Sigh...

After I surrendered to the pandemonium that was my hair back home after my whirlwind weekend

Natural Hair Feature: Lisa

Yes, I decided to do a natural hair feature on myself.  The reason is, what better way for my viewers to get to know me and my hair journey than to do my very own feature?  If anyone is interested in being featured on my blog, please email me at monalisa369@aol.com with the subject "Natural Hair Feature".  Thanks guys!

Why did you decide to go natural and what was the transitioning process like for you?
I decided to go natural because I was tired of damaging my hair with chemicals and I saw all these beautiful women on the internet who were successfully wearing their natural hair and looked great doing it!  I only transitioned for 3 months.  I'm not the patient kind.  I didn't wear extensions or braids or anything.  I mostly just tried to smooth my roots using gel and sometimes a flat iron but I tried to minimize that as well.  And then I said "enough is enough!" and I had my big sis chop it off.

What do you love most about being natural?
Not having to relax my hair, not having to go to the salon, and that it's different from what people expect from me and therefore it sets me apart from the majority.  Oh and also that it's me the way God meant me to look and I'm embracing that.

What is your regimen and how do you often style your hair?
I wash about once a week with a sulfate free shampoo.  I deep condition with my own mixture of shea butter, honey, and castor oil or whatever oil I have on hand.  I have also been adding Burts Bees grapefruit deep conditioner to the mix.  I change it up depending on what I have handy.  I usually use Shea Moisture leave in.  I then put my hair in twists for the week and pin it up in an updo for work.  I take my twists out for the weekends and wear it free in a twist out.  I try to spritz with water and seal in moisture with one of my oils ( Castor oil, Olive oil, a mixture of oils, whatever) once a day or as needed.  I also have been trying protein treatments and henna treatments about once every couple of months depending on what I feel my hair needs.  And I trim my hair as needed, every few months usually.  And that's it!

What advice do you have for other naturals or those considering going natural?
Do lots of research, take advantage of the resources available and there's tons of it!  Then simplify simplify simplify.  Experiment a bit and pick the basics of what works for you.  Keep it basic and don't get stressed out!  There'll be good days and bad days and that's fine.


What are three words that describe your hair now?
Thick, fabulous, touchable


What does being "natural" mean to you?
Saying F-U to anybody who says natural hair isn't practical or isn't beautiful.  It means that I don't have to conform to some ideal, that I'm perfect just the way God made me: kinky hair and all!

Wrap It Up

Recently, I have been all about all things African, from African prints, African design accessories to most recently headwraps.  Yes, it took me awhile to join onto the trend as with everything else.  I'm not into fads and it takes time for things to grow on me, but this certainly has.  I have seen a few youtube videos on how to pull of the look and I encourage you to search youtube and look at wrapping techniques whether you're interested in a traditional headwrap style or want to switch it up with bold colors (as above) or an edgy, different style. 

Also there are so many cool African prints to try and what better accesory to pull off the look than a beautiful head of natural hair?  So naturalistas, embrace your roots and let's rock this style and make not just a fad, but a true classic fashion statement.

Big Bang

I love bangs!  I used to wear bangs when I had relaxed hair, but wearing natural hair bangs is a whole new kind of cute.  I decided to experiment with them when I was bored with having my hair in twists and was tempted to let my hair loose and I thought, why not just let out the front and wear bangs and ... voila!  It's kind of hard getting my hair to go in the direction I want, and bangs can look kind of crazy if they're sticking up or out in the wrong direction but I managed to maneuver them a little bit.  I'll continue to work on this style so I can add it to my style repertoire. 

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