Natural Hair Milestones

1)  The Big Chop: It can be like a traumatic event.  You go from Denial and every step along the way to Acceptance.  That is acceptance of yourself and whatever this new you looks like, acceptance of your hair texture (that's a huge biggie for a lot of people), acceptance of the work that will go into "learning" your hair,  and so much more.  But the good thing about getting to this stage is that you can move on to the best stage of all: celebration!

2)  Your first compliment/insult:  It'll happen.  Somebody will say something that makes you feel so great.  And then somebody will say something (maybe in all innocence) that cuts you down so low.  How you handle these stages is very important to your success.  Check out one of my favorite naturalistas, Solange Knowles' response to an insult"

You may be as sassy as Solange and put someone in their place, or just shake your head and keep it moving (cause after all, if it's not on their head, it's none of their business).  Or you can regret your decision/cry/obsess over how to "fix" your hair, etc.  You will come to realize that how you react is entirely up to you.

3)  The first time your significant other/someone you would like to be your s/o validates or invalidates your decision.
It's easier to deal with strangers and harder to deal with someone you like very much or are in love with.  That can be one of the most difficult battles.  But just remember, a s/o who truly loves and supports you or has the potential to, will be able to look past any superficial likes or dislikes concerning your hair and respect your decision and even love you that much more for it.

4)  The first time you have a REALLY BAD hair day.
It will happen.  Shrinkage, frizz, tangles, etc.  Can you rock the hell out of a lop-sided fro?   Or will you be downtrodden and let the whole world know your entire self-confidence is tied to your hair?  It's harder than it sounds not to do the latter.  But you just have to remember that, attitude is everything!

5)  The first time you have REALLY GOOD hair day.
Hey, you have nowhere to go and your hair is looking heavenly!  That's when you take a million selfies and post them on Instagram, get all dressed up and go walk around the supermarket or call that guy who's been begging you for date and you haven't given him the time of day because this rare occurrence cannot go unnoticed! 

6)  The first time you master a twist-out/bantu knot out/braid out or any other hairstyling technique
A  million youtube videos, and a cramp in your fingers from all that damn twisting/braiding/knotting and you think, "This is my third try at this and it better come our right!"... and it does!  And you realize that maybe you CAN do this natural hair thing after all

7)  The first time you reach your goal length:
I can only imagine what this feels like because I"m not there yet but most naturalistas have a goal length be it bra strap length, waist length... whatever.  Once you get there, you know you accomplished what you set out to and life will be a bit easier from here... I hope!

Versatility

If there is one thing I love about natural hair, it would be it's versatility.  I don't remember being able to switch up my hairstyles like this when I had a relaxer.  And although I keep my hair in a protective style (usually twists) 80% of the time, it's so nice being able to rock a completely different look the other 20%.  I love the looks and encouraging comments I get from people when I wear my hair in a different and unexpected hairstyle.  I love letting my hair out after wearing it in twists for 2 weeks.  Or my new go-to topknot hairstyle that's a still demure but just a change.  Check out 3 of my different hairstyles over the past several weeks.

Photography and Me

I have discovered a passion that is new and not-so-new.  It is photography.  It's not-so-new in the sense that it actually began when I was a sophomore in high school and only 16 years old.  I took a photography class.  You know how most people have a story about 1 teacher or 1 class that just made a permanent imprint on them?  Whether it be because the teacher had such a passion for what they were teaching, you couldn't help but give in to it as though it were contagious.  Or it may be that that class spoke to something inside you that you didn't know existed.
I had always been a writer. I loved to write.  I even enjoyed those long boring history papers, I complained about along with my peers just to fit in. I secretly took pride in every word I wrote.  But I discovered a similar love for photography and it was because of both of the reasons I described above.  I loved even developing the pictures.  Maybe being in that dark room with only a romantic red hue, silently watching an image of something you had found beautiful enough to photograph, slowly appear on a blank white glossy piece of paper...the care you had to take not to disrupt this process... maybe all that appealed to the introvert in me.  And it was just so freaking cool!
Well, along the way, I got lost, bumped up on other things, gave in to practicality and chose a career that would give me a steady income (there are other things I love about my career but this was my main drive).  Somehow I held on to my love for writing although it waxed and waned.  And I realize that on a subconscious level I held on to my love for photography too.
When my youngest sister comes to visit, her favorite thing to do is go through me photo albums.  I have photos of EVERYTHING.  I have photos from way back when... moments no one else ever thought to capture.  She loves to oooh and ahh over all the  pictures and the memories they hold.  I like to do the same thing whenever I have a chance.
Whenever I go on vacation, I have to remind myself to be in the moment and enjoy it rather than obsess about capturing each and everything on my camera.  When I take an artistic picture, even though it's usually on my phone, I feel such pride!   And I've come to realize that my love for photography is something I should re-visit.   That is when I bought my $600 camera.  It was hard but it was easy.  Hard because I hate to spend money like that on myself.  It is arguably one of my most expensive possessions.  But easy because I  know it's not a fleeting interest.
Last night I sat at my computer and spent hours looking back at the pictures I had taken (most of them from a phone) and smiling at the memories.  But I realize, I was trying to make some art when I took those picture too although I have no technical knowledge of photography whastsoever.
All that is starting to change, since I have registered for an online photography and photoshop course and I couldn't be more excited.  I've already done some of the lectures and I've learned a lot already.  I've taken my Nikon out and taken some pictures that I'm not ready to share yet.  For now I'll share with you some of my favorite amateur pictures that I feel proudest of whether because it captured a mood or a story or because it was a fond memory frozen in time. Either way, I hope you see my love for photography in these photos.

I had totally bombed a job interview this day and was feeling very blah about myself.  Also this was in my short cropped hair days and I was still getting a feel for the look and not quite comfortable with it.  Anyway, I was bored and slightly somber this day and decided to take self portraits on my phone while sitting outside my mom's house

Honduras

Mom's birthday

Honduras

Freaking out in Honduras

My sis's 13th Birthday

Snow Day in Georgia

Adventures in Honduras

Sunset at the Park

Flowers from my Love

Beach Day

Sunset at the Park

My Dad's New Bride

Smoke

Siesta Key Beach

First Thanksgiving

Tired from playing fetch

Tug of War

Walk in the Park

Colors (self protrait)

Tiger in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Day at the Park

Manuel Antonio beach Costa Rica

San Fran

Driving in ATL

Costa Rica

San Fran

Puppy Love

A Dog and her Bone

Car Ride with Chloe

Amir (my nephew) after Bath

Beach in Oregon

Mom's House (Dipped in Gold)

Mom at Beach (Jamaica)

Honduras

House on a Hill (Jamaica)

Feeling Gangsta

The Sun after the Snow (Atlanta)

Sunset at Okeeheelee

Springtime in Atlanta

Each one of these photos tell a story.  The captions are just the tip of the iceberg but I hope you understand why I love taking pictures.  I hope I get much better at it through my studies and practice and I can share my works of art with you all.

How to Stretch Natural Hair

I have gotten a lot of questions from people whenever I wear my hair down about how to avoid shrinkage.  So here it goes:

To avoid shrinkage, after I wash my hair, I immediately braid it in 4-6 braids.  I braid it to almost the end and then twist the very ends being sure to pull the hair taut.  The braids will of course shrink but when I got to bed, I pull each braid straight and you can either secure it with a pin to keep it stretched or just tie it down to hold that stretched position.  After my hair is dried like this, I then twist my hair DRY.  I moisturize with a few sprays of water and some oil and/or cream to seal and I twist it in small to medium twists.  The night before I remove the twists, I separate my hair into sections of 4-6 braids again (while in the twists of course) and I stretch them just the way I did after my wash.
I take the braids out and then each twist and my hair is very stretched to the point where I actually want some shrinkage which I inevitably achieve throughout the day or the next day.  At night to maintain my twist out, I again section and I braid loosely as not to disturb the curl pattern.  Just like above I braid it about 80% of the way and twist the ends and pull it stretched and tie it down or pin it down in the stretched position. 
Eventually the curl pattern will be gone and my hair will shrink to where I can't effectively maintain it anymore and that's when it's time to start the whole process over. 

I hope this helps you guys! 

My "Juice Cleanse"

My bf and I watched the documentary "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" and decided to try a juice cleanse after hearing all the raving about how healthy and energetic people felt by doing it.  Today is my first day doing it and so far it's already everything I expected: crazy cravings, slightly upset stomach, and just a lot eating foods that are either bland at best or just plain yucky at worst.  But otherwise, it's not that bad.


We decided to do what may be a less strict version of the cleanse.  We juice several times a day but otherwise we eat only non-processed fresh fruits, vegetables and we've even made allowance for nuts but without any flavoring, just raw and natural.  So far today, I had a juice for breakfast, a banana as a snack, a salad with sliced avocados for lunch, baby carrots and a banana for snack, steamed cabbage and boiled plantains for dinner and more juice to come.  All this with no dressing, seasoning, enhancements... just plan raw fruits and a veggies.  I'm proud of myself for doing it but boy would I give anything for some bread right now!  How long do I plan to do this you ask?   I'm shooting for just 3-5 days only because I want to avoid loosing any noticeable amount of weight. The boyfriend is on his 5th day and will keep it up for 2 weeks.
Anyway, I filled my fridge with all kinds of goodies.  Take a peek below

Goodies I picked up at the grocery store to keep me nutrified

My fruit "bowl"

And of course, green juice!

And that wraps up Day 1.  I will keep you guys updated over the next few days.