Wigging It Out-This Months Protective Style

This blog is all about me trying to grow my natural hair long to it's full potential according to genetics, hence the name. But growing natural hair out can be a very tricky thing with single strand knots, tangles, split ends, and breakage thrown into the mix. Because of this, protective styles will be the most suggested to those who are trying to find ways to grow their hair to long natural lengths and I am on that train. Choo! choo! LOL

So far I have tried twists, flat twists, braids with my own hair and with yarn. Now I am trying out..a wig! All of the other styles I have tried require me to manipulate it in some way to make it presentable whenever I'm heading out. So this time I wanted to try one that would allow me the ease of looking good without manipulating my hair at all, excepting on wash days. Which are really just 2 days out of the week. I have gotten too used to my weekly washes and have no intention of changing that unless I get a revelation at the point that my hair starts getting much longer. 

I made the wig myself and I call her Ms. Chynn, because of what I have been hearing since wearing her. Words such as "You like a likkle Chiney" and "It makes you look sorta Asian" were enough to make the name fitting. Haha!

I really didn't do anything fancy, it's just a wig cap with some tracks glued on and then cut to how I wanted it. I did a little amateur shoot wearing her. Here she is;

Now you know a girl is just having fun right? So this is  no perfect shots-just me and Ms. Chynn. I hope to keep her for the rest of this month, unless she starts looking real untidy, because there is no way I will be doing that look for Christmas. Well I am off to my jobby now. Have to pay the bills, so; have a great hump day!! 

<3 LATERZ <3

The Curly Girl Collective’s Curl Crush Event in NYC | Black Girl with Long Hair

This natural hair meet up looks like it was a total blast!! It's whenever I see these things that I wish I could just fly up for the evEnts and then hop on a plane and find myself back home. But of course, it never is that easy *shake my head* Not to dispair though, Jamaica is slowly but surely getting on the meet-up train. I missed two so far, thanks to finding out two late on both occasions. But never again I say!

On another note, check out The Curly Girl Collective’s Curl Crush Event in NYC | Black Girl with Long Hair the pictures are amazing! Some real beautiful natural ladies were gracing the building with their auras; chatting, exchanging tips, playing games and just having a happy time.

<3 LATERZ <3

My finger coils are on their  last. But I'm making it work, not bad though seeing that I washed them on Wednesday.

Just Checking In

It's been a little while since I have been here and that is because I really have not been doing much to my hair. I did do my first henna treatment last weekend. But I only remembered to take pictures after the henna was gone out of the dish and in my hair,lol and honestly I was not feeling in the best of moods either. Oh by the way, Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving if you did celebrate it. In Jamaica we don't.

Apart from rocking my itsy-bitsy-teenie-weeny-afro, I did some twistrows and I am currently wearing finger coils!! Yay!! My first finger coils(overly excited ). Luckily I took pics to record and show you.

By now you should now that my favourite place to do my hair is in front of a good comedy like "Big Bang Theory" or "Three and a Half Men"...these were done while watching the latter. lol. I brought my spray bottle with water, coconut oil and shea butter mix into the living room. While doing them the sequence was water, coconut oil then shea butter which makes it easy to twist the hair with little to no breakage. 

These I think could grow on me. Took me a long time to do them, but that will hopefully change with practice. It would be easy to do on someone else. Just a bit tricky and uncomfortable to on my own head. I also used  water, shea butter and coconut oil to achieve this style and I am contemplating doing it for awhile as my low manipulation style.

*UPDATE*

I have decided that I will use the full Gro Aut Line as my staples along with honey and olive for deep moisture and henna / mayo and avocado for protein. One of my goals is to simplify my regimen and this would be a great step toward doing so. I am deep in love with Gro Aut products and the results it has been giving me. So I see absolutely no reason why I wouldn't want to just stick to their products. 

<3 LATERZ <3

My Big Chop Rollercoaster

I call it a roller coaster due to the constant ups, downs and deep corners that have made themselves present since the occurrence of  my Big Chop. It didn't even give me a few days to just be in bliss before it got rolling. It started in the same moments as my BC...

I decided to do my BC when I realized that managing the two textures during wash days was beginning to become very frustrating for me and I was confident in my decision, I need not mention the excitement that came with it. I sat down in the chair with my boyfriend behind me holding a pair of Goody hair scissors. He was about to get rid of those straight boring ends that had been with me for just about 6 months since my last natural hair break down; the day the fairy knots laughed at my lack of moisturizing and sealing knowledge. I was happy, because this time I would be going into my natural journey with a wealth of knowledge  to not let the past mistakes be my future mistakes to come. But half way through my chop I was crying and I really could not pin point why. Was it joy? Was it anger at going back to extremely short hair? or was it just the fear of what havoc my significant other may be wreaking on my hair? Maybe it was a mixture of both and up to this day I am still not sure. But it was just a little over a month ago and even if I never figure out the reasons why, I will be perfectly fine not knowing.

After the deed was done and irreversible, I walked myself to the mirror and with red, watery eyes, looked at what was now my crowning glory.  It was a short, fuzzy TWA and I was not sure how I felt apart from relieved. Relieved at the fact that my somewhat short struggle with the curly and the straight was now over and I could give my natural hair all the loving it needed without being distracted by another texture.

For the next few days I would stare in the mirror continuously, trying to see something else but a shapely cross dresser with breast implants. I began wearing eyeliner and mascara around the house, just to ensure that whenever I looked in the mirror I would see remnants of the girl I was before. I did not look like a boy in any way and according to others I was beautiful with my cut. But at the time I could not believe those words and saw nothing but the cross dresser in the Mirror. Eventually that began to change and I became the bold and the beautiful; wearing my TWA out with accessories and feeling sooo pretty..until some pharmacy cashier I knew who was also a natural asked me in patois ' What the hell is wrong with you?" and that confidence died. After that, I wore a hat or a scarf wrap whenever I went on the road just so that no one could see it and by the third week or so I was in yarn braids. The girl in the mirror was back. I felt pretty because the braids allowed me to have a "normal" length of "hair" on my head and no one was talking down to my hair.

Now that the braids are out, I am okay. I see me; Chadonnae Blackburne, in the mirror, Big Chop and all. It hardly looks any different or any longer than when I did it last month. It has grown mind you, but the inch really doesn't make it that much longer. What has changed is my attitude. I am awesome with my hair as it is. Whether they think so or not...and honestly? Since my attitude has changed, they seem to think I am awesome too. But the roller coaster still remains.

I know I am attractive with my haircut, I know I don't look like a boy. But now my insecurity lies with shrinkage. I don't always like the fact that my hair is 4 inches but shrinks to one. I don't always like the fact that my hair is now heading toward my shoulders but appears to barely reach my neck. My roller coaster still goes on. I will just embrace the journey... because with all this..I still love my natural hair.

<3 LATERZ <3

Cute Accessory Combo on Big Chop

I'm going to dinner soon and this is my accessory combo for the day. Cute!! :)

 Not sure what I am going to wear with it yet. But I will be sure to match my clothes and earrings  with the hair accessories..talk about dressing backwards right?

Length Check November 2011

I wanted to wait until the 31st. But I decided to start the picture recording as of now. The December follow up will come on the 31st of the month.

I look real droopy in this pic don't I?

In the back I am heading for shoulder length stretched. i would love to get there by the end of December. Wonder what will happen...

<3 LATERZ <3

Aloe Vera and Avocado Deep treatment

Today is deep treatment day and I decided to do another avocado deep treatment. I mean why not? The other half from last week's treatment was in my fridge and about to go bad. So I decided to use the rest today.

The mix:

Half an Avocado
1 fillet of aloe vera
10 drops rosemary oil
10 drops peppermint oil

mix, mix,  mix and voila! :)

I first washed with


then I covered my hair and scalp with the deep conditioning mixture, which I kept in for 1 hour.

After which I thoroughly washed the mixture  out and coated my hair strands with

On top of this I applied my conditioner

and finger detangled my tiny curls...left it to air dry and this

was the results. Somewhat of a definition on a soft teenie weenie afro. I coated my hair with oil before applying my conditioner because it makes finger detangling easier.

<3 LATERZ <3

Bows, Bows and More Bows-Big Chop Accessories (Pic Heavy)

Hey guys!! It's Friday!! (runs around dancing) and I pulled my yarn braids out last night due to the build up occurrence last weekend and me wanting to track my hair growth by photo.
Since I had done my Big Chop in October; bows had become my best friend because they allow me to manipulate my hair very little and still be able to rock it. So I went on a bow making bout today and here are the results!! Hope you like :)

Isn't it cool what you can do with a few pieces of random material? I have me some bows to go around!! Can't promise I won't be making any more though :)

<3 LATERZ <3

Don't Do it!!

If you happen to have yarn braids or any other type of braids for that matter and are thinking about doing the avocado deep treat..DON'T DO IT!! lol. This morning I noticed build up going on on some of my braids :( and I tried to wash it out with VO5 Clarifying shampoo. That did not work. Well it worked to a point, but my yarn braids are not completely rid of the gunky white stuff.  I should mention that it is not obvious build up. Just that if you look closely you will see that it's there. I am not sure what I am going to do about it yet and I will keep you updated. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions PLEASE throw them right at me.  I have never been through this before. Surely learned my lesson. My hair loves the treatment, the yarn braids don't :/ Can't say I wasn't worried about this in the back of my mind...

<3 LATERZ <3

Avocado and Vatika Oil Deep treatment

I did my deep treatment today after doing a pre-poo overnight with my garlic amla oil(trying to hold the whip over shedding). I really don't have a written in stone regimen when it comes to what deep treatment I do when. I just watch my hair and if it seems to want moisture, I do whatever moisture treatment I desire to do at the time. If It needs protein, then, well..you know. This weekend my hair didn't seem to be neither here nor there about what it really wanted. So I just decided to do something I have been wanting to try - a avocado deep treat! Woot! LOL. and yes I did do it in the yarn braids.

Here are the ingredients:

1. 1/2 an Avocado
2. 1/2 TBSP of Vatika Oil
3. 15 drops Vitamin E
4. 10 drops Peppermint oil
5. 5 Horsetail capsules emptied into the mixing bowl

Doesn't it look some what yucky? lol. Anywho, mix with a fork until it's as smooth as you can get it or just stick a electronic mixer in it and work. I did the latter.

What I did:

1. I first washed my pre-poo'd hair with Gro Aut Herbal shampoo <3 This shampoo does not dry my hair out AT ALL. In fact it does the opposite; my hair feels very soft whenever I apply it and after I wash it out.





2. Then I distributed the avocado deep treat all over my scalp and hair and covered it with a shower cap and towel to utilize body heat. You can use a hooded dryer for heat with your hair under the shower cap,  if you have one.

3. I made it stay in for about an hour (I honestly didn't keep track) and then spent around 15 minutes trying to properly wash the avocado out of my braids. Getting it out of my hair was a walk in the park. But out of the yarn braids? Not so much...

My hair felt super clean, super soft and super thankful when I was done :) Glad I took the risk and did it in the yarn braids and now avocado deep treatments will be much in my future. You should try it if you haven't already.

Amara looks so happy in this pic, doesn't she? Amara is my hair of course( the name means beautiful :) )

<3 LATERZ <3

How to Prevent Pesky Single Strand Knots

I wish that I could proudly declare that I have discovered a way to completely eradicate getting single strand knots. But unfortunately I can't. Whether we like them or not..I am assuming most of us hate them; ssks are included in the natural haired package and can not just be booted out for good one day.

On the other hand, we as naturals can make the dedication to prevent these pesky little sneakers from getting into our hair which will then in turn significantly reduce the amount we get. So what can we actually do?

1. Many naturals realize that they develop a lot of single strand knots while rocking wash and goes and while there are very few who have no complaints about getting them with this styling method. So if you do wash and goes frequently, you may want to try doing them less frequently to see if anything changes with the knotty situation.

2. Moisturize your hair daily and seal the ends to keep them soft and supple.

3. Several naturals have the notion that stretching the hair is for naturals who have a hard time accepting the texture that grows from their scalp. But aside from really being a good styling prep and style overall, turns out that keeping your hair natural hair stretched keeps the ends from curling up on themselves as much as they would if the hair was left in it's curly/kinky natural state and prevent single strand knots from occurring.

4. Last but just as if not more important- protect the ends of your natural crowning glory. What better way to protect your hair than with "protective" styles? Buns, braids and tucked updos are all great ways to do this and they look good too.

Hope this helped beautifuls :)

<3 LATERZ <3

My Braid Style for today.....

None! Nada! Zilch! Why? Cause I did not have the time and my butt went clubbing last night, pulled out my style to go to sleep at 4am(no satin scarf or nothing else ) and then "got up an go" at 6am.Therefore... THIS is my "style" for the day:

Lol. See those eyes? They are as a result of hard partying and 2 hours sleep :0 Makes me appreciate these braids so much. What better style than one which allows you to get out of bed, walk out and still look good? Loving them :)

<3 LATERZ <3

DIY: Yarn Braids

As you know I installed my yarn braids myself last weekend and honestly? It was not hard at all. Tedious yes, but really not hard to do. By just looking, it may seem as some sort of a puzzle to figure out. But all you really need to know is how many strands will give you the desired thickness of each braid. Take for instance I used 4 strand on each and It would probably would have come out with more body if I had used double the amount of strands. Because in my opinion, this set of yarn braids that I have in right now are indeed lacking in the body department..stil cute though :P But let's get to it.

What You Will Need

Acrylic yarn(wool yarn will tangle with your hair and also causes breakage). One to two spools of yarn should be able to do the trick. But if you know you want them extra long and thick consider getting three. The bigger the parts the more strands of yarn you should use for thickness. If your parts are extra small you can use two strands.

A comb for parting

Water in a spray bottle to moisturize your hair and the yarn

clips and or hair ties to keep unwanted hair out of the way

Directions

part hair into 4 symmetrical sections and secure with clips or hair ties. Then work with each section until the whole head is done.

Part out the hair that you wish to work with and mist it with water

overlap the desired amount of strand and place it under or over your hair with you hair in the middle of the two strands and then start plaiting like you normally would.

As you get down to the end of your hair assign two or more of the yarn strands to your hairs section and continue to plait to the end. This way when the braid is done there will not be much of your hair sticking out of the braid.

Tie the end of the braid once done. Which you then have the option of dipping into extremely hot water or burning with candle light to secure.

THAT'S IT!! That is all you have to do to successfully install yarn braids. I didn't even use a comb to part my hair and it still looks good. Have fun installing you braids :)


<3 LATERSZ<3

Style for the Day

So very contrary to yesterday; I wanted to have my hair in my face today. So I prepped for the style last night by placing the bangs where I wanted them to be and using my satin scarf to tie them down. I had to do this or else they would be sticking all over the place like alien antennas. When I woke up this morning I just used some claw clips to secure the back so as to not have the burnt ends of the yarn pulling on my clothes like it did to my great annoyance yesterday. Here is the finished look:

The front

Side looks

Side view

Back

My silk bow that I made :) <3

I am really liking this style- simple and easy to do. Hope you like it too.


<3LATERZ<3

The Dreaded Hand in Hair Syndrome

Hand in hair syndrome is not a real disease. But for people who are trying to grow their hair long it should be. If you find yourself constantly putting your hand in your hair to play with a lock of hair, retwist a twist or just touching your scalp. Then their is a 99.99 % chance that you probably have hand in hair syndrome.

This syndrome may sometimes go unnoticed. But can definitely make it harder to get your hair to longer lengths with all the stretching and twirling and knot picking that tends to be involved. So what do you do about it?

The best thing to do to rid yourself of the symptoms of HHS is to cover your hair. Yes, you heard me; cover it. People who really have hand in hair syndrome find it extremely hard to not play in their hair so the absolute best way to try and control the condition is by keeping the hair out of reach.

This can be done however the person finds suitable. But a few suggestions would be: wigs, braids, head wraps, hats and anything else that you can think of will be able to keep your hair unexposed while not being damaging to it in the process. Bear in mind that the only stress braids can put on the hair is through tension. So once they are not done too tightly or continuously pulled by the wearer it should be fine.

Be careful of wigs with combs and adhesives(such as lace fonts). Wigs with combs if used often can cause damage to the hairline and the same thing applies to the lace wig adhesives. In fact it is best not to use the adhesives at all.

I have some serious hand in hair syndrome and because of this I have incorporated the above methods into my regimen. It does help a whole bunch. Given you have no choice but to leave it alone or mess the style up.

<3 LATERZ <3

How I maintain my yarn braids

The good thing about yarn braids is you can basically treat them like your hair. You can moisturize, seal, wash and even condition in them! This fact is what made me decide to get them.
I maintain my yarn braids in basically the same way I maintain my new big chop; by using a method called LOC. I got this method from the Natural Sunshine Network. Here is the break down of it:

Liquid- Begin your sealing process with liquid. That is a water based leave in, etc.



Oil- Next add an oil to your hair. Experiment and find the one that works best for you. Natural hair loves oil and craves it. Step Two: Use the oil to coat your hair liberally.Then you’re ready for the final step...

Cream- Use a rich, cream based, product to seal in the moisture and protect your hair. Step Three: Apply a rich cream or butter based product to your hair concentrating on the ends.

I personally love this method.I do it 1 to 2 times a day according to the status of my hair and It keeps it soft and hydrated. Now I know I don't NEED to do the final step on yarn braids... But I do. Why? Because I don't want to stray from what I usually do all because I have braids. I am a girl who easily gets sidetracked from her hair regimen and changing it could make me drift away from or forget the methods that worked for me..I just want to continue doing it.Besides I wash my hair whenever I feel like.Which means build up will not be a problem for me.

Speaking of washing, My wash regimen is not very consistent. It is really just whenever I think it's needed or have the urge to feel water on my scalp. Usually that is every 2 to 3 days and one of the weekend days. I use an applicator bottle and mix one part shampoo to two parts water and distribute it through my scalp and massage it then repeat once. This helps me to get the shampoo everywhere and diluting it makes it light enough to go through the roots without drying out my hair.

After I rinse out the shampoo I then condition the braids by using the same applicator bottle, this time filled with conditioner and water in 50/50 proportion. I also take some of the conditioner straight out of the bottle and squeeze it unto the braids to ensure that the ends of my hair aren't left out of the equation. Because of this last step I have to stay under the shower head and rinse the braids while squeezing them out to ensure there is not too much conditioner trapped in them.

Once all of this is done, I will follow up with the LOC method of moisturizing and sealing. My leave in is Infusium 23, my oil is coconut oil and my cream is my whipped shea butter.

I will still do my deep conditioning while wearing my yarn braids, because as I said, not going to leave my real hair out of this. I haven't done the first one yet. But I will record how it goes when it does happen and I intend for that to be this weekend.

Well that is all folks!! That is how I maintain my yarn braids.

<3 LATERZ <3

My Yarn Braid Styles So far

I have only had my yarn braids in for approximately 4 days so far. But I have already styled them in two different ways apart from the regular "hang styles". Mugshot warning! Here they are:

This was yesterday and I think this style would be very nice to wear to work or anywhere else with the right accessories

Style 2...not so hot. Perfect for an evening lazing around, going to the supermarket or hanging with friends AT A PARK or something. It was actually a result of me wanting the yarn braids out of my face and not having enough time to spend in the mirror pinning them away(they are too short to be caught up without the front falling out). So I fist tied them with a silk scarf for protection then used the scarf I wanted to show, which was cotton and tied it over the first. Mug Shot time!

<3 LATERZ <3

Big Chop!!

I am very happy to say this, though some may not be "very happy" to read this. But I did another Big Chop after 6 months and 12 days (yes I kept serious track) of trying to transition. Yay me!!!! Due to the annoyance of dealing with the texturized and natural hair on my head, I was itching to do it for about a month prior. But I tried to keep patience.

My decision breaker was the tangling that kept happening at the demarcation line. I swear it was driving me up the wall. Even with conditioner it was hard to get through the dreaded tangle. So I handed my boyfriend my hair scissors and said " cut under the natural parts", which he did a good job at by the way!! So proud *tears* lol

Anyways, I wish I had a picture of my Big Chop to show...I actually do. But honestly, it is for my eyes only and personal records. Not my best picture and maybe my worst:/ All thanks to my sucky HP webcam.I did not have a camera at the time; seeing that my cat made the one I had before fall in the toilet...looooong story. But I promise that as soon as I take these yarn braids out I will show pics of my TWA which I love love LOVE by the way. So soft and inviting. Which has to be it showing appreciation for all the TLC I had been giving it during my short transition.

<3 Laterz <3

Yarn Braids

I summed up the patience and determination to install yarn braids in my hair! A style I once thought I would never be interested in getting. But after finding out that they are almost the perfect protective style to get. I jumped right on and decided to get them. When done properly they look good too and from afar can be mistaken for locs.

I used acrylic yarn to do mine because wool can cause you hair to break and will also get tangled up in it. Two things I most certainly don't want. If any of them were to happen I would surely cry. Let me lose my hair to scissor I decided to chop it with...but not by some wool cutting and knotting up my hair :(

I installed them between Friday, November 4th and Saturday the 5th. Of course I slept in between, was not about to get sleep deprived for the sake of some braids. It took me a very short time and I watched the TV the whole time doing it. So I really had no idea what was happening. lol. They turned out well though. Could use some more body, I will address that the next time I decide to install them. But they do look nice :D