Hair Journey Update: I Finally Got the Red I Wanted! Textures & Tones

So this month  I went for it! I know I said after dealing with Dark & Lovely that it would be my last run with dying my hair but I just had to give it another try. I used textures and tones Red Hot. The lightest red that they had available. This time around I didn’t suffer and any tangles. I left it in my hair for maybe 32 min because I was watching Bad Girls Club Reunion (TEAM SHANROCK!) lol.

I am sooo happy with the results. I rinsed my hair with cold to warm water. Then instead of using shampoo I used ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) to clean my hair. I used the conditioner provided with the dye. My hair loooves that conditioner I think I will switch to that conditioner whenever I clean my hair from now on even though its sulfate. I only wash my hair maybe once or twice a month. Here are the results, in the photo and no I haven’t suffered any major hair loss just the regular shedding. I had just finished moisturizing and sealing my hair so my shrinkage had set in. When I take my photos of my hair progress I usually have my hair fluffed out using water only.

In the photo I have my hair braided in the front in preparation for my half wig. I’m not the best braider lol so don’t make fun of me, I try! The earrings I made, I plan on wearing them for graduation. I really want to wear my natural hair for graduation but when I told my mom she looked at me and said NO you can wear your natural hair any day but graduation. Honestly I agree even though it seems as though its against the whole going natural journey I still don’t feel comfortable with everyone seeing my hair yet. I do plan on wearing my natural hair by the end of this year though.

I can honestly say that this will be the last time I dye my hair. I got the results I have been wanting for a very long time and the point behind me dying my hair was just so that I can see my growth progress better. Plus once my hair grows to my desired length, 23 inches, it will look like a nice ombre color :D…unless I end up trimming it .

Heres my length check for this month. That was my hair in January/Feb now its May. Doesn’t look like much of a difference but its grown a tiny bit…might be due to me dying my hair too much. Hopefully by December I’ll be able to see a huge difference.

-Jazzie

Top 5 Best & Worst Hair YouTube Gurus (Full lace Wigs, Half Wigs, Bulks of Hair)

Even though I do not wear wigs like I used to I still look at the videos and hair sites just to get inspired or if I’m bored, etc. These few Youtube gurus are the in my opinion according to their honesty/sincerity, amount of reviews on hair and versatility. The other Youtube Gurus are the worst in according to the depth of info, honesty, originality and sincerity to their subscribers.

Top 6* Best YouTube Gurus for Hair (I added one more person)

1. thomasadrianna: This girl does some great reviews on half wigs, full lace, weave, tips on how to make wigs…everything. I love her and she’s a little cutie pie. I think she is adorable. She is definitely worth subscribing to. (https://www.youtube.com/user/thomasadrianna)
2. PhillyzJamPoet….ever since April (Muffinsismylovers) came out with a video about VixenLaceWigs giving bad customer service to their clients on her old channel. Philly has been giving the 100% truth or “spilling the tea” about how she feels with her wigs she reviews. She doesn’t sugar coat it. Now I understand in the past how she felt sympathy for some of the people who sent her hair and didn’t want to bash them. Sometimes you have to go through things to get you to the point where you say,”alright, no more…I’m giving the complete honest truth even if people disagree”. You can tell that she is sincere and cares about her subscribers. It’s not just about reviewing hair. I like that quality in her. (https://www.youtube.com/user/PhillyzJamPoet)
3. twinkeez2003, I know the title says top 5 but I had to squeeze twinkeez in after I stumbled upon her. I love this woman. She does reviews, reviews and more reviews. Clean, straight forward, very helpful. Love it. (https://www.youtube.com/user/twinkeez2003)
4. AFRICANEXPORT: She has a nice variety of videos going from reviews on half wigs to reviews of full lace wigs, going natural and natural hair styles then hauls. I really enjoy watching her and even though I don’t wear wigs like I used to I still like watching her reviews on them when I feel like seeing how some half wigs work. (https://www.youtube.com/user/AFRICANEXPORT)
5. Fabulasityisme: I know this may come as a shocker because some people consider this Youtube guru fake but you have to give her props, she is always on point with her hair and make up. What got her on this list is that in  one of her video she willingly admitted that her subbies were not getting the same quality hair and said she wouldn’t suggest ordering from the company. Props to her for honesty. Its rare these days. She also has a variety of videos with hauls, make up and how to’s. (https://www.youtube.com/user/fabulasityisme)
6. Scorpioqueen02, I searched my whole youtube history to find this girl. I like her reviews she has a lot of reviews on half wigs that have helped me decide in the past what I want to purchase so with that she is top 5. (https://www.youtube.com/user/scorpioqueen02/)

Top 5 Worst YouTube Gurus for Hair

1. Ateyaaa…Goodness where do I start with this woman? For one she has the loudest and most annoying voice ever, every time I view her video I have to turn down the volume. Two, She barely posts videos about hair anymore. I think she uses the audience she has to promote other things which is fine but you know that’s not what everyone is there for. They are there for the hair reviews. Three, she doesn’t give an honest opinion. There are never any cons with her hair reviews even when its obvious that it’s not that good. Like for instance when she reviewed hair (Janet Moroccan hair) that she got done at a salon. It was so obvious that the hair didn’t blend right but she just faked it and all the sudden in another video called she curled the hair and cut it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfkWyW4GZ4M). Goodness gracious just tell the truth. It didn’t blend right so you had to fix it! (https://www.youtube.com/user/Ateyaaa)
2. Muffinsismylovers is the second worst Youtube Guru on my list because back when muffins had her old channel she used to show everything she did with the wigs and I was a huge fan. From her opening the package, struggling to cut the lace, putting the wig on and blending her hair. Now in her videos one second she shows you the wig then POW the wig is magically on, hair blended and everything. You don’t get to see anything else, just how nice she looks wearing the wig. I don’t know about you but if I’m going to be purchasing a $200+ wig I want to see every detail. Her videos also have been so…cliche to me. They look just like all of the other Youtube gurus videos now. She doesn’t do any real talk videos or anything anymore. The old April I knew is gone. Don’t get me wrong, she does good reviews still and she is honest about the hair she receives but her videos have changed a lot. (https://www.youtube.com/user/Muffinismylovers2012)
3. MontanaDeleon1: A lot of people may know who she is and a lot of people do not like her for being “fake” and approving only good comments on her videos. She used to show her boobs and booty on the internet for money but now she is retired from internet porn and is a Youtube Guru. The only reason she made it up here is because I saw a video recently where she tried to rip off her subscribers by saying she would sell a bulk of weave for $800 to $1000, are you serious?!?!?! Never in life. I mean I understand you have to profit from it too but really, don’t try to scam people when you know they can get it cheaper while you’re getting it for free. (https://www.youtube.com/user/montanadeleon1)
4. Beautybyjj: Now this girl is gorgeous  she looks like Ciara and her hair is the BOMB DOT COM. Thats actually the only reason I started watching her videos Other than that, NO. Most of her recent reviews are on hauls, makeup, etc but she got most of her subbies by doing hair tutorials. I know this because that is where most of her views are. Her reviews are like any other regular reviews on hair. Just like many other YouTube gurus she is the one receiving free hair while the actual consumers get crap. She does not stick up for her subbies either or admit that she is aware people have been receiving bad hair. Me no likey at all. (https://www.youtube.com/user/beautybyjj)
5. PhillyDiva19154 is on my worst Youtube Guru list because I swear she wears the same hair style ALL THE TIME.. If you’re going to be a hair guru switch it up for us! Let us see what you’re working with! Other than that I like her and her nose. (https://www.youtube.com/user/PhillyDiva19154/)

So thats my opinion of the best and the worst Youtube hair gurus. If anyone has any opinions on it post a comment I would like to hear every and anything anyone has to say 🙂

-Jazzie

Transition or Big Chop: Best Websites To Get Advice

I’ve searched many places to get advice and there are plenty of groups and websites dedicated to black women and helping with giving advice, tips, how to’s, etc..

Now I know of places like lets say for instance a page on fb named “Black Women with Real Hair“, that have plenty of people signed up for the page and who comment on it but they mostly post photos and off topic subjects  Not much advice is given there. So  I would NEVER recommend that place to anyone unless you are looking for some photos of natural/relaxed hair plus the page owner has a bad habit of “making fun” of people.

So the places I am going to provide you with are places I feel are PACKED with information and advice that I currently go to..

1. Texture Me Natural :This is a FB (Facebook) page run by one person and she sales ALL natural scented products that you can buy (which I have bought myself and its THE BOMB DOT COM!!). The reason why this is at the top of my page is because you could just scroll down this groups pages and find out SOOOOO much information about being natural and techniques  I mean this group’s information its self could run circles around EVERY place I’ve visited. Not only that but if you have a question and you submit it, the owner will re-post it and have other people answer your question. Their suggestions are usually always on point and the page owner has some beautiful hair, to die for healthy hair. Love this page. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Texture-Me-Natural/194003070625953)
2. Naptural85: This is a Youtube Guru. The reason why I recommend her is because her videos date from when she had short hair until now. She gives great advice not only that but her videos are clean and simple. Very easy to understand and she has a nice energy.
3. Natural-Hair-Care-Info(FB page)/Natural Hair Care (Website): This is a fb page that I absolutely love. It includes a few family members (brother and sisters). The main page owner is one of the older sisters. She has a little sister with very long hair that she regularly posts (I believe her name is Bunny) and a little brother that she posts time to time. She also posts photos of herself but she looks so much like her little sister I thought for the longest they were the same people lol. I love the styles that they shows and how lovely and long Bunny’s hair is, very inspirational. Not only that but if you go to their website it is packed with useful tips. I learned how to properly wash my hair from their website. (https://www.facebook.com/Natural.Hair.Care.Info?fref=ts)
4. MyNaturalSistas: This is another YouTube Guru channel but the difference is it is ran by 3 different women, I think they are all sisters or related. But this channel is great because you get advice from 3 different women and techniques. My favorite person on this channel to watch is India. She goes into depth about her weight loss journey and she has the longest hair out of the 3 of them.
5. Kink Curly Coily Me!: This is a FB page owned by the owner of kinkycurlycoilyme.com, she’s been featured in magazines, hosts natural hair events, goes to events, has a youtube channel, etc. The ONLY reason why I recommend this page is because she usually links everything she does to this page. So if she uploads a new video on Youtube she lets you know on this page. She also updates you on her newest products, her hair photos and what she is eating. I like her attitude too, most page owners get mad if people disagree but she is completely fine with it. She also reposts some of the questions submitted but not all of them. (https://www.facebook.com/KinkyCurlyCoilyMe?fref=ts)
6. BlackHairMedia: If you have read some of my previous post then you may know that I have mentioned blackhairmedia a few times, so why is it number 6? Well the reason why is because this place is not only about natural hair, it has different subjects too most women come their for weave or full lace information which the women up there…sometimes they respond sometimes they dont, a lot of them are reluctant to even help. BUT if you want to know about natural hair then you would have to go to the “Natural Hair” part of the forum. Once you do go to the natural hair side of the forum you will notice that the posts with the most information are older posts and sometimes you have read 10 different posts just to find what you are looking for. I must admit I don’t really visit this site THAT MUCH but I did find out about giving my hair a protein treatment just by using peanut butter from this forum and they have great recipes so..my props to the recipe side is always on point. (http://forum.blackhairmedia.com)

So off the top of my head these are the main websites that I would recommend. Hope these links help anyone in need. If I think of anymore websites then I will post them.

-Jazzie

Hair Journey Update: My 4c Hair Tangles When I Wash It..

One thing I have been battling with since my big chop is washing my hair. I have never been a fan of washing my hair, I usually try to skip it unless my hair feels dirty or build up in it. The reason why is even when I detangle my hair, it still tangles and if it doesn’t tangle then it leaves my hair/scalp squeeky clean and dry. Even though naturals shouldn’t use sulfate shampoo, if the organic shampoo tangles my hair too much then I have to result to using sulfate shampoo to get it untangled.

My solution:

I will only wash my hair when it is braided and use acv (apple cider vinegar). My hair doesn’t tangle or anything when it is braided…not only that but it doesn’t clean my hair completely or get rid of all the moisture that is in it. The acv stinks something horrible so I never tried to use it until recently…I used it to loosen the dirt in my hair and rinsed it with luke warm water and it already felt clean so I washed it (which required less shampoo) just to make sure the smell was out. So this is my alternative to tangled 4c hair…if anyone else has this problem 🙂

-Jazzie

Hair Journey: Wigs Are No Longer Appealing To Me

So far in my hair journey its been going great. I received my texturemenatural hair products in mail. I will be doing a review on

wigsandclosures.com by holly

that later…the scent of her products are crazy wonderful. Back on topic…I have been enjoying my natural hair and watching it grow before my eyes and I enjoy putting it in its protective styles.

There used to be a time when I all I did was browse YouTube looking for reviews on wigs and hair. I used to stay on websites like lhboutique and hairwigharlem looking for the best natural looking lacefront/halfwig. I would faithfully watch muffinsismylovers videos reviews and make sure to check out anything she posted. I even went as far to buy my own full lace wigs for $250 from a Chinese vendor named..which only lasted a month before I got tired of it but it was a very lovely wig.

The last wig I wore was Tammy from Outre and after being natural for a while my hair just would not blend properly with that wig.

I looked through my subscribed Youtube channels. I went to Aprils aka Muffinsismylovers channel and I literally found nothing on her channel to be appealing like it was in the past. I mean, there’s no reason to even be subscribed to her for me right now.

So now I sit here wondering why i liked wigs in the first place? Why were they so appealing to me back then and not now?

-Jazzie

HairFinity Pills is a WASTE…

I’m not trying to bash Hair Finity but some of these women need to know the truth. Educate yourself on hair before you invest in pills.

The reason why I say this is because I have looked at their Facebook page and have seen so many women ordering this product including myself and its like…to me it seems the women who have ordered the product know absolutely NOTHING about their hair. They think that if they take these pills their hair will just magically grow but that’s not true. If you take care of your hair and MOISTURIZE regularly your hair is going to grow and if it doesn’t seem like it is growing then it is probably time for you to do a touch up on your ends. ITS THAT SIMPLE. Even if you eat junk food or not the healthiest, your hair is going to grow regardless unless you have a disease that may limit that.

I ordered those pills in hopes to speed up my hair growth process but while I was taking them I really didnt feel motivated to take them and honestly I didn’t notice a difference. My hair was growing fine before I was even taking the pills. Also they are too damn expensive. In 3 months you will have spent over $70 on those pills when you could have bought some pure boiton along with some vitamin pills that would cost under $20 and last you longer than a month. To me Hair finity is just a rip off honestly.

Its like when women decide to take pills to lose weight instead of working out and eating healthier. Like I said in the beginning learn more about hair before you invest in pills, you’ll save time and money if you do so.

-Jazzie

Hair Journey: Moving Up in Inches!

So I know yesterday I wrote a post about how I was feeling and how I’m doing but you know…life goes on and I slept on it..I still feel said but I have to move on. I could die today regreting yesterday so the only thing I can do is smile at the future and live in the now and not the past.
Anyway! I measured my hair this morning after trimming it and I’m proud to say my hair grew an inch! So I am achieveing one of myy goals. I said I wanted my hair to grow an inch every month..even though its a little over a month since I started I have been doing ALOT of trimming trying to even out my hair and get the last remains of that relaxed hair. So yes my hair grew an inch! The top of my hair is 5 inches while the perimeter is an even 4 inches so that means Im doing something right.
Also I have received my Bella ring today…I took that as a sign of goodluck since I bought it for the purpose of representing hope. So Im going to wear that to my very last exam today. Im going to try to put my all into it and if I fail..well at least I failed trying.
Last but not least I wanted to throw in a warning to my kinky ladies who are new and experimenting with products. If you ever get curling cream so your curls can stand out…make sure you dont use too much. I bought some more curling cream from Carson softsheen but this type it was for kinky hair deep treatment….that last one I had was feather cream for women withh like 3c or 4a hair but this one was meant for 4b and 4c so I bought it. Anyway when I used the cream I noticed how light it was compared to the other cream and it really didnt moisturize my hair at all…my hair still felt dry and my scalp. So I took a handle full and THREW it on my hair lol. Woke up this morning to a head full of tangled extremely dry curly hair (which is why I trimmed my hair a little). So ladies just becareful with curling cream.
Have a blessed day!
-Jazzie

Things I Have Learned From Going Natural

I just wanted to share a few things I never knew or realized during my natural journey….this isn’t EVERYTHING I learned but its just a few things that come to mind now..

1. The reason that I used to get relaxers was because I did not know how to maintain my hair in its natural state.
2. My hair type, 4c…and it has small curls that I love!
3. I can rock my hair without a relaxer and still look cute.
4. You can still be natural and wear a wig…DON’T LISTEN TO THOSE NEGATIVE NATURALS THAT THINK THEY KNOW EVERYTHING.
5. Going natural has allowed me to embrace more things about myself other than hair.
6. You have to be have some back bone if you’re going to do the big chop. Even if you wear wigs like me, the people who find out about your hair or finally see it, may not accept it and will show it.
7. Never take advice from someone that has ONLY gotten relaxers all their life.
8. Never give into peer pressure. Going natural is a decision..don’t let someone else but yourself influence the change if you decide you no longer want to be natural.
9. There are thousands..maybe millions of black women who have gone natural and some of them are/were around me.
10. A lot of black women don’t know the joy of going natural and some just don’t want to.
11. I never knew how important deep conditioning and moisturizing was….actually I never KNEW what it was until I went on this journey.
12. The people in your life who do not accept your methods of going natural
13. Men always complain about weave and not being able to touch your hair but even being natural I STILL don’t want anyones hands in my hair lol

-Jazzie

My Routine For Washing My Box Braids

Alrighty, so heres my routine for washing

The products I used for washing my hair:

-4 large clips or butterfly clamps ($1.99 from beauty supply store or bss)

– SOFT SHEEN CARSON ROOTS OF NATURAL REMEDIES shea butter green tea nurturing repair shampoo (cost $7.49 from bss)

– SOFT SHEEN CARSON ROOTS OF NATURAL REMEDIES shea butter green reconstructing deep treatment ($7+ from bss)

What I did for shampooing:

I started by braiding my braids into 4 separate sections then I used the clips to keep the ends from unraveling. Then I got in the shower and made sure that my hair was completely wet (I always take a complete shower whenever I wash my hair….force of habit).

After that I unraveled one section of my hair and went through each row of my braids in that section applying my shampoo and massaging my scalp…when you go to shampoo your hair, you may notice that it doesn’t bubble as much as would when your hair is out, that is completely fine. After I finished applying the shampoo I rinsed that section with water thoroughly then braided it back up and put the clip at the end. I did this to each section. Then after I was done I did a quick rinse to make sure all of the shampoo was out.

I  knew  my scalp was clean and clear from the shampoo because..well some water from my hair had gotten into my eye and it didn’t burn lol. But seriously when my hair is clean and clear of shampoo; I can see my scalp better when I part it, it feels lighter, my braids were tighter when I braided them into sections and sometimes theres a squeak of clean to it (might only be my hair).

What I did for conditioning:

As for conditioning, I used the deep treatment and I followed the directions on the bottle. I applied it to my hair the same way I did with shampooing. Section by section…then I let the deep treatment in my hair for a few minutes…while I waited on the deep treatment to kick in, I just took a shower. Then after I was done I rinsed it out section by sectioned and rebraided my hair back into for sections.

The green tea in the deep treatment REALLY penetrates the nostrils in a good way…this will definitely be my go to conditioner and shampoo.

Drying My Hair:

Ever since my whole high porosity dilemma I have not put any type of heat to my hair and I wont! So what I did was take my hair out of the four braided sections. Wrapped my hair in a towel and began to wring them out. I then re-braided my hair…I keep rebraiding it because it helped get the water out but try not to manipulate your hair as much as I did…you don’t want to put too much stress on your hair.

Afterwards I took out the braids again because they felt a little damp I had gotten most of the water out. I let them air dry a little then I moisturized my hair..I have other posts on how I moisturize…I put my satin bonnet on the ends of my braids as much. As I could, I put the bonnet on my head and wrapped a silk scarf around the rest of my hair and the bonnet (so the bonnet wouldn’t come off) and I went to sleep like that…with a towel on my pillow, just in case it got wet.

When I woke up my hair was still a little wet but not noticeably….when I went out and about my hair eventually dried on its own.

The Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil is the perfect oil to use to restore and replenish dry hair. Olive oil will give your usually dull and drab hair a healthy dose of shine by making it moisturized and healthy. Olive oil can also help soften your hair, making it more pliable and it can help cure a dandruff problem.

• One of the best advantages of using olive oil for hair is that it helps in preventing as well as curing hair loss. Most people have hair loss because of the presence of a hormone called DTH which causes the hair follicle shaft to decrease. Applying olive oil to hair prevents the production of DTH hormones on the scalp, thus getting rid of the problem of hair loss.
• The presence of antioxidants in olive oil makes it an appropriate hair oil that promotes overall scalp health. The hair damage caused due to excessive use of chemical based hair products can be treated with the help of olive oil, thus giving room for growth of healthy hair.
• Apart from the fact that olive oil is an effective treatment for hair loss, it also acts as a natural conditioner for hair. In other words, applying olive oil on hair makes it shiny and soft.
• The antifungal and antibacterial properties of olive oil is a great way to get rid of problems like dandruff and head lice. Moreover, massaging your hair with a mixture of olive oil and lavender oil is very relaxing and acts as a great stress buster.

How to use olive oil in your regimen:

*As a pre-poo: Apply olive oil to dry or damp hair > cover with a plastic cap> leave on for 15 to 30mins or overnight >follow with your wash day regimen

*As a hot oil treatment/oil rinse: Warm olive oil in a double boiler >apply to hair after you have shampoo’d or co-washed >cover with a plastic cap and leave on for 30mins >rinse with warm water >and follow with the rest of your regimen*

*As a sealer: After applying your water-based moisturizer, apply a little olive oil to the length of your strands and pay special attention to your ends

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Olive oil can also be used in your skin care regimen. If you follow the oil cleansing method, where you apply oil to your face as your cleanser. Olive oil is a great option because it is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K. These antioxidants help diminish dark spots and heal scars.

Credit to:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/texture-me-natural/benefits-of-olive-oil/433962536656359

 

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/olive-oil-for-hair-growth.html

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/87040-benefits-olive-oil-hair/#ixzz243PXus32