Kinky Twist or not to Kinky Twist

 

 

With such a busy schedule this school semester, I rarely get the chance to do new post as some of you may have noticed. On top of that I am trying to lose 10 pounds and maintain it. Well the first thing I think about when considering my work outs is my natural hair. I want to work out a little every day but how realistic is that with the little time I have available. So I am contemplating on doing kinky twist so that I am able to work out without stressing about my hair. Of course with kinky twist I still need to care for my hair (wash, moisturize, etc).  With the many pro’s that will come with wearing kinky twist there are con’s also. I am trying to do styles that do not add tension to my hair so  I have not wore a sew in since right after my birthday. I have been going between my marley bun, my homemade wigs, and my clip in extensions I made with my ONYC Kinky Curly hair. I a little scared to add the tension to my hair and I am also nervous because I have a habit of doing certain styles I have never done on myself and not liking it. After all those hours of twisting I will be highly upset if I don’t like the way I look with them. Uggh so many decisions! I think I will continue to think about this. Spring break is coming up soon so if I decide to kinky twist then I will probably take that opportunity to do it. I am interested in curling them with the pipe cleaner method used by a Youtuber whose blog I recently found. I love the results she had from curling her twist this way. The link to her blog and the picture of her twist is below:

Pipe cleaner curls

 

 

Legendary Etta James passed away

Now I normally don’t post anything on blogs, Facebook or YouTube when famous people pass away because though it is a sad moment, I don’t personally know them (just my preference). However, today Ms. Etta James passed away today due to complications from leukemia and I had to speak on this very beautiful and very talented women. I remember the first time I heard her voice was at my grandmothers house. My grandmother was a fan and I instantly became one also.

I am sure that it is no surprise that At Last is my favorite song of hers but it is also my favorite song period. If you have never sat down and listened to any of her other songs, please take the time to do so. I am sure you have a family member who still has her records somewhere in their house.

Etta James passed away at the age of 73.

January’s Featured Natural

Crystal’s Natural Hair Experience and Advice

When and why did you decide to become natural?

This is my second round of being natural. I wore dreds for about 5 years during college. 

What do you love about the fact that your hair is natural?

I love the fact that I can finally take care and style my own hair. 

Did you transition or do the big chop?

I transitioned for about 3 months before I did the BC on September 4, 2010

What is your favorite natural style(s)?

My favorite style is a braid-out. The waves and volume I have are absolutely beautiful!

What are some protective styles you rock?

I wear pin-up twists as a protective style.

What is your daily hair regimen?

I spritz my hair daily with a mixture of water, Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner, Carrot, Oil and Tea Tree oil.

What products do you recommend to other naturals out there?

Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner is great for twists and twist outs. It’s light weight, smells good and makes my hair feel soft.

Do you have any hair goals for your natural hair?

I would like for my twists to reach shoulder-length  (after shrinkage)

How do you prevent hair breakage as well as maintain length?

I wrap my hair at night with a silk scarf to minimize breakage. I also use a “baby” brush for my edges.

How do you deal with negative comments from people about your natural hair?

Fortunately, I have not had to deal with any negative comments about my natural hair. 

Any encouraging words for those considering going natural or already natural?

Natural hair is beautiful. However, if you are not willing to put forth the energy to care for your hair properly, it will be a bad experience.

•A Word From Natural Keke•

Just when I was starting to get frustrated with my very fine natural hair, I received an email from Crystal who seems to have a texture of hair that is somewhat similar to mine. Just because I blog and set out to inspire other women to feel confident about their natural hair does not mean that I never need some inspiration also. It is hard to find youtube videos of natural women with fine hair which lead to some of my frustration. So thank you Crytal for keeping me motivated.

I absolutely agree with Crystal in that if you are not willing to put forth the time and energy to care for your natural hair it will be a bad experience for you. I hear so many women saying they would like to go natural but they have “nappy” hair. UGGH I hate that word.  Hello, you only think that because you have had relaxers so long that you can not remember your natural hair. Your relaxed hair will continue to fight that natural hair because it wants some creamy crack!. (sorry I started ranting). Natural does not mean that you have to walk around with an afro all the time. It simply means not putting relaxers in your hair. You do not have to swear off using extensions(braids, weaves, wigs) unless that is a part of your personal preference.

I never want to force anyone to go natural but I do like to tell people that it is a process just like science. The science of natural hair is continuous.

-Natural keke

Cute on a College Budget: Birthday Outfit of the day

Starting off a new year with a birthday is always great! I enjoyed this holiday season and seemed to gain 5 pounds within the last month :/. I guess I was eating a bit too much!

I decided to start doing an OOTD section on my blog. I am a full time college student so my focus will be “Cute on a College Budget”. I will begin by showing what I rocked for my birthday last weekend.  The picture quality of these are not the best but I still think I rocked it. Now I am not a person who can rock many heels because I have flat feet and arches in shoes hurt me and I am unable to stand let alone walk in heels that are thin. But let me tell you, the shoes that I found for my birthday were cute and I could stand in them. Oh when I saw them (at a store that was so unexpected) I had to purchase them. Its funny because someone thought they were Steve Maddens and I just laughed and said no girl, but they look like it right? I searched for a dress that I could rock with these heels and I thought I was too cute. To achieve the curls in my hair, I used a thin flat iron with plates on the outside. Enjoy!

Dress purchased at Forever 21 $26

Jewelry purchases at Macy's previously $N/A

Purchased at Target $29.99

December’s Featured Natural

♦ Meet Sarah Singer ♦

Twitter:
@ByeSawah

Tumble: http://blackrootedexpressions.tumblr.com/

-When and why did you decide to become natural?
I went natural 1 year and 10 months ago. I couldn’t settle for perms, scabs in my scalp, burning, breakage, hair thinning, flat ironing, pressing, sweating my hair out, looking like somebody I wasn’t and ultimately I just needed a change!

-What do you love about the fact that your hair is natural?
Its me, as I am!

-Did you transition or do the big chop?
I did the BIG CHOP!

-What is your favorite natural style(s)?
Twist Outs!

-What are some protective styles you rock?
Flat Twist, Box Braids/Twist, Bantu Knots and anything else cute!

-What is your daily hair regimen?
I do my best to stick to a regimen but, most often than not just find myself tending to my hairs immediate needs; Yet I wash at most every week and at least every two weeks.

-What products do you recommend to other naturals out there?
Here is what works for me:
Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner/Shampoo; Natural Oils: Coconut oil, Olive oil, Carrot oil; Shea Butter; and lastly my must have home made Avocado Protein treatment.

-Do you have any hair goals for your natural hair?
Ultimately I would like to grow my hair to bra strap length or longer but, I’m in no hurry. I’ve learned that each hair length has a different style to offer. 

-How do you prevent hair breakage as well as maintain length?
I try my best to protect my ends in cold weather and always make sure my hair is physically strong and morturized!

-How do you deal with negative comments from people about your natural hair?
Considering how young I am (17), it’s  not typical that one see’s a young lady like myself w/ natural hair. Most seem to be in awe that I choose to embrace my natural beauty… Any way, when I do come across those w/ negative comments I simply choose to respond positively. At times I even question their negativity and/or ask them why they wear their hair in such a style.

-Any encouraging words for those considering going natural or already natural.
Love your self and your hair no matter who or what you are; regardless of your hair type, hair length, or hair products you can’t afford! 

VOTE FOR ME-ONYC MONGOLIAN KINKY CURLY HAIR

I previously explained how I purchased my Mongolian Kinky Curly Hair from ONYC. I stated that I loved the hair as well as the wonderful customer service of the company. However the two times I did my install I did not like it. I realized why. Now I am sure I do not stand alone when I say I hate to spend a few hundred dollars on hair and then cut it. I just could not bring myself to do it.

Well ONYC sent out an email about their “I am ONYC” hair contest and let me tell you I was motivated to try again and get my install looking good. After doing a full sew in closed in, I grabbed my shears and started chopping. I love my results!!! I will be uploading a video soon showing my hair.

Please help me win by voting. Click the link below, like the ONYC page, scroll down to view entries and then vote for me.

Mongolian Kinky Curly Hair

.  CLICK TO VOTE FOR ME IN “I AM ONYC” HAIR CONTEST

My Kitchen has Become my hair’s Bestfriend

Yes, I said my KITCHEN!

If you did not know, I am a recovering product junkie :/. While in beauty supply stores, grocery stores, dollar stores and every other store that exist . . . I tend to walk pass the hair product aisle several times eye balling products. Some how I end up down the aisle and I am a bit ashamed to say that I stand there for about 5 to 10 minutes fighting with my self. Temptation is a you know what but thankfully I walk away.

Well … because I have been so good at  WALKING AWAY, I ran out of the majority of my products. When you are about to wash your hair and don’t have the typical products to deep condition and moisturize with you will find a way.

To the kitchen I went. I pulled out some extra virgin olive oil,  some mayonnaise and headed to the bathroom. I used some of my herbal infusion from Ms. Niecey for my scalp along with some vitamin e, I then sprayed water on my hair and applied the extra virgin olive oil. I gave myself a nice massage, put a plastic cap on and sat under my hair dryer for 15 minutes( on the lowest setting).  By the way, I do not us combs on my hair anymore unless I need to part it but in that case I only use it close to the scalp and not through the hair strands. I use my fingers to detangle etc. After 15 minutes I turn the dryer to cool for 1 minute then I stop it.

Once in the shower I use the coldest water that I can comfortably take a shower in to wash my hair so that I can keep as many nutrients as possible. I also find that this helps my hair to be tangle free. After shampooing I apply my mayonnaise. Oh please don’t take the whole bottle in the bathroom. I put a good amount into a zip lock bag to take with me. I allow the mayonnaise to sit in my hair for a few minutes then rinse out, making sure to section my hair and rinse thoroughly.

After my shower I apply my kinky curly knot today and I never use a towel on my hair. I find a regular t-shirt and wrap my hair. When I have time I allow my hair to fully air dry, but other times I use a blow dryer on cold or the lowest heat setting and gently blow dry. I then apply extra virgin olive oil to my hair along with my doo grow oil (which smells go great!).

-Natural Keke

Stay natural!

WHO SAID BLACK HAIR CANT GROW?

If you ever hear someone say black hair can’t grow long, slap them for me. How annoying and ignorant is it of people to allow those words to come out of their mouths?

 

There is no reason why our hair should not grow as long as we want it to as long as we take the time to get to know it, care for it, limit the amount of stress we put on it, and protect it.

 

It is always good to have a friend or two with hair that is relaxer free and long at the same time to show you that it is attainable. In my case, I have two beautiful friends with hair that they continue to keep healthy.

 

 

 

 

Now some people in the natural hair world seem to think it is taboo for others to flat iron their hair even occasionally, but what you do with your natural hair is your business. If you decide that you want to straighten your hair once a month or every other month and can still keep your hair healthy then do so. Now when your hair starts having heat damage due to improper use, then you need to throw away that heat comb, flat iron, or fire your beautician.

 

 

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-Natural Keke

 

 

 

Wedding Day Natural

Are you feeling pressure to relax your hair for your wedding day?

If so I hope this beautiful natural lady inspires you to keep it natural and feel beautiful on your special day.

One day as I was browsing through my Facebook newsfeed, I noticed my friend had posted a picture of her on her wedding day. All I could say is OMG! I loved her hair,the fact that she kept it natural and that her confidence shined through those pictures, as well as how beautiful she looked. I immediately asked if she could send me some pictures so I could blog about her so that other natural sisters could be inspired as much as I was.

                                   How she chose her wedding day style:

I searched for MONTHS trying to find the perfect natural hairstyles for a natural bride, but couldn’t really find anything that tickled my fancy; not only that my hair was not as long as the styles I’ve seen and liked…..so a week before the wedding I got tired of wearing a braid-out and tried a 3-strand twist out and loved it! I had great length (no shrinkage) and NO FRIZZ! So a day before the wedding I co-washed and air-dried my hair. Later I put about 20 3-strand twists in with Curls Whipped Cream and jojoba oil (hair was dampened with my sprizter mix: water, aloe vera, & olive oil). I took them down an hour before the ceremony and thats it! I LOVED the results and was completely satisfied

I MISS MY BLOG :( AND MONGOLIAN TIGHT KINKY CURLY HAIR

OMG I have been so busy with school this semester and other things in my life I have not been blogging. I was supposed to show you all an update on my 6 month hair growth since I bc but I was so pressed for time that day I did not get to take any pictures, let alone do all of the things I planned to try on my hair. So a 7 month update will be shown next month to make it up.

I have lot of homework to get done, but I want to share a brief review on the Mongolian tight kinky curly hair that I purchased. Now first off let me say that ONYC is a great company with excellent customer service. I purchased the hair during the labor day sale so I received 10% off on my order. I may the purchase on a Sunday and Monday I received an email confirming my information and I was told they were getting my order ready to ship. I think they shipped it out on Tuesday since Monday was a Holiday but it got to me by Thursday afternoon.  HOW FAST WAS THAT!!! So I was excited and anxious to try the hair out.

I decided to leave a really small section of my naturally curly hair out at the top just enough to cover up the tracks that I split. Oh yeah for those with not so small heads like mine, you probably want to split a good amount of the tracks in the bundle that you will use on the top portion of your hair. When I finished my hair I two strand twisted the hair along with my hair. I had just enough time to take a shower, get dressed, and untwist my hair so I could head out to go to my cousins birthday party. I just knew my hair had come out perfect and It would resemble Corrine Bailey Rae’s natural hair. So I untwisted all the twist and my hair was just as curly as could be and standing up. I would not lay over the tracks because I only have 6 months worth of natural hair because I big chopped. I tried so many things to get my hair to work, pins, eco styler gel, those retro veil head bands etc… nothing was working. This turned into one of those nights where you just wanted to cancel all your plans and stay home. But I had to go support my little cousin since she was turning 21. I stuck on a hat that ruined my outfit. I had to change into something I have not worn in a year and to top it off with this Georgia weather after eating dinner at a restaurant that is outside, the Tight kinky curly hair frizzed up like crazy!!! SMH.

2 days later I redid my hair. I did a full sew in with no natural hair left out. I looked even more ridiculous. I came to realize that I should have purchased the regular Kinky Curly hair instead of the Tight Kinky Curly hair. The hair I purchased was just TOOOOOOOOOO TIght Kinky Curly for me and was not flattering on me. All that money spent and it did not look good on me. Don’t get it twist, the hair itself is beautiful, spot and resembles natural hair. My boyfriend was shocked. He said “The more I see you doing these things with your hair the more I start to think that women in the past that I assumed hair all this hair, was not really theirs.” I wish I could go back in time and purchase the regular kinky curl hair but I cant. So may when I reach the 1 year post bc I will try to use it again and leave some hair out around my whole perimeter. This was such an epic fail for me.

Despite my results with my style, I do recommend this hair and this company to others. ONYC is great and they sale quality hair. I normally purchase Indian hair from other companies online and I have never received the order that fast. ONYC is very profession and the emails were so nice. They send the hair to you in nice black pouches that you can store your hair in after you use it as well as send you information about how to care for and maintain the hair. Just make sure you know which type of kinky curly hair would work best for you.

 

Good luck and Stay Natural

Natural Keke