Hair Care Weblog

Sabrina--

Wow! You earned that A! And you were right to use the reference to 'crackheads', I feel it is an appropriate analogy that seeking to gain the beauty standards of society can be addictive--I've read about people getting plastic surgery and then finding that they can't stop! First a boob job, then eyes done, tummy tuck--all in the name of beauty!

In undergrad I took a 'culture' sociology course and wrote about the importance of hair braiding to ancient Africans and to African-Americans today (even though I was wrapped up in creamy crack every six week still). Some of the handful of black females in the course took offense--I forgave them since they seemed like children to me (after all I was 30-years-old returning to school), but I did earn an A on my essay.

Tobi
Sabrina Gunton <sgunton@...

Trinesha asked:

<<Is there a way we can read you paper you wrote? seems like it would be interesting

It would take me a long time to find it...I think its on a floppy (the computers on campus still take floppies, but my laptop does not), and I have yet to transfer all the important stuff over to a USB stick.

But, in summary this is what I said in the paper:

1--I compared black women's actions to that of crackheads at a crackhouse, winos around a liquor store and smokers standing outside a building in the winter time. I talked about the pathology(of conforming to a standard that we cannot achieve) being passed down thru the generations, affecting boys and girls.

2--suggested an intervention, a hair intervention

3--told of my personal hair journey, and my struggle to convince my sister and her daughters that they were beautiful. The 'Hot Comb Chronicles', where I explained what it was like to get burned(Ouch!--"I didn't do it, your hair holds so much heat--be still!") by my mom every Sunday before going to church (or any important occasion), was humorous, but poignant...

4--provided googobs of statistics(that no one disputed, they were hung up on #1)

5--provided a bit of history

Before the final draft, several women suggested that I leave out the 'crackhead' comment, and all references to drugs, but since I sometimes do the opposite of what is expected, I not only left it in, I placed it in my opening paragraph. I had an argument with a couple of BW who thought I was airing dirty laundry...

For this paper, we had 5 people review and comment...
--1 black male student who was kind of blasé about it all, didn't think it was a big deal, although he did comment that he did like straight hair

--2 white male students who had no clue that black women relaxed their hair. They thought that I (wearing locs) went to the salon to get my hair done. They thought that all the black women on campus (even darker skinned sisters with blond hair) with straight hair was born with that type of hair. They were so surprised that a year later when I bumped into one of them on campus, he said that everytime he saw a black women with long straight hair, he wondered where she got it from. He no longer thought that black people went to a salon to get their hair 'kinked up'.

--1 black female student from South Africa. She said that I didn't understand what it was like, that I didn't know how hard it was to take care of black hair. I wanted to scream: WHAT KIND OF HAIR DO YOU THINK I HAVE? But, I didn't 'cause I realized that no one showed her how to take care of her hair. She also felt bad after reading my paper because she relaxed her daughter's hair, and she knew that it was painful for her little girl.

--1 black female student/American. She didn't say much, just talked about 'freedom of choice', and how 'easy it was'. Never thought there was a negative aspect to chemically changing her hair.

The professor wasn't surprised because she had a black roommate in college and black friends and knew what black women did to themselves in the name of beauty.

I earned a 'A' for this paper.

Sabrina
Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you are a mile away,
and you have their shoes...

I've been using a product called Aesthelance (I'm not sure of the spelling). The fist time I had my hair blown straight at a salon, that is what the stylist used. It's actually a sunscreen for hair but he said it is protects from heat from any source. One detraction, it has mineral oil. I'm looking for something new that doesn't have mineral oil, but I've ben pleased so far.

Please support N.O. Place Like Home by making your online purchases at http://buyforcharity.com . You will find many of your favorite online stores like Barnes & Noble, Baby Gap and Circuit City and N.O. Place Like Home will receive up to 35% of the cost of your purchase. You can also purchase or renew your magazine subscriptions at http://www.magraise.com/NO-Place-Like-Home.html. N.O. Place Like Home will receive 50% of the cost of your subscription.

Be a blessing to someone and you will be blessed

[INLINE] Tamara Gaskins Prosper

Don't give up. Is your hair long enough to pull back into a puff/ponytail? Have you ever put corn rows in the front of your hair and left the back loose? Keep your head up. It's going to work out.

Please support N.O. Place Like Home by making your online purchases at http://buyforcharity.com . You will find many of your favorite online stores like Barnes & Noble, Baby Gap and Circuit City and N.O. Place Like Home will receive up to 35% of the cost of your purchase. You can also purchase or renew your magazine subscriptions at http://www.magraise.com/NO-Place-Like-Home.html. N.O. Place Like Home will receive 50% of the cost of your subscription.

Be a blessing to someone and you will be blessed

[INLINE] Tamara Gaskins Prosper

Tobi,

I got mine two or three years ago from wal*mart in the toy section. One of my friends had told me I could go to Sally's and get one those heads to practice on, but to make sure I get one with kinky hair. (the barbie head has straight hair, which I prefer it didn't have, because I would also like to try to practice some natural hair styles as well.) So I think I might have to investigate Sally's or other beauty supply stores to see what I can find.

best wishes,

Kim
Tobi-Velicia Johnson <tvelicia@...

Before my son decided to let me start locs for him, he wanted cornrows--which I hadn't done in over 20 years. I went to the toy store and bought one of those big barbie heads to practice on. Those things are really hard to find now!

Tobi

Trinesha asked:

<<Is there a way we can read you paper you wrote? seems like it would be interesting

It would take me a long time to find it...I think its on a floppy (the computers on campus still take floppies, but my laptop does not), and I have yet to transfer all the important stuff over to a USB stick.

But, in summary this is what I said in the paper:

1--I compared black women's actions to that of crackheads at a crackhouse, winos around a liquor store and smokers standing outside a building in the winter time. I talked about the pathology(of conforming to a standard that we cannot achieve) being passed down thru the generations, affecting boys and girls.

2--suggested an intervention, a hair intervention

3--told of my personal hair journey, and my struggle to convince my sister and her daughters that they were beautiful. The 'Hot Comb Chronicles', where I explained what it was like to get burned(Ouch!--"I didn't do it, your hair holds so much heat--be still!") by my mom every Sunday before going to church (or any important occasion), was humorous, but poignant...

4--provided googobs of statistics(that no one disputed, they were hung up on #1)

5--provided a bit of history

Before the final draft, several women suggested that I leave out the 'crackhead' comment, and all references to drugs, but since I sometimes do the opposite of what is expected, I not only left it in, I placed it in my opening paragraph. I had an argument with a couple of BW who thought I was airing dirty laundry...

For this paper, we had 5 people review and comment...
--1 black male student who was kind of blasé about it all, didn't think it was a big deal, although he did comment that he did like straight hair

--2 white male students who had no clue that black women relaxed their hair. They thought that I (wearing locs) went to the salon to get my hair done. They thought that all the black women on campus (even darker skinned sisters with blond hair) with straight hair was born with that type of hair. They were so surprised that a year later when I bumped into one of them on campus, he said that everytime he saw a black women with long straight hair, he wondered where she got it from. He no longer thought that black people went to a salon to get their hair 'kinked up'.

--1 black female student from South Africa. She said that I didn't understand what it was like, that I didn't know how hard it was to take care of black hair. I wanted to scream: WHAT KIND OF HAIR DO YOU THINK I HAVE? But, I didn't 'cause I realized that no one showed her how to take care of her hair. She also felt bad after reading my paper because she relaxed her daughter's hair, and she knew that it was painful for her little girl.

--1 black female student/American. She didn't say much, just talked about 'freedom of choice', and how 'easy it was'. Never thought there was a negative aspect to chemically changing her hair.

The professor wasn't surprised because she had a black roommate in college and black friends and knew what black women did to themselves in the name of beauty.

I earned a 'A' for this paper.

Sabrina
Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you are a mile away,
and you have their shoes...

Along with a healthy diet, lots of water, supplementation, stress
management, and sun protection, staying active is an important and
integral part of staying healthy. Read more:
http://www.carefair.com/html/Exercise_and_Aging_Skin_298.html

I know last night I said that I felt rejuvenated after seeing Tammy hair album. Well, that is gone again. Let me tell you why...........................So I call myself trying a new do last night. I washed my hair and rolled it with a little setting lotion and leave in conditioner.( I have to use the products I have at home b/c I don't have the money to buy anything else at this point) I woke up this morning, excited. I took the rollers out. I turned out beautiful. Then I had to figure out how to style it and it went down hill from there. I ran my fingers through it so I could separate the curls and it turned into a mess. I tried everything I could to save it but it just turned into a bigger mess. So I had to go back to my old hair style. Wet the hair and let it curl on its own. Now this is a decent style. It is quick and easy. I'm just tired of wearing it now. I wear my fro' sometimes, but I am just tired of both of them. I am at my wits end now. I just
don't know what to do. I have tried the two strand twists, my hair won't hold them. I've tried box braiding, I look like a fool. I even corn-rolled a few times. In the end, they won't stay braided. They get all puffy and I really hate that. I thought having natural hair would be cool, versatile. It looks like mine is more limited now and I'm feeling like it isn't worth it any more. My hair texture is naturally curly and soft. Like the long "S" curls. My husband doesn't want me to go back to perms anymore, but I'm almost there. I need some help/advice. I know I'm at a crucial point in my natural hair experience. I'm about to enter my 8th month in a couple of days.

Almost in Tears,

Trina

Kimmy--

Your hair IS growing pretty fast--hair grows about 1/2 inch a month, so it sounds like your hair is growing as it should. I know that sometimes we can feel 'bald' for a while-- when I took pictures of my locs in April 2005, my hair seemed really short, but by December 2005 (when I took more pictures), eight months later, there seemed to suddenly be all this length!

Now, it seems I haven't gained much growth since December, and it's been a long seven months. I do know that hair does have a 'resting stage', so maybe that's what I'm going through now.

Also, when you keep track of your hair's growth through photos, you can really tell the difference.

Tobi
All Class Lady <AllClsLady@...

The biggest thing I've noticed is that with relaxed hair it always seemed to take a full two years for my hair to grow out! From super short to 12-13 inches, it would take 2 yrs. I see the pictures of everyone and watch the time lines, our hair is so healthy and grows so fast NATURAL. You can't force a person to do what they dont' want to do. You could not get me to do a TWA to save my life last summer. As my stylist said, Kimmy can't go outside without her hair. My mom tried to convince me to cut out my braids July 05 and just get a TWA and I couldn't. Now shoot I wish I had an album too, I'm wearing a TWA today because I did a wash and go (that some serious shrinkage). When I got my hair blowdried for my interview last week I swear I had NO IDEA how long my hair was...that was WEdnesday night, Saturday morning I was back nappy and happy.

It takes something for everyone, some people never see the light cause for them it may not be a light for them to see. For me, my hair had to fall out...and that still wasn't good enough. It was wearing that dag on wig between braids and missing my appt cause of lack of funds that made me see the light. I have never ever ever been happier either.

Kimmy

Ok, am I doing something wrong? Am I supposed to start my twists with braids? I didn't know that, is that why they don't last as long?

Learn something new everyday

Kimmy

What protective cream or lotion do you use?

1. Re: Heat and Straightening
Posted by: "Tamara Prosper" tgprosper@...
Date: Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:36 am (PDT)
When I blow dry or straighten my hair I don't use the highest
setting. I use just enough heat to get it straight and I always
use a protective cream or lotion before applying heat. Also, I
don't let the heat appliance stay in one place on my hair for
more than a few seconds. I always keep it moving. I'm just very
careful.

Before my son decided to let me start locs for him, he wanted cornrows--which I hadn't done in over 20 years. I went to the toy store and bought one of those big barbie heads to practice on. Those things are really hard to find now!

Tobi
Kimberly Shaw <shortycocoa@...

Kitty,

Great pictures! I am in a styling rut and your album gave me some great ideas. For the longest time I have wanted to learn how to braid and cornrow, and now I am trying to teach myself how. I attempted to braid earlier this week and it didn't work out. Then I tried again last night after practicing a little bit on my barbie head to grasp the concept. (i'm an audio visual learner so simple instructions alone don't really work for me most of the time when i'm learning a new skill). It definitely takes time, but I am determined not to give up! How do you get the twists to stay? I tried twisting my hair like that and it seemed like it looked alright, but after a few minutes they swelled up and came undone so I just put something to tie my hair back with on, made a puff, and called it a day. I also would like to try color but I do not want any chemicals on my hair. Is that a rinse you have? I think that is the way I would like to go, but I'm still researching natural
coloring methods.

best wishes,

Kim

Honestly I would suggest next time leaving them in longer. My hair hand broke off pretty bad on year and I got micros. I had them in about 3 months, it was summer so I constantly wet my hair. Anyway when I took them down I had quiet a bit of hair come out but after a was and condition I notice all the hair the had broke off months before was back and longer.
Love and other indoor sports
kitty smith
kitty's quote of the week
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you're
probably the executioner. (Elden Carnahan, Laurel)
+
Every dog has his day. Of course, his day consists of smelling other
dogs' butts. (Mark Briscoe, Arlington)
Facebook | Jazmine 'thepointis' Williams' Photos â the life of my natural hair
this is my hair album. I'm too lazy to create on a different website so i just made one on facebook

Kitty,

Great pictures! I am in a styling rut and your album gave me some great ideas. For the longest time I have wanted to learn how to braid and cornrow, and now I am trying to teach myself how. I attempted to braid earlier this week and it didn't work out. Then I tried again last night after practicing a little bit on my barbie head to grasp the concept. (i'm an audio visual learner so simple instructions alone don't really work for me most of the time when i'm learning a new skill). It definitely takes time, but I am determined not to give up! How do you get the twists to stay? I tried twisting my hair like that and it seemed like it looked alright, but after a few minutes they swelled up and came undone so I just put something to tie my hair back with on, made a puff, and called it a day. I also would like to try color but I do not want any chemicals on my hair. Is that a rinse you have? I think that is the way I would like to go, but I'm still researching natural
coloring methods.

best wishes,

Kim

Honestly I would suggest next time leaving them in longer. My hair hand broke off pretty bad on year and I got micros. I had them in about 3 months, it was summer so I constantly wet my hair. Anyway when I took them down I had quiet a bit of hair come out but after a was and condition I notice all the hair the had broke off months before was back and longer.
Love and other indoor sports
kitty smith
kitty's quote of the week
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you're
probably the executioner. (Elden Carnahan, Laurel)
+
Every dog has his day. Of course, his day consists of smelling other
dogs' butts. (Mark Briscoe, Arlington)
Facebook | Jazmine 'thepointis' Williams' Photos â the life of my natural hair
this is my hair album. I'm too lazy to create on a different website so i just made one on facebook

Tobi,

I do indeed remember this incident you shared with us and the post. I still remember it today! I hope that your family has come around a little, but if not, then maybe they will in time. I don't know if I had asked back when you first posted the story, but what does the lemon rinse do for your hair? I know some of the ladies discussed the benefits of using lemon juice to lighten your hair, but did you use the lemon juice rinse on your aunt's hair for another purpose we just don't know about?

best wishes,

Kim

Tobi-Velicia Johnson <tvelicia@...

Kim, you are so right. Your post reminded me of the experience I had this past Christmas Eve with my mother. I don't know if you saw it, but today I was able to do a search on the website and found it. It's kind of long, though:

I had an experience recently with not just my mother, but my sister as well. I have mentioned many times how I wasn't allowed to perm my hair until I was 18, and now my sister not only perms her hair, but my nieces' hair as well. (I'm always confusing their ages, but they are both under 12.) My mother's hair is natural, but she presses it and sometimes wears wigs. She stopped relaxing because her hair was becoming severely damaged after 30 years of perms.

This situation happened this past Christmas Eve, the day we had our family dinner. My aunt (mother's sister), was visiting, along with other family members.
At the dinner table, my mother noticed that I'm starting to get a little gray. (She has almost no gray hair!) I told her that I get my hair colored every month by my stylist with natural hair colorants. My sister (who is younger than I) says, "Well, when I start going gray, I'm not going to put chemicals in my hair to dye it--I'll just be all natural!" I asked her how was she "all natural" if she is still relaxing her hair?

Unfortunately, my mother tends to "side" with my sister and says that she was planning on going back to perms because she joined a gym recently. I feel my mother only said that because she doesn't want my sister to feel bad about what I said, and also because my sister perms her childrens' hair.

That wasn't the worst part of the "dinner". My sister proceeds to talk about how "nappy" my aunt's hair is. My aunt had a stroke some years back, and lives in an assisted-living apartment. Needless to say, they are not taking good care of her natural hair.

My aunt's face just fell. Although she can't communicate as well as she used to, she can definitely understand everything. I know she was hurt by what my sister said.

So, after dinner, I washed my aunt's hair. But I was so disappointed in how my mother acted! She grudgingly handed me her bottle of Cream of Nature shampoo [I know someone wrote recently about the chemicals in C of N, but I didn't know about them then]. After I washed my aunt's hair, which was now in beautiful, soft curls and waves, I asked my mother to give me a lemon, so I could make a lemon juice rinse. My mother says, "Oh, I don't have any more lemons." Ladies, when I arrived at my mother's house that day, there was a whole bowl on them on the counter. And there was nothing with lemons in it during dinner! No lemonade either!

Her husband went to the refrigerator and gave me the bottle of RealLemon, which I mixed with water and made a rinse. Then I asked my mother for some light hair oil, or a leave-in conditioner and she claimed she had none. My mother's hair is natural--most of us with natural hair, regardless of how curly/wavy/kinky it is will need some sort of oil sometimes. I'm certain she had something I could have used, but I just let it go.

Instead, I took the bottle of olive oil out of the cabinet and lightly oiled my aunt's hair and braided it in small braids. Then, using adding water to each braid, I wrapped each braid around my finger, forming coils. (I was trying to make the braids look more uniform--my aunt's hair was very uneven, and she didn't want it cut at all, although there were a couple "locks" matted into the back which I had to cut off).

After I finished my aunt's hair, I brought her a mirror. She kept looking at herself, smiling, and patting her hair. She seemed very pleased with her style, and was smiling for the rest of the evening.

I am just really disappointed in how my family acted. I think I'm a little more understanding of my sister; she has always had issues about her hair, skin color, etc., but I just can't believe how my mother acted toward her own sister.

When I posted this, I had felt such shame about how my family acted, but I felt so much better after getting a lot of support from this group.

Tobi

So today I was feeling a little weak. I told my hubby I was ready to give up on this natural hair thing. I told him I was ready to go back. Then I got on line and saw your hair and I'm back now. I'm ready to continue this fight to stay natural. You hair is so beautiful. You were an inspiration for me. I was actually preparing mysefl to get some relaxer. I am so glad that I got online first. Thanks a bunch.

Trina._,___

Hi Tobi ,

It is good for you to express what happened with your family, writing it down and sharing with the Group will help you heal and God's Blessing is upon you for the care and love you showed your Aunt. Pray for your family members and try not to judge them, most of all forgive them. I know how it feels , I have been there.

God Bless

Storme

LV--

You've made a lot of progress and you have inspired us all with your website about your journey, hair products and your amazing comic strip.

Tobi
Kimberly Shaw <shortycocoa@...

Diego2Memphis,

Happy naturalversary! Doesn't it feel great? What did you do to celebrate? Your hair looks fabulous!
Diego2Memphis <diego2memphis@midsouth.rr.com

1) How many years have you been natural today? 1 Year
2) Did you Big Chop? Yes down to less than an inch
3) If yes, how did you feel afterward? FREE!!!
4) If you transitioned, how did you feel when
you were finally all natural? N/A
5) What was your greatest motivation to go natural? As a stay-at-home mom, I was tired of spending money that I didnt have on relaxers. I never liked the salon experience anyway, so I began looking for an alternative to relaxing.
6) What are some styles you're excited about trying in the coming year? Longer two-strand twists and an even bigger
afro!
7) Do you have a hair role model? Not really, I do not compare my hair to other peoples. I just let my hair do what it do. If yes, who? N/A
8) What are your favorite hair care products, regimen and style? I use distilled water mixed with a little live-in conditioner and oil. The other products I use do not make much of a difference with my hair. I just keep it simple.
9)
How have you changed since going natural? I think about the line in India Aries song that asks, Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person? And Id have to answer, Yes! I am more confident now that I am natural. I feel more attractive! I smile more. I could go on and on. Overall, I feel that I am a better person than I was when relaxed.
10) What has been your hardest or most rewarding lesson learned since going natural? It did not take me long after cutting off the relaxer to love my hair. As a matter of fact, I think I was in-love with it as soon as the relaxed hair hit the floor. I have the type of hair that is very thick/kinky and is typically the type of hair
that people feel has to be relaxed to be managed. Well I love stomping a hole in that theory, because even hair as thick and kinky as mine is beautiful in its natural form!!!

--LV Burns

[INLINE] Here I am the night before my BC and the morning after my BC (July 25^th & July 26^th 2005)
[INLINE] [INLINE] Here are the back and sides of my hair when I first BCed.
[INLINE] [INLINE] [INLINE] My hair 1 year later!
My Hair Journey: http://www.cbpublish.com/myhairjourney.htm
My Journey Through the Lengths: http://www.cbpublish.com/lengthjourney.htm
Val & Nadine Comic Strip: http://valandnadine.blogspot.com/

I stay on the south side too. I am off of tara blvd.
"Miss Angela S. Cook" <prosperousone2004@...

I'm in Atlanta as well. I decided to go natural on 3/8/06! I haven't cut my permed hair - I'm transitioning. I've decided to cut whatever is left either at the end of this year, or by March 2007. I currently have 2 inches of new growth. Where exactly in Atlanta are you? I'm on the south side for now.

Priscilla,

I posted about the creme of nature shampoo months ago after discovering it had sodium hydroxide in it. Ever since that moment, I stopped using it cold turkey. If I didn't want it on my hair anymore as a means to straighten it, I certainly wasn't going to continue using it after I went natural. And the thing about it is there is nothing natural about sodium hydroxide! Unbeknownst to me, I used this shampoo off and on while I was a permie and after I decided to transition. It helped with combing my hair out. I guess that was the sodium hydroxide at work. This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't use it. It totally defeats the purpose of going natural. If you think about it, when you get your hair relaxed, the stylist rinses the creamy crack out of your hair and then uses a neutralizing shampoo to stop the chemicals from working. But how does the sodium hydroxide "stop" working when it is in the Creme of Nature shampoo? Is it thinning people's hair over time after
repeated use???? I don't know about you, but that's a scary thought to me. As far as I know, there isn't sodium hydroxide in the Creme of Nature conditioner. I checked the bottle, but maybe I need to triple check. At any rate, maybe you should try the no-poo method (washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo.) That should help cut down your expenses a little and save your hair at the same time. Or you could make a paste out of baking soda and water and wash your hair with that. I recently tried it after the ladies shared that tidbit of information here. I was very pleased with the results. However, if you still feel the need to shampoo, try looking for ones that don't have harsh detergents in it. And no matter what the bottle says, don't wash your hair twice. It is really not necessary. The hair care companies sell you this lie so you can buy more of their products. I posted these links below back in the winter. Maybe this will help put things
into perspective. I don't remember my exact chemical contamination score, but I know it was absurdly high.

http://www.becomeorganic.com/

http://www.unicure.com/unicure2/shampoo.htm -not endorsing their products and have not tried their products, but I thought the information about shampoo was interesting. It helped me better understand the no-poo method.

http://reactor-core.org/shampoo-scam.html

best wishes,

Kim
priscillaclute <priscillaclute@...

Hello ladies. It seems like a few of you really like the Cream of
Nature shampoo. I've been experimenting with a few natural ones but
haven't really been thrilled about the results. So, I thought I'd try
the CON shampoo. When checking out the ingredients, I noticed it has
sodium hydroxide - the same ingredient in relaxers. It's towards the
end of the list but I'm still leary about using it. Has anyone
noticed that using this shampoo changed their texture? I'd also
appreciate any other shampoo suggestions that won't break the bank.

Wow Thanks L.V.

I could not believe some of the horror stories that I read about straightening on napptruallity. Now I am even more afraid of heat. I'm glad I read the posts because they did satisfy and cure my curiosity. I also believe that different hair textures react differently to heat. From reading the posts it seems as if the tighter the curl the more risk you have of losing them from heat. Even if there is a chance that mine will bounce back afterward, I'm not willing to take the risk.

Wow! Thanks L.V. I was just thinking about trying the blow dryer, just to see how long my hair was. I am sure glad I checked in.

Roxanne Ravenel

Founder & Chief Executive DiVA

Virtual DiVAs

Set Your Inner DiVA Free

www.VirtualDiVAs.org

Email: Support@...

Join Virtual DiVAs for the Fr*e Teleclass

Cleanse Thy Temple - Why You Might be a Toxic DiVA

With Terri Gibbons

on Wednesday, July 26^th at 7:30PM EST

Check out my Fotki Album at: http://public.fotki.com/virtualdiva/

I'm trying to put two strand twists in my daughter's hair. It works fine until I end the braid and try to start the twist. I can never get it tight and I end up with a braid, then a puffy area, then a nice twist at the end. Help me fix it.

[INLINE]
This is one my oldest daughter put in. She has never done an extention in her life! Look how good it looks. Not a puff on it. Looks good fro start to finish.

[INLINE]
This is one of mine. You can see at the root, I braided down about a 1/2 inch. You can see where the twist begins, it goes down about an inch and then puffs.

[INLINE]
There is that one puff again.

[INLINE]
Puff! I tried going slower and paying more attention to detail. I tried pulling it tighter. Nothing worked.

Hi Rashona--

I loved your Angela Davis 'fro! And it was a good idea to start your locs with braids--it will make the process easier.

Tobi
mommyof2babies4sho <rara4237@...

Greetings sistas,
My name is Rashonda and I am kinda new here. I started my loc journey
yesterday and I am so excited. I started out by doing one-strand
twists on my hair about a week and a half ago but I wasn't confident
with the results. So, long story short, I braided my head in small
individual braids and I will let it lock this way. I saw some other
peoples braid loc results and it looked nice. I hope mine turns out
the way I want it to.
Please feel free to view my Fotki album and tell me if this looks like
a good way to start the locs. Also, I need some good tips on how to
maintain this until and after it locks.
http://public.fotki.com/soulfullysoulful/
Peace and blessings to all,
Rashonda

Kim, you are so right. Your post reminded me of the experience I had this past Christmas Eve with my mother. I don't know if you saw it, but today I was able to do a search on the website and found it. It's kind of long, though:

I had an experience recently with not just my mother, but my sister as well. I have mentioned many times how I wasn't allowed to perm my hair until I was 18, and now my sister not only perms her hair, but my nieces' hair as well. (I'm always confusing their ages, but they are both under 12.) My mother's hair is natural, but she presses it and sometimes wears wigs. She stopped relaxing because her hair was becoming severely damaged after 30 years of perms.

This situation happened this past Christmas Eve, the day we had our family dinner. My aunt (mother's sister), was visiting, along with other family members.

At the dinner table, my mother noticed that I'm starting to get a little gray. (She has almost no gray hair!) I told her that I get my hair colored every month by my stylist with natural hair colorants. My sister (who is younger than I) says, "Well, when I start going gray, I'm not going to put chemicals in my hair to dye it--I'll just be all natural!" I asked her how was she "all natural" if she is still relaxing her hair?

Unfortunately, my mother tends to "side" with my sister and says that she was planning on going back to perms because she joined a gym recently. I feel my mother only said that because she doesn't want my sister to feel bad about what I said, and also because my sister perms her childrens' hair.

That wasn't the worst part of the "dinner". My sister proceeds to talk about how "nappy" my aunt's hair is. My aunt had a stroke some years back, and lives in an assisted-living apartment. Needless to say, they are not taking good care of her natural hair.

My aunt's face just fell. Although she can't communicate as well as she used to, she can definitely understand everything. I know she was hurt by what my sister said.

So, after dinner, I washed my aunt's hair. But I was so disappointed in how my mother acted! She grudgingly handed me her bottle of Cream of Nature shampoo [I know someone wrote recently about the chemicals in C of N, but I didn't know about them then]. After I washed my aunt's hair, which was now in beautiful, soft curls and waves, I asked my mother to give me a lemon, so I could make a lemon juice rinse. My mother says, "Oh, I don't have any more lemons." Ladies, when I arrived at my mother's house that day, there was a whole bowl on them on the counter. And there was nothing with lemons in it during dinner! No lemonade either!

Her husband went to the refrigerator and gave me the bottle of RealLemon, which I mixed with water and made a rinse. Then I asked my mother for some light hair oil, or a leave-in conditioner and she claimed she had none. My mother's hair is natural--most of us with natural hair, regardless of how curly/wavy/kinky it is will need some sort of oil sometimes. I'm certain she had something I could have used, but I just let it go.

Instead, I took the bottle of olive oil out of the cabinet and lightly oiled my aunt's hair and braided it in small braids. Then, using adding water to each braid, I wrapped each braid around my finger, forming coils. (I was trying to make the braids look more uniform--my aunt's hair was very uneven, and she didn't want it cut at all, although there were a couple "locks" matted into the back which I had to cut off).

After I finished my aunt's hair, I brought her a mirror. She kept looking at herself, smiling, and patting her hair. She seemed very pleased with her style, and was smiling for the rest of the evening.

I am just really disappointed in how my family acted. I think I'm a little more understanding of my sister; she has always had issues about her hair, skin color, etc., but I just can't believe how my mother acted toward her own sister.

When I posted this, I had felt such shame about how my family acted, but I felt so much better after getting a lot of support from this group.

Tobi

Kimberly Shaw <shortycocoa@...

ladies, i personally feel like this all boils down to being educated and informed. I know we have all heard the saying, "don't believe the
hype," but it is so true. Especially nowadays. If we believe the hype we will fall for everything, and ultimately our hair will pay the
price. It's important to always read the labels and do the research. When I was looking at miss jessie's website, I had these same thoughts
about the "silkener". I admit I enjoy looking at other women's hair journeys and transformations from relaxed to natural. However, I
couldn't understand why some of these women were using the "silkener" to enhance something that is already beautiful. And the more I read up
about it, the more it did sound like nothing more than a glorified relaxer. It just saddens me when I think about how misinformed we are
about our race and the things we should know about, such as how to take care of our hair. An example of this is when I was transitioning and
reading up on natural hair care. I told one of my friends, who is a permie, why I didn't want to relax my hair. I talked about sodium
hydroxide and used the whole nair and drano analogy to get my point across. She told me that myslef and other women in general could just
use a relaxer with no lye or a milder relaxer. I again stood my ground and explained to her that it is all lies that the hair care companies
push to sell their products to uninformed consumers. It doesn't mean that the product works or that it's the truth, it just means that their
marketing campaign is on point. I even gave her several books to read on how to take care of her relaxed hair and she disregarded everything
in the book. Then she went on to tell me that I shouldn't cut my relaxed hair, I should just grow it out, exclaiming "girl you know how long
it takes for us to have (grow) hair!" I thought that cutting it was the best option and at the time could not deal with a long transition so
i ultimately went for it. But before that she was telling me the other heresay that some women believe, which was that I could use denorex
(sp?) shampoo to "strip the perm" from my hair faster. At that point I was tired of explaining the truths and debunking the myths so there
came a time when I started to just "smile and nod." Now days after my haircut in december she admired my very short hair. So I was telling
her she could do it too, and she started up again with what Diego2Memphis brought to light as the "permie excuses." (e.g. something to the
effect of 'so ***** (her fiance) could break up with my a$$? No, I don't think so.) And my other friend was also admiring my hair, and I
turned to her and said, you could do it too and have beautiful natural hair. She set in with another "permie excuse." (e.g. i don't have
the right shaped head for that.) This choice was a personal choice for me, and it's not about being hostile towards the ladies who do decide
to relax their hair, so at that time I accepted that people are always going to have their values and opinions when it comes to hair, no
matter how wrong or incorrect it may seem to us. At this point I just agree to disagree with any permie who thinks she is enlightening me,
because I know in my mind it is the other way around.

best wishes,

Kim

Keep us posted on cause I am debating starting locs but I never thought to start with braids...I was going to start with single strand twists. I will be interest to know how everything workout for you so keep me posted :)
mommyof2babies4sho <rara4237@...

Greetings sistas,
My name is Rashonda and I am kinda new here. I started my loc journey
yesterday and I am so excited. I started out by doing one-strand
twists on my hair about a week and a half ago but I wasn't confident
with the results. So, long story short, I braided my head in small
individual braids and I will let it lock this way. I saw some other
peoples braid loc results and it looked nice. I hope mine turns out
the way I want it to.
Please feel free to view my Fotki album and tell me if this looks like
a good way to start the locs. Also, I need some good tips on how to
maintain this until and after it locks.
http://public.fotki.com/soulfullysoulful/
Peace and blessings to all,
Rashonda

Trinesha [INLINE]

I'm in Atlanta as well. I decided to go natural on 3/8/06! I haven't cut my permed hair - I'm transitioning. I've decided to cut whatever is left either at the end of this year, or by March 2007. I currently have 2 inches of new growth. Where exactly in Atlanta are you? I'm on the south side for now.

That was an interesting story... sounds similar to what I have went through minus the locs cause I haven't taken the loc journey yet. I received more flack from black women regarding My choice to go natural more so then any other people or gender... I was constantly on the defense when I first started out.

Is there a way we can read you paper you wrote? seems like it would be interesting
Sabrina Gunton <sgunton@...

Kim,
Yes, I relaxed my hair when I went into bootcamp. They told me that my hair was too long and too thick to control. This was 1980, I was scared, it was my first time away from home, and they yelled at us ALL the time.

When I was older, I wanted to wear my hair cut close, but my Chief (at one of my duty stations)told me that it would be considered 'eccentric' and against regs. Although 'eccentric' is in the eye of the beholder, I didn't want to test it.

Just before I got out, I stopped living the lye and sported 2 strand twists. It was always my intention to go back to a natural state. Now, from what I understand, the military (all branches) are a bit more flexible when it comes to natural hair. It's about time!

Everybody freaked when I went into locs...thought my mom would have a heart attack,(she had a hard time when I went nappy). At work, folks wanted to know if my husband would 'let' me loc up, and when I told them he thought it was great, they thought he was crazy. Their reactions are part of the pathology that we have about ourselves--sort of a long-term, collective 'Stockholm syndrome' sort of thing.

When I decided to finish my education and go back to college, I had to deal with people touching my hair and asking (sometimes stupid) questions. When I wrote a paper on black women and their hair, it upset some people (mostly black women). I have never been a 'hair' person; that is, one who is paranoid about having it cut (I've done the BC more than once--it grows back), or having it long, or having it straight. I've always been inner-directed and not that concerned about what folks think about my hair (or anything else about me).

I cut my locs off after my mom died on Mother's Day, 2004. She never liked them, and they started to feel very, very heavy. Every time I looked at them, I thought about her. I'm back to 2 strand twists, and need to get my hair cut evenly so that I can wear a nicely shaped 'fro.

I have talked my sisters and a couple of friends into going natural. Since I've never had hair issues, I had to be extra patient/understanding about how they were feeling. One of them has gone back--this time to a texturizer, but I haven't said anything--she's very old school and there is probably nothing that would convince her to stay natural.

Thanks for the welcome,
Sabrina

Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you are a mile away,
and you have their shoes...

Trinesha [INLINE]

Enjoyed the pics.

Wish I would have kept a detailed journey (4 yrs now) of my locks.

You and your Mom are beautiful!

Diego2Memphis <diego2memphis@...

Welcome to the group Sabrina!
My Hair Journey: http://www.cbpublish.com/myhairjourney.htm
My Journey Through the Lengths: http://www.cbpublish.com/lengthjourney.htm
Val & Nadine Comic Strip: http://valandnadine.blogspot.com/

What's your screen name? Au Natural
City/State? Atlanta, GA
Loose, loced, or transitioning? Loose & loving it!
How long has your hair been like it is? March 28, 2006
How long is your hair? Approx 4-5 inches. I am a 3c & have a head full of spirally curls
What are your 3 favorite products? Elasta QP Mango Butter, Motions Critical Protection Repair (CPR) Shampoo & Conditioner & Taaliah Waajid Lock it Up (for 2-strand twisting)
What are your 3 favorite styles? I'm newly transitioned & have only tried a few styles, but I really like braid-outs, 2-strand twists & twist-outs!
Do you style your hair at home, or go to a salon? Home
If you go to a salon, which one? Salon Me Casa :D
What is/has been your toughest hair struggle, physical or mental? It was definitely mental, b/c I was so attached to my relaxed hair. I found that as black women, ppl tend to associate our beauty with our hair. But once I decided it was time to let go of the permed hair (all 13 inches), it was just time. I haven't looked back since!
Are you natural for life? Why or why not? YES!!! This has been the most liberating experience & is truly the best thing for my hair. I can even go swimming & on vacation w/o having to worry about my hair! And to top it off, my hair is naturally curly and I HAD NO IDEA!!!!
What do you hope to gain from the group? I love to learn & love to share info as well. So it will be a give and take relationship...I promise! :x

Hello ladies. It seems like a few of you really like the Cream of
Nature shampoo. I've been experimenting with a few natural ones but
haven't really been thrilled about the results. So, I thought I'd try
the CON shampoo. When checking out the ingredients, I noticed it has
sodium hydroxide - the same ingredient in relaxers. It's towards the
end of the list but I'm still leary about using it. Has anyone
noticed that using this shampoo changed their texture? I'd also
appreciate any other shampoo suggestions that won't break the bank.

Kim,

Yes, I relaxed my hair when I went into bootcamp. They told me that my hair was too long and too thick to control. This was 1980, I was scared, it was my first time away from home, and they yelled at us ALL the time.

When I was older, I wanted to wear my hair cut close, but my Chief (at one of my duty stations)told me that it would be considered 'eccentric' and against regs. Although 'eccentric' is in the eye of the beholder, I didn't want to test it.

Just before I got out, I stopped living the lye and sported 2 strand twists. It was always my intention to go back to a natural state. Now, from what I understand, the military (all branches) are a bit more flexible when it comes to natural hair. It's about time!

Everybody freaked when I went into locs...thought my mom would have a heart attack,(she had a hard time when I went nappy). At work, folks wanted to know if my husband would 'let' me loc up, and when I told them he thought it was great, they thought he was crazy. Their reactions are part of the pathology that we have about ourselves--sort of a long-term, collective 'Stockholm syndrome' sort of thing.

When I decided to finish my education and go back to college, I had to deal with people touching my hair and asking (sometimes stupid) questions. When I wrote a paper on black women and their hair, it upset some people (mostly black women). I have never been a 'hair' person; that is, one who is paranoid about having it cut (I've done the BC more than once--it grows back), or having it long, or having it straight. I've always been inner-directed and not that concerned about what folks think about my hair (or anything else about me).

I cut my locs off after my mom died on Mother's Day, 2004. She never liked them, and they started to feel very, very heavy. Every time I looked at them, I thought about her. I'm back to 2 strand twists, and need to get my hair cut evenly so that I can wear a nicely shaped 'fro.

I have talked my sisters and a couple of friends into going natural. Since I've never had hair issues, I had to be extra patient/understanding about how they were feeling. One of them has gone back--this time to a texturizer, but I haven't said anything--she's very old school and there is probably nothing that would convince her to stay natural.

Thanks for the welcome,

Sabrina

Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you are a mile away,
and you have their shoes...

Anytime I used to get braids with extensions, my roots of my hair that
was not braided would be knotted up then when taking the braids out, I
would have knots. When combing my hair I would have to try and comb
the knot through the hair shaft which would cause a lot of breakage.
The only way I found to combat this is to let someone take my braids
out for me. They could see my head better and had a lot more patience
than I did.

Greetings sistas,
My name is Rashonda and I am kinda new here. I started my loc journey
yesterday and I am so excited. I started out by doing one-strand
twists on my hair about a week and a half ago but I wasn't confident
with the results. So, long story short, I braided my head in small
individual braids and I will let it lock this way. I saw some other
peoples braid loc results and it looked nice. I hope mine turns out
the way I want it to.
Please feel free to view my Fotki album and tell me if this looks like
a good way to start the locs. Also, I need some good tips on how to
maintain this until and after it locks.
http://public.fotki.com/soulfullysoulful/
Peace and blessings to all,
Rashonda

Wow! Thanks L.V. I was just thinking about trying the blow dryer, just to see how long my hair was. I am sure glad I checked in.

Roxanne Ravenel

Founder & Chief Executive DiVA

Virtual DiVAs

Set Your Inner DiVA Free

www.VirtualDiVAs.org

Email: Support@...

Join Virtual DiVAs for the Fr*e Teleclass -

Cleanse Thy Temple - Why You Might be a Toxic DiVA

With Terri Gibbons

on Wednesday, July 26^th at 7:30PM EST

Check out my Fotki Album at: http://public.fotki.com/virtualdiva/

Fyi...since we are talking about products...
Peace, Nneka

Hi Kim & Ladies
I totally agree with you on this Pantene Relaxed & Natural Line of
products. How can they market the same product to different hair
textures? I have been saying that long before I went natural. I too
am a product junkie! For me it doesn't matter if I have stuff left-
over, I just keep trying new things. But I am pleased with the
Pantene Hydrating Curls - Shampoo, Conditioner & Mask. The leave-in
conditioner makes my hair a little hard. I tried mixing it with
Carol's Daughter's Tui Oil, but I couldn't tell if it made a
difference. I have only been using the Hydrating Curls since I went
natural at the recommendations from the ladies on this site.
However, it does not work as well for my daughter and when my hair
gets longer, I don't know if it will continue to make my hair soft
and fluffy. Time will tell! :)
Have a Great Day! Jolie~

I'm with you on this one. I am also afraid to let a blow dryer or any other type of heat near my head. I don't know if you're familiar with the nappturality website, but they have a whole forum, called the hot comb & blow dryer archive, dedicated to this very subject. Check it out when you get a chance: http://www.nappturality.com/forum/index.php?showforum=53 .

--LV

My Hair Journey: http://www.cbpublish.com/myhairjourney.htm

My Journey Through the Lengths: http://www.cbpublish.com/lengthjourney.htm

Val & Nadine Comic Strip: http://valandnadine.blogspot.com/

Hi Roxanne!
I have used/use Herbal Rosemary Mint Shampoo, Tui Oil, Hair Milk, Tui
Hair Smoothie, Mango Melange'Bath/Body Oil, Mango Melange Soap, and
Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner. I am pretty satisfied with all
the products except the Hair Smoothie. I used it today on my
daughter's hair and it did not do anything but make it rough. But it
may just be the type of hair she has. I also wanted to try the Gel de
Solee Bronzing Oil, but I haven't gotten around to making that
purchase yet. I bought most of it off the Carol's Daughter web-site,
but Sephora.com has the same items plus a more depth description of
the products. Good Luck!
Jolie

Thanks, Awo!

awoesq <awoesq@...

For whatever it's worth, below is an article which investigated
whether CVS indeed puts special security tags on black hair care
products. The article basically concludes that black hair care
products are not being targeted.
Blessings,
Awo
Urban Legend: Does CVS Put Security Tags Only on Black-Hair Products?
By Brenda Velez
© 2006 DiversityInc.com®
July 26, 2006
DiversityInc has received an e-mail that's been circulating,
claiming CVS has been putting security tags on black-hair products
only and that this is a form of racial discrimination.
Is it true? Here's what we found out:
The e-mailed chain letter is a first-person account of a shopper who
claims to have gone to an unnamed CVS to investigate if the "news
reports of this national drug-store profiling African Americans by
placing anti-theft devices on only black-hair-care products were
valid." The e-mail says that after looking at both expensive and
inexpensive products for both blacks and whites, only the black-hair-
care products had anti-theft devices on them. The writer then
describes how a confrontation over the matter left the store's
manager like a "deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car"
and closes with a vow to spread the word of how CVS discriminates
against black people.
Initial research led to several message boards debunking the rumor,
but we decided to check for ourselves. After combing the aisles of
nearly a dozen CVS stores in various locations throughout New York
City and New Jerseyin predominantly white, Latino and black
neighborhoodsthere was no evidence that products made for one
particular race were targeted.
But the issue was about black-hair-care products, and we did find
some CVS stores, including three in New York City and two in
northern New York suburbs, that had black-hair-care products,
including curl-relaxer kits, tagged. These same stores, however,
also had other non-ethnic-hair products, such as more expensive hair-
care salon shampoos, tagged for security.
CVS denies the allegation and a spokesperson offered this
analogy: "Men's shaving razors are stolen at a much higher rate than
women's. Because of this, they are commonly placed in the rattling
displays whereas women's are not," says CVS corporate spokesperson
Mike DeAngelis, who has received the same e-mail on black-hair-care
products from customers and other sources. "Does this mean we are
being discriminatory to women? No, they are just stolen much more
frequently and I honestly do not know why, but that is what our data
has shown."
All CVS stores have security measures, he says. Every store has
security cameras, electronic article-surveillance systems (the
magnetic checkpoints at each entrance), and a large portion of items
throughout stores are tagged with magnetic strips. Some stores we
visited had security guards while others had products behind locked
displays. After speaking with CVS employees and store managers, we
learned that items are marked with strips based on theft patterns
for each store.

Come and visit me! http://eiyanainblueink.blogspot.com

that was cute and thought provoking in many ways.

Just like the clouds we are all so unique and beautiful.

We come in all shapes and sizes.

When we need answers we look in different directions

some look up to God for spiritual guidance.

Some look up to determine an umbrella or sunblock protection.

But when it comes to beauty

Look within you

Do you

listen to the inner you

Love you

blue_duchess <blue_duchess@...

If any of you read or watch the 'Boondocks' cartoon, you will get a
real good laugh at yesterday's strip. Here's the link:

I noticed that a lot of you guys sometimes straighten your hair when I browsing through your albums. It doesn't seem to be doing any damage. But it does seem like your hair seems to stay a little more stretched than normal when it reverts back. (Is this true)

I am so afraid of heat damage that I won't even go near a blow dryer. I really don't want to burn my hair. (Am I over reacting)

I don't like getting microbraids with natural hair, it doesnt last long, and it gets tangeled after taking it out. i'm try kinky twists also, maybe they will last longer, ,and the process of taking them out may not be as damaging.
whanny597 <whanny5@...

Ok I just toook my micros out and there is sooooo much hair coming
out....I know I know it is because I have not combed my hair in 5 weeks
and it is all dead hair but it is sooooo depressing. My hair also
seems shorter maybe it is just excess shrinkage today. I took each
braid out individually because I was scared of getting my hair
tangled...it took sooooooooooooooo long I was ready to just leave it
half braided cause we were just so tired of taking it out....LOL anyway
does anybody have any micro braid advise? I think I will get kinky
twists in a few weeks....I just want something ultra easy for the
summer...

"Sisters need to realize that real hair and real eyes get real guys,
so before you make-up your face you better make up your mind." -Common
Shatari Lynette Pinson [INLINE]

For whatever it's worth, below is an article which investigated
whether CVS indeed puts special security tags on black hair care
products. The article basically concludes that black hair care
products are not being targeted.
Blessings,
Awo
Urban Legend: Does CVS Put Security Tags Only on Black-Hair Products?
By Brenda Velez
© 2006 DiversityInc.com®
July 26, 2006
DiversityInc has received an e-mail that's been circulating,
claiming CVS has been putting security tags on black-hair products
only and that this is a form of racial discrimination.
Is it true? Here's what we found out:
The e-mailed chain letter is a first-person account of a shopper who
claims to have gone to an unnamed CVS to investigate if the "news
reports of this national drug-store profiling African Americans by
placing anti-theft devices on only black-hair-care products were
valid." The e-mail says that after looking at both expensive and
inexpensive products for both blacks and whites, only the black-hair-
care products had anti-theft devices on them. The writer then
describes how a confrontation over the matter left the store's
manager like a "deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car"
and closes with a vow to spread the word of how CVS discriminates
against black people.
Initial research led to several message boards debunking the rumor,
but we decided to check for ourselves. After combing the aisles of
nearly a dozen CVS stores in various locations throughout New York
City and New Jerseyin predominantly white, Latino and black
neighborhoodsthere was no evidence that products made for one
particular race were targeted.
But the issue was about black-hair-care products, and we did find
some CVS stores, including three in New York City and two in
northern New York suburbs, that had black-hair-care products,
including curl-relaxer kits, tagged. These same stores, however,
also had other non-ethnic-hair products, such as more expensive hair-
care salon shampoos, tagged for security.
CVS denies the allegation and a spokesperson offered this
analogy: "Men's shaving razors are stolen at a much higher rate than
women's. Because of this, they are commonly placed in the rattling
displays whereas women's are not," says CVS corporate spokesperson
Mike DeAngelis, who has received the same e-mail on black-hair-care
products from customers and other sources. "Does this mean we are
being discriminatory to women? No, they are just stolen much more
frequently and I honestly do not know why, but that is what our data
has shown."
All CVS stores have security measures, he says. Every store has
security cameras, electronic article-surveillance systems (the
magnetic checkpoints at each entrance), and a large portion of items
throughout stores are tagged with magnetic strips. Some stores we
visited had security guards while others had products behind locked
displays. After speaking with CVS employees and store managers, we
learned that items are marked with strips based on theft patterns
for each store.

Hi Kareema--

I felt the Tui Shampoo worked pretty well, maybe because I don't use a lot of products on my hair. However, if you like lather, the Tui Shampoo does not lather very well. I like the Burt's Bees Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo better because of the scent. Also, I don't use a lot of shampoo--I mix about a teaspoon of shampoo with a tiny 2oz bottle of water, then use a liberal amount of conditioner. After rinsing out the conditioner, while my hair is damp, I apply a little oil.

As I mentioned before, I use my 'hairspray' mix daily, but it has a lot of water as well. So I think in my case the shampoos work well because I don't have a lot of product build-up. Also, I don't always use shampoo, sometimes I'll rinse my hair with water and do the 'no-poo' method.

I don't overdo it with conditioner, and using water daily keeps my hair nappy enough to loc.

Tobi

Hey Tobi,

I have locs also and I was wondering about the Burt's Bees Grapefruit and Sugar Shampoo. How do you like that? I know it's a new product.

Also, one of my clients (with gel twist) brought the Carol's Daughter Tui Shampoo to me to use on her hair, but it didn't clean very well. I told her that it seemed to be a shampoo that you would use last (after a cleansing) because of all the moisturizing properties in it. I don't know if her hair was tooooo dirty with gel and all, but it didn't work well for her. What do you use it for?

Kareema
Wash, DC

I hear you on that I am a product junkie too and it is really sad
because I am running out of space in my bathroom cabinets and the
other day I said I am not buying another thing until I use up all
this stuff. Anyway I do have to say that hydrating curls is the bomb
and I use it all the time it was suprising to me but it really works
to make your curls more defined and your hair ultra soft....

I use the Tui Hair Oil, and the Mimosa Hair Honey (smells so good) and I plan to get the Healthy Hair Butter.

Claire

Ok I just toook my micros out and there is sooooo much hair coming
out....I know I know it is because I have not combed my hair in 5 weeks
and it is all dead hair but it is sooooo depressing. My hair also
seems shorter maybe it is just excess shrinkage today. I took each
braid out individually because I was scared of getting my hair
tangled...it took sooooooooooooooo long I was ready to just leave it
half braided cause we were just so tired of taking it out....LOL anyway
does anybody have any micro braid advise? I think I will get kinky
twists in a few weeks....I just want something ultra easy for the
summer...

I am getting a bit overwhelmed. I live in Japan, so I want to buy a
good supply. But I don't know what to get.
TIA,
Roxanne

Welcome to the group! What type of physical challenges have you had with your hair? Maybe the group can help!

--LV

My Hair Journey: http://www.cbpublish.com/myhairjourney.htm

My Journey Through the Lengths: http://www.cbpublish.com/lengthjourney.htm

Val & Nadine Comic Strip: http://valandnadine.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the group Sabrina!

My Hair Journey: http://www.cbpublish.com/myhairjourney.htm

My Journey Through the Lengths: http://www.cbpublish.com/lengthjourney.htm

Val & Nadine Comic Strip: http://valandnadine.blogspot.com/

Sabrina,

Welcome to the group. I want to make sure I understand your comments. Do you mean to tell us that you wore your hair natural and then when you went in the Navy you relaxed it to follow orders? At any rate, I'm glad you decided to come back to the natural side. When I was younger, I enjoyed looking through my mother's old photo albums. She had the most beautiful afro in the world and she was also in the service. There were lots of pictures of her in uniform wearing her afro with her cap on, and lots of other pictures with her hair blown out. Then there were even more pictures of her wearing her hair pressed from time to time...truly a natural beauty. I wish I could find some of those pictures now. I'll have to ask her about it. I like to hear her talk about those days, but time has changed. She is holding those relaxers down now like no tomorrow. She does have good things to say about my hair from time to time, and at other times when she doesn't (e.g. exclaiming
during one of the evenings I was twisting my hair, "damn that ish is thick! I remember when i used to have to braid that ish up when you were little.", and so on.) I just let it go in one ear and out the next. I can do that because I know that I am doing a great thing by being the person I was intended to be, instead of bowing down to a European standard of beauty.

best wishes,

Kim
Sabrina Gunton <sgunton@...

What's your screen name? Sabrina

City/State? Norfolk, Va

Loose, loced, or transitioning? Formerly loced for 5 years, now wearing 2 strand twists

How long has your hair been like it is? I've been natural since I left the Navy (1991)

How long is your hair? Medium length

What are your 3 favorite products? Olive oil, peppermint, lavendar, and ylang ylang eo

What are your 3 favorite styles?Locs, TWA, 2 strand twist

Do you style your hair at home, or go to a salon? Self-styled

If you go to a salon, which one? N/A

What is/has been your toughest hair struggle, physical or mental? Dealing with the thinning at top/sides for the past year. Also as a teacher, it pains me to see young kids accepting chemically straight hair as natural. My main struggle is not with myself, but with the next generation. And it is tough.

Are you natural for life? Why or why not? Yes--it makes sense. Why struggle and fight nature? If it wasn't for the military, I would have never picked up the creamy crack

What do you hope to gain from the group? Various hair styles, tips on healthy hair...stories of hair journeys and encouragement.

Sabrina

Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you are a mile away,
and you have their shoes...

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.4/396 - Release Date: 7/24/2006

Nicole,

I wish I could say I have used the whole line, but that is not the case. But I did try the hydrating curls conditioner after hearing such great reviews here and there. I do not use the hydrating curls shampoo because I don't wash my hair with shampoo anymore. So I just no-poo with the conditioner and it leaves my hair very soft and moist. In my opinion, when you just want to do a shake and go, you can't go wrong with that conditioner. I would like to try other things, such as the hydrating curl mask. But at the time I only splurged on the conditioner because I had several coupons for hair products that I wanted to use, and the buy one, get one free Pantene coupon was one of them. I will investigate and see what else they have on that line, but the conditioner is definitely a winner in my book. I would buy that product again, just as soon as all my other conditioner bottles are empty. ( I am still such a product junkie!)

best wishes,

Kim
aunatural306 <aunatural306@...

Greetings Kim,
Which particular products on the Hydrating Curls line have you
tried? I've heard some good things about the hydrating mask. What
are your thoughts? Which products would you suggest or are you
pleased w/ the entire line?
Thanks!
nicole

Thanks Jolie and All

I had no idea , back in the day this was called the" grade "of your hair. The looser the curl it was believed the" better "the grade. Depending on the site my hair is a C5 or 4C .

I am adjusting to my one color hair it looks good , I got a rod set and have been keeping it up for the time being , I am little nervous about the dark color shedding on my clothes .

God Bless

Storme

Hi Awo,

You have plenty of support here .

God Bless

Storme

Awo,

Thank you for sharing this info with us. I am glad you are on this freeing journey as well and I wish you the very best.

Regards,

Roxanne Ravenel

Founder & Chief Executive DiVA

Virtual DiVAs

Set Your Inner DiVA Free

www.VirtualDiVAs.org

Email: Support@...

Join Virtual DiVAs for the Fr*e Teleclass -

Cleanse Thy Temple - Why You Might be a Toxic DiVA

With Terri Gibbons

on Wednesday, July 26^th at 7:30PM EST

Check out my Fotki Album at: http://public.fotki.com/virtualdiva/

What's your screen name? Sabrina

City/State? Norfolk, Va

Loose, loced, or transitioning? Formerly loced for 5 years, now wearing 2 strand twists

How long has your hair been like it is? I've been natural since I left the Navy (1991)

How long is your hair? Medium length

What are your 3 favorite products? Olive oil, peppermint, lavendar, and ylang ylang eo

What are your 3 favorite styles?Locs, TWA, 2 strand twist

Do you style your hair at home, or go to a salon? Self-styled

If you go to a salon, which one? N/A

What is/has been your toughest hair struggle, physical or mental? Dealing with the thinning at top/sides for the past year. Also as a teacher, it pains me to see young kids accepting chemically straight hair as natural. My main struggle is not with myself, but with the next generation. And it is tough.

Are you natural for life? Why or why not? Yes--it makes sense. Why struggle and fight nature? If it wasn't for the military, I would have never picked up the creamy crack

What do you hope to gain from the group? Various hair styles, tips on healthy hair...stories of hair journeys and encouragement.

Sabrina

Never criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you are a mile away,
and you have their shoes...

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.4/396 - Release Date: 7/24/2006

Greetings Kim,
Which particular products on the Hydrating Curls line have you
tried? I've heard some good things about the hydrating mask. What
are your thoughts? Which products would you suggest or are you
pleased w/ the entire line?
Thanks!
nicole

[INLINE] PEACE AND BLESSINGS

CHECK THIS OUT
Note: forwarded message attached.

I had to check with one of my girls about this skin bleaching issue. It just trips me out. Here is what she said.

Please support N.O. Place Like Home by making your online purchases at http://buyforcharity.com . You will find many of your favorite online stores like Barnes & Noble, Baby Gap and Circuit City and N.O. Place Like Home will receive up to 35% of the cost of your purchase. You can also purchase or renew your magazine subscriptions at http://www.magraise.com/NO-Place-Like-Home.html. N.O. Place Like Home will receive 50% of the cost of your subscription.

Be a blessing to someone and you will be blessed

[INLINE] Tamara Gaskins Prosper

Hi Storme!

This chart may help http://www.curl2curl.com/

Jolie

" Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away"

~Jolie

Thanks, for your insight on this.

Hi, Kaya. I can't speak for all Ghanaian women, but I would say that there
are definitely a good number of women in Ghana and other African countries
who bleach their skin. I think they pick up from the media (particularly
music videos) that lighter skin is a status symbol because in videos and
movies the pretty girls with the men and the money all have light skin. I
would say that more educated women tend not to bleach their skin. There has
recently been a backlash against bleaching, not because of any elevated
consciousness about skin color issues, but because it damages the skin,
leaving it looking mottled and pimply after a while. I know that bleaching
occurs in other African countries and in the Caribbean, but I'm not aware of
it being a common practice among Black women in the US. Although of course
we know that the skin color issue is a BIG issue here as well.
Regarding hair, I would say that it is atypical for a grown woman to wear
loose natural hair in Ghana. Those who don't relax their hair tend to wear
it in braids. I think one reason may be that a TWA is required as part of
the girls' school uniform up through high school. Maybe the powers that be
(men) think it desexualizes girls. Anyway, because I have been so
conditioned to think that a grown woman is supposed to have some hair on
her head, I had a hard time doing the BC until I knew I had some length to
my hair!
I'm glad that I am making a conscious effort to free myself from the bondage
of trying to conform to other peoples' expectations, including their
expectations about what I should do with my hair!
Awo
Mon Jul 24, 2006 10:00 am (PST)
Awo - or any other Ghanian sisters on board - could you possibily
educate us on the situation in Ghana re: skin bleaching? Particularly,
how big of an issue is it, is it in certain regions or very
widespread, what are the reasons behind it, is any progress being made
in stopping it?
I remember this song, one of the lines was "dem a bleach, dem a bleach
out their skin, dem look like a brownin" it was a reggae song. Anyone
remember that? It's mentioned in this article:
http://www.jamaicans.com/articles/primecomments/0902_bleaching.shtml
This issue is not only limited to African countries.
I am also interested in hair politics in Ghana. My mom visited Ghana a
few years ago, and she said the Americans stuck out because (among
other reasons) they were the only ones with natural hair. I don't
recall the name of the village she was staying in. Is there any truth
to that in certain areas?
Kaya Casper
www.NaturallyYouMagazine.com
===================
CONTROL THE NUMBER AND FREQUENCY OF EMAILS YOU RECEIVE:

hey, check out this link to discover your hair type

http://www.curls.biz/curlsproductguide.htm#HAIRchart

On 7/24/06, Stormeley@... <Stormeley@...

Hi All,

Where can I get info on these hair numbers e.g. 4 A all this stuff , my hair has a tight kink and has a tendency to be dry what number is that?

God Bless
Storme

--
Shay
But what of Black Women? I most sincerely doubt if any other race of women could have brought its fineness up through so devillish a fire ~ W.E.B. Dubois

Hi there,

I have used Oyin products and the skin products are great, particularly the whipped pudding which you can use on your hair, but I haven't tried it on my hair yet.

If you are specifically asking about the hair products, I bought the 4 piece sample kit. I would recommend the shine and define for twisting your locs. As far as the greg juice, I didn't like it because it made my locs frizzy and the grand poo bar didn't create any lather and the hemp conditioner was ok. I'm thinking about trying the new braid pomade. Hope this helps.

K.

My friend Rachel from Kenya told me about women she knew who had tried to lighten their skin, but the bleach didn't work - these women were left with dry, wrinkled skin that had been badly burned from the mercury in the skin bleach. She said that other women would try it and be left with skin that looked "almost calico" from being burned.

When I asked her if there were any women for whom the product "worked" she said, yes, very few, and they were the women who inspired others to try it - even though there were more women with poor results, that women for whom the solution worked, "perfectly".
Tobi-Velicia Johnson <tvelicia@...

That's terrible--Africans don't want to be 'black'. Our people are just brainwashed.

Tobi
meriyama kebe <meriyama1970@...

I have a lot of African friends and I would see videos of parties that
they had in Africa and a lot of the women were high yellow in their
face but their necks were very dark which looked strange. Also I
visited Ghana in 2004. Some of the women were using the fade cream
like an all over moiturizer. One man who lives here in the U.S. keep
telling me about how dark skinned his mother was and I keep telling him
she is very light skinned. I thought he just hadn't seen his mother in
a while and then one day I looked at her hands and feet, they were very
dark while the rest of her body was very light because she was using
the cream all over her whole body for years. Her skin looked like
cardboard that had been crumpled up and smoothed out again.

Congratulations! You look wonderful!

Rachel W.
cortne2004 <cortne2004@...

I was going to wait until August to cut it off put my patience did not
kick in. Please visit my site.
http://public.fotki.com/cortne/

My mom likes them. She's been natural since I was a child. Her hair looks good. I haven't noticed anything remarkable when I've used the products. I do know that they contain mineral oil, which I heard is not good for our hair. I haven't heard anything bad about the products but no rave reviews either.

Please support N.O. Place Like Home by making your online purchases at http://buyforcharity.com . You will find many of your favorite online stores like Barnes & Noble, Baby Gap and Circuit City and N.O. Place Like Home will receive up to 35% of the cost of your purchase. You can also purchase or renew your magazine subscriptions at http://www.magraise.com/NO-Place-Like-Home.html. N.O. Place Like Home will receive 50% of the cost of your subscription.

Be a blessing to someone and you will be blessed

[INLINE] Tamara Gaskins Prosper

I am a member of another group and heard of the
practice at CVS many times. Testimonials were given
from ladies that actually shopped there and saw the
anti-theft devices.

I think it depends on your hair texture. If your hair is fine and
soft, a baby brush would be fine, probably. My hair is thick and
coarse, so I use a boar bristle brush with a wooden handle. For me,
using a baby brush would be like rubbing a paper towel on my head -
absolutely no results. :-)

Tune in if you can!
- Latasha
MY BLOG!
BUY A T-SHIRT HERE!
LOCCorg.com
"America Bless God" products at CafePress
"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her."
David Brinkley

Hi All,

Where can I get info on these hair numbers e.g. 4 A all this stuff , my hair has a tight kink and has a tendency to be dry what number is that?

God Bless

Storme

Your hair already looks healthy!

Tobi
cortne2004 <cortne2004@...

I was going to wait until August to cut it off put my patience did not
kick in. Please visit my site.
http://public.fotki.com/cortne/

Family,
I have been locking for approx 4 plus years.
Every now and then I will try a new product line.
Was surfing the web the other day and came www.oyinhandmade.com
Read the website and the products look and sound terrific. Just wanted
to know if anyone out there has used these products? Please give a
review.
Peace,
Flee40plus

Kim you are off to a great start!

Tobi
Kim Chevalier <mochajava1115@...

Hi everyone, I'm new here and have been lurking and reading your great posts! I just did my big chop on Saturday and created my album for my new journey. Here's the link and thanks to all of you for your advice and support!

ttly

http://public.fotki.com/mochajava1115/

Kim Chevalier
Passion Consultant
Team Leader
(352)395-7674
www.SatinClouds.com

*** Elevate the passion on "Satin Clouds!" ***

[INLINE]

I was going to wait until August to cut it off put my patience did not
kick in. Please visit my site.
http://public.fotki.com/cortne/

I have tried the moisturizer & the shampoo. The products work well,
but not exceptionally. Since relaxed & natural hair have different
needs, I don't know how they can create a single line that caters to
both. More than likely, I won't be purchasing those products again,
but in a dire situation wouldn't be against using them.

Congrats. You are in for a wonderful experience. I BC'd in December and my hair gives me something new to look forward to each month....

Jamie Prince
Education and Community Resource Center
WQED Multimedia
412-622-1363
jprince@...
www.wqed.org

Stay. Connected WQED Multimedia.
www.wqed.org

Hi everyone, I'm new here and have been lurking and reading your great posts! I just did my big chop on Saturday and created my album for