Twists and Puff - this week's low manipulation style

Imagine a day when there are no classes, no work, and no scheduled activities....

...Tuesday was such a day for me!

So what better excuse can there be to play in my hair and experiment with a low manipulation style?

I had deep conditioned my hair the night before, so in the morning I shampooed and towel-dried my hair. Starting out with the style was hard. I don't usually deviate from twist-outs or braid-outs, so planning a style I would keep for a week was tricky. 

I was clueless as to what look I wanted to achieve, but I knew that I would be doing some twists since that's the easiest style I can do.

After much fumbling and uncertainty, I ended up dividing my hair into five sections. 

• In the front, I made chunky twists and used bobby pins to create a kind of "pompadour".
• In my crown area, my hair felt very moisturized so I skipped adding any product and did not de-tangle. I simply left my hair to air-dry in a ponytail. (Think "wash and go")
• I also put chunky twists in the back section....well, maybe they were a bit too chunky since the twists still refuse to hang straight down!
• Lastly, I made a cornrow on each side of my head near my temples, and pinned the ends up towards the "puff" or ponytail. 

Yesterday I slightly altered the look since I took down the ponytail section, moisturized my hair and also put that section into chunky twists. This way, my entire head is in a low manipulation style and I don't have to worry about my crown area tangling during the week. 

I'm loving the ease of this style since I don't have to re-style daily. I'm also preferring doing short term low manipulation styles like this one instead of braids. I love braids but I can never keep them looking neat for more than two weeks! o.o I won't even start on how long it takes to install braids.

This style took me about two hours since I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I overtime, the time will shorten as I'll become more comfortable and skilled in doing a variety of hairstyles.

What's your "go-to" low manipulation style?

Love, 

~Hatter

The Wash and Go on type 4 hair

This Wednesday I did my wash day a little differently..

...I tried the Wash n Go.

There are sooo many videos and blog posts devoted solely to this hairstyle.
It's been called the "white girl" hairstyle since its modeled after the technique of Caucasian women simply washing their hair and letting it dry with minimal styling and manipulation.

While some women with type 4c hair gush about their successful wash and gos, other women with similar hair type declare the impossibility of achieving it!

Given the split in opinion that, in my opinion, nears controversy over the wash n go on afro hair, I was skeptical about achieving the style myself. However, on a whim I decided to try it.

It might be hard to tell in the photo, but my crown has quite a few coils and curls!

This was actually the second time trying this hairstyle. Here's what I did:

• I shampooed and deep conditioned my hair in twisted sections, then I released all my twists while my hair was still soaking wet in the shower. 
• Then I gently blotted my hair with a towel and gave my hair a shake a couple times.
• After, I applied some olive oil to my palms then gently passed my hands over the ends of my hair, and rubbed the oil into my edges. I did this about three times, then did the same process with some shea butter.

Wet hair fresh from the shower.

• Lastly, I used a blow-dryer with a diffuser attachment for about 15 minutes. My hair was about 70% dry in the picture below.

Styled, semi-dry wash n go. 

After blow-drying I love how my hair looked, even though I lost some definition in the crown (where I have the waviest pattern) as my hair became more puffy as it dried.

At the end of the day, however, my hair had dried out quite a bit and felt stiff coarse. It was tedious to go back in section by section to thoroughly moisturize it before I cornrowned my hair.

The verdict?

This is the second time trying the wash and go, and both times I realized I achieved the style with minimal tangles because my ends had been freshly trimmed or I didn't have many split ends that usually cause major tangles. (If you read my blog regularly, you know I battle with tangles and single strand knots!)

My first wash and go was done a few weeks ago, but I had later re-styled my hair much sooner, and my hair didn't feel as dry. So, I know need to re-adjust how I moisturize and seal my wet hair to prevent it from drying out so much at the end of the day.

Technique, plus the state of my ends, seem to be very important in achieving this hairstyle, and I will definitely continue to experiment with the wash n go.


What do you think about the wash n' go?

Love
~Hatter

ORS Nourishing Conditioner in a bottle?? (and other musings)

On Saturday I visited my local Pennywise beauty supply store with no definite intention of buying products; window shopping was the aim of the day.

That is, until my eyes fell casually on the Organic Root Stimulator Nourishing Conditioner............in a bottle!

IN A BOTTLE!!!

It will suffice to say that I snatched that bottle up, baby!

(Okay, I may be a little late on the scene...but I've only ever seen this conditioner in the sample packets, so excuse my enthusiasm!)

When my hair was relaxed this product was my favourite conditioner; it provided so much slip and softness to my hair! It continued to deliver when I began transitioning to natural hair, and although I've only used it a handful of times since being fully natural, I expect that it will still be a wunder-product for my kinks and coils.

The second product I bought was the Vo5 Tea Therapy Revitalizing Shampoo. I remember reading a favourable review of this product by a hair blogger months ago, so I decided to try it. I've used it once so far and it was gentle on my hair. 

Thirdly, I purchased some shea butter by Ashanti Naturals. The first time I bought 100% natural shea butter it was by "Okay African Shea Butter". I never used that shea butter on my hair because I felt it was waay too sticky and I hate it when my hair feels like glue. I'll be uploading a separate post soon with how I plan to make a homemade shea butter mix for my hair.

And finally, every black woman's staple: bobby pins!

And my new side-kick: hair shears. I loved my first pair but whilst I was travelling it was taken from me in the airport (silent tears may have been shed).

"I don't need these products! I have too many already!!" - said no hair junkie ever.


Love,

~Hatter

Trimming my Natural Hair (Second Trim)

Tonight I decided that it was time for a much needed trim.

For months now I've been plagued with single strand knots and tangles at the ends of my hair, which I felt indicated that those ends needed to go. My last trim was in seven months ago in February, when I went to a barber shop. Since then I put off trimming my hair myself because I thought it would be waay too time consuming and complicated...

...but you know what? It wasn't.

Well, it wasn't complicated. But it did take me about an hour to thoroughly go through my hair section by section!

I previously had my hair in seven cornrows, so as I undid each one, I separated my hair into three to four sections, twisted each section, then cut off the end of the twists from where it was significantly thinner than the body of the twist.


I followed the technique from youtuber jemy1415. You can watch her video below for a visual of what I did.

My twists with fresh, blunt ends after the trim:

And here is a random picture of what my shrinkage looks like. This photo was actually taken on damp hair, before my trim:

I waited seven long months between my first and second trims. Lets see how long I'll last before the next one! 

Love,

~Hatter

Back to Hair! Blog Update

Wow its been six months since my last blog post!

Eeek!

I admit my motivation for blogging did wane quite a bit and I regret the time I spent away from the blogsphere. To be honest, I've settled into the routine of my hair and its not as exciting as when I first big chopped.

So I realize that I need to remind myself why I blog. Well, keeping a hair blog is useful for recording both the struggles and accomplishments with my hair so that over time I can reflect on how much my hair has changed. I can record what products and techniques I find useful or not so useful, and of course there's the opportunity that the information I record here will help someone else, who like me, craves all knowledge of how to care for 4c hair.

So now that that's clarified, on to the tasks at hand. Next week I start classes in my third and final year of university. Of course, I'm excited and nervous about the new semester, especially about my time management skills. o.o

It's a fight, but I really want to devote attention to both my studies and my blog.

Starting with my blog (sorry studies, you have to wait) I plan to update the blog design soon and spam upload more posts as we enter the month of September.

I'm now 1 year 6 months post relaxer!

Relaxed hair to transitioning hair to fully natural hair. Kinky, coily, "nappy", whatever you call it, I love my hair!

If you had to sum up the last 6 months of your hair journey, how would you describe it?

Much love,
~Hatter

Hatter's Adventures (Hair Update)

February marks my one year post relaxer milestone!!


Since the new university semester started in January my time has been eaten up with school work. Making the time to blog regularly is proving to be a challenge, but keeping track of my hair journey is essential!

Since I did the big chop in December, I put my hair back in braids in January, and took them out about two weeks ago.

Then, on last Friday 7th February I went to the barber shop on my campus (yes, I went to a barber shop) and had my hair trimmed in an attempt to even out my hair. Well, my hair is STILL uneven (the back section especially is too long in proportion to the rest of my hair) but at least the shape isn't as bad!

My fro after the trim.

Last week I put my hair in small twists and kept them in for about 3-4 days during the week. I admit the twists were fuzzy but hey! I certainly wasn't going to waste the time and effort I took to do them. On one day I used a gold headband to spice up the look and make it look a bit more polished.

 

That was the first time I twisted my natural hair and I already knew that twists will be my go-to low manipulation style. Not having to comb or manipulate my hair everyday was a blessing!

 On wash day I unravelled the twists and got this result:



le twist-out

Over the past few days I've been wearing twist-outs, and I'm loving the fluffy look I get. I re-twist my hair every other day and sleep with a satin scarf over a bonnet.

So far the only issue I've had with my twa is that I've started to notice single strand knots on the ends of my hair, especially since taking down my twists last week. Do you know any tips on how to reduce SSKs? With my patience level, I can't afford to have to battle a head full of knots!

Other than that, I am most satisfied with my hair. Deep conditioning and moisturizing regularly is preventing breakage and major shedding, while detangling on damp hair is proving to be effective in minimizing tangles and pain from combing.


On a new note, last week I came across a small business based here in Trinidad that produces all natural hair care products. I quickly contacted the owner and bought flaxseed gel and bees wax to use in my twists. I'm yet to take the time to do a product review of the items I purchased, but I will mention that the company's name is "Happy Curls, Happy Girls". If you're in Trinidad and interested in supporting our local entrepreneurs, you can check out the facebook page here.




Ayyee I need to catch up on my blogging!

 

 

Stay sweet,

 

~Hatter

 

 



Natural

Two days before Christmas I tried to do the big chop.

I say "tried to" because no matter how much hair I cut it seemed like I always had some elusive relaxed ends hanging on to my natural hair.

Now, exactly three weeks later (after much snipping every wash day) I can say that I am au natural. Its a bit hard to believe that three weeks have already passed! My hair has given me minimal trouble and no fuss.

Eleven months post relaxer and loving it!

My natural hair!

My natural hair is much more easy to manage than I expected it would be. Since my hair is short it takes me only an hour (!) to style and even less time to wash and condition.On wash days I start by sectioning my hair into braids then deep conditioning, shampooing, rinsing, drying and styling. I've been playing around with flat twists and I still have a lot of practice to do before I'm comfortable with flat-twisting.

Before manipulating my hair I always start by spraying it with water to soften my strands and then moisturizing or adding conditioner or oil before I use a comb. By doing this I haven't experienced any significant breakage. Patience is also key in managing 4c hair.

I am so grateful for the women on youtube who share how they take care of 4c hair. Without them I definitely would not have been as equipped to transition to natural hair. Here are some videos that I've gotten styling tips from:

I may be getting my hair braided again today because tomorrow I go back to Trinidad and thus back to university life. I really want to continue taking care of my hair as it is, but I know braids would save me a lot of styling time that I could use on my studies.


Lots of love,
~Hatter

My current products 2013

 

This past summer I updated my product stash, adding a few new products which have since become my staples.

 

Firstly, for the oldies:

 

 

I've had the Creme of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment for quite a while now, and I occasionly use it to deep condition my braids. The ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner will probably always be in my product list since it is very effective at softening and smoothing my hair.

 

Since putting in my current set of braids, I haven't deep conditioned as yet. Instead, I've been using my new Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Deep Treatment Masque.

 

 

 

This conditioner is definitely my current favourite! It contains less synthetic materials than mainstream conditioners and can be used as both a deep conditioner and a leave-in treatment. When I wore my transitioning fro some weeks ago, I used this treatment as a deep conditioner and it left my hair very soft and easy to detangle. Now that I'm wearing braids I use it as a leave-in treatment. Need another pro? It smells like pina colada! I fell completely in love the first time I got a sweet whiff from the jar.

 

Also new to my product list are the V05 Moisture Milks Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner in Passion Fruit Smoothie.

 

 

 

I do like the shampoo since I find it to be relatively gentle on my scalp. Unfortunately, it has a very thin consistency which I am not used to. I don't like runny shampoos- they are too messy to deal with for my taste. The conditioner is exactly like the V05 Strawberries and Cream in texture, but I definitely prefer the Strawberries and Cream scent.

 

 



 

 

Finally, I purchased My Honey Child Type 4 Hair Creme from amazon.com, after watching a review by jouelzy on youtube. She got very decent results with hold and moisture when styling her hair, so I decided to try it. When using it to create my transitioning fro I did notice that I get stronger, more moist curls the more product I apply. Since it is an oil and butter based product it has a thick, rich and very sticky texture.

 

 

Besides my trusty jojoba oil, that's my entire product stash! Quite minimalistic, don't you think?

 

Happy hair journey!

~Hatter 

8 months post relaxer: the Daily Bantu

Eight months later and my natural hair is growing out strong and healthy!

Comparing my new growth to my relaxed ends makes me want to hurry up and do the big chop soon, but I know that I would feel more comfortable cutting off my relaxed ends when my natural hair grows out longer. Soo, I'm gritting my teeth and bearing the struggle gracefully. =)

Do you remember when I had my last set of braids installed? I estimated that I would have kept them in until the end of October. Well, a girl can dream!! It took about four weeks before I got fed up with them and took them out. Since then I've been learning how to create my transitioning fro look on my own, since I'm back in university and my mom is farrr across the sea.

 

I re-bantu my hair every other night, but I'm trying to preserve my curly style for a third day by pinning up the back or french-rolling it, and keeping the front loose.

Let me tell you, this style might be cute and funky but it is hella-time consuming!
It takes me 2 hours to re-set my hair, and at least thirty minutes in the morning to release my knots and style. But maybe I'm just personally really slow at this.


I'm looking forward to having braids put in again just so that I can have a much needed break from the constant styling. Until then, I'm looking for some simpler styles for my short transitioning hair.
Have any suggestions?


Love!
~Hatter

Oh Fro-stalgia!

This is a old picture of me taken days before I had my hair relaxed four or five years ago. Around that time I had spent a year or so growing out previously relaxed, damaged hair, and I was ready to try the relaxers again. 

Ahhhhh! Le beauty that I can now see in that gorgeous, thick head of hair! I would like to reminisce fondly, but honestly, my hair was a tough battle to deal with. This time, as I am transitioning back to natural hair again, I will be armed with healthier hair habits, so I expect to find more peace with my natural tresses.

I'm excited for my natural hair to reach that length again!

~Hatter 

Six months post relaxer

August 10th 2013 made me 6 months post relaxer!

That date also marked my mini chop, leaving me with 2-3 inches of relaxed ends attached to my new growth. So far, I can already tell that my natural hair texture is different from when I was a child, and I'm excited for my big chop when I'll finally be able to appreciate and critique every kink and coil.

Currently I am very inspired by this video uploaded by one of my hair crushes, Mae.

She is four years post big chop and I love love love her hair! Her video encourages me to be patient in my transition, as well as to put in the hard work necessary for cultivating healthy, gorgeous natural hair.




After enjoying my short haircut for about 2 weeks, my mother installed another set of braids. Honestly, I would like to maintain my hair myself but since university has started again and my mom is going back to St. Kitts, I know that my laziness and impatience would sabotage my hair-care efforts.




I plan to keep these braids in for 8 weeks, which should last me until the end of October.



How's your hair journey going?
Love!
~Hatter

Snip snip! Short Hair!

Last Saturday 10th August my mom mini-chopped my hair!

I've been thinking about doing the big chop for weeks, but my mom thought it better to keep some inches of relaxed hair- i.e. to transition rather than be 'drastic' and chop all my length off. Now I'm glad that I listened to her...I don't know if I would have been happy with only 2-3 inches of hair!

Note: I still have 2-3 inches of relaxed ends, so I would not consider my haircut a big chop. The cut is one phase closer to being fully natural. 

After the chop, I washed and conditioned my hair and honestly...I was at quite a loss about what to do next. After an easily detangling session, I proceeded to twist it, gave up, and settled for large cornrows. However, my mother took pity on my desperate efforts and kindly fixed me up with smaller, neater cornrows. Then she twisted the ends up like bantu knots and pinned them down.

Girrlfrieeend! I felt so much better when she was finished with my hair. I'm an impatient person, and I can lose hope easily when faced with a difficult challenge. So to see a light in the tunnel and be encouraged by my mama to have patience with my hair really helped me to get more enthusiastic about my new look. 

The night before...

I then slept with my hair in the braids and on Sunday my mom and I loosed them and styled. Viola! After some picking out with an afrocomb, I was left with very curly, cute hair. I pinned back both sides and the front piece, leaving the rest out.

...the morning after!

When my hair was first cut, I felt like I was thrown in a boat on rough, rough waters. Did I make the right decision? Oh my gaawd what did I do to my hair?? lol I think I've gotten over that now and I look forward to relearning how to care for my hair. Since Sunday I've been re-braiding or re-flat twisting at night, and in the day wearing curly styles. Yo it's not easy!! But I know I'll become more patient and adept with time. 

So I'm still transitioning to natural hair. When will I cut off the rest of my straight ends? I would like to say I'll do the big chop at 1 year post relaxer (February 2014) but I know that depending on my mood and how my hair grows out, that date may change. 

I'm on my way!

Love,

~Hatter

The braids are out: 17 weeks post relaxer!

Today I finally finished taking out my waist length braids. It took me three days to undo them, mainly because I started with a little at a time and I wanted to work as carefully as possible. 

My patience has definitely paid off! Below is a photo of how much shed and broken hair I lost after having my hair in braids for 4 weeks.

I think this is a moderate amount of hair compared to the amount I have lost in the past when my hair was braided regularly as a child. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not experience heavy breakage. Most of the hair in my hand are shed hairs. While I wore my braids I deep conditioned twice, used my African Pride Braid Sheen Spray weekly and occasionally I sealed my hair with jojoba oil. Now, about three days after my last wash day in braids, my hair is soft and surprisingly manageable. Cheers to successful protective styling!

I used my jojoba oil to lubricate my braids while I took them out. I think the oil did a great job of loosening tangles as well as keeping my two hair textures soft and moisturized.

My new growth @ 17 weeks post relaxer.

For the present I'm wearing my hair in twists for the next few days. Next weekend I have a formal event to go to, so I plan to shampoo, deep condition and hopefully do a proper curly braid-out style to blend my two textures.

My new growth is extremely obvious now that I'm 17 weeks post relaxer. I'm so excited for it to grow out!


Love,
~Hatter

Shea Butter

Okay first of all...my exams are finished!! So I'm back on the blogsphere!

Okay secondly, on Wednesday I bought 'Okay Shea Butter White Chunky' from Pennywise in Trincity Mall.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this brand has a website but disappointed that it didn't have much information about its suppliers. The packaging says "imported from Ghana" but I was interested in finding out if the company is involved in the actual shea butter production. Ah well...

The packaging says 100% natural so that's a plus! This shea butter also comes already whipped but I only spotted the chunky kind in the store.

Since researching natural hair care I found out that shea butter is very popular among naturals since it can be mixed with various hair oils to create a thick, creamy moisturizer.

Even though I'm only 11 weeks post (woop woop! New milestone) I thought that I should buy some shea butter to experiment with as my new growth grows out more and more.

So the plan is to get some new natural oils to mix with the butter. I used to use the ORS HAIRepair Vital Oils but I've gotten dissatisfied with it over time.

Here is an example of how shea butter can be mixed to create a personalized hair moisturizer:

~Hatter

Back to Roots: I'm "going natural"

Yep, I'm going natural.


I don't really like the term "going natural" since I've been natural most of my life, and have only had relaxed hair for about 5-7 years (first time when I was a preteen, after which I transitioned, then had my hair relaxed again around 13 years old) So, I'm going back natural, or I'll just say back to my roots. (no pun intended!)

Although I am very excited about my transition to natural hair, in no way have I become totally anti-relaxer. I still admire the women who maintain their healthy relaxed hair (shout-out to Jeni and Ebony!) and I will continue to read their blogs, use their tips and blog about the relaxed hair world.

I find it silly when black women go to the extreme and denounce the "creamy crack" which they themselves were so "addicted" to before they went natural. Hair is hair and I will not alienate my self or my fellow hair sisters by preaching the superiority of one form of hair over another.

To me, confidence and being comfortable with oneself is most important. The fact that many black women are so uncomfortable or shy about wearing their natural hair in public for fear of social rejection is truly sad. I do not want to be one of those women who hides her hair because she resents it. I admit, before the natural hair movement I thought I would never go back natural because my natural texture is very thick, coarse, and was a pain to take care of as a child...but that doesn't have to be the case anymore. With all the information available online, new products catered to naturals, and the inspiring blogging ladies who have transitioned, I should have no fear for lack of support for caring for my hair.

Its time to finally throw off the ancient stigma and condemnation black women have faced for wearing their natural hair. I will not let fear of myself or the opinions of others rule my life.

Life is about exploring and taking risks! I have no reason to force myself to bear with my relaxed hair when, recently, it's been making me perpetually unhappy.

So...I'm on another adventure. The first was my healthy relaxed hair journey...now this one is a healthy natural hair journey!

In my blog description I wrote: "Healthy relaxed hair or bust! Who's with me?"
So did I achieve healthy relaxed hair? Up to a point, I did, and then for reasons I still haven't figured out, my breakage increased and my hair's health has been decreasing ever since.

I don't consider my relaxed hair journey a complete failure since I learned a lot about healthy hair care, achieved my first year's goal of armpit length hair and discovered some amazing hair blogs- by both natural and relaxed hair women!

Again, I am excited about this transition. I'm exactly 8 weeks post relaxer and my roots are hecka thick, but a bit uneven since I have texlaxed areas from my last relaxer. I initially planned to get braided extensions installed today, but my mom won't be able to do it and I trust no one else to braid my hair. I might have to wait until after my final exams to get them done. That's about 4 weeks away...yikes! I've hardly stretched my relaxer longer than 8 weeks post without difficulty so I do have a challenge ahead...Thank God for youtube tutorials and ORS Nourishing Conditioner that I hope will get me through the first phase of my transition!



I'm going to 18 years old in August and it just seems significant that I chose to go back natural at this point. Becoming an "adult" brings fresh experiences, one of which will be my health natural hair transition. Who knows, maybe I'll "big chop" for my birthday! (Probably not, though. I'll only have 6 months worth of new growth!)

Cheers to being unafraid to experiment and falling in love with me...a woman fearfully and wonderfully made!

Some of my recent inspirations:

urbanbushbabes.com

urbanbushbabes.com

kandeelovesya.tumblr.com

Where mah 4c hair ladies at?? I'll be needing some tips! =)

~Hatter

Hair Journey Spotlight: Alsha from myfroandi.com

In this post I explained that I'm thinking of going natural.

Since then, I realized that going natural would not be the end of my hair journey, and I definitely shouldn't feel disappointed in myself if I do decide to transition.

I know that if I transition that its my personal choice for the health of my hair, as well as to satisfy my curiosity about my natural texture.

Soooo, I've been scouring the internet for 4c hair ladies to act as my inspiration...and here is one of them!


Meet Alsha from myfroandi.com

She is a South African blogger with beautiful type 4 hair. Looks similar to how mine was as a child!

Here is a sample of hairstyles from her recent 30 hair style challenge.

source

 

source

 

source

I was amazed at the gorgeous styles this woman can do! She totally changed my perception of the styles that can be done on 4c hair... I used to think that our thick kinky texture was restricted to twist-outs and afros, but I'm glad that Alsha proves that it's not so.

I think it's so inspiring to see women confidently take the challenge of caring for their type 4 hair...and loving the process!

Check out her website for more pictures of her updos, and information about how she cares for her natural hair.


Who are some of your favourite natural bloggers?

~Hatter

HatterSnap: New growth @ 8 weeks post relaxer

Although I lump myself into the "4c" natural hair category, I do have several slightly different textures of new growth. In my crown area especially, I have tighter coils alongside looser waves. My nape and hairline have the loosest textures that I call "fluff"- there is no distinguishable curl pattern, just waves, zig-zages or c shaped bends.

8 weeks post relaxer new growth!

 



New growth: loose waves that I call "fluff"

My roots have been so tame lately that I'm surprised that I'm this far into a stretch. Since I've been keeping them moisturized and conditioned my hair has been less "poofy" and my roots blend better than normal with my relaxed hair.

I plan to relax my hair next Saturday at *gasp* 9 weeks post relaxer!



Have a great day!
~Hatter