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

The Hols are here!

Whew!

This week my exams finished so I'm finally free!

If I could sum up how I feel in one video...this would be it:

(And who doesn't love Tom Hiddleston?? :)

This semester has been extra busy for me and unfortunately I haven't blogged nearly as often as I should have.

My second year of university is now half-way finished...I can hardly believe how time is flying!

Since my mini-chop in August I've mostly been keeping my hair in braids. Trust me, this has saved me sooooo much time and energy. All I have to do in the morning is moisturize and seal and I'm out the door. When I get home later this month I plan to take out this current set of braids and maybe...cut off the rest of my straight ends. :)

I'm excited to see how much my roots have grown out since August. I'm still not a big fan of the teenie weenie afro on myself...so we'll see whether I decide to big chop or continue to transition. I'd love to accomplish a long term transition of 1-2 years like some bloggers, but I'm just too impatient!

Watching youtube videos has helped to keep me inspired while I couldn't play with my actual hair.
Here are some of my recent favourites:

As the year comes to an end I feel that I need to sit down and reflect on my highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses. I plan to do this especially for my university experience. Honestly, this semester has been my most challenging so far; emotionally, spiritually and mentally. So, I need to evaluate how I can prepare for next semester so I don't feel like I've been hit with a ton of bricks at the end!

Have you begun to reflect on the past year, or made any goals for the new year?

Oh, and I can't wait for Christmas!!

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