When mapping out the prelim outline for the book project I had the bright idea to enlist the help of some of my fellow nappies from Plurk.  Ranging from the novice to the seasoned, this informal panel of women shed light on a couple of nuances that have influenced their respective journeys, as well as helped them along the way.  Two of the Pleeps you are already familiar with – Selena and Sunita – but the others are new additions whose insight I hope you will gain from.

And without further ado…

AngelaMichelle: Have you read any “natural hair care” books at any point in your transitioning process? If so, did they cover everything you personally felt you needed to confidently transition? If not, what were they lacking?

Kylah: Nope, [I] haven’t read anything because most people don’t include a lot on the “mixed” hair.

Taja: Nope.  [I] have taken my clues from you. *lol* And what Ky said.

Selena: Not books.  I don’t think there was much in print back then I did a lot of research online though, but that was back in ’03.  I participated in natural hair groups back then. I got a lot of information from those groups.

Jacquelyn: I’m with Selena. Most of the info was online. The few books that I did buy did not talk much about natural transitioning, and that transitioning involved the use of braids or texturizers. No Lye and Hair Story are two that I believe are in my collection

Tanya: I did the online thing too where I found more information. But even then the info was at times confusing or not what I was looking for. A perfect example of this was the first site I joined, Nappturality. It seemed to me, and I could be wrong, that the site was more geared to transitioners who wanted to eventually get locs. I personally wanted to transition and show my hair’s beauty. so locs, braids & weaves were not an option in my book. Another thing that was extremely confusing was the hair type system. I could not figure out if I was a 3A – 3C or a 4A – 4C. Turns out my hair is a complete mixture. I, too, am technically mixed since I have an “European-Spanish” mom and an “African-Spanish” dad. So although my hair looks more African, it really is a mixture of him, her and mine. So with that I was completely lost.

Jacquelyn: Yeah, Tanya.  Ii had a hard time figuring out that system too

Sunita: No, not one book. [I used] a slew of websites though.

AngelaMichelle: What was your initial impetus for “going natural”? How old were you and how long were you “relaxed” before transitioning?

Taja: I was 12 when I got my first perm. I cut my hair off in “99 and went natural for a while but I couldn’t keep it up while short.  [I] relaxed again in’01 (I think) and the last touch up I had was this time last year.  So, 7 years relaxed this time?

Kylah: I’ve been relaxing for as long as I can remember. I just forget to touch up every now and again. The last time I touched up was last… hell… ask Taja, cause I don’t remember.

Sunita: I was only relaxed as a child because my mom wanted me to have an easy time taking care of my hair. That was in my teen years.  Then I did the Wave Noveau thing, then back to relaxers, then back to Wave Noveau.  Then I quit. *lol*

Digi: I got my first perm at 12 , went natural in ‘ 95, and did what Sunita did but with a curl up in there somewhere.  I initially went natural to loc my hair. My mom and I were going to do it together, but then I got another perm and my hair started falling out. I cut it off and wore braids with a few curly weaves in between until I had a length I was comfy with. I still want locs but haven’t done it yet because I’m afraid I wont like them. I’m not afraid of the commitment.

Tanya: I had been getting my “conditioner” as a child, although I can’t remember how old I was. I did not know I was texlaxing my hair until 2007. Actually, I don’t even know what it is really. It’s not a relaxer but then it could be if you can wash your hair and then put it on.

Jacquelyn: I first got a perm at 8. I had long, think, shiny hair and up until then, I had my hair pressed. From the age of 8 until 17 I had a perm. Senior year of high school, I cut off ALL my hair and began to grow it out. I had a texturizer, but didn’t like it too much, so I started the presses again. Second semester of college was the last time I permed my hair (’01). In October of ‘02 is when I started the loc process.

AngelaMichelle: When starting out did, you enlist the help of veteran transitioners, join any natural hair groups, or hit the ground running solo?

Digi: I hit the ground running solo. I looked at a few books that didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.  I eventually joined Nappturality but wasn’t active there.

Jacquelyn: I am on some online groups but overall I just went with the flow. I didn’t really experiment with natural styles, just started loc’ing!

Tanya: I spoke to one natural. She thought we had the same type of hair and gave me bad advice. I used a combination of Websites (more) and books (less) and tried to do what worked for me. Nappturality was the only site that I got the least from. They wanted you to go either natural & loc your hair or get braids. Neither is something I want to do at the moment.

Sunita: I used forums galore!

AngelaMichelle: What have you learned about your hair since you decided to go natural that you didn’t realize before?

Jacquelyn: My hair grows soooo fast!  And it’s super soft!

Digi: That it’s softer and curlier than I remembered.

Tanya: The different textures, mostly. I suspected my hair was thick, curly and even soft. What I did not expect is the 5 to 6 textures involved.  Oh, and my hair isn’t as dry as it was when I was transitioning.

Sunita: It is a lot curlier in spots than I imagined and a lot different than itself in some good ways.

AngelaMichelle: What products are on your “must have” list? Are you more commercial bent or organic when it comes to ingredients?

Digi: I have been partial to Carol’s Daughter’s Healthy Hair Butter before getting my extensions, but am mostly partial to water based creams. As long as there is no mineral oil or alcohol, I’m good.

Jacquelyn: I am definitely more organic/natural in selection. I rarely buy commercial, I buy from the African store or online stores.  My products of choice are primarily home-based.

Tanya: Not in any order: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Giovanni’s Direct Leave-in Conditioner, Carol’s Daughter’s Hair Milk, 100% pure Aloe Vera Gel and my trusty comb. I can’t seem to find a pic of my beloved comb.

Sunita: Olive oil, aloe, and Crisco! Creme of Nature leave-in conditioner
is nice too.

AngelaMichelle: How did you transition or how are you choosing to transition and why?

Digi: I cut all of the relaxer out of my hair once I had about 1 inch of new growth, then I wore extensions until I had a length I was comfy with.

Jacquelyn: I stopped perming in April, started pressing, then began the loc’ing process in October. I had about 6-8 in all around when I started.

Tanya: I stopped using my “conditioner” in November 2007. Went through tons of Websites and some books. Dealt with dry hair and how to condition it. Then in July 20th decided it was time to cut. Finally BC’ed on July 23rd.

Sunita: I cut off all that I could stand to cut, let that grow out, then gradually cut the rest

AngelaMichelle: What was the single most piece of information you feel would be helpful in a book on transitioning, or natural hair in general.

Selena: Patience!

Digi: I agree with Selena. Iit takes time to get used to your hair in its natural state, and it could take some time finding styles, products, and a process of taking care of your hair.  It can be very frustrating in the beginning.

Selena: It is very frustrating in the beginning.  Think about it… How long did you go wearing your hair relaxed? For me it was over 15 years, and it wasn’t like I was doing my own hair before that.  It’s a learning process, a culture shock and then some.  You go for so long being bombarded with info saying your hair is bad and should be straightened one way or another. It takes a lot of time to re-adjust to your natural hair.  It’s not just a hair process, its a process of getting to know yourself.

It wasn’t all that eventful for me the first time around because I lived in the friggin boondocks at the time. I chopped all of my hair off and was still confident enough with myself mainly because white folks thought it was so cute

Digi: Ahh, ok. I’ve been natural for 10 years, and some people still look at me sideways and ask questions about my hair. Mostly “us”.

Selena: I always got more compliments from white women.  Only occasional head nods and smiles from our folks, who were usually older than me. My locs drew more attention, but that’s the *in* thing lately.

Digi: I wasn’t that comfy and wore extensions for a while before I showed my hair. Mostly because of lack of length. Now, I’m good.

Selena: Girl, I took a pair of clippers and gave myself a fade!  It was ‘03 right after India.Arie cut her hair before the Grammys. My ex-husband was pissed off, and I was mad at myself cause I did it in the middle of winter.

Digi: Men gave me the most crap about it.

Selena: I didn’t get a lot of that probably cause I was still married at the time.  My ex couldn’t stand it till it grew out a few inches. It wasn’t so much that I was brave, I was just prepared. I did a lot of research for like a week, and I mean a lot.  And I connected with people online who were going through the same thing. But men are mess. *smh* My ex-friend knew me when I had my locs  and went the “I don’t like women with short hair” route when I cut it, but he got over it.  And my man now… I can’t keep him out of my hair.  Literally!  But I was always cutting my hair.  The summer after my son was born I had it  chopped off but I still relaxed it.

Digi: I have been wanting to loc my hair for years. It’s the reason I went natural in the first place. I’m worried I won’t like them because I have a huge head. Really, short hair is not my friend.

Selena: That probably helped me transition too.  I was used to short hair and I knew it would grow back. Head shape does need to be taken into consideration too.

Digi: Indeed, Selena.  I didn’t need a lot of length, just something I felt comfy with. Still thinking about locs too.

Selena: I’m thinking about locs again sometime next summer… by then it’ll be time. I cut them cause they had to go.  Too much energy was stored in them that had to go, and at the time I wasn’t sure if I’d do it again. I loved my locs but when I cut them I wanted to get to know my hair again and wear it natural for a longer period of time. So I’m growing the fro/puff dealio out another year or so, and see where it takes me this time.

Digi: I’m thinking about cutting my hair off and starting over for the same reason. Folks keep talking me out of it.

Kylah: I’m still transitioning. It hasn’t been that long since I stopped relaxing. I will probably have a little anxiety once summer comes though. I am used to long straight hair and while I usually just wet it during the summer, it will be different this time.

Sunita: Here I was ready to say patience and it was already said. *lol*

***

I want to thank you ladies for sharing your opinions and experience, and allowing me to share these elements with my readers.  I wish you all the best with the rest of your journeys, whether embarking on locs, maintaining locs or just letting your hair grow and fro.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

When I began my journey I was extremely green.  Not green in the earth friendly way, but green as in I had absosmurfly no clue what I was doing.  Because I didn’t want to go the BC route and couldn’t afford braids or locs, I’d pretty much decided early on I’d take the growth/cut method.  I’d heard all the many horror stories about hair loss so naturally I was scared, but I was determined to successfully transition from the chemical shackles of constant relaxing.  To prepare myself I piecemealed a plan together using articles I’d found on the Web, advice from friends and natural hair forums such as the ones at Napturality.com.  I’d also had in mind to start a natural hair care library starting with a few titles I’d found online.

Well with Life being as hectic as it was when I first started I didn’t get around to stocking my shelves.  But now with the help of the handy dandy the Columbus Public Library’s Westland branch I have started to thumb through the available natural hair titles (which aren’t very many).  Although I don’t need the books for my own personal edification, I was interested in seeing what I could use from them to help enhance my current project, as well as to provide reviews for those of you who may desire to bone up on all things naptural, but aren’t sure which publication you should invest your time in.  Starting with this title here:

As a writer I know that the first factor in getting your book read and/or sold is how it is packaged/presented, so from the cover design I was initially impressed with Textured Tresses.  Secondly, I was impressed by the author, Diane Da Costa, a well known celebrity stylist whose handiwork has appeared in the pages of Essence and Elle, as well as the heads of Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz and Blair Underwood.  I thought this would be a great resource, since Ms. Da Costa has a totally 20 years experience, filled with tips and tricks galore.  Even though Tanya and the average three star Amazon rating the book received warned me I shouldn’t believe the hype, I was confident I’d be able to unearth something useful.

Really wish I would have listened.

I will not say it was a total waste of my time to have checked this book out, or that I would like a total refund of the cost I paid to check it out (peep sarcasm).  But I personally could have gotten more insight about natural hair and transitioning from the makers of Bone Strait No Lye Relaxer.  Yes, I am serious. Although beautifully packaged, with an eloquent foreword penned by Blair Underwood himself, Textured Tresses is nothing more than an overblown stylist portfolio of Ms. Da Costa‘s work.  As one Amazon reviewer stated, the title of the book “Should Be: Da Costa and the Celebrities’ Hair She’s Done. Period.”

Broken into two parts, one for maintenance and the second for styling, this selection barely skims the surface of the “how to” successfully transition from relaxed to natural.  In part one, Da Costa starts off by offering elementary descriptions for the five main textures presented in the book — straight, wavy, loose curly, very curly, tightly coiled — and pre-k comparisons to objects like silk, Persian wool and cotton.  In order to determine your hair type, Ms. Da Costa suggests that the reader simply compares the five black and white thumbnail pictures presented in chapter one and a couple strands of hair.  *blink blink* Personally, I think any woman who has had hair on her head for more than ten years already knows her hair type from those five choices, but maybe I could be wrong.  Further into part one, Da Costa offers a mixture of common sense advice, plugs for Aveda maintenance products and an abundance of  nods towards utilizing the services of a stylist, which is not much help to the naptural novice looking to go it on their own.

In part two, Da Costa offers suggestions for a multitude of natural styles, but accompanies them with more plugs for Aveda products and long drawn out instructions to achieve said styles (her instructions for a twist out involve eleven steps which include how to do two strand twists… which is a totally different style).  Interwoven through part two, Da Costa includes “celebrity memoirs” which boast what she did for muckity muck celebrity figure this or that, more plugs for Aveda products (she plugs a lot more products that just Aveda, but it was the one she referred to the most — the rest were just as “pricey” though) and celebrity mucky muck photos.  After about ten minutes into this section I seriously began to feel as if I were reading a copy of Hype Hair/National Enquirer rather than a Simon and SCHUSTER production.

Da Costa rounds the book out simply, with a listing of natural hair and braiding salon directory, a recommended products list (yes… Aveda is the first product included, but that’s only because the list is alphabetical), reference, art credits and acknowledgements.

So yeah, I didn’t enjoy the read but this is not to say the book did not possess any redeeming qualities.  In part one, Ms. Da Costa offers helpful information on common scalp challenges such a dandruff and psoriasis, and ways to effectively treat each condition.  In addition to this, she provides a list of products (general in nature ie. shampoo, conditioner and essential oils) and styling tools that will be promote growth and health.  Another part that I felt would be potentially helpful is Da Costa‘s tips on how to pick the right stylist and salon, for those who choose to go that route.  It’s kind of a no brainer that an entire chapter would be devoted to this topic, seeing as the author is a professional stylist, but for those of us not wanting to go the natural route on their own it is a very helpful addition.

For my personal use, I found the book a totally wash, seeing as the section I was most interested in (how to transition using the growth method) was merely two paragraphs long where she mentioned that conditioning and stress-less styles were the key to making it work. *blink blink*

In conclusion, using my usual scale of one to five Afro picks, I’d have to side with the average Amazon reviewer and grant Textured Tresses with three picks.  If I had to recommend it to anyone it would most definitely be the novice natural who is on the transition fence and doesn’t have a clue where to start.  This is not a book for the seasoned nappy, nor one who is intent on being styled and maintained by a professional stylist.  And it dern sure isn’t worth the $15 retail price printed on the back cover, so if you just have to check it out for yourself… Check it out from the library.

Book Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; illustrated edition  (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743235509
• ISBN-13: 978-0743235501
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Average Customer Review: 3 stars
• JBTM Review:

Healthy Hair Wishes,

In my quest to find a product that would help to define my coils and allow me to rock some of the cute wash out styles I’ve seen in the world of natural hair, I happened upon the above bottle of advertised goodness.

NextImage Curl ‘N Wavy Curl Defining Conditioner and Detangler claims to define the S-pattern of naturally curly hair and define it’s natural curl. Boosting an impressive list of “natural” ingredients such as olive oil, shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E, this product from NextImage’s laboratories — who’s presence I can not find on the Internet anywhere — also claims to be good for synthetic and natural hair, providing a non-greasy, oil free, non-sticky, soft and frizz free finish. In addition to aaaall of that, this product further claims to repair dry and damaged hair and prevent breakage. Well from my experience, this product well short of it’s professed glory by a country mile.

Product’s directions read as such: For excellent conditioning and detangling, hold bottle 8 – 10 inches from clean, wet hair and spray evenly throughout. Do not rinse. Style as desired.

Which is exactly what I did, and upon initial application I can say it worked rather well. My curls were defined and oil free as the bottle stated they would be. As for the “non-sticky” allegation, I can not affirm that to be truth (it was a slight stickiness, but it was stickiness none the less). Because I comb through my shampoo and conditioner during cleansing I wasn’t all that concerned with the detangling aspect of the product, but using my wide tooth comb I did as I’d been instructed and combed the product through my hair. For about twenty minutes I was somewhat pleased with the results, although not quite what I’d imagined which was something close to this:

Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of my results, but they were nothing like the above pic.

Quite possibly the product was designed for hair of a finer grade or shorter length, because the more my hair dried the less defined my curls became and the more tangled my tresses grew. It was as if the product totally evaporated with the water, leaving behind a sticky residue that smelled faintly of Jheri Curl activator. And it did nothing to work well with my shrinkage. Honestly, I feel as if I had applied a bottle full of fragrant water onto my hair, although the water would have had a much more desirable and longer lasting effect.

Since I did not bring the bottle with me, and can’t find any information online other than a five star review I am convinced was trumped up to push the product and a listing on the Texas Beauty Supplies Website, I can’t offer up a list of all of the ingredients used. I also can’t provide any information on the manufacturer of this waste of $6.99 plus tax and/or shipping and handling. But what I can provide is my personal opinion of this product… it sucks.

On my typical scale of 1 to 5 Afro picks, one being the worst and five being the best… this product gets a shameful MINUS TEN.

So in short, I do not recommend this product, and I wish I could get my time and money back.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

Hey Hey Nappies!!!

How goes it?  For me, it goes relatively well and I cannot complain.  I have taken the leap and re-relocated to the great state of Ohio, this time in Columbus instead of Toledo, and I am loving every minute of it.  I have taken the daring step out on my own (the kiddies are back with their dad until I can get settled) in hopes of reestablishing myself as an “independent” woman in preparation for a divorce.  Ooooh, no need for the sympathy if there is any.  It’s a mutual decision that’s beneficial for everyone involved, so it’s all good.  Beyond all that, my journey to natural is still going strong and I am falling more in love with my kinks and coils every day.

As you can see from the above pic, my tresses are continuing to grow beautifully.  I’m at ~ 8 – 10″ now with fullness and body for days.  While I’m still getting settled here in the Capital City has taken priority over experimenting with new styles, I have not slacked when it comes to hair care.  I am still very much in love with my Hair Milk and Healthy Hair Butter.  Still washing twice a week to combat build up while allowing my hair’s natural oil production.  Still keeping my hands out of it as much as I can so that it can do what it does best… Grow.  As far as styling I’m pretty much partial to the Afro puff, like the ones in the above picture, and twists/twist outs whenever I’m in the mood to do them.  With the length and close to a year’s experience under my belt two strands are easier to do, but take a bit more time than it used to, so it’s not often that I do them.  I have entertained the idea of starting locs the next time I twist but don’t think I’m ready for such a permanent hair style just yet.  I’m having too much fun learning the wonderfulness that is my natural hair type in all its glory.

I guess the only real news concerning my journey is an exciting new project that was inspired by my Goddess Sister Tanya, a fellow natural hailing from NYC.  The project will be a natural hair care book written by moi, which will focus on transitioning using the growth method (allowing the hair to grow while cutting the permed ends off a little at a time) instead of going the weave, braid, loc or BC routes.  The reason for the book is that the current books that are on the market only skim the surface of transitioning using this process, while focusing on the other methods for their quickness and ease.  The main premise of the book is to take the assumed difficulty out of the growth method and encourage women to take the time to learn their hair before undertaking a more permanent style.  This way they learn the products that work best for their hair, as well as experience the total effects (physical, psychological and spiritual) of transitioning — developing their whole selves as their hair comes back into its own.  Now, I don’t want to let too much of the cat out of the bag, but I will say that I am extremely excited about just where this project can go.  I am blessed to have a good number of fellow Journeyers willing to help out by sharing their experiences, and while I don’t have a definite deadline for the project I’m working diligently researching and outlining the project and look forward to having a first draft done by the end of summer.

So that’s pretty much it and all for this leg of the journey so far.  No flash and no flair but still loaded with personal accomplishment and discovery.  As for the Blog, since I have more stable access to the Internet for the time being I will be able to update more frequently, bringing you the tips, tricks and recipes you’ve come to know and love.  So look forward to that in days to come.

Healthy Hair Wishes,