It has been awhile because, again, disenchantment with natural hair took a hold of me.  Not disenchantment with natural hair itself, mind you, just talking about it, posting about it, reading about it, etc.  There’s only so much involvement one can have with their hair while cultivating a full life, unless that life is professionally linked to said subject.

I’ve been keeping up care of my tresses as normal, with weekly washes and conditioning, daily moisturizing treatments and basically letting it do what it do… Grow.  But here lately I’ve desired to do something different with it than go with my traditional WNG’s, especially with the weather turning cold and me not wanting to go out with wet hair every morning.  So  a couple week’s ago I decided to press my coils and wear it in a pony-puff, which surprised me because I had no idea my hair had grown long enough to put in one ponytail yet.  The process took one hour and thirty minutes with my electric pressing comb set at about 400* F or so (close to the highest setting) and I utilized grape seed oil as my heat protectant.  As you can tell from the above photo the results were pleasant enough, and my hair maintained a healthy state and appearance, but I came away with feather light strands that I couldn’t really do anything with except throw them in a ponytail.  Because my hair had very little defined body to it in its wispy pressed state and I desired a smooth look, I decided to run out and add two more tools to my hair styling arsenal:

A set of Jilbere de Paris™ Palladium ceramic flat irons and 1 1/2 barrel curling iron.  Since I’m not very brand savvy when it comes to styling tools, and really don’t plan on using either heat implement very often, I opted for this set because it was simple and affordable (the flat iron was $60 at Sally’s Beauty Supply and the curling iron was free with the purchase of the flat iron… can’t beat that there).  I do know that ceramic irons transfer heat more evenly so that was a must when decided on styling implements.  The Jilbere irons are a decent choice in my opinion, although I’ve heard Maxius’ Maxiglide is a far superior, albeit more expensive, tool to work with.

Since I’d pressed my hair just a few days before purchasing the set of irons I waited to style my hair in order to give it a rest.  In the interim I kept my hair moisturized with Yonnea’s GPS oil, wrapped it every night and kept my hands out of it as much as possible.  Although I have very thick/coarse hair I know it’s weakest when it’s straightened, considering the amount of heat it takes to get it to that point.  So I wanted to make sure it recovered as much as possible from the pressing before applying more heat to it.  Once it was time to flat iron my hair (something I’ve never done before), in addition to an application of grape seed oil, I applied a generous amount of Beyond The Zone Pro Formula Turn Up The Heat flat iron protection spray.  Parting my hair into inch wide by inch thick sections it took me just about as long to flat iron my hair as it did to press it, but the results were breathtaking!

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My hair was sleek, frizz-less, supple and the straightest it had been since I stopped relaxing.  I was so amazed at the difference between flat ironing and pressing although the amount of time to achieve both results is roughly the same.  Another difference was the appearance/condition of my ends, which took on a much smoother, more “manageable”, look.  The grape seed oil and protection spray, along with the ceramic plates, infused my hair with a very healthy sheen that I instantly fell in love with.

When it came time to curl my hair I was very careful to just apply the curling iron to the ends of my hair for just long enough to bend them, giving my style body while minimizing heat exposure to the entire strand:

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In a word, it was strikingly different from what I ‘d grown used to in the past three, almost four, years.  Not a good different or a bad different, since to me styling options are merely an expression and not a definition of what’s natural or not.  It was just different, and I like it just like I have grown to like my WNG’s.  The responses from coworkers and Facebook friends were very complimentary, although they too were surprised to see how much hair I actually had.  Yes, shrinkage can be deceptive, ladies and gentlemen.

Maintaining the style was a breeze.  Every night I’d coat it with Yonnea’s GPS oil, brush it around the circumference of my head to keep the bends “fresh”, then cover it with a satin wrap.  In the morning I ran a wide tooth comb through it and went on my merry way.  No fuss, no muss and no extra heat.  Of course this will not be a style I plan on duplicating with any frequency because of the threat of heat damage, but it was a nice change of pace.

For those of you who are daring to wear your hair straight using heat options, keep these tips in mind to ensure your hair resists heat damage and maintains health:

• MOISTURIZE PROFUSELY!!!  In preparation to heat styling be sure to deep condition your hair intensely with a protein rich conditioner and keep it well “oiled”.  Moisturized hair increases your hair’s heat capacity, allowing you to use less heat when styling and protect the core of the hair strand.
• Utilize a heat protector.  Whether it be a commercial product or my stand by, grape seed oil (of all the oils, grape seed withstands higher temperatures), always apply a “buffer” between your hair and the heat tool.  Although “cones” get a bad rep when it comes to natural hair maintenance, they do wonders with transferring heat quickly so irons do not need to be on the hair long in order to straighten.
• Know your hair’s “heat tolerance”.  Just because your hair is coarse or thick, that does not mean you need to apply the max temperature of the flat or curling iron in order to achieve smooth results.  Coarse hair burns at the same temperature as paper (~451*F) and thin hair can scorch at way lower thresholds.  Also, having the irons on too low of temperature settings can also cause damage since you have to run the tools over the hair multiple times.
• Minimize the number of heat tools used in styling.  For example, banding hair after cleansing and conditioning will allow the hair to dry “straight”, eliminating the use of a blow dryer or pressing comb in addition to a flat iron.  Or, utilize the cool setting when blowing drying and a good brush to distribute the air.  Much damage is done to hair by blow drying hair too fast.
• Utilize non-heat tools to maintain style so heat exposure is limited.  For instance, if you want to keep your heat set curls for extended periods, enlist the help of rollers while you sleep.  Daily heat application puts your tresses at greater risk for heat damage, even at low temperatures.
• Make sure all your heat styling tools, and hair, are clean prior to each styling.  Ideally flat, curling and pressing irons should be cleaned after each use so that build-up does not “harden” on their surfaces and cause damage to the hair shaft or cuticle as the tools are passed along the strands.

As a general rule, heat on natural hair is a no-no in most circles but for those of you who like a straight look every  now and again, know that you can achieve beautiful results without putting your hair at risk.

Healthy Hair Wishes & Happy New Year!

So, earlier in the year I won a full set of Kinky-Curly products courtesy of KC creator Shelley Davis and the Nappturalite Radio Show and I was eager as a beaver to try out the Curling Custard.  Of course, if you’re a regular reader of JB2M you know my first attempt went down like a lead zeppelin…

(click image to see the first review)

Not the results I was looking for, which should have been closer to this:

Not as long, of course, but you get the gist.  Turns out, I didn’t follow the “directions” right so the result I got was par for the course.  As per the container and Website, there’s a technique to using KCCC.  You can’t just “wash and go” with this stuff if you want to achieve the best results, but at the time I wasn’t all that interested in taking the time to employ the techniques.  Then again, my hair wasn’t long enough for to achieve the results I wanted.  So I scrapped the product until a later date.  That later date came and I attempted again, using the instructions to produce results for “loose wavy curls”:

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Not much different, right?  Right.  I can’t say that I was disappointed, just figured the product wasn’t formulated for my hair type, despite the claims of the product Website.  I never got around to trying the gel for two strand twists or a twist out because honestly the consistency seems too slippery when it’s wet and too tacky when it dries in order to give me the look I was going for.  But I still held on to the curling custard because I was sure I’d be able to use it somehow in the future… Or at least be able to swap it out for a product that worked better for me.

A couple of months pass and my hair gets a little longer.  I begin noticing my hair taking on a different effect when I apply products and my curl pattern becoming a little more “effortlessly” defined than when it was shorter.  So one morning at 2 AM, after I’d woken up for no particular reason I could fathom, I decided to experiment with KCCC again, this time using the instructions for “thick coarse curls”.  Prior to the application of the custard I washed my hair with KC’s Come Clean shampoo and conditioned with KC’s Knot Today as recommended.  While still in the shower with my hair totally drenched, I applied generous portions of KCCC (read: partial handfuls) to quartered sections of my hair and, as per the instructions, raked the product through with my fingers.  Each time I felt my hair drying I rewet the section and continued to rake the product through until each section was well coated.  Much to my delight I began to see my hair transform:

Not that great of a picture, but I’m sure you can get the gist.  This was the look I was going for… Wavy spirals with a springy, bouncy appearance that laid just right.  Still, it didn’t give Shelley’s curls a run for their money but I LOVED it!  So did The Lion! *wink* Unfortunately, I became sleepy before my hair dried enough to set and ended up with a similar look as my first two KCCC attempts even though I tried really hard not to sleep on my hair (picture Regina King’s character in the movie Friday *lol*).  I tried to revive the style twice by spritzing with water and applying KC Spiral Spritz but my hair just wasn’t having it.  Not to be deterred I’d decided for my sixth attempt I’d wake up extra early on a work day and try again.  That way the spirals wouldn’t be pressed down and could air dry and set.  This time I combed the custard through my hair instead of finger combing, and here are the results:

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YES!!!  This is totally what I was looking for!  Now as you can see, my hair was very wet.  This is key to achieving the look, although I do admit it’s extremely messy and somewhat heavy.  The process itself is also a bit time consuming, totaling maybe a good twenty  minutes on the high end.  So if you are trying this on for size before work, class or a social function you may want to start an hour or so beforehand to ensure your hair begins its setting phase and you have a good idea of what the final result will be.  I was a bit pressed for time after finishing the application techniques necessary to get the product to “work” right so I attempted to quick set my hair by using the cool setting on my blow dryer:

Again, admittedly not a very good picture but the idea is captured.  As you can tell, as the hair dries there is shrinkage involved.  While there are instructions on how to “reduce the poof” by smoothing your hair after applying KCCC, I personally don’t believe there’s anyway to get around shrinkage when it comes to tightly coiled, highly porous hair.  But even with the shrinkage I was pleased with the results.  My hair was frizz-free, even though I had to use a towel to blot excess custard from my tresses after working it down through my ends.  This is another thing you want to be mindful of when it comes to timing your styling with this product.  Because of the amount of custard I had to use to “lengthen my curls” there was more than a little excess of the gel left behind, as you may be able to see in some of the pictures.  These leftover globs can be eliminated by spritzing the hair liberally and combing the excess through.  The product does not “disappear” as it dries so unless you take steps to comb, or even rinse, the excess away it will dry just like that.  Not a good look, to say the least.

So I went to work and received several compliments on my curls and spent most of the day looking cute.  My work day starts at seven-thirty and when I left that morning my hair was still fairly wet although I’d used the blow dryer to dry it a little.  I anticipated my hair would air dry and set on its own as the day progressed and that by lunch time, which is usually 2 PM for me, my style would be good to go.  Well come lunch time my hair was still significantly wet at the roots in more than a few spots, although the ends were dry and my curls were set.  I wasn’t all that thrilled with the wetness but was pleased with the curls.  However, since I have very few chances to look in a mirror while at work I was not sure just how well the “cuteness” of the style held up.  I normally go home for lunch so I knew I’d have the perfect opportunity to see how well KCCC had done my do once mostly dry.

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The coils were still defined and gorgeous but the shrinkage left a lot to be desired.  I had someone ask me if I’d cut my hair… That’s how big a difference my hair was between being wet and being dry.  I was not pleased with that look at all.  The back remained well shaped and full but the front and the side, in my opinion, were not the look I wanted.  Another drawback was the crunchiness of the coils.  Not quite dry straw crunchy, but not at all soft to the touch.  It was as if my hair was freeze dried, although it wasn’t quite as hard as you might think.  I made an attempt to fluff my hair by spritzing it with water and finger styling it a bit but in the end I only succeeded in making my hair shrink more once it dried again, giving me the appearance of an ungroomed poodle by the day’s end.  One plus to the style is, once it’s set and you sleep on it, your coils are still there in the morning.  But when it came to restyling, unless I wanted to go through the whole method of saturating my hair and reapplying the KCCC I was not going to duplicate the previous day’s results on the fly.  Not even the Spiral Spritz helped.  So in short, at least in my experience, the whole process must be repeated from step one, and honestly, that’s way too much product on my hair for my liking on a daily basis.  I also don’t cotton to the idea of leaving the house every morning with a wet head now that the Midwesterner winter is upon us.

So my sixth attempt with Kicky-Curly’s Curling Custard was not a complete let down since I did partially achieve the style I’d desired on the onset.  Maybe I didn’t allow myself enough “dry” styling time when I enlisted the help of my dryer, or quite possibly a different style or cut would allow the product to dry evenly and resist significant shrinkage.  Maybe I need a day when I don’t have any immediate plans to play with the product and see what garners the best results for my hair length or wait for a few more inches to sprout before trying it again.  While I did not like the dry results I can say that KCCC did define and elongate my curl pattern this time around and, for at least the first three to four hours of my day, give me great coil results.  To my “discredit”, I did not apply KC’s Gloss Pomade to “soften” my hair because I didn’t have the time on my lunch hour.  Maybe the next time I use the product I’ll do so and document the results.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

Hi Hi Napturals!

I think that I have come to the conclusion that I am ready for locs.  Yeah, yeah… I know I said I wasn’t sure I was ready for such a permanent style, but after many months of consideration, and talking to other loc’ers from all walks of life, as well as growing weary of limited styling options for my free hair, I think the time has come for me to commit.  Both my seester Eve and BFF Selena have offered to start the process for me, but I think I’m going to play around with starting locs from two strands this week.  While I’m sure the method is pretty “easy” in essence, I have taken to trolling the Internet to see what information I could find in order to “properly” start the process.  And here is what I came up with:

How to Start Two-Strand Twists or Braid Locs

Wash your natural hair.  Have a spray bottle of water handy to keep your hair damp throughout the twisting or braiding so [you don't] damage your natural hair by manipulating it dry.

Equipment:

• Fine tooth rat tail comb or any comb you can handle easily
• Non-alcohol loc gel or loc cream
• A light oil or pomade
• Spray bottle of water
• Hair clips
• Blow dryer or hooded dryer

Part your hair into large sections.  Separate a small section into the size you want to start your two-strand twists or braid locs in.  If you are two strand twisting or braiding, apply a TINY amount of loc product to the section you are about to twist.  Two-strand twist the hair gently but tightly (this is the same thing as braiding your hair, but instead of three strands of hair you use two).  Attach a clip to the end and the root. Continue throughout] until all is either two-strand twisted or braided.

NOTE: A loc product is NOT necessary, but may make it easier the first time you attempt this!

Either blow dry hair or sit under a [hooded] dryer.  Lightly oil your scalp [then] tie hair up with silk or satin scarf or bonnet.

The Good… The Bad… The Ugly???

Two-strand twists and Braids are a very cool way to start your locs, however, you have to either twist your hair or use another method to tighten them after the [initial] start.  They can be very versatile and go [through] the same stages of frizziness every other method does.

Tightening

Spray hair to dampen [then] apply a TINY amount of light gel or loc cream to the section that needs tightening at the root of the hair near the scalp.  Lightly smooth the gel or cream down the loc from the root to the end gently.  GENTLY but firmly twist the hair either clockwise or counter clockwise from the root.  Place a hair clip at the root to hold it while you smooth the rest of the section by twisting the same direction.  You may have to apply more than [one] clip depending on the length of your hair.  Do the same thing throughout until all the twists or braids have been tightened, then lightly blow-dry your hair or sit under the dryer, apply a light oil to the scalp and tie hair up with a silk or satin scarf or bonnet.

IMPORTANT: Remember your newly tightened hair will probably not STAY tight.  Don’t lose patience and try to tighten too often!   NEVER twist your hair when it is DRY.

source: http://www.daezhavoo.com/howtolocyourhair.html

Easy peasy, it seems, right?  Well, once I start I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress, with plenty of pictures of the good, the bad and the “ugly” of it all.

Are you loc’ing now?  I’d love to hear your stories and advice on how you survived the journey!

Healthy Hair Wishes,

It’s been about six or seven months since I last thought to straighten my hair with any sort of heat implement, but a couple of weeks ago I had a hankering to see how the tresses had been progressing in the length department.  I knew I’d gained some inches because I’ve been able to style my hair in two genuine Afro puffs, and when I extend my coils I’m impressed by just how long they are, but I wanted to see how a full press would turn out.

Well lo’ and behold, I took the straightening comb to the kinks and was pleasantly surprised by the results:

Of course, you can see the slight humidity had a semi-field day with my coils after awhile, but as you can see, there is lengthy along with that body, and a glorious healthy shine.  I didn’t use my normal thermal protection product because I’d left it in Detroit, so I had to dial down the temps on the comb as to not totally fry my hair, but I am pleased with the results.

I finished the press off with a coating of Healthy Hair Butter and styled it simply in two ponytails.  I didn’t measure it but am guessing I’m not at ~ 8 to 10 inches, which is a gain of about two since the last time I measured.

I’ve gotten more than one comment about pressing my hair from the aspect of “purists” who believe any type of texture alteration brings one from up under the “natural” umbrella, but you know what… Natural is as natural does.  I love the versatility of my hair, that I can go from puff to pressed to Fro to twist whenever I feel urge.  The way I feel, as long as I am not chemically straightening my hair I feel I am still on the journey.  I know enough about my grade of hair to know that all I need to do to take my hair back to its roots is add moisture and *BOING* I’ve got my curls, kinks and coils back.  So it’s all good.

So, here is what six to seven months of keeping my hands and heat out of my hair has brought me to!  WOOOOOO!  I don’t plan on straightening my hair often, as I still believe heat in abundance — no matter how far you go to protect it from damage — it’s a death warrant waiting to be served.  But since I like the results, I will return to the style ever so often, and enlist the aid of a satin wrap (which I also left in Detroit) to help maintain the style for as long as possible.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

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,

As for the look, as you can see from the picture above, although the twists looked properly executed, the twist style that I used wasn’t very flattering to my face shape (in my opinion, anyway).

Twist Take Two, which came just three weeks after Take One, wasn’t any more successful than my first attempt, but I was getting better with manipulating the twists and had perfected the skill of moistening each section as I got to it.  Visually, I still was not pleased with the result, mostly due to the length I lost as each twist dried, which further contributed to the “picaninny perception” I had of  the style.  Furthermore, I was still having the problem with twisting the base tight enough so that it would not unravel, which made necessary my third attempt:

The third time was very much the charm for me.  I like the appearance of the twists, although I was still disappointed by the natural shrinkage once they dried.  I’d enlisted the use of steel clips to aid in keeping the strands from unraveling so much at the base of each twist, as well as to keep each twist straight, which resulted in neater rows throughout.  I also added the element of a side part. Following the side part I was able to control the direction of the twists a bit better, and I could style them from center to side instead of simply from front to back.  I was pleased enough with this effort to wear it on short excursions to the outside world.

Twist set four was sublime perfection!  In just two months from my third attempt I’d gained a bit of length, which graced me with thicker twists from  base to tip and helped give a  fuller look to the style.  By three months into the game it was pretty much old hat, so I could pattern the twists however I wanted to.  I pretty much stayed with the regular so that I could achieve this:

A head full of thick and luscious corkscrews, which was part of the reason I’d started working with two strand twists in the first place.  When I’d first started the journey back to natural I’d envied twist out and braid out styles I’d seen on celebs and other Journeyers, which reminded me of times when I was younger and loved the crinkle wave look of my hair when it was unbraided.

It’s funny, now that I look back to my beginnings of dealing with this style, to see how nervous I was at the start of trying twists on for size.  I saw it as so complicated and was scared I’d do it wrong, resulting in being ticketed by the Naptural Hair Police for “perpetrating a fraud” because my nappy virgin efforts were so removed from what two strand twist “should” look like.  I was scared to wear them too far from home because I wasn’t sure I’d gotten the process down right, and for the most part they still reminded me of Buckwheat.  Now… I see it as a process in learning my hair, learning the style and learning not to compare myself to media images I see represented on celebs and models who have had their twists professionally styled.  It was also an exercise in patience… knowing my hair would not look how I wanted until it regained health and length, and until it did I’d have to make peace with what I had to work with.  And I did.  I cared for my hair as best I could, kept my hands out of it, which was my promise to myself, and learned to deal with it on its terms.  Three months later I was blessed with this result of my labour:

So there is my Twist Transformation, from start to “finish”.  It has been both frustrating and fun and helped me to learn my hair, so I would not trade any moment of it for the world.  It’s been a beautiful struggle.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

I have heard tell of the wonders of Carol’s Daughter’s products on ethnic hair, but thought it was all hype.  I mean not hype overall, but hype in the sense that because Jada Pinkett-Smith was one of the spokespersons, and most of the models that I’ve seen looking either bi-racial or of the “good hair”/celebrity variety.  So understandably, I was really skeptical of exactly how it would work with my hair type.  Keep in mind, I haven’t known what my hair grade was since I was about twelve years old, and being mired in misconceptions about black hair, I was sure my tresses were the consistency of steel wool when it wasn’t “tamed” by chemicals.

Even after I started transitioning and knew my hair type a bit more intimately, I was unsure about how my hair would react under the care of Carol’s Daughter.  From what I’ve read, the products are all “au naturale”, made without a lot of the additives and preservatives of other commercial products (ie. petroleum, mineral oil and all the “cones” natural hair enthusiasts warn you about), and I was convinced it would take a more industrial type product to keep my hair healthy and looking its best (even if all I did to it was wrapped it up, for the most part), especially since I suffer dry scalp issues.  But the more I got to learn about my hair, and the more I heard praises of Lisa Price‘s brainchild — not to mention finding out Shawn Corey Carter is one of CD‘s investors — I decided I would give the line a try.  Only problem was… I had no clue where to find CD products in the metro Detroit area.  Selena, a long time user of the Hair Milk, let me know Sephora carried the line, but the only Sephora store I knew of was three to four cities away from my house.  Now as much I am loving my hair, and as adamant as I am about maintaining proper care of my tresses… there was no way I was going on a multi-city trip to by a $18 bottle of hair product.  My momma could have made it and I still weren’t gonna do it.  Well lucky for me, after an excursion to buy a new digi cam (a multi-city trip in itself but… it was for a camera which is totally different *lol*), I just so happened to drop into Macy’s in Oakland Mall and right across the aisle from the Godiva Chocolatier section was a Carol’s Daughter kiosk!  How cool is that?  So I swagger walked on over to check out the haps, and with the assistance of Henrietta I acquired a bottle of the highly coveted Hair Milk, aaaaaaaaand a container of Healthy Hair Butter!  An over $40 purchase combined, but considering the price of beauty and manageability for me is often steep I was not at all adverse to forking over the duckets… especially if the products did what they promised.

So I carted my treasures home, hopeful — yet still still skeptical — and eager to step into the Journey Test Kitchen.  The day after, I washed and conditioned my hair as normal with Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo + Conditioner (Anti-Drandruff) , a process that involves lathering up the tresses then combing through them with a wide tooth comb (I make it a point to NEVER disturbed the natural growth pattern of my hair by rubbing the shampoo throughout my hair in a willy nilly fashion), rinsing with tepid water, then clarifying with my ACV/rosemary elixir.  Once my hair was clean, I gently squoze my hair dry in order to leave it dampened, then — as per the suggested directions — added a generous amount of Hair Milk to the roots, shaft and ends of my hair.  I am not sure what I initially expected the result to be, but I can tell you… they were better than I could have ever hoped!!!

My hair remained soft and virtually tangle free.  As you can see, my natural curls were defined in wonderfully soft “poofs” that haloed my head, beautifully!  There was no “greasy” after-feel like I’d experienced with other products, and although my hair drank the milk in, it was still moist and soft to the touch!  Its light in consistency, smells absosmurfly divine, and this magic potion even seems to have conquered an issue that is common to Nappies the world over — SHRINKAGE!!!  Not that it prevents it, because there is nothing curly hair knows to do better than curl and “shrink” lengthwise.  But the milk works with the shrinkage factor, preventing my curly ends from curling up on each other and causing kinks and snarls.  So one product down, with stellar results… one more to go.

The day after the usage of the Hair Milk — because I don’t regularly practice the art of tying my hair up at night — I noticed I needed something to “pump” my hair back up after a night of laying on it.  The moisture from the milk was still there, but the wash out was matted.  Although I know some who use the milk whether their hair is wet or dry, I wanted to see what good the Healthy Hair Butter could do.  So I applied an ample amount to my hair, finger combing it through and BOOYAH:

The fluffy tufts were back in effect with the same manageability as the day before!

Now, I had used the butter on my edges the same day that I used the milk (Henrietta stated that for some, if one product doesn’t work it is perfectly fine to combine the products since they work together harmoniously) to keep them soft and “laying down” without using alcohol laden hair gel which would dry them out, but I was really impressed with how it did not weigh the rest of my hair down like other moisturizing products I’d used (ie. the oils I’d been using).  My scalp didn’t feel oily, and after dressing my hair my fingers did not come away as if I’d eaten six pieces of Church’s/Popeye’s chicken!  Again, there’s a delicious aroma to the butter that’s not too flowery or “herbal”, just clean lemongrass, which is a staple in my bath potions so I’m good with it.

Needless to say, both the Hair Milk and Healthy Hair Butter, will be staples in my hair care regimen from here on out.  Because I know any health and beauty care line works best with corresponding products from the same line, I would love to try the Rosemary Mint Shampoo and the Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner for my cleansing and conditioning needs, but as the “single” mother of four it might not be in my budget at the moment ($11.50 for 8 oz. of conditioner is a lil bit outta my league).  But for now, the milk and butter do me just fine and have served a wonderful introductions for me to the Carol’s Daughter line.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

One of the “easiest” style to maintain while I transitioned, has been to simple toss my tresses back into a ponytail and throw one of my many bun wraps over it:

Not only is it a “no fuss/no muss” style, it also protects the hair by shielding it from potentially damaging elements, as well as keeps your hands out of it. But the art of tying a proper head wrap can be a bit tricky. I prefer the bun wraps (for now) because they are relatively easy to tie, just gather like a ponytail and wrap the ends around to form the bun. However, there are many other wrap variations to try, and here are some tutorials to demonstrate the versatility of the wrap!

hair wrap 1

hair wrap 2

hair wrap 3

hair wrap 4

hair wrap 5

I also discovered some text wrap tutorials on AfricaImports.com, and on the Anyiams Creation Website.

Do you wrap, or know of other wrap styles? Feel free to share them by either commenting here, or sending an Email to amichelle@journeyback2me.com.

Happy wrapping!

Healthy Hair Wishes,

Keeping in line with the theme of transitioning, again, from the pages of NaturalHairGuide.com, here are some popular protective hair styles ideas that will keep your hair hands free and growing healthily!

Transitioning Styles

by Amy, founder of NaturalHairCareGuide.com

What makes a good transitional hair style? Good questions. A good transitional hairstyle keeps hair handling to a minimum. That doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t comb or brush your hair while you are transitioning. It just means that less in this case really is more.

Always remember to work with your natural hair and not against it. If you keep this in mind during your transition as well as when you hair is completely natural, you and your hair will be much happier.

Pressing it is NOT the answer
You may be thinking to yourself, “I’ll just press the roots so that they will both be straight while it grows out.”

Bad idea. For one thing going natural means that you are beginning to learn how to work with your hear. You will have to start [somewhere]. Why not now? The skills of tender considerate hair care that you learn now will help you when your hair is completely natural.

The other reason is that you will run the risk of snapping it of at the weakest point, the place where the relaxed hair and natural hair meet.

In general it is best to stay [away] from heat. You have so many other options that shouldn’t be a problem.

Transitional Hairstyles
When choosing a transitional natural hair style it is important to think about how you usually wear your hair. One of the biggest mistakes that many people make is thinking that there is a certain look or that their hair has to look a certain way to be natural. Being natural is being chemical free point blank.

Pick a style that suits you. If you are a conservative person you may want to go with conservative style. If you are daring the sky is the limit. Pick a style or combination of styles that are best for you.

Some good transitional styles are :

• Braids with extensions
• Two Strand Twists
• Comb Coils/Twists
• Straw Sets
• Cornrows with or without extensions
• Braid/Twist Outs

Braids with extensions
Braids have been a normal “in” style for a while now. There are lots of braiding gallery magazines that will give you ideas. Although many of the styles may be pushing the limits a little than you may be comfortable with you can get some good ideas.

When going to get braids DO NOT get micro braids or extra tiny individuals. They are not good for you hair to begin with. And they are an absolute pain to take out. Remember you are looking for styles that will require little handling. Tiny braids are prone to get tangled when you try to take them out. As your hair grows your hair will snap off more when you have to untangle it.

Try to stick with braids that you don’t need a tooth pick or pin to pick out. With the wide variety of extension braid styles finding a hair healthy size shouldn’t be a problem.

Cornrows with or without extensions
If you don’t like sitting for a long time to get braids, but want a style that will last for some time, cornrows are a good choice. Like braids they have been in for a while. Even though cornrows have now become associated with men as well as women there are many very feminine cornrow styles. Braiding books are a good place to look for ideas.

Although not as tedious to take out as tiny braids tiny cornrows especially with extensions can be a pain to take out both literally and figuratively.

Curled Two Strand Twists or Twist Out
I honestly think that two strand twists on relaxed hair only look nice if you curl them. I think that plain two strand twists look straight and stringy on relaxed hair. But that is just my opinion do what suits you best.

To do Curled Two Strand Twists you will need:

• Large tooth comb
• Metal free or Ouchless rubber bands
• Banana Clips
• Moisture lotion
• Curlers (optional)
• End papers (if using curlers)
• Bonnet dryer
• Spray bottle with water.

Directions:

This style is best done when your hair is with freshly washed, detangled, and still damp.

Apply moisture lotion generously through out your hair.

If your hair begins to dry out, mist it with the water in the spray bottle.

Depending on how much new growth you have and how manageable your hair is you may want to use the rubber bands to separate your hair into six or eight sections. Doing this will also keep your hair from drying out.

Starting from the back, part or pull of a small (half inch) square of hair from the rest. Clip the rest out of the way.

Separate that section into two parts and crossing one part over the other until you get to the end.

Put a piece of end paper on your hair, roll and secure.

I’ve found it easiest to work in rows left to right top to bottom.

Sit under a bonnet dryer until your hair dries.

When dry unroll carefully and style with fingers.

I’ve found that you can wear this style for a few days as is. The for a softer look you can un twist the twists. And wear it for a few more days.

Lightly mist your hair with a moisture spray or braid spray daily.

Remember to tie your hair up at night with a silk or satin scarf to preserve the style.

Straw Sets
For a straw set you will need:

• Large tooth comb
• Metal free or Ouchless rubber bands
• Banana Clips
• Moisture lotion
• Setting Gel (alcohol free)
• Drinking straws
• Bobby pins
• Bonnet dryer
• Spray bottle with water.

Directions:

This style is best done when your hair is with freshly washed, detangled, and still damp.

Apply moisture lotion and setting gel generously [throughout] your hair.

If your hair begins to dry out, mist it with the water in the spray bottle.

Depending on how much new growth you have and how manageable your hair is you may want to use the rubber bands to separate your hair into six or eight sections. Doing this will also keep your hair from drying out.

Starting from the back, part or pull of a small (half inch) square of hair from the rest. Clip the rest out of the way.

Take one drinking straw start wrapping your hair around the straw from one end of the drinking straw to the other. You are trying to cover the straw with your hair not roll your hair with the straw. Think tight Shirley Temple curls or long coils.

Secure both ends with bobby pins. Repeat until done

I’ve found it easiest to work in rows left to right top to bottom.

Sit under a bonnet dryer until your hair dries.

When it is dry take the bobby pins out of each end and then gently slide the straw off.

Arrange with your fingers.

Lightly mist your hair with a moisture spray or braid spray daily.

Remember to tie your hair up at night with a silk or satin scarf to preserve the style.

Braid Out or Crinkly Set
Braid-outs look cute curled or uncurled. I think curling gives you more options.

To do Curled Two Strand Twists you will need:

• Large tooth comb
• Metal free or Ouchless rubber bands
• Banana Clips
• Moisture lotion
• Curlers (optional)
• End papers (if using curlers)

Directions:

This style is best done when your hair is damp.

Apply moisture lotion generously [throughout] your hair.

If your hair begins to dry out, mist it with the water in the spray bottle.

Depending on how much new growth you have and how manageable your hair is you may want to use the rubber bands to separate your hair into six or eight sections. Doing this will also keep your hair from drying out.

Starting from the back, part or pull of a square of hair from the rest. The larger the section the larger the crinkle and vice versa. Clip the rest out of the way.

Braid that section to the end.

(optional) Put a piece of end paper on your hair, roll and secure.

I’ve found it easiest to work in rows left to right top to bottom.

(optional ) If you are curling, sit under a bonnet dryer until your hair dries.

When dry unroll carefully and style with fingers.

I’ve found that you can wear this style for a few days as is. The for a softer look you can un twist the twists. And wear it for a few more days.

Lightly mist your hair with a moisture spray or braid spray daily.

Remember to tie your hair up at night with a silk or satin scarf to preserve the style.

Flat Twists

Flat twist can be done straight back like cornrows. You can also flat twist the front and straw set or braid/twist out the back.

To do flat twists you will need:

• Rat tail comb
• Metal free or Ouchless rubber bands
• Banana Clips
• Moisture lotion

Directions:

This style is best done when your hair is damp.

Apply moisture lotion generously [throughout] your hair.

Depending on how much new growth you have and how manageable your hair is you may want to use the rubber bands to separate your hair into six or eight sections. Doing this will also keep your hair from drying out.

Use the back end of the rat tail comb to make straight clean parts.

Put a little bit of gel on the section to be twisted.

Starting at the beginning of the row, separate a small section in to two parts.

Cross one strand over another, pick up hair as you work your way back.

When you get to the end, secure your flat twist with a bobby pin.

###

Thanks again Amy and NaturalHairGuide.com!

There are a good number of you who are taking the naptural plunge and braving to wearing your natural hair, and for that I applaud you. But for as many of you who are picking up the gauntlet, just as many find themselves back on what diehards call “the creamy crack”, after your first month of sacrifice. The road to natural is not an easy one, nor is it for the faint of heart. But remaining in the know about what you can expect, and how to properly transition in a way that’s right for you, can make all the difference in the world.

So for those of you on the front lines, traveling that first leg of the journey, I have scoured the Net to bring you…

What to Expect (When You’re Transitioning)

by Amy, founder of NaturalHairCareGuide.com

I hate to break it to you but it is better to tell you now at the beginning. Ready? Ok. You will have to cut off your relaxer. You may choose to cut it all off at once, or you may trim it gradually. But it will have to go.

Once you have decided to stop relaxing your hair you will want to be natural ASAP. But transitioning can be a lesson in patience. Don’t believe any product that promises to “revert” your relaxed hair back to kinky again.

[Beware] of those telling you to pour beer or any other substance in your hair in an effort to make it “go back.” Relaxing your hair changes the molecular structure of your hair permanently, [and] the only [way] to get rid of it is to cut it off.

But don’t despair. In the end you will have a head full of healthy hair, if you take care of it during the transition process.

Breakage and Shedding

You will have breakage and shedding. You natural hair is stronger than the chemically treated part. The line where the two types meet is a weak point. Conditioning and wearing styles that limit the amount that you have to style your hair will help. In the end the relaxed ends will need to go anyway.

Opposing Opinions

Everyone will not agree with your decision to stop relaxing your hair. You should be prepared for that. If you haven’t already think about why you want to go natural. If you are solid and confident about your decision most people will respect that.

If you know that you are going to face a lot of opposition from friends or family, you may want to be low key about the whole thing. My mother always told me, “You don’t need to give people a stick to beat you with.” There are several transitioning styles that don’t draw attention to what you are doing with your hair.

If your current stylist is not a supporter of natural hair or only knows how to do chemical/heat styling, you may want to find a stylist who will be supportive of your decision.

Change in Hair Care and Routine

During this in between time you’ll need to take care of your hair differently. It will be important to condition and moisturize your hair regularly. You will need to wash your hair and comb your hair in ways that put tangling to a minimum. You will want to find a protective style that is right for you, if you will be growing your hair out and trimming the ends.

Transitioning Facts

How long should I transition?
That really depends on you. You can cut to the chase, do a Big Chop and wear a teeny weenie afro. Or you can grow your hair out so that you will have a little more to work with and take six months or a year or more trimming a inch off every month. Do what makes you feel comfortable.

What are some good transitioning styles?
Styles that cater to your natural hair, while taking into consideration the fact that you still have perm, are always a good choice. Styles that fall into that category would be: wet sets (roller sets, rod sets, straw sets); braids, twists and cornrows; braid-outs, twist-outs, and cornrow-outs; Bantu knots.

Is it a good idea to press out my new growth? What about transitioning with braids?
If your ultimate goal is to be able to wear/style your hair naturally then, relying [on] pressing is out of the question. You are really working against your hair and you are missing the opportunity to get acquainted with your hair in its natural state. Pressing your hair can also subtly, and not so subtly, change the characteristics of your hair by breaking the natural bonds. No amount of washing will bring it back.

Braids can be helpful in the process if done correctly (not too tight) and redone frequently with trims. However you don’t want to become dependent on braids either. Although wearing your hair in braid will not change your hair’s natural characteristics, you still don’t get the opportunity to work with your hair in its natural state. You have to start learning about your hair some time. What better time is there than during the transition period?

Should I go to a professional to get my hair done?
It really depends on you. If you really want to learn how to take care of your hair yourself then no one will ever know your hair better than you. But if you don’t know anything about doing your hair or work in a profession where you hair needs to have a certain look consistently, then you may want to get some help while you are learning. That help could be your co-worker, friend, or church member who happens to have natural hair that looks nice. Ask them what they do and if they would be willing to show you.

If you do decide to get your hair professionally done, try to find a natural stylist (different than a braider) who is willing to educate you on how to take care of your hair at home. Try to pay attention to what she or the other stylists are doing. Take mental notes.

Going to a salon is a great treat but it is best that it is a treat and not a necessity.

Help! My hair is falling out!
Stay calm. Most likely [you] are just experiencing some shedding. Some people experience a lot [while] others barely have very little shedding at all. Remember to be careful with your hair. The point where the natural and the chemically processed hair meets is very fragile. Those chemical ends will have to go some time, but you probably want it to go on your terms.

Split ends tangle easier that well managed ends so you may want to get a trim. Also, if you are loosing a lot of hair when you try to comb your hair out, try finger combing, using combs with wide teeth or detangling/combing in the shower.

The less you handle your hair during this time the less prone it will be to breakage and shedding.

How often should I trim my hair while I am transitioning?
An inch a month seems to be the norm. If you will be trimming your ends yourself make sure that you invest in a good pair of hair trimming scissors. Remember to only use your hair scissors to trim your hair. Cutting other things will dull them.

Why is my scalp itching?
There are many reason that you scalp could be itching. It could be reacting to the products that you are using. It could be dry. It could be just getting use to your new hair routine.

What products should I be using on my hair?
This is a hard question to answer because everyone’s hair is different. What works for me may not work for you. But I can give you some guidelines of things to look for and things to avoid. Look for products that moisturize, have proteins, and humectants (products that draw moisture from the air.) Avoid products that contain perfumes, dyes, petroleum, sulfates, mineral oils, and list of ingredients that look like the come from a chemist’s lab. After that it will be trial and error seeing what works best with your hair.

What should I look for in a good moisturizer?
Water at the top of the list is a good sign. Some good natural moisturizers are aloe vera gel and shea butter.

How often should I wash my hair?
Natural hair loves water, so you can wash it as much as you like as long as you are not using regular shampoos (those with sulfates). Co-Washing will get your hair clean and leave it soft and easy to detangle (very important when you are working with two different hair types.)

What is a co-wash or no-poo?
This is using conditioner or something other than of shampoo to wash your hair. Shampoos have harsh chemicals that can be drying and damaging to your hair. You can find more information about going shampoo free [on the Website].

Are there any safe shampoos?
Yes there are several sulfate free shampoos and shampoos that are better than what you usually find in the store. You can find a list of them here.

What is ACV and what does it do?
ACV stands for apple cider vinegar. You can make a rinse with it by mixing 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a cup of water. You would pour this over you hair as your final rinse. The rinse is mildly acidic so it helps balances {your] scalp’s pH. It closes the cuticle scales on your hair’s surface, which helps your hair to feel softer, and makes light reflect off your hair’s surface giving your hair a natural shine. It also can help to remove products that build up on the hair’s shaft, which can make hair look dull.

What is scab hair?
Scab hair is a term that refers to the hair that is just below the scalp that has been damaged because of the relaxers/perms. This type of hair may be drier and harder to style. It is not your actual hair, but the remnants of the relaxing process. You may or may not experience this condition. It all depends on how often and how long you relaxed your hair before you decided to go natural.

Source: NaturalHairGuide.com