|
|
Post by Oren Ishii on Dec 14, 2009 14:57:49 GMT -5
Yeah, i started I think Summer/Fall '02. There weren't nearly all the positive, supportive images of natural sistas that there are now. It's all over the place! I dig it. I'm happy to see women embracing natural beauty in all its forms. Anything to be healthier and attract more positive energy into your life! I think Madea and I BC at a time when it was not so popular. There is so much support out there now---and so many people have been going natural nowadays. It's a lot different on the psyche, but still I believe it's a challenge. |
|
|
|
Post by nsync on Dec 14, 2009 15:03:33 GMT -5
Yes I love the youtube infomercials! I learned how to three strand twist off of youtube. It's a great time! Yeah, there is a whole cult and A LOT dedicated to "natural hair"...T-shirts, hats and ENTIRE stores that sale ALL natural products for ALL natural hair. It's a beautiful thing. I'm loving the journey because I'm learning my hair and contrary to what I though, it's actually very managable...you make it work. Not to mention YOUTUBE has a whole bunch of ladies on their giving product reviews, tips and demonstration on how to use the products and different ways to style your tresses. There is soooo much support. I'm glad I did it  |
|
|
|
Post by nsync on Dec 14, 2009 15:08:26 GMT -5
'02 awesome! Did you big cut in '02? I big cut in '03. My hair, blown, was about an inch, much shorter when curly. I didn't get much support at all. Most people did not approve, but they were not rude. However, I had some rude ones. I think it was moreso because it was considered a boy style---than because it was natural---not sure. I think Madea had a tear of joy---mine was of distain. It took a day's adjustment. LOL Im over here smiling. Thanks for the memories yall! Yeah, i started I think Summer/Fall '02. There weren't nearly all the positive, supportive images of natural sistas that there are now. It's all over the place! I dig it. I'm happy to see women embracing natural beauty in all its forms. Anything to be healthier and attract more positive energy into your life! I think Madea and I BC at a time when it was not so popular. There is so much support out there now---and so many people have been going natural nowadays. It's a lot different on the psyche, but still I believe it's a challenge. |
|
|
|
Post by Oren Ishii on Dec 14, 2009 15:24:44 GMT -5
Yeah, I did my BC in either Nov or Dec. '02 (I really need to keep a journal!). Can't quite remember. I know it was that year because I remember a whole bunch of other stuff going on at the time. Since I did it myself, I remember watching myself do it in the bathroom mirror. LOL I think some of my friends thought I'd lost my mind. Others (who were more "conscious") thought it was cool. When it grew out, people started telling me I looked like India.Arie  .
This thread is bringing back some major memories, though. Loving it!
|
|
|
|
Post by 123Diva on Dec 14, 2009 16:20:57 GMT -5
My mom has no idea I cut off my relaxed hair. She is going to flip a lid when she sees it at Christmas time.
::shrugs::
BTW: She's also natural.
|
|
|
|
Post by peppermint on Dec 16, 2009 8:15:12 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Chal™ on Dec 16, 2009 12:27:17 GMT -5
lol @ in fear of smiting
WTF at that woman. She is NUTS!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by nsync on Dec 16, 2009 13:08:22 GMT -5
I so hate that article. LOL
I was thinking about rocking my hair natural this weekend...yall got me all nostalgic and it would save me money. Then my cousin said she would straighten it...soooooo
I 'll probably start back in Jan.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bunny Hop on Dec 16, 2009 13:16:39 GMT -5
I saw a picture on Facebook of a toddler who had her hair wrapped. I wanted so bad to say "WTF...this is not funny" but I didn't. I just stared at it for about another 30 seconds and went to the next picture. Someone asked me the other day (about 5 times in the same convo) about pressing my hair. It kind of annoys me because I feel like after I give you a reason you should stop talking about it. I didn't go natural to just wear my hair the way I wore it for most of my life (it would look exactly the same)...there is no fun in that for me. I might just start whipping out my Driver's License so people can get their "bhop with straight hair" fix. |
|
|
|
Post by nsync on Dec 16, 2009 13:20:40 GMT -5
Yeah, I was talking to my cousin who's said she is about to get her BABY an organic perm. 1) baby 2) isn't that an oxymoron ?
lol
SMH
I got really passionate about it. But my family know how I am so...she just smiled and let me calm down. Then I apologized and told her that I have no right to tell her what to do with her child's hair.
However, she did agree to stop calling the child's hair nappy around me.
Also, I refused to straighten my hair the first year...and rarely did through out. When I would folks would INSIST I keep it that way. Im like no. It takes a lot to keep up straightened hair and frankly it stinks. LOL
jmo.
|
|
|
|
Post by T-Rex91 on Dec 16, 2009 13:27:11 GMT -5
a toddler with WRAPPED hair?   Ugh at folk making these babies grow up too fast. what happened to, "you can get that when you're older" |
|
|
|
Post by Chal™ on Dec 16, 2009 17:13:36 GMT -5
i know i didn't get a perm until i was 14
old enough to make money to get to the beauty shop to maintain it. I was a babysitting, homework doing, research paper writing fool in high school. lol
|
|
|
|
Post by Bathroom Model on Dec 18, 2009 17:07:01 GMT -5
did yall know that they do a natural hair show?
naturalhair.org
|
|
|
|
Post by Bunny Hop on Dec 19, 2009 0:13:58 GMT -5
did yall know that they do a natural hair show? naturalhair.org It's down here...I went to the last one. It was ok but I felt like most of the stuff was geared towards locs and curl definition which are two things I have absolutely no interest in at the moment. I did find some really cute earrings and a hair accessory. Someone up north does one also. |
|
|
|
Post by nsync on Dec 19, 2009 0:18:59 GMT -5
Really I have never heard of these at all.
Every now and again I get that loc urge, I research, I gear myself up mentally, but I just never do it!
Interesting info about curl definition.
Do they show different hair styles.
I mean I personally get tired of the same styles over and over again.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bunny Hop on Dec 19, 2009 0:23:37 GMT -5
They had a few salons and lines there doing styles (Miss Jessies and Taliah Wajid (sp?) are the ones I remember). There were some performances, seminars, hair shows, etc. I said I'd give myself 5 years of loose hair before I put serious thought into locking. I just like big hair too much right now |
|
|
|
Post by nsync on Dec 19, 2009 0:57:51 GMT -5
I love loose hair too. I like the wildness of it. However, I have three different textures in my hair. My hair doesn't kink the way I want to. It's flyffy, puffy and limp most times.
So I definately would want to learn how to define my curls. No-poo helps some but there's lots of shrinkage in the process.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bunny Hop on Dec 19, 2009 8:40:22 GMT -5
I think one of the main reasons I do NOT go for curl definition is because I'd have to find the right product(s) (I refuse to pay for KCCC) and then it seems like a lot of work for not enough payoff (for me). You wash and then get all the stuff in your hair and then it lasts for a few days? I'm going for at least a week at a time with styles, lol. I want to wear the twists/braids for a while and then do the out and then do something else with that same hair or I want to be able to wash and not have to style it all over again.
<---very lazy
|
|
|
|
Post by 123Diva on Dec 21, 2009 4:36:26 GMT -5
I think one of the main reasons I do go for curl definition is because I'd have to find the right product(s) (I refuse to pay for KCCC) and then it seems like a lot of work for not enough payoff (for me). You wash and then get all the stuff in your hair and then it lasts for a few days? I'm going for at least a week at a time with styles, lol. I want to wear the twists/braids for a while and then do the out and then do something else with that same hair or I want to be able to wash and not have to style it all over again. <---very lazy I've been using Fantasia IC gel. Works like a charm and under $5 per jar. Truth be told, plain old conditioner works just as well. If the curls are already there and just need some popping. Add gel or conditioner, rake fingers through, shake, and dry. I refuse to purchase KCCC when I have read review after review that says that Fantasia IC gel works just as well or even better AND when I can get the same results (just softer) from normal conditioner. In my case, I probably could go 5-7 days and be fine. But I like co-washing my hair every few days. To refresh the curls, just spritz with water and add some conditioner each morning, and BOOM, curls are like new, the hair is just bigger and more full in my case. |
|
|
|
Post by Noble Work on Jan 11, 2010 12:59:12 GMT -5
I know that this dialogue has been going on for a while and at first I saw now reason to come in here
P
This whole thread is damn sexy to me btw
p
But ummm I have some questions. My wife has decided to "go natural" . She has been rocking the short permed hair for years (most of her life). I have cut/trimmed her hair or at least most of her perm part (on the top). But yall she is starting to change her mind!! So now I'm like OMG NOOOOOOO!!!! I think she is getting discouraged because she's tired and don't know how to style it. I think it's called transitioning? She's at that stage when she still has permed ends but kinky/nappy in the back.
Anyway, PLEASE YALL HELP ME I do not want her to go back to the perm. What are some products she can use during her "transitioning phase? What's good out there? She has damaged ends/split ends, it's not like a fade but like a baby fro with a lil perm on the top. Does she need to go to a Dominican shop for help (I apologize for using that term if I have offend anybody)? Is heat good for her hair during this phase? Flat iron? What about Conditioners, Shampoos, Moisturizers?
I went on the Miss Jessie Web site but I got that it caters to curly hair. They seem to have great products though but are those products good for not so curly hair? Books? Websites anything......Please Help me help my wife stay the coarse.
I tell my wife she's on two different kinds of crack.......the creamy crack and that darn crackberry. One of them got to go.
|
|
|
|
Post by LejaOMG on Jan 11, 2010 13:10:01 GMT -5
......Please Help me help my wife stay the coarse. LoL @ this. I highly highly encourage that she join one of the hairboards mentioned in this thread. Also, if she's up to it, she should consider trimming off the last bit of perm left on the top. If she's already used to short hair, it may not be as emotional for her to BC as it is for folks who've had long hair for years. As for Dominican salons (no, it's not offensive, that's what they're called), I used them while I was transitioning in order to get my hair super-straight without getting a touch-up, but I think I told you in another thread that in general, their technique (while effective) is overall damaging to fragile natural hair. I wouldn't recommend it for an extended period. (maybe for a special occasion or something). If I were her (and I kinda am), I'd just start going to a natural hair stylist in place of her previous stylist. No need to suffer by yourself. As for products, I think she should focus on moisturizing and softening. She might even consider some of the all natural (sulfate-free) joints to help with softness (such as Burt's Bees, Deva Curl, etc). She should also deep-condition often. That way, it won't feel like such a distinct difference between her new growth and the perm remnants. Also, forgive my asking, but...it seems like you are more vested in her going natural than she is. Why? |
|
|
|
Post by 123Diva on Jan 11, 2010 13:44:23 GMT -5
@ Level One: For the record, I think it's cool as hell when a Black man supports his woman's decision to go natural, for REAL! ( I dig Cold even more for this one .) Anyway, keep being supportive and encouraging your wife to stay the course. I ditto everything that Leja has said. I have yet to straighten the natural hair. It's been 5 weeks since I cut, but I can already tell you this...Nan a Dominican who is a traditional Dominican stylist will straighten this here hair on my head. I don't trust those super blow dryers and all that heat with my precious virgin curls. Nah, it ain't happening, tempting as it may be. When I do straighten I will use the roller set, flat-iron method. I will spray some leave-in conditioner prior to roller-setting, use a heat protector before flatironing, and an anti-humectant after the hair is straight so it won't revert too quickly. Have your wife also visit the website: tightlycurly.com. The woman on the website is of mixed race, but I have found that her general technique and her tips work for me who has 2 Black parents and kinky-curly hair. Her story is a very encouraging one with pics to go along as proof of her hair testimony and of her current method, one she's been using for like 7 years now. With beautiful, healthy, long natural hair to show for it, when as a relaxed head she was unable to grow past shoulder length because it kept breaking. I think the hardest part is the initial cut because you gotta moisturize like hell, and figure out a good regimen for the newly natural kinky-curly hair. Sometimes it will come by trial and error. Also, let your wife know that more than likely her hair will grow like a weed once she gets a good regimen down. I guarantee you my hair has grown over these past 5 weeks; others have commented in surprise and shock that noticeable growth could have taken place in such a short timeframe. Believe it! Oh yea, let your wife know that YouTube is her friend. In fact, you can check it out on your own so you know where to direct her. Just do a search for "natural hair journeys" and you'll be all set with DAYS worth of natural hair inspiration and how-to's to watch. <-----hair obsessed; please keep the questions coming ;D BTW: Why did your wife decide to begin transitioning to natural hair? Just curious. |
|
|
|
Post by Noble Work on Jan 11, 2010 15:39:04 GMT -5
@leja I try to be a supportive man and friend in my wife's life. She has been playing around with this idea for some time now but I never pushed her to do it. On the inside, I was her cheerleader hoping that this day (s) will come when she chooses to go natural but I never voiced it. Now that she has taken steps to do it, I want to help her and encourage her and if I can help it Not let her give up. I have heard that during this process a lot of women want to give up and go back to the CC. My wife is beautiful and I let her know that. But I want to show her that she is beautiful with a wash n go and not just with a flat iron. She has this little fear still inside of her though that I'm trying to help her over come and you brought up and excellent point. If she is used to going with short hair then being emotional about the BC shouldn't be that bad. But get this, she doesn't wanted to get the BC. BC or not I'm still going to stay routing for her through to her level of comfort.
@diva she made the I guess "Grand decision" about 2 months ago. By that I mean she hasn't had a perm. It was about 2 1/2 weeks ago when I trimmed her hair though. But see she has damaged ends, some of her hair has even fell out on the sides/front due to weave and glue (years of this). Is that repairable? I mean can it ever grow back? She wants to get a sew in but she doesn't think the stylist will be able to braid (?) her hair because of the length. If she can't go that route then wouldn't you think just taking care of "her" hair complete with the shampoos, conditioners etc...is her best soulution? (<---on purpose lol).
I'll pass on all the things you ladies told me about in hopes that she remane positive (<---oops I did it again)
Three natural hair salon I will open:
Stay the Coarse
Soulutions
Remane Positive....lolo
<---being silly
|
|
|
|
Post by Bunny Hop on Jan 11, 2010 16:34:05 GMT -5
I'm so glad to hear about your wife and how supportive you are! I've read some things that are on the other end of the spectrum and all I can do is SMH. If she's used to short hair then it's probably the short nappy hair she's worried about. (BTW I don't have a problem with the word nappy so sorry if it's offensive to someone.) I can see the emotional part though...you've been so used to something and looked some way for so long that change can be really tough. Especially since a perm is something we were raised to believe you HAVE to do. Then you're dealing with other folks and their foolishness If she already has damage along her edges from wearing weaves then I'd advise against getting more weave. It's the pulling and tension on those fragile hairs that causes a lot of folks to lose their hair right there (think about how some women wear micros and weave constantly and then have no edges or hair in the back when they finally take it out...traction alopecia is real!). Also if she has split ends she might want to just trim off those relaxed ends and get her hair natural hair evened up. That way it'll be easier for her to deal with one texture and she can kind of start fresh. The hair should grow back it just make take time and some TLC. |
|
|
|
Post by Noble Work on Jan 11, 2010 16:55:30 GMT -5
You right BHop Imma let her know that maybe a sew-in (more weave) may not be the best thing. Ok what is this thing when ya get a stocking cap/shower cap clue the weave on that? I hope I'm saying that right lol. Now the weave/glue won't be necessarily touching the hair will it? Is that less damaging?
You know what yall imma tell baby "You don't need that extra in your hair, just take care of yours and you'll be fine" But in a supportive way and some new boots.
|
|
|
|
Post by LejaOMG on Jan 11, 2010 17:20:18 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Noble Work on Jan 11, 2010 17:24:05 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by LejaOMG on Jan 11, 2010 17:26:16 GMT -5
:-)
|
|
|
|
Post by Chal™ on Jan 11, 2010 17:33:06 GMT -5
or a cousin? an uncle? somebody. lol Seriously, I'm almost in tears over here. The support you're giving your wife is beautiful. i'm not as deep in this "natural" world as the ladies here, but I'm am now 6 months strong without the creamy crack. It's a process. You have to be ready for that transitioning stage. You guys have no idea how often i thought of saying forget it, give me a perm. But instead, I press on. Tell your wife to be strong and stay positive. It's so totally worth the effort. |
|
|
|
Post by Bunny Hop on Jan 11, 2010 19:22:51 GMT -5
You right BHop Imma let her know that maybe a sew-in (more weave) may not be the best thing. Ok what is this thing when ya get a stocking cap/shower cap clue the weave on that? I hope I'm saying that right lol. Now the weave/glue won't be necessarily touching the hair will it? Is that less damaging? You know what yall imma tell baby "You don't need that extra in your hair, just take care of yours and you'll be fine" But in a supportive way and some new boots. My weave knowledge is very limited so I'll let someone else answer, lol. |
|
. 
