Meanwhile on Insta..

I'll briefly talk about it on this post, but if you follow me on instagram, itsohcaetolove, you know that I got my hair straightened last week and I am in LOVEEE with it. This is my first decent straightening since I have been natural and I opted to do it for the sake of my ends. They still need about an inch or two cut off but the lady decided to wait for the next session to do so. 

Happy Sunday!

be blessed folks.

Hair Food!

For the longest I have been trying to find a deep conditioner that my hair loves so when I have a free day to take time to tend to my hair I anticipate this DIY fun! I found this recipe on Beauty By Lee's website and it is by far my favorite deep conditioner I have ever used. 

I am not a huge fan of measuring but just in case you need something to go off of this is how much of everything you will need. 

1 Whole Banana

1/2 Avocado

2 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise 

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons Raw Honey

make sure to blend thoroughly using a blender or hand mixer. The first time I used avocados I was too excited and didn't blend it enough, after that I vowed to never use avocados in my hair again, lol. 

I apply on washed hair and during the application my hair already felt extremely soft. I wash it out thoroughly using a conditioner and let me tell you guys, it left my hair feeling like butter, my coworker also noticed the shine it left on my strands. 

-Bananas help with shine, dandruff, and manageability

-Avocados help with moisture & shine

-Mayonnaise includes eggs which are packed with protein!

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil help with moisture and dandruff control

-Extra Virgin Coconut Oil gives hair shine and nourishes damaged hair

-Raw Honey leaves a nice glossy shine and smooth finish

What Do You Mean Cut My Hair!?

We're just going to ignore the fact that i straightened my hair, blah blah blah. I was very curious at the time to see my hair straightened and although I do regret it because of the heat damage it left I can say I'm glad it showed me my ends. I didn't know if my ends just would not get straight because I have natural hair or if my ends were just a hot mess, enough was enough. 

For almost two years I was so afraid of getting my hair cut because I was so attached to the length of my hair but when I saw my hair looking like this I couldn't take it any longer. 

*snip snip*

Immediately I was so sad with the length of my hair (this is blown out!)

but after four months and wearing box braids my hair grew SO MUCH.

the moral of the story is do not be afraid to trim/cut your hair because it actually IS good for your hair. Split ends do rise ya know! Let's practice healthy hair maintenance guys!

*sidenote: I have NOTHING against straightening natural hair, I just find it boring for me. Your hair is yours and you do as you please!

Tis The Season!

Happy holidays everyone! Tis the season to protect those ends! As most of you may know and experience natural hair HATES the cold weather. Also, the cold air and wet hair/hands combo is not my favorite so I try to avoid doing my hair as much as I can in the colder months.

As of right now I have mini twists that I did for the first time and I love them! I used nothing but water, raw shea butter, and homemade flaxseed gel. My hair is fine so they don't look as full as I would like them to but styling it has solved the problem. They kind of remind me of sister locs, love them!

here are a few photos of more protective styles!

Box Braids/Singles

Updo's 

Marley Braid Bun

Roll & Tuck

Did Someone Say Big Chop!?

This was my hair right before my last perm in November of 2009. It looked cute but my hair never usually grew longer than this without getting split ends or breaking off. It was a constant cycle of washing, flat ironing, my thin hair becoming greasy and flat so there goes another wash. Thin, flat, and boring hair was getting real old, and since I moved from Texas I knew I'd have more responsibility and paying for a fresh weave every one or 2 months was not on my agenda. I was tired of battling with my hair so I decided to change it up!

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My big chop (BC) after 10 months of transitioning was such a big deal for me. As I look back at the pictures I wish I had a better way to style my TWA (teeny weeny afro)!! The puff was my security blanket and a bad one at that. Throwing your hair up in a puff is NOT A GOOD IDEA WHEN YOU HAVE A TWA. Please remember that. I developed a slight bald spot, well more like extreme breakage, on the side of my hair where my headband usually was. 

Also, if you do your BC at home I do suggest you go to a salon to get the ends professionally trimmed after. When I say my ends were busted and disgusted, lol. Of course I didn't see it at first because of the excitement but my first real cut was um, about 4 months ago. You will see in a later post why it is important.. Experiment with different TWA hairstyles, utilize those super cute hair accessories and scarfs. Now to the pictures of my hair post BC.

Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days! *Hannah Montana voice*

Transitioning

My last relaxer was November 12, 2009 and I did my big chop on September 6, 2010. I remember when I first moved out here to the West Coast I was so bored with my hair and was SICK & TIRED of spending money on hair. I was sick of my hair growing and breaking. I was sick of the same 2 hairstyles I wore. I don't know what inspired me to look up natural hair online but when I did, YouTube had so much information. Most of the women who inspired me in the first place on YouTube have closed their accounts but Carla "ChiselleCouture" was my favorite, inspirational in every aspect!

MY transition excitement was very short-lived, but in the beginning I was the ultimate product and accessory junkie. As corny as it sounds it was kind of life changing for me at that time. I had NEVER seen my hair in it's natural state because from what I was told I got a relaxer at the age of two. I had no clue how thick or thin it would be, if it would actually grow, or if I would know how to make myself look cute.

10 months of transitioning and in my cousins bedroom late at night (so no one would know) we started cutting my hair, lol. People reacted differently but at the end of the day it's MY hair and I was happy with the decision I made. 

A FewTransitioning Styles

Perm Rod Sets

Box Braids/Senegalese Twists

Bantu Knots

Braid Outs

sidenote: While transitioning take the time out to do some research about natural hair. I wasn't used to my hair constantly needing moisture so sadly I struggled with it up until a few months ago. Find out what your hair likes, for some it will take time but once you find out it will make everything seem so simple. 

Another Hello!

Heyyyyy guys! So, I had a blog before and I usually posted about my hair but I felt it was unnecessary for me to have the blog since there are so many other natural hair blogs and YouTube pages. I am usually asked from my friends or random women how I became natural, what I did to style during the transition stage, and how did I "big chop" I thought it'd be important for me to show them my own journey. The conversation usually started with me trying to explain how I did so and lead to me referring them to YouTube pages and blogs.

I do regret deleting the first blog altogether but I will keep this one for my own pleasure as well as yours. If you want to see how after nearly 3 years of transitioning, trimming, and actual cutting my hair went from this..

 to this..

continue reading and follow the blog by email and/or through the site.