All Caught Up #naturalhair

Before you even read this post, I want you to imagine your favorite song just came on!! Drop-drop-drop-it-like-its-hot...wind it up girllll....wind it up real quick. Now find your groove and just snap-bounce-snap-wit a roll...snap-bounce. Put on your "you don't want none" face... Okay, now your ready!!

{Weekend Worries} :::Mixed Emotions:::

Although I am pleased with the outcome of straightening my hair and trimming my ends, this morning when I took my hair down I was slightly disappointed in it's texture. Last night I applied a drop, one drop, of grape seed oil to my ends and this morning my hair was very STRAIGHT! There is no bounce, there is no natural curl, no definition just straight up straight! Then I started wondering if my tresses were growing or maybe last night I was just seeing things! My fiance even commented that it looked shorter than before I went in, "You cut it!!?" Which would mean that I was going back two steps and forward one! I started to panic and had to take a look back in the arsenal and compare to last nights photos! *sigh of relief* It is still growing, but the whole process of evening out my sections (1/4 trim in the front, 1/2 trim in the back) is a horrifyingly slow process. My hair is shorter, but longer.

Pomp and France

My bad ladies, today was just a bad hair day! Even though I rose at 5:50, I managed to end up at work ON TIME! Go figure - I work best under pressure. I had a meeting with a parent, a well anticipated meeting and I was focused on being mentality and verbally prepared. Hair was an afterthought, quite honestly - I still moisturized!

So, the picture above is from about three weeks ago. I had actually begun braiding my hair into my sections when we decided that we wanted to go out for dinner. It is a very simple hair style combining both the Smilin' Frenchie and a bun. Sections A, B, C and F are twisted to the left, secured with a hair pin and Sections E, D and G are twisted on the right side, secured with a hair pin. Then I kinda flip my hair to the center of C and D and then coil in and secure in place with a mini-clip.

I'll be sure to do a pictorial this weekend! I might even do a video!! UTOHHH!!! Additionally, I've got a few blog topic request, so, I'll be do quite a bit of researching this week. Hope December's treating you right!

With love to last a lifetime!
Kay!

Sister Speaks

Do you have any tips to strengthen my hair?
~ Melanie

First, we must understand why hair becomes weak. The classic explanation is to blame it on what one does to their hair. However, the real culprit is our hair itself, say it ain't so! Once your strands leave your scalp they are pronounced dead! Ha! However, each strand's chemical makeup is protected by a keratin cuticle. Assume this bit of protection to be similar to an umbrella; there is only so much it can handle and it will keep you protected but for so long. Umbrellas are built to handle light rains not moonsoons!

And so, the drizzle turn into a rainfall and that pretty little umbrella no longer does it's job. Over time, the keratin cuticle wears off and your strands are left exposed. Without your knowledge of this, you constantly expose your hair to the sun's UV rays, you curl that curl every day: excessive use of curling irons, perhaps your diet lacks specific vitamins and nutrients and "Girl, I had to get this color," happens all too much. Yes, in return, all these things cause extreme damage to our hair making it appear weak, brittle and lifeless. Thus we blame weak hair on ourselves and not on our hair!

Once it's gone, it's gone - there's no getting the keratin cuticle back. But you can counteract the destruction and ensure the prevention for the rest of your hair! Try deep conditioning your hair once a week to include a high protien blend. I love My Deep Conditioner as it's in my refigerator. But if you're not like me, begin to use a daily vitamin as this will restore nutrients not only for your hair but for your body as well, working from the inside out. You can also purchase protien packs at your local beauty supply store. And my favorite, rely on protective styles to ensure less manipulation and hair productivity.

Keep those tresses moisturized!
Kay

10.16.2010

BEFORE

AFTER

IJS! She was the bomb! Yessssss....

Now I'm not gonna front- JCPenny really thinks that they are a high end salon! I was floored when she said "well if I do a dry cut I'm going to charge you $26." She, for sure, read on my face you got me bent because she responded "I'm a master stylist, girl!" So you know what I was thinking, 'do what you do then boo!'

Before she even touched my hair, she listened to me tell my hair story and my expectations. I've been to many hairdressers who just jump in and cut every strand! They could careless about what you have to say and what style you'd like-but not her.

I told her about my 1/4" front and 1/2" back. She looked through my hair and made a few suggestions and then cut precisely what I asked her to do! No more, a little less-but I still had my length! I'll definitely be going back to Ms. Cerise!

10.16.2010

Although I was a week early for my scheduled clipping, I did not want to go another week knowing my ends were flat out ragedy. Another sure sign: I couldn't run my fingers through my hair with ease as I once been able to.

Additionally, my attempt to curl my hair was unsuccessful! It held the curl for about 10 minutes and then became tangled and again, when I tried to run my fingers through my hair, my ends became matted!

So, I hopped in the car, headed to the local mall and went to JC Penny's! Why- I could tell you because someone made the recommendation or I could say I'd been there before but the honest truth: God told me to go there!

Unbraiding the Mane!

Hey people!!

I braided my hair back on the 6th of September and my intentions were to keep the braids until the 23rd of October. However, I was going to a wedding and didn't want to look like the crusty head girl with braids. Needless to say, I took them out the night of the 15th!

HAIRstory #7

Hair Schedule 2010 - 2011

In honor of my previous post, I'd like to share with you my "hair schedule" for 2010 - 2011. Of course everyone's goal is to grow their hair longer; however, I've always struggled with having a baby mullet (as seen in my photo below: March 2007) so I'd like for my hair to even out before I try growing it longer. Meaning, I'd like the front and the back to be the same length visually. Currently the front is technically longer according to the ruler! But, the back appears to be longer because it trails down my back! Perception can often be deception!

I only assumed that the front would be shorter because I use to have bangs; however, this only allowed the front and the back to be the same length! Another hair dresser suggested that I get the back cut twice as short as the front to help me with the visual indifference. So, now when I go in to have my ends clipped I'm going to ask for a 1/4 inch in the front and a 1/2 inch in the back - I'll let you know how that goes Oct. 23rd!

The Hair Schedule 2010-2011
April 22nd : "Big Chop!" I started wearing my hair as a wash and go with ecostyler gel and a leave-in-conditioner. Realized I didn't like the shrinkage I experienced and reverted back to straightenings.
#front length: bridge of nose#

June 20th: Straighten hair for the last time before I decided to start a "no heat" regimen to include wearing protective styles, stretching by braiding as well as washing and deep conditioning weekly. (Usually a Saturday Fiasco)
#front length: between lips#

August 27th: Straightened hair after two months of a "no-heat" regimen.
#front length: cusp of chin#

September 4th/5th/6th: braided hair used 100% Kanekolon braiding hair. Used african insertion technique to match the natural hair braiding pattern.
#front length: cusp of chin#

Goals for the remainder of the year:
9/6/2010 - 10/23/2010: Wear hair in braids, washing bimonthly, oiling with K for Konkashun! (post coming soon) weekly, re braiding front braids as they begin to stress edges, remove braids gradually during the week ending 10/23/10!

10/23/10: Celebrate 2 years of permed-free hair and 6 months of being completely natural!! Make an appointment to have hair professionally deep conditioned, washed, PERMED-just kidding, pressed and my ends trimmed 1/4-1/2.

10/23/10 - 11/6/10: Allow hair to breathe! "No-heat" protective styles.

Weekend of 11/6/10: Re braid hair

11/6/10 - 12/18/10: Wear hair in braids

Weekend of 12/18/10: Unbraid hair

12/18/10 - 1/2/11: Allow hair to breathe! Because I won't be in school I'll be searching for new protective styles during this time.

1/2/11 - 2/11/11: "No-heat" regimen: Protective Styles, stretching through braiding, washing weekly.

2/11/11: Straighten hair for Valentine's Day! Wrap nightly to extend hair style longevity.

2/19/11: Re braid hair

2/19/11 - 4/16/11: Wear hair in Braids.

4/16/11 - 4/22/11 : Protective Styles

4/22/11: Celebrate 1 year of completely natural hair and 2 1/2 years of being perm-free! Professionally washed, deep conditioned, and trimmed! Can't wait!! Hopefully no more Baby Mullet!

Take the Transit

PLAN with your ENDs in mind!

Whether u call it an agenda book, organizer or planner, they all do the same thing: keep dates, times and you knowing your next move. One notion that I have taken on as a teacher is to plan with the end in mind! I've become a bit planner obsessed- everything has to have a plan! But as a teacher, this is my life. There are strands (think goals), and benchmarks (steps to take to reach goals), that the student must master by the end of the year; however, it's not an overnight accomplishment. If you were to compare learning to a video game, in order to move on you have to pass the level. Similarly, I have to plan out how the students will successfully pass my level (grade) in order to move on!


Now, apply this same theory: planning with the end in mind using strands and benchmarks to your natural hair journey. For example, view your strand as what length you'd like your hair to be in a year. Be realistic, remember hair grows at a rate of a half inch per month. So, stating that your strand is to grow your hair a full 6 inches will ensure that you are not defeated a year from now!


Your benchmarks are the steps you must take in order to grow your hair 6 inches. Possibly you want to improve your diet, work out more, wear more protective styles, or use sulfate-free products. Whatever you decide your benchmarks to be, you will need to make self-assessment throughout your year spans to ensure you are meeting those benchmarks. Also, it's important to be as specific as possible. When improving your diet state that you would like to increase your water intake from 2 cups a day to 4 cups a day.

The idea is small steps make a big difference. This is where the agenda, organizer, planner, whatever-you-wanna-call-it! comes into play! Some planners even give you the convenience of an at a glance year-great tool! Makes planning very simple. Create a "hair schedule" to include trimmings, straightenings, when you plan to wear protective styles and even when you work ot and how frequently.

Then each month complete a self-assessment of how you are meeting your benchmarks as they relate to your strand. Ask yourself: If I continue at this rate, will I be successful? This may be a time to revise your plan and make improvements or stick to it and wait to bask in your achievements. When you do create you "hair schedule" make the decision to be 100% committed! The outcome of your desire is determined by the amount of patience in your approach! (A LoveNWright Original!)

With love to last a lifetime, K!

(Although strands and ends were used quite frequently in this post, no puns intended!!)

HAIRstory #6

Fighting Temptations

I am so tempted to press fast forward on the chronicles of my hair so that I can begin to update you on a daily basis, however I would be doing an injustice to those of you who are where I was many moons ago - transition and hoping to see retention, not growth!! Therefore, I must stay loyal to you and true to myself: share my journey to include every hill and every valley!!

Where did we leave off...

Oh yes, August 2008. I had recently taken down a set of braids, permed my hair and within a week had my hair professionally trimmed. Now, do remember that I was also giving my ear patches a second trim, post braids, as I found the professional trim wasn't cutting it! Never before had I truly agreed with the commonly used phrase, words cannot express yada-yada-ya, but I trully was flabergasted! The epitome of my anguish with my hair was finally becoming the epitome of my romance with my hair. A bit extra, a lot true! Even the ladies in the art work on the wall were excited!



My hair telling a story: I was beginning to find my confidence again. My hair began growing at a consistent pace. Personally, I was regaining who I was and who I had the potential to be. The growth in my ear patches gave me a sense of encouragement. I felt like the mouse who had saved the lion from death, my little snips here and there produced a gigantic effect. And like any addict, I wanted more! I wanted my hair to grow longer, fuller and to be flat out gorgeous - and this is when it hit me (*singing*) like Tina hit Ike in the limo-it finally hit me! My natural hair in high school was so much more durable than my permed hair that I had been rockin' in college. Yes, permed hair was "convenient" for the sake of the humidity in Florida, but in all actuality, my natural hair grew faster, responded to color better (less breakage), and didn't box me in to wearing one hair style: straight!



So on October 10th, 2008 I decided, again, to stop perming my hair. On a personal level, I was making a transition: letting go of my past and moving forward with my life. I looked the societal me in the mirror and spoke my peace. I made a compromise between the real me and the societal me that I would no longer allow others to deter me from being who I had the potential to become. Although the societal me said I should conform to soceity's expectations, follow the beaten path and blend in, the real me realizes there is more to me than what is seen on the surface. No more baracades, no more masks, no more faking the funk! I can only offer endurance, pride and character.

And believe me, that's more than good enough!
With love to last a lifetime, K!

Take the Transit: Diet Wright

First, a lil' Catching up!

As many of you are mentally preparing to listen to long lectures by college professors, I ,on the other hand, am preparing a vibrant classroom with the intent of teaching 5th grade Language Arts- auditoriums filled with seats are for old people! In my preparation, I've enjoyed moving my millions of boxes, unpacking, decorating and organizing my classroom. All of which I've endured in temperatures of 80 degrees as they've turned the air off to save money on the school budget. However, I've been prepared: toting bottles of gatorade, recycling by refilling with fountain water and eating every now and again to make sure I don't faint!

Through all of this, I thought of you! I apologize for my absence! But u do understand-life has REALsponsibilities!! This fall will mark my 3rd year of teaching and each year as the school year starts I create a diet plan to include a morning breakfast, snacks throughout the day, a filling but not trytophan induced lunch and an after school snack as I usually stay until 5 PM. This food plan isn't necessarily created to follow the daily servings but enough to ensure that my stomach doesn't croak like a FROG in the middle of teaching!

As I began to make my list last night, I realized that I eat so healthy through the school year and straight up pig out during the summer! From August to June, my diet is jammed packed with proteins, minerals, nutrients and water! Perhaps this is the reason I see an abundance of growth at the beginning of each school year! Today, I spent about $50 on food that should last me at least two weeks. Normally, I don't have much time to eat and allow my food to digest as I move around the classroom, so I try to stick to grab and go foods that are nutritional.

Now, onto your diet

The following is my shopping list of healthy foods that just happen to promote healthy hair or hair growth! Now, don't go grab your purse and head to the local grocery store once you're done reading! First create a diet plan and a means to stick to it! Just like in a well managed classroom, routines are key. Look at your daily schedules and determine where you need an energy boost, when you have time to eat and how much time you can devote to eating. Once you've created a diet plan, then you can head to your grocery store!

Remember, hair is a protein, so by adding yogurt, eggs, tofu, fish and beans you are creating a diet rich in protein!

Tilapia: I'm not a big meat eater, unless I go out to eat, so I try to stick to light "meats." Fish is a great alternative and is high in protein and omega 3! I usually just season, put it in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes and waa-lah!


Romaine Salad: Why Romain and not house or ceasar? Well, for starters it's greener and crunchier: personal preference. I don't eat it alone, I usually add it to a sandwhich to give me the idea of eating more! All green vegetables are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C which help your body to create sebum!


Whole Grain Bread: Be careful as there are several bread companies to choose from! Not all bread is good bread! I choose Arnold as it contains double protein, 12g per slice, 19g of Whole wheat and a few other fru-frus that I was like "Oh Wow!" Whole wheat promises to give you energy and tons of Vitamin B which makes for a great midday sandwich!


Dairy Products: Anyone who knows me knows that I can have cereal and be left alone! Dairy is a great source of calcium, whey and casein, the last two being proteins! Try adding low-fat cream cheese to a bagel, skim milk with a bowl of cereal or yogurt as an afternoon snack. Granted it wont fill you up, but it'll keep you from pulling into the drive-thru line.


Orange foods: I'm sure you heard eat your greens, well eat your oranges too! Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes and oranges are a great source of Vitamin D! This vitamin helps to ensure a healthy scalp, which is vital to hair growth.


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Now, these are foods that I try to eat throughout the week, with a goal of atleast once a day. Test out your research skills: Do you know of other foods that promote healthly hair growth?

Its a Wrap!

Each night before you prepare to go to sleep, it is important that you wrap your hair with a scarf in order to protect those tresses. You knew that - I know! Do me, rather yourself, a favor and go grab your scarf. Do you know what fabric was used to make the scarf you wear on your hair to sleep? Did you know that the type of fabric you use on your hair can promote/prevent frizziness, static cling, split ends, tangles and snagles. Read on to find out which fabric is best and which fabric you should cut your ties with.

Cotton

Have you ever worn a bandana to sleep or used one to add a bit of flair to your hair during the day? Although for some it can be a fashion statement, for our hair it is the onsets to a disaster. The form of cotton presented in most fabrics, specifically in scarves used for hair care, are harvested and then woven into yarn or thread to develop cotton cloths. The fibers in the cotton material appear to be tightly organized, however, under a Scanning Electron Microscope the true pattern of cotton is revealed.


Yikes! Contrary to their formation, these finely spun fibers feel soft to the touch. For this reason, and due to the fact that it was once found abundantly across the land, it has been used by several clothing fabrications, bedding companies, furniture developers and even as gauze for health care professionals. And that's where we find why cotton scarves aren't a great choice for use on our hair. Gauze's main purpose is to assist in absorbing a substance, therefore revealing that cotton is a natural absorbancy agent. For our hair, cotton absorbs any natural oils causing it to dry out and defeat our number one goal: Keeping our hair Moisturized!

Polyester

I always think of Pops from Waynan Brothers: white pants, big old, clunky shoes, maybe a vest and a frilly shirt! Cuuute! But that is not the only presentation of polyester. I have a really cute blue dress that is stunning, you wouldn't claim it as old and outdated by the cut of the dress. Most often than not polyester will appear stiff and unforgiving: creating a box shape when your true sillohette is a figure 8! That's because polyestera are synthetic rather than natural fibers; the most common polyesters used to make clothing are thermoplastic. Ever tried ironing a polyester shirt? What happens? It melts. Thermoplastics are polymers that turn to liquid when heated and appears glassy and glossy when frozen.


If you are using a polyester scarf you will notice an increase in static cling and fly away hairs. There is actually a scientific reason for this! As the scarf rubs against your hair, it extracts the moisture from your follicles creating a dry environment. The dry state of your hair as it continuously rubs against the polyester scarf, promotes the scarf to take on + and - electrical charges, which are randomly dispursed amongst your strands. Thus, static electricity therefore causes fly away hairs as your strands repels other strands because they have taken on + and - charges from the scarf.

Satin

When I think of Satin, it reminds me of making placemats for our Thanksgiving day celebration. Satin is created using the weaving system, whereas not every strand is woven. The strands are overlapped and occassionally underlapped which create an interlock that isn't as obtrusive. If this makes sense, the fabric is created so that the fibers, for the most part, are in the same directions. Ultimately, satin's structure is smooth and soft similar to it's feel.


Satin pillowcases have been proven to extend the longevity of hair which in return, keeps your little fingers out of your hair! Goal! With the understanding that satin is woven to create a smooth surface, as the hair comes in contact with this fabric is it not snagged or tangled in the fabric. Instead, the hair follicles are allowed to move freely across the surface of this material. Purchasing a satin pillowcase can serve the same purpose of a satin hair scarf pus a few offer benefits!

Silk

Many of you have asked about how to reduce frizziness, how to ensure your hair stays moisturized and to promote growth. First, growth will happen when it does and it's retention that helps you to see "growth" With that, all three of these challeneges can be combatted by using a silk scarf. Frizziness occures when our hair lacks moisturization and likewise with retention: hair is more prone to break if it is dry. Silk is composed of amino acids! Remember amino acids make up protein and our hair is the protein keratin. Therfore, through the use of a silk scarf you are "adding" proteins to your hair.


Considering silk is a poor conductor, it does not hold electrical charges. This will allow your hair to appear "laid down" and reduce the amount of frizziness you may see with the use of other materials. Unlike cotton, silk has a high tolerance for stretching. When the material stretches, it gives your hair room to move around which creates friction which leads to split ends, breakage, and frizziness. Each night when you "add" proteins to your hair, you are encouraging your follicles to relax as they are not tangled, snagged, or dried out due to the material used.