....natural vs. relaxed .... does it matter?

in recent years, i've noticed ALOT of changes in the way we (young african american women) are treating out hair. i would say maybe 1 out of every 5 girls these days are opting to go natural, meaning, embracing their own hair with no chemical alteration. i believe it makes them feel more confident, and for some it is the better choice. however, in my opinion, there's not really much of a difference with having relaxed OR natural hair, simply because i believe it all depends on how you maintain it.

i can speak on this subject because i've been natural twice. when i was 3, i got my first relaxer. That is definitely too young for any chemical processing. something traumatic happened and I ended up losing alot of my hair by the time I was 4, so my mom stopped putting relaxers in my hair and I started getting it pressed. I went back relaxed when I turned 8 and by the time I was 11 I was natural again, but only for a year. probably when most females our ages were getting spiral curls and wearing ponytails...i was wearing braids...and yes, I had an afro! i remember when i would beg my mom for a relaxer but she just wouldnt do it. when i turned 12, i was relaxed AGAIN and never thought about going back natural. i dont think its for me. i would go extremely short before i decide to go natural! but thats just me.

so while being relaxed...do I struggle with my hair? no. and i personally believe that its because of the grade of hair that i have. has being relaxed ever broke my hair off? no! i've experienced breakage before, and i blame that on OVERmaintenance, stress, and me being experimental (lol). but...we live and we learn.

not too long ago, i had a talk with a few close friends and family members about why they would rather be either natural or relaxed. my best friend is natural and she loves it...and has vowed to never go back to a relaxer. "My hair never got bone straight with a relaxer," she states. "I dont have to worry about scalp burns, and I love the versatility of having my hair curly one day or straight the next. The biggest plus is that I get to have big hair all the time and it is CHEAP!". I asked my cousin how does she feel about her sandy, midback length relaxed hair and she said, "I wouldnt ever go natural because my hair is way too thick. it really needs to be straight all the time. long as i keep my hair in top condition, i love it this way." Another friend said that she wouldnt ever get a relaxer because she doesn't want to ruin her curl pattern, and my mom, who is relaxed, just simply said, "relaxed hair looks better."

i know other people feel like that the "natural hair thing" is a trend, saying that it doesnt look good on everybody. though this may be true, i feel that whatever you must do to your hair to boost your confidence, do so.i don't believe that one way is more healthier than another, because i've seen ladies who are relaxed grow their hair, and i've seen ladies who are natural do the same. therefore, do whatever you FEEL. don't base it on what you see or what you hear, because what works for one may not work for you. love yall xoxo ;)

#teamNATURAL::









#teamRELAXED

got a sew in? manage it!

ok this is my LAST post for today. I've been getting alot of questions about what can you or can't do with a sew in. I'm not a licensed cosmetologist (yet) lol but i know a lil bit about somethin from experience! i know some people in particular are skeptical about getting a sew in because they fear their hair falling out. i've been sewing in my own hair as well as other people's for a while now and i can honestly say no one has experienced any breakage, simply because its not just about caring for the weave itself; you have to care for your natural hair too.

Soooo here are a few things I've come across when it comes to taking care of my weave and natural hair. just four little things:

1) make sure the braids are NOT too tight. tight braids already put tension on your hair, so imagine how much extra tension will be on it when sewing. ouch! however, you do want to make sure that they are firm enough to hold the tracks, and secure each track at the end to make sure they don't slip.

2) while your natural hair is in braids, oil your scalp. if you allow your scalp to remain dry...of course that itches, and that might lead to breakage as well. if not every day, try to oil your scalp every other day. Good oils to use are: Aphogee Essential Oil for Hair, any type of Doo Gro oil, and Organic Roots Stimulator oil.

3)dont be afraid to wash your hair, even with the tracks in. Treat it just like you would if you didn't have the tracks in! pay more attention to washing your scalp, though. My favorite shampoo/conditioner to use when I have a sew in is Herbal Essence "Hello Hydration"...it works wonders! make sure u comb out your hair with a wide tooth comb as well! blow dry or air dry...i prefer blow drying, unless i had a wet and wavy weave. while blow drying, continue to comb out the hair so it wont tangle. afterwards...flat iron or curl!

4)tie your hair up at night. just because it says it has minimum tangling doesnt mean that it wont tangle. wrap it, pin curl it, or add flexi rods to it at night to keep the style and to protect it. it WILL make your hair last longer. of course, put a satin scarf or bonnet on before you call it a night.

xoxo :)

latest sew-in/weave review: EnStyle Micro Perm Yaki

omg i been bloggin all day lol but i had to get this thing updated. anyways...i did another sew in! just because I really wanted one. i got the same type of hair i used for my cousin's sew in, and its EnStyle Micro Perm Yaki. Here's the deal on this hair. Its NOT A-1. Meaning that, in my opinion, it wont last a month. I'm going to have to give this hair alot of TLC to make it last until my next weave ( I know I wont be getting this hair again!). it works well when you're looking for something temporary, and the price is right for the quality. I currently have 10in installed in colors 4 and 30. both packs were $13.99 (yes, 13.99 lol) I don't like the way it curls, it isn't silky..blah blah blah. I'm going to keep it in as long as it allows though! so my first thoughts on this hair...I definitely wouldnt recommend if you're looking for something long term, meaning...a month or two.

MIZANI baby...;)

ok. you can hear a thousand good reviews about a product but you won't truly understand the worth until you try it on your own. once i colored my hair, i knew that i was going to need a really REALLY good shampoo and conditioner to maintain my hair's health. i asked my dad, who is a licensed barber, what should I use and he suggested Mizani. So i did tons of research on it, and decided to go out and purchase a shampoo and conditioner. Now Mizani has different types of shampoos and conditioners depending on what your hair needs. In my case, I went for something that would keep my hair moisturized from the roots to the ends because of this color! I love the way it smells, and the shampoo doesnt dry my hair out. the conditioner does exactly what its supposed to do as well. i spent $13.99 on the Botanifying Shampoo and $13.99 on the Moisturefuse Conditioner. A month after using my Mizani, i noticed how manageable my hair was and how I didnt have any breakage, even 3 months after being color treated. When it was time for my relaxer, I definitely knew I had to get Mizani. They even have a special type for color treated hair. I bought a whole tub from the beauty supply store for $17.99. Would I recommend Mizani to anyone? YES i would!!!!

color me HONEY.!

while sitting at home one day, i felt like doing something random. i had been talking about coloring my hair for a while, so i finally decided to do it. the only thing that was discouraging me was the fear that my hair might break off like it did with a previous color i had. but i know what the cause of that was...strictly heat damage. this time, i decided to go another route with the hair coloring thing. i wanted a nice, light brown for the summer but i ended up getting a nice shade of blonde. i used Clairol's Textures and Tones in Honey Blonde. i didnt dye my whole head, just the top portion. so it looks nice against the my natural color in the back. the color had to grow on me...i was getting lots of compliments on it, though! as my roots are growing out, i'm really beginning to like it. its been three months now ;)

weave review: Outre' Duvessa Remi

umm yeah. this was my first brand of remi i've ever tried and it turned out to be EXCELLENT. i wore this for about a month and it still looked good as new when I took it out. The only reason why i took it out was because it was time for my relaxer. Would I recommend Duvessa? YES I WOULD! When I curled this hair with my curling iron the curls were SO pretty, like waves! I got two packs, 10 in. 1B, for $55.99 a pack. I definitely was expecting this hair to be more expensive. The hair could be reused, but I didn't get to because I dyed my hair honey blonde (lol). Anyways here are pics of the Duvessa:

another sew in...january ish

this is just a sew in i did on myself in january. i was beginning another semester in school, and i needed something that would be off my collar for clinicals. i have to say...this is my favorite short one i've ever done. I used Bijoux duby hair in 1B, and layer cut it just a bit ;)