Thursday, July 14, 2011

Au Natural sans le Chop #9

So I still hate shrinkage...
My hair would be so much longer without it but no. Raven has to have tight curls/waves that make me look bald-headed if I had no permed ends. *sigh* It will grow eventually....

Permed ends also get on my nerves but I'm managing to get by with them.... They're like the ugly stepchild you accept & love.... until they move out & go to college or something. I'm waiting for mine to finally enroll in University of Trashamanca. (The sister to University of Salamanca in Spain)

But until then, here are some pics de mi pelo rebelde.

Curl puff!
Loca, loca, loca.
Side twist & side out
With love, Nappy Cicada

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Au Natural sans le Chop #8

So, it has been a month and some days with me living like with DEEZ NAPPS. Sans les braids. Sans le securidad de perm. (I know... I mixed French & Spanish)

It's been doing well. I pretty much do the same 3 hair styles everyday... Only because I'm too lazy to look on youtube for more ideas. Plus those girls actually know how to do hair.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! I never did anything with my hair when I had a perm either. Yes... boring Raven...
I barely even know how to braid correctly, let alone cool twisty, braidy, corn-rowy cool stuffs. Gosh...No soy muy talentosa con pelo. =[

I also cut about an inch of perm off of my bangs. Por que te preguntas?? Estaba aburrida. If I pull my bangs down, the curly part comes to a little bit lower than my eyebrows. (And I have a big forehead, so that's a lot.) I just hate shrinkage! ROAR!!
Natural black people like my face would be perceived as having much longer hair if curls didn't shrink up as much. *Sigh*

Even Mia has a problem with shrinkage & her hair is barely curly at all! (It's down to her middle back now when you stretch it out & shoulder blades when its just down.)

Pero mi pelo es mas mejor que yo pensé que sería. Estoy soprenda. Y ojalá que un día mi pelo crecera muy, muy larga con rizos y todo. =]

(I don't know why I wanted to write in spanish today. Use goole translate if you don't sprechen sie Spanish)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Dear Mia,

You've come a long way my little stink bug fat face. From the little thing that slept all day to this overly excited 2 year old who hates to hold hands when crossing the street.

I guess being a mom who ate fairly healthily through my pregnancy, breast fed you, made you vegan until you were about 8 months old, gave you soy milk instead of regular milk because you might have been lactose intolerant, fed you with glass bottles because plastic can emit synthetic estrogens (which can cause premature puberty), and played classical music while you slept made you into a very liberal minded, free spirited, modern hippie... like me....


And in fact, you have been quite annoying lately.

You are very nosey, like to learn, like to explore and very independent. I know some old school people look at you as if you are weird because most people expect girls to be loving & quiet & subservient. You are the complete opposite... Well, sometimes you give me kisses to get my attention or tuck me in at night, which is loving, but still. You crazy! Besides! I never wanted to raise a slave, or porcelain doll, or trophy wife. MAMA DON’T RAISE NO PUNKS!!!


That is why you will not listen to your Granny and become a singer... Not until I see potential, you go to college (and major in something worth while. not "art history" or some other stupidity like that), and have a job. Then you can try to become a singer.

Other than that, you will be playing an instrument! The cello, violin, piano, oboe, flute, harp. I don't know which one I want to hear being practiced horribly for the first few months.... I like the cello. The violin & flute are too whiny. I say lessons start when you're 5 or 6.

I also want you to do gymnastics or ballet. Or both. This will happen soon since you don't have to learn how to read music (or read at all).

I also want to teach you another language. Spanish will be easy since I already know it, and you'll probably be familiar with Lao if you go around your grandparents more (you just need to learn how to write & read it). Thanh can teach you Vietnamese. I've been teaching myself, but it's an everyday process & I do lessons like once or twice a week...

All I know so far is: Anh (Ba, Ong, Chi) co khoe khong? Cam on, toi khoe, con ahn (ba, chi, ong)?

That's about it and a couple words...


Ahhh. So much to do, so much potential, so little time. And people say American parents let their kids do whatever. Sorry, Mia, but you will have structure & you will succeed.

Move over Tiger Mom. Here comes Black Dragon Mom!!!

amy-chua.jpg


Love, Mommy

Friday, May 13, 2011

Au Natural sans le Chop #7

So I think I’m fully used to my new hair now. Napps and all. It’s actually not that nappy as people might expect. It’s just where the permed hair and nappy bits connect is the crazy part. It's SO much harder to detangle. I washed it today & yeah... I hate detangling the transition area.

Ugh! I jut want to cut it but I know I wouldn’t know what to do with my head then...


But at least I know it has been growing quite a bit! You can’t really tell because of curly shrink syndrome, but I can. In one year, it has grown about 5-6 inches which is pretty bomb! It definitely took off growing between September-now because from May-August, it was nothing. Like a centimeter or growth. So about 1/2 - 1 inch of Africa coming out of my roots a month.

Not too shabby. And now that I plan on exercising more & eating more healthily, hopefully it will be at my previous length (a little past my shoulders) by August or September! Whoo Whoo! Well, here are two more hair styles I have worn/tried out. Enjoy & happy nappy days!


Out with the curl.


Full Mowhawk
With love,
The Nappy Grasshopper

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Au Natural sans le Chop #6: Un amor extraño

I am probably the last of my friends to say that they like natural hair, but I think I am starting to like my napps...

I KNOW!! Amazing! But I think its because I look better with curly, bigger hair rather than pin straight poop strands. And now that I've let my hair marinate with various concoctions, moisturizers and kaka, I can see that my curl pattern is actually pretty nice. Just the permed hair is kinda..... eh... throws it off.

And I'm learning how to speak my hair's language. You know, Nappenese. Its very difficult language, but I feel if I listen to it more, I will be fluent in the remote language and our lives will be SO much better. Wednesday, man... my hair was saying all types of foul words to me in Nappenese. I wanted to cut it off to make it shut up. But as the days progress, I understand it more. Listen to your hair. You will find out more than just telling it to shut up or yelling back.

Well, here some pics of my day 4 side curly pony. Fast, simple, messy & fun!
Yummy!
A bow but hard to see...

And here's a pic of my curl pattern... more like wavey fuzzy pattern

Friday, May 6, 2011

Au Natural sans le Chop #5: Realization

So. I finally took out the braids & rocking the natural and 1/4 permed crap. I am finally accepting my hair but I'm not completely used to it. I'm still trying to figure out styles, how to keep myself from tearing out my hair and what works & what doesn't.

I have seen that my hair isn't curly or coily. It's more or tight waves. So "curling" products.... I haven't seen much of a "curl" or definition at that when I use them... Kinda depressing. I thought it would have been like my friends' hair because hey! They're African. Africans have curly, coily hair. My people were stolen from Africa. Must me similar, huh?
NOPE! That Irish gene & whatever else crap that is in my gene pool threw off my hair genetics completely & now I don't know what this is! I was sad the first day....... I should have known I had weird genes after seeing Mia's hair is barely curly at all.......

I'm learning to love it & learning to actually do my hair. I never did my hair before. Just perm, straighten, done. Now I have to learn how to braid, twist, cornrow, bantu knot, everything! But I will learn & look hot, hot hot!
Here's some pics of my day one hair and day 2 hair:

Dinky pony tail because I was going swimming. No use it fixing it...
Nice hair style! Twisted it & rolled it up with flexi-rods. Air dried over night. Not the best night of sleep but then again, I haven't had one in a while anyway... Banana clip & big poof!
With love,
The nappy grasshopper.



Sunday, May 1, 2011

Au Natural Sans le Chop #4: One Year Anniversary!

Well, I've made it.
One year without a perm today. My hair has not see the creamy narcotics in so long, and I still think it hates me because of my decision...

imgres.jpeg

But it is for its own good. It's been growing quite a bit actually. My curly q's comes below my ears when stretched out which is good! My permed, dead, chemically beaten hairs have either broken off or still holding on for dear life. I plan on trimming it little by little until I'm comfortable enough to say goodbye.

imgres.jpg

Its so hard. I've had relaxed hair since I was about 6 or 7... somewhere around there. I was old enough to remember getting it but not know exactly when.

imgres.jpg

(She has nice hair, but mine won't look like this)


I still don't know how exactly my hair looks like curly. I've been trying to figure out what my fellow nappy sisters have been using but its hard to tell what my head will do since I have THOSE GENES.... Those Irish genes up in the mix.... Who knows what will happen?! I just hope it will love me and not be too hard to handle.

So far I have:

Kinky Curly Shampoo & Conditioner

KnotToday_new.jpgimgres.jpg

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancer

imgres.jpg

Giovanni Shampoo & Conditioner

imgres.jpeg(I use this on Mia's hair!)

I don't want to have to wake up 4 hours before school just to deal with my hair and then end up trying to fix it in traffic. I already wake up 3 hours before class and that's already una tortura.

I will be sure to keep you guys updated on my hair when I take out my braids this up coming weekend. I shall conclude this blog with pictures of fellow afro ladies!

imgres.jpg

imgres.jpg

imgres.jpg

imgres.jpg

imgres.jpeg

imgres.jpeg

imgres.jpg (I think my hair is gonna be more like Solange's. Wild with no exact curl pattern)

With love,

Raven & Señora Nappy Strands