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

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.

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...

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.

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.

(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

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancer

Giovanni Shampoo & Conditioner

(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!

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

With love,

Raven & Señora Nappy Strands

Au Natural sans le Chop #2

So, it's been 3 months and 2 days since my last relaxer, perm, chemically induced hair coma, creamy crack for the hair treatment, whatever you want to call it!

I have realized that I am more gentle with my head than i would handle a premature kitten. I guess it's because I am terrified that my hair will break off into little pieces and I'll be left with half my hair gone.

But that could be my excuse to go bald... *HINT HINT: who's up for it?!*

But anyway! I still don't know what my "hair type" is. There's like 1 inch of curly happiness and about 8-10 inches (guess-timation) of dead, killed-in-the-hair-war relaxed ends....

BUT there is enough curly goodness for me to pull out a strand and take a picture of it! Look, look, look!

I had to edit the crap out of the picture for you to see the hair strands. I have really, really, almost non-existent-ly thin strands of hair. Literally, it was almost not visible on the white piece of paper...

But yes, you can see where its straight & chemically straightened & my NEW curly hair at the top! Yay! it's growing quite fast too. =D

But it's weird how the strand on the right is curlier than the one on the left... I have 2 different hair textures?! Hum... this could make things more complicated... Type 4a or 4b or 4c?! I don't know!

But I will eventually get my Leela James fro...

Or maybe extra curly like Esperanza Spalding...

It's hard to tell what my kinky-naps will be like since there is an Irish gene floating around in my gene pool (which explains the orangey-brown & oily hair I have). *Contemplating*

Eh, either one, I will be happy with my naturally flowing, genetic hair because not everyone is able to have it! In yo face! >=D

I don't know why it took me this long to embrace my natural hair-ness when people know I am one BIG advocate for natural beauty & my disliking of makeup, plastic surgery, injections, etc.

Sure, I wear the occasional eyeliner & mascara but that is only for enhancement of my eye shape. Its not like I NEED makeup to leave the house or be seen by the public eye! I don;t know how to put on foundation and eyeshadow is not to my liking.

I shall embrace the motherland and hopefully learn some tips to tell about my hair rehab & detox story.

Tis all for now,

Peace, Love & Embracing Natural Beauty

Au Natural sans le Chop #1

I've decided to go natural with my hair (without chopping it all off).

It's going to require dedication, patience and a whole new outlook on what my head will look like.

I've alway love BIG CURLY HAIR.

I've just never see it on myself.

For as long as I can remember about my hair, it has been chemically straightened. So from about 5 or 6 years old, I've never see my natural hair. That's nearly 14 years worth of harsh chemicals on my hair that can burn its way through your skin if you leave it on too long! Pretty sad, but my mom doesn't like the Motherland hair.

She grew up in a time where skin bleaching and relaxers in your hair would make you beautiful to the public eye. The closer you looked like the "white man" the better off you were. And I've pretty much grown up with that belief until I got old enough to think for myself...

Now I'm 19 years old and I can choose what I want to do with my head and African culture is more accepted...a little... maybe not in the South so much...

Two months and 20 days since I had my last relaxer and I have never see this many curls popping out of my scalp before in my life. Of course it's going to be hard now because I have never had to look at or deal with my genetic hair, nor learn how to manage it either.

I did think about shaving my head but that strikes fear into my kidney even more than childbirth! Here are my reasons:

#1) I've always had hair. Even when I was born.

#2) Will my job fire me? We can't even wear obscene hair do's or nose/facial piercings!

#3) I don't wanna be stared at...

#4) No cute boy wants a bald girl like him. No stepdaddy for Mia! lol.

#5) My mother would be very, VERY disappointed.

The only reason why my mom is accepting me of not perming my hair now is because, quote: "Oh yeah! And when you're new growth gets long, the Dominicans can blow & straighten the naps right out!", end quote. Then I said "Well, what it I shaved my head?" Mother: "Now, don't be stupid, Raven."

Eh... Not much support... Both or my sisters are natural! So I have them to look to... And my mom doesn't like their heads either...

But enough about the negative. I'm just excited to see what my curl pattern will be like!

Type 4a hair??

Type 4b hair??

Oooh. That one looks challenging...

Well, I guess its like another pregnancy. Get looked at strangely, you aren't always accepted and it's a big, BIG change to your life. I got through having Mia, I guess I can give birth to my naturally, curly, big hair. Who knows! I might have to change the title to "Au Natural avec le Chop!" =]