Hmmm....

Hmmm...
I was on NC.com a few days ago(and am currently on there now, hehe!) reading through things and asking questions. I was thinking about using my Aphogee protein treatment to see if it helps with breakage. But the 1st (and last) time I used it (which was way early this year), it made my hair very VERY hard (while it was in), and it was very sticky. And it burned to (kinda like a relaxer burns)! So it was suggested that I use the Keratin Reconstructor since it's more gentle than the PT (I believe I have a sensitive scalp). But I looked at the back of the KR, and I saw it had silicones in it. I yahoo'd Curlynikki, and she said I may be protein sensitive like she is. But the majority of the NC community says maybe I should try some type of protein. The conditioners I use both have proteins in them, though.
I'm hearing some good things about Nexxus Emergencee. I might purchase it and see how my hair reacts. Or I might just try some condishes with little or no protein in them and see how my hair reacts. This is all very confusing...
I'm also thinking of trying henna. I heard cassia is good to try to, but I'm gonna take a chance and just jump to full on BAQ henna. I'm still in love with red hair, so hopefully it gives me the color/tint and conditioning and strengthening effects I'm looking for. I wasn't sure at first, but I think henna-ing it through my transition will be good for my hair. I surely hope so.

And in other non-hair related news... My weekend was ruined... =,( There's a fair that comes down here every summer for about a week (but mostly everyone just waits for the last three days and go Saturday night). Well, my p.t. job that I hate (the job that still doesn't give me that many hours even after I asked for some for the summer) had me working until midnight(closing) Friday AND Saturday. And I was only working during the fair. I've never had to work until closing. So you shoud already know that I didn't get to go... And Sunday, the fair was getting ready to close and hardly no one is there. and wristband time was over with at 5-the time I got off Sunday (I was supposed to have 3 hrs yesterday, and they sent me home at 4! that's 2 hrs!) >=( Well, that's the work world I guess. Everywhere I go to look for a job is only accepting applications... or not even doing that...
But here's the other bad part of my weekend. Sunday: I got off a little after 4. My best friend, Tim, was coming down here from Memphis 2 c me yesterday! (Yes, I have a guy as my best friend) I was so happy, that was the only thing that could lighten up this bad weekend....
So soon as I got home, I took a shower to wash away my troubles, and when I was getting dressed, my mom came to the back and told me that my little brother wanted me to take him up to the fair. I was thinking, 'WHAT!' And Tim and his brother were arriving around 5 (and they WOULD pick that day 2 arrive when they say they will), and it was getting 5 then.
So I went 2 my g-ma's house to pick up my brother. Soon as I got in, my little bro was on the phone and Tim was beeping in saying he was on his way 2 my g-ma's house. Damn Damn Damn! So I asked him if he wanted 2 go up by the fair (that was closing), and he said yea. When we all got up there, of course, they were taking things down and there was barely anyone up there. We were all ready to go, but my brother was just dead set on thinking that some of his friends were up there. So we were all leaving, and I decided to stay a little longer with him (I had my car) since he was acting so mad and upset and spoiled about it, and I told Tim that I'd meet them at the Waffle House in a little bit. We walked around a little bit, and saw a few folks we knew that were his age, but none of his friends that he thought were up there were there. So he spent $8 on a pellet gun with no pellets and $10 on some fake earrings (fair earrings) and we left.
I had parked in a different spot that when we had first gotten up there, so I was trying to be careful not to hit anyone or get hit when I was backing out b/c I couldn't see around the bit truck beside me. So when I had pulled all the way out, my brother said, "I think you hit that car. I saw it rocking..." I told him I didn't b/c we woulda heard it and felt it." I mean, we would've, right???
So I was getting ready 2 leave, but this sheriff lady that was standing outside motioned for me 2 pull over. She went and looked at the other car and came back and told me I put a small scratch in the car. Then she made us wait for the people who owned the car to get there and see what they wanted to do. We were out there for about a good half-hour... Then, this family was walking down the road leaving the fair. The husband stopped to talk to a friend. The woman and some little kids started to get in the car (they couldn't even see the scratch). That's when ms. sheriff lady hurried across the street and told husband about the scratch and pointed it out to him and wifey. They decided not to do anything. It couldn't have been bad if me and my brother didn't feel it, and they didn't even see it.
Basically, I was stuck on the lake for about an hour and a half for no good reason. And when I was on my way 2 my house, Tim, his "brother", and there friend, were outside waiting. By the time we even got in the house, we had, what, 20 minutes to hang and chill... His brother wanted to leave at 830. So, yea... that was my weekend... And I am definitely not looking forward to going home and seeing my mom... I haven't seen here since she left for work (she works at a hospital from 7p-7a). She's off today... She is gonna eat me up for this one...

Well, I have to g2 work at 130. I work from 130-5. So I guess I'm gonna go...

Rae

Goals and Things to Do..

1. Purchase another digital cam. Mine was stolen...
2. Stay inspired. Through my transition and in other aspects of life as well. It's good to be inspired/motivated.
3. Do not settle. You can always have better. And if you believe so, you will find it.
4. Learn to save my money. It is not good when you have a job, live with your mom, have no dependencies, and BROKE!
5. Transition fully from relaxed to natural. I want a head full of big, thick, long, curly, HEALTHY hair.
6. Lose weight. I'm not the biggest person out there, but A little weight loss wouldn't hurt at all.

This list is subject to change!

Rae

Return!

I was very not impressed with Jason's Tea Trea Scalp Normalizing Condish. It was not for me. Again, I felt like I was washing fake hair. And to add to my frustration, it felt like the conditioner was just sitting on my hair, like the YesTo and Mane n Tail Condish. So... I exchanged it. I just stuck to what I know. I restocked on some of my Gio SSDM and I also got a Cosmopolitan Mag with the Walgreens card from my last exchange! And to add to my day of "freebies" my Seventeen Mag FINALLY came in the mail!!! Yayness!

Breakage, Breakage, Breakage....

.... The title is self explanatory... When I first started my transition journey, I got a lot of breakage... I didn't really pay attention to whether I saw any white bulbs or not, but whenever I did examine the shed hairs, I saw quite a few white bulbs. Then the shedding slacked up some. But now I'm starting to get lots of breakage again... breakage is all on my ponytail holders when I take down my bun... all over my hands when I wash and detangle... I don't see any bald spots or anywhere that looks like it's about to be a bs, though. That's what keeps me from panicking as much. My hair is getting so thick and packed at the roots. It's hard dealing with the two textures. I think about perms from time to time, but I'm never tempted to get another. It might be easier to deal with my hair then, but I hate how flat and straight my hair looks... Like I said, I've developed an affinity for big, thick, curly hair...

I don't wash every day anymore... it's too hard on my wallet. (an eleventh grader with a part-time job at mickey d's that barely gets enough hours can't be buying conditioner and hair products all the time)

The other day I was at walgreens and bought some "Yes To Cucumbers" shampoo and conditioner... This was the first time I was going to shampoo since my journey started. I glanced at the back at the ingredient's to make sure I didn't see the words, 'sulphate,' 'paraben,' '-cone,' '-xane,' or anything else I recognized that is not so good for hair.... I would notice the word sulphate on the back of the shampoo when I got home later on... But since I bought it, I tried it anyway. I'm trying to find what works for my hair. I was not impressed. When I used the the products, it reminded me of when I used Mane and Tail. Mane and Tail did not impress me. Have you ever tried to wash a barbie doll's hair when you were younger??? it gets all tangly and hard to detangle and stuff. Well that's what I felt when I shampoo'd. I only shampoo'd once b/c I didn't feel I needed a second time (nor did I like the shampoo). So this little experience has renewed my motivation not to shampoo. I wasn't really impressed with the conditioner, either. It wasn't nearly as great as my Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner. And I'm more impressed with my Escencia Hydrating Conditioner than I was with this. Yes, I returned "Yes To Cucumbers" yesterday and I could only exchange since receipt had disappeared. So I got Jason's Tea Trea Scalp Normalizing Conditioner, Dickinson's Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner, and a gift card with about $4 and something on it... I haven't used the conditioner yet, since I washed with the YesTO the night before. But I can't wait to use it and see what it's like! I used the Toner (100% natural!) last night and this morning right after my Burt's Bee's Orange Essence Facial Cleanser (100% natural!). I am very impressed with my new natural facial regimen. These are my new staples!
If I'm impressed with Jason, I may just replace my Escencia with it. I love Giovanni! For now, he isn't up for replacement!

Finally Seeing the Fruits of My Labor

My hair is GROWING! YaAaAaAaAaY!!!!! I just took a picture of my bun(on my phone since I don't have a digital camera yet) and uploaded it. When I started bunning, they were really small and I had to use one ponytail holder. Now I am starting to see growth! My hair is at shoulder length now and I can use two scrunchies instead of one. I wonder how long its gonna take before I'm fully natural...
I've stopped using the wrap foam. Now I'm just wrapping it really good and tight to my head so my hair isn't flying and lays down flat when it's dry...
Well I am getting very sleepy, so I ges Im gonna go..

Attempting to Reconstruct my hair care regimen...

In my quest to eliminate heat use, I've quit rollersetting my hair... (tear... it was cute even though it came out wrong...). Im trying buns now to revive my ends and help grow my hair. I'm also gonna try co-washing. I have heard a lot about it and it sounds really good, so... yea...

Old regimen: washing hair about once a week, w/ shampoo and conditioner, wrapping, and sitting under the dryer forEVER... comb down hair, oil scalp(sometimes), and flat iron every little bit of hair(no kind of protection)

New Regimen(so far): co-washing almost nightly. shampoo & deep condition once a week. hot oil treatment once a week. After co-washing, or reg. washing, oil scalp. pull back in my small(my hair is only mid neck/shoulder length) trusty bun. Apply wrapping foam and brush in with my very soft-bristled brush to tame edges. Wrap with scarf to further tame edges. Put on silk bonnet and get ready for bed =).

Current Products:

* Esencia (by Samy) Hydrating Shampoo

* Esencia (by Samy) Hydrating Conditioner

* Smooth As Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo (by Giovanni)

* Smooth As Silk Deep Moisture Conditioner (by Giovanni)

* T- Tree Scalp Oil

* Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil With Ginseng

* Nairobi Wrap-It Shine Foaming Lotion

Lol, yea, as you can see, I'm sorta turning into an all natural freak. Oh, and speaking of all natural, I just HAVE to reccommend the Burt's Bees Line to everyone. In my all natural rave, I bought the daily facial cleanser. I have combination skin. My skin gets really dry after I wash it, but throughout the day, gets really oily. I have to wipe my face constantly. This is the first cleanser that says it won't dry my face out, and actually lives up to its word. And the best part... its 100% natural! Yay!

But back on my hair. I co-wash with the conditioners listed above. I've just started using them all (except the foam) not too long ago. I think these are the products that are gonna end my days as a PJ (which I unfortunately got from my beautiful mother). My mom says my hair has been smelling really fresh since I'm washing every night (she and my g-ma think that my hair is gonna fall out from all the washing, lol). She's starting to be a little more supportive now that she sees I'm really serious about going natural. I can't wait until I'm done with all this transitioning. I wanna see what my hair looks like! Oh yea, and after i had co-washed last night, I was trying to find out what my natural hair type was when I was parting it to oil my scalp. and I saw a few really loopy/wavy/curly hairs. That made me really happy and seeing the progress has given me more inspiration to keep going! I don't know when I'll BC... I was thinking maybe in March or April of next year... It depends on my length...

Well I guess I'll go now. The computer room is about to close.

Adios chicas!

Lady Rae

New Style

I'm trying to learn how to take care of my own hair/do hair. So I tried to roller-set my own hair. Now let me tell you- my mom's hair-doing genes kinda skipped me. So, yea, it didn't come out right... But somehow whenever certain things I try with my hair don't come out right, they still do! Lol let me explain...
So anyway, after I washed and conditioned and everything, I used my wrapping foam-slash-setting lotion for my hair. It took forever (I wouldn't say exactly FOREVER b/c I'm kinda lazy...) and my hair started to dry as I finished. I had a little spray bottle of water beside me, though, so don't worry. for a lot of peices of my hair, I just put a little wrapping foam directly on the hair I was about to roll and combed it in. After I finally got all of my hair rolled up to the best of my abilities and sat under the dryer already semi dry kind of... When I got out and took the rollers out, it did NOT look right. So i got kinda mad and started to ruffle out the curls... and voila! It was so cute! I've been wearing my hair in this wild curly- looking look for a week now... But I'm not gonna get to used to this... Im trying to cut out my heat usage.
I'm gonna go now. If anyone knows how to do cute buns for hair somewhere between short-medium hair, or know any other styles, help a sister out, please! I'm really interested in learning the southern girl tease bun.

Lady Rae