Hi everyone!

I thought I look at BC all the time and enjoy reading a lot of curl diaries that its time to start my own! HEars hoping things go well! 

I mentioned my hair journey in random posts along the way, so I won’t go into it too much.

My hair journey
I was born with kinky-coily slightly curly 4a / 4b hair that has been natural pretty much most of my life. However, due to things like a constant use of products which my hair hates like Blue Magic hair grease and pink shampoo, and constant manipulation it never flourished. I thought thats just the way my hair was and I never gave it a second thought.  I kind of accepted it I wore braids throughout my entire teen life, which worked really well. At uni, I felt braids made me look really young and I thought relaxed hair would give me a more adult look. I had to brief periods of relaxers during my teen years which almost resulted in baldness or substantial hair loss, so I was a bit nervous. After less than a year of relaxer, my hair reacted pretty badly and I thought I’m never doing this again. Weaves were a no-no because after wearing it once, it was just too uncomfortable. I can’t take all that super tight pulling.

My Enlightenment
This way seem like a dramatic title, but it really feels like this is what happened.
The only really good thing about my last trip to my relaxer is because it got me into the natural hair revolution! Researching how to care for relaxed hair often came with a little article on natural hair care, so I found myself reading tons about it. I was amazed by how much products and techniques had improved people’s hair and decided that was going to be me!  My whole view of beauty has changed to become a lot more inclusive. I don’t feel negatively towards those who straighten or relax since everyone is different. I don’t consider relaxing or altering one’s hair an example of self-hatred since some people don’t know how to look after their natural hair, (I used to be one of them!)  I just realise that it isn’t for me anymore.

As I’ve said before, my biggest inspiration came from people I saw in the street and the internet. I really just love this image! I love her I don’t care expression and the bigness and fullness of her hair.

Growing pains
My regrowth after the relaxers was super coarse, brittle and awful. It took a few months of protective styling, Qhemet Biologics, shea butter and some advice from Adornment 365 to put it back in order.  For me, the biggest help was wigs! I was able to retain length and moisturise without the pulling of braids, which seemed to be hindering me a lot! Now after wanting to put the wigs aside, I want to learn more about styling my own hair. The biggest drawback of wearing wigs is that you don’t wear or practice with your own hair to much. I wore a curly flexi-rod fro a few times which I liked, but for some reason I can’t get to work with the increased length.

Hoping to go to a natural salon to get a twist out done. I know its an easy style, but I need some shaping to put it back in order, so if anyone has any twist out tips, I would value it.

I am also a recovering product junky - when I think about what I have gone through I almost want to cry. Some I tried because they were lying around from my family and I was running out of my stuff, and some I ordered. I love quite a few of these products, but I’ve now scaled back my ordering completely. Even though, I’m still dying to raid the Emporium all the time!

I’ve tried:
Mixed Chicks (Just the shampoo and conditioner)
Curls
Qhemet Biologics
Aubrey Organics
Africa’s best
Crown pride
Taliah Waajid
Organic Root Stimulator
Fructis Garnier
Ciccolatina
Pure shea butter form shea butter cottage
My Honey Child
Le Kair
Hollywood’s Beauty
Curl Harmony
Pretty Curls
Cantu
Darcy Botanicals
Adornment 365 own brand of products

(and that’s all I remember)

Just remembered!

Keracare
SheaMoisture
Mizani (before the true textures range came out - really want to try that, but soooo expensive!)
Phyto Organics
Motions
Pink
Dark and Lovely

On my table waiting to try: Miss Jessie’s Buttercreme

I’ll go rooting around for any natural pics of me. The first was taken a short time after I BC’d after a couple months transistioning, (looking after two textures was too annoying!).  Bye The second was taken when I was transistioning with kinky braids.  My inspiration for the kinky braids came from Vanessa Williams hairstyle in this clip:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNDUtbvMWtc&feature=related

Couldn’t find a still image.

Congrats on starting this. Interested to see how you like Miss Jessie’s. The ingredients have always been a bit suss for me.

Yay! Congrats on starting a diary.
I looked way older with relaxed hair and I’ve worn weaves twice in my life (hated it) because I kept letting people talk me into (never again), I love your list (I’ve also tried a lot of things on it, lol), I wish I was a recovering PJ but that hasn’t happened yet.

Looking foward to reading your experiences Lela

Congrats on starting a diary!! looking forward to reading your posts!! i wish i were a recovering PJ, sadly i am in the full thrusts of PJism and itching to order something new all the time!
Love your photos, you look like a model!
Ah it hurts to know you are going to pay to get a twist-out done, move to Amsterdam and i will do your hair all the time

Efuru - 19 December 2010 11:14 PM

Yay! Congrats on starting a diary.
I looked way older with relaxed hair and I’ve worn weaves twice in my life (hated it) because I kept letting people talk me into (never again), I love your list (I’ve also tried a lot of things on it, lol), I wish I was a recovering PJ but that hasn’t happened yet.

Thanks!

People keep saying I should straighten, to try more straight styles, but they whole point of going natural was to move away from that! PJism is a fun habit, but super expensive in the long term, so its probably a good thing you never got into it!

Miss Natural - 19 December 2010 11:47 PM

Looking foward to reading your experiences Lela

Thanks for the support!

Jackylou - 20 December 2010 02:21 AM

Congrats on starting a diary!! looking forward to reading your posts!! i wish i were a recovering PJ, sadly i am in the full thrusts of PJism and itching to order something new all the time!
Love your photos, you look like a model!
Ah it hurts to know you are going to pay to get a twist-out done, move to Amsterdam and i will do your hair all the time

Thanks!
You live in Amsterdam! Is it hard to get afro hair care there?

Fourme - 19 December 2010 08:43 PM

Congrats on starting this. Interested to see how you like Miss Jessie’s. The ingredients have always been a bit suss for me.

Me 2!

lela7 - 20 December 2010 09:59 AM

Jackylou - 20 December 2010 02:21 AM

Congrats on starting a diary!! looking forward to reading your posts!! i wish i were a recovering PJ, sadly i am in the full thrusts of PJism and itching to order something new all the time!
Love your photos, you look like a model!
Ah it hurts to know you are going to pay to get a twist-out done, move to Amsterdam and i will do your hair all the time

Thanks!
You live in Amsterdam! Is it hard to get afro hair care there?

i don’t think so, there are quite a few black salons but they are also expensive, i once got braids, that weren’t even that nice and paid 100 euros, and had to bring my own hair!!
They also do not use very nice products (think Motions), and often when i have visited one to check out which products they sold, or how much they charged for styles, i mostly saw women getting their hair relaxed or weaved up, in fact when i was getting my braids done, they were all asking me why i didn’t perm my hair. Then they saw i was pregnant and said: “ah that’s why! he/she’ll be out soon, so you can come back and we’ll do it nicely for you!”.
I just smiled and said thank you, and never went back!

What’s weird though is that the owner herself is natural, of a 3b/c type, and at the time she seemed to have just done the BC, i saw her last week and her hair is longer now, still natural. 

In the afro stores, products are so much more expensive than in the UK, the same Creme of nature bottle of shampoo (900ml) you’d get for £5.99 in london costs like 15.99 euros here, ORS Moisturiser is like 9 euros for 8oz.
So i thought i might as well order products (with better ingredients) online.
Sorry, taking up much space in your diary!!

Jackylou - 20 December 2010 12:23 PM

lela7 - 20 December 2010 09:59 AM

Jackylou - 20 December 2010 02:21 AM

Congrats on starting a diary!! looking forward to reading your posts!! i wish i were a recovering PJ, sadly i am in the full thrusts of PJism and itching to order something new all the time!
Love your photos, you look like a model!
Ah it hurts to know you are going to pay to get a twist-out done, move to Amsterdam and i will do your hair all the time

Thanks!
You live in Amsterdam! Is it hard to get afro hair care there?

i don’t think so, there are quite a few black salons but they are also expensive, i once got braids, that weren’t even that nice and paid 100 euros, and had to bring my own hair!!
They also do not use very nice products (think Motions), and often when i have visited one to check out which products they sold, or how much they charged for styles, i mostly saw women getting their hair relaxed or weaved up, in fact when i was getting my braids done, they were all asking me why i didn’t perm my hair. Then they saw i was pregnant and said: “ah that’s why! he/she’ll be out soon, so you can come back and we’ll do it nicely for you!”.
I just smiled and said thank you, and never went back!

What’s weird though is that the owner herself is natural, of a 3b/c type, and at the time she seemed to have just done the BC, i saw her last week and her hair is longer now, still natural. 

In the afro stores, products are so much more expensive than in the UK, the same Creme of nature bottle of shampoo (900ml) you’d get for £5.99 in london costs like 15.99 euros here, ORS Moisturiser is like 9 euros for 8oz.
So i thought i might as well order products (with better ingredients) online.
Sorry, taking up much space in your diary!!

Take as much space as you need! Maybe they regard relaxers as just something everyone does. When I was younger I thought everyone relaxed regardless of texture, just sort of out of habit. I remember watching Sister Sister with my family and saying something like, “there hair will be so nice when they relax it when they are older..” I cringe at the fact I used to be like that!

OMG that is so incredible! i used to say the EXACT same thing when watching Sister Sister (i loved that show!).
Something i feel guilty about to this day is that i convinced my childhood friend (in Cameroon) to relax her hair at age 19. She had always been natural and had long natural hair, just above BSL. She caved in, and i relaxed it for her (i was also 19 and brainwashed). She liked it a lot and took great care of it (now come to think about it, she always took great care of her natural hair too).
Then she discovered weaves a couple of years ago, and i swear all her edges are gone, i mean gone, her hairline starts way back now, and the relaxer has eaten away at the thickness she had (well, she always had fine natural strands, but they were healthier before the relaxer). When i saw he this summer, i was shocked, all her beautiful hair was just some raggedy strands, still somewhat long but nothing like her former glory.
I so had to apologise to her! i took out the weave she was wearing at the time and we talked hair for a good few days. She’s now transitioning back to natural (and i feel somewhat a little less guilty), and i hope she learns to love her hair again.
I sent he some Komaza Care products which she is loving at the moment.
Mistakes, mistakes! 

Jackylou - 20 December 2010 03:16 PM

OMG that is so incredible! i used to say the EXACT same thing when watching Sister Sister (i loved that show!).
Something i feel guilty about to this day is that i convinced my childhood friend (in Cameroon) to relax her hair at age 19. She had always been natural and had long natural hair, just above BSL. She caved in, and i relaxed it for her (i was also 19 and brainwashed). She liked it a lot and took great care of it (now come to think about it, she always took great care of her natural hair too).
Then she discovered weaves a couple of years ago, and i swear all her edges are gone, i mean gone, her hairline starts way back now, and the relaxer has eaten away at the thickness she had (well, she always had fine natural strands, but they were healthier before the relaxer). When i saw he this summer, i was shocked, all her beautiful hair was just some raggedy strands, still somewhat long but nothing like her former glory.
I so had to apologise to her! i took out the weave she was wearing at the time and we talked hair for a good few days. She’s now transitioning back to natural (and i feel somewhat a little less guilty), and i hope she learns to love her hair again.
I sent he some Komaza Care products which she is loving at the moment.
Mistakes, mistakes! 

You shouldn’t feel guilty because we all make mistakes. You are helping her now and that all you can do, so be proud!

On xmas holiday, so not much to do now - so I thought I’d finally try my Miss Jessie’s Buttercreme. Its been haunting me for months, so I finally decided to give it a bit of a trial run. I just unplaited a few of my canerows and just did some twists. I wanted to see if there would be any use dedicating my time to doing my whole head.

Miss Jessies Baby Buttercreme review
The BC makes a lot of promises:

•  The first baby buttermilk to hydrate dry parched hair
•  Perfect for use on curls, kinks and waves
•  Locks in moisture
•  Adds superb shine and luster
•  Helps to reduce frizz
•  Provides a lightweight coating
•  Great detangler for knots and kinks
•  Fortifies and strengthens dull, lifeless curls
•  Smoothes out and conditions hair
•  Gives hair elasticity and spring

So I interested to see if it held up.

The first thing I noticed when applying was that it added a bit of weight to my hair which limited the shrinkage, which I was very happy about. Very few products do that, and add moisturise as well. Even worked pretty well as a detangler.

Have I found it?! Have I found the elusive holy grail product that moisturises, limits shrinkage and detangles? I did the twists which held together well and I could tell the product was adding a lot of hold, because my hair got a slight stiffness to it. Not in a bad way, but sort of like a gel, but without the gloop - I liked it.  When I woke up this morning, I was happy to find that the weight added by the product, kept the twists from smushing as I sleep. I undid them and was happy to say, the twists help up really well. However when I divided them to see if I could make more, it just frizzed out.  I didn’t blow dry my hair before hand, which is why I think it went like this. But this was only a trial run. Even though there was some frizz, I can see that the underlying curl shape was still quite consistent and nice.  Will definately be trying this on blow dryed hair to get better results.

The only negative is that it not 100% natural and has petroleum in it and the smell. I find it quite strong, but its not too bad. It did reduce frizz and make my hair bouncy and soft to touch.  I don’t really mind that its not 100% natural, since I am all about using what works.

Have to post this conversation I had with my friend recently. I just started going out with a guy and we were talking about what I was going to wear and then we started going onto my hair and here is what happened:

Friend: What are you going to do with your hair?

Me: Not sure yet.

Friend: Since the guy is white, (he’s not, he’s actually mixed), you are going to have to straighten. He’s not a black guy so you can’t wear your hair like that, (referring to a picture of a twist out I had).

I think, in the end he going to see what I actually look like, so theres no point me going to long lengths to hide it.

lol @ your friend’s comment. I agree no point in hiding the real you. A twist out sounds like a good idea for a hairstyle btw.