My Hair Story....
Peace Y’all,
Today I feel like building about my hair. I have been on loc sites all day and I feel the need to contribute to the interweb. And don’t be looking for pictures. You know I’m not showing you any!
I got my 1st perm at age 7. Mommie hijacked me and told me I was about to be initiated into womanhood. I needed to learn early that it hurts to be a woman. She didn’t lie. I cried and had to be held down while that kiddie perm burned my scalp. I stopped perming in the 90’s because I was rocking those Janet Jackson Poetic Justice braids. I found that braids held better on natural hair. I considered keeping the fro, but I had no information on how to do my hair and the internet wasn’t like it is now. So I permed for another 4 years.
I went natural this last time in 2000. I had always had a sensitive scalp and would burn easy. Becoming a vegetarian just pushed my scalp issues over the top. My hair has been loced since 2008. I had tentatively placed the date to be during the year I turned 40 or use the occasion to make an event that was significant to me. My father passed away March 1, 2008. That was significant enough for me. Folks say a child is only truly grown when s/he loses one or both parents. So when I look in the mirror, I KNOW I’m grown.
When I went natural this last time, I still had no clue how to care for my hair. I did it the same way I did when I had perms. I learned quickly and painfully that that wasn’t going to work. So I wore braids and didn’t think about it. The one thing I noticed that REALLY impressed me, was when I would take the braids out after months, my hair was oily and very detangled. It was dirt too, but that’s not impressive. That gave me a lot of hope that I could find a regimen that would mimic that state. I mean it got there naturally so why couldn’t I take it there?
I read all the internet advice I found. I bought every product that someone suggested. I bet I could pay my mortgage for a month with all the money I wasted on product. I was disgusted but didn’t give up. I had to get back to that filthy hair state.
The first glimmer of hope was “No Poo.” Not using shampoo to wash your hair but a light conditioner. That was the beginning of the truth for me. No pooing made my hair soft and manageable. Also, I could no poo as much as I wanted and my hair would not dry out. But then I asked myself what was the value in washing my hair so frequently? Did I really have to imitate white people? So I wash my hair as needed. I use the cheapest, commercial, non sulfate product I can find. No need to go broke.
I also found that rinsing my hair in straight vinegar would clean my hair and scalp without over drying it. That was a revelation. And it’s my favorite way to clarify my hair. Yeah folks say use ACV. But I use at least 2 quarts when I wash my hair so that expensive ACV…. No…. I use that method no more than 1/month.
To detangle my hair I used to use shea butter. Melt some in my hand and lather a section with it. Leave it be for a few minutes and my hair was detangled and curly. No expensive exotic product needed. When I was rocking 2-stranding twists I used shea butter and she butter only to hold them down.
Now with my locs, I still use vinegar for clarifying, I still use cheap conditioner for no pooing. But for tightening, I use Lottabody and cheap hard gel. All gels flake. I don’t care what they promise. If they don’t flake then they don’t hold. The Lottabody is a setting lotion. It doesn’t flake and it holds. I don’t need gel, but for some reason I just haven’t let it go yet. I was thinking about using aloe vera gel instead of gel, but I use aloe vera for other… more naughty… tasks. Plus I once mixed AV with shea butter and it molded. MOLDED!!! I can’t envision using it on my head hair. I get great hold with the Lottabody.
Another thing… I don’t use the dryer. I air dry. That can take up to 2 days I know. I just plan for it. Also, I only tighten every other month. I used to tighten all the time, but once my hair matured; I saw that tightening so frequently only thins the roots out. I haven’t lost any locks in 3 years but I have come close. Marriage saved the teeny weenies. What I do in the interim is what I call a dry twist. I twist my hair with no product and hold it in a pony tail for a week without taking it down. I will run some coconut oil through there but that’s it. For some reason my locks will hold like this and I can resume my normal whatever until I wash again. 1 month tighten next month dry twist.
Now since I’m righteous, I wear my head covered. Because of that, I don’t tie my hair up at night. It’s tied up all day. Some say that’s a no no. I don’t care. I don’t see lint in the front of my hair and the back doesn’t concern me. When people see me my head will be covered so……
Even though I cover my hair, I do style it. The God sees my hair and I want it to be pleasing to him. But more so, I have to be cute for my ownself. Who is my ownself? A righteous and very cute Earth!!!! I usually spiral curl my hair. My hair is shoulder length, and medium thickness but it doesn’t seem to grow quickly form the top. It grows form the sides. That makes up dos hard and curls are what I do right now. But it is growing and I can see that changing. Also, I’m considering changing the way I wear my wrap. But that is a future post.
So there you have it. Serenity’s hair in a nutshell blog.
Peace
Today I feel like building about my hair. I have been on loc sites all day and I feel the need to contribute to the interweb. And don’t be looking for pictures. You know I’m not showing you any!
I got my 1st perm at age 7. Mommie hijacked me and told me I was about to be initiated into womanhood. I needed to learn early that it hurts to be a woman. She didn’t lie. I cried and had to be held down while that kiddie perm burned my scalp. I stopped perming in the 90’s because I was rocking those Janet Jackson Poetic Justice braids. I found that braids held better on natural hair. I considered keeping the fro, but I had no information on how to do my hair and the internet wasn’t like it is now. So I permed for another 4 years.
I went natural this last time in 2000. I had always had a sensitive scalp and would burn easy. Becoming a vegetarian just pushed my scalp issues over the top. My hair has been loced since 2008. I had tentatively placed the date to be during the year I turned 40 or use the occasion to make an event that was significant to me. My father passed away March 1, 2008. That was significant enough for me. Folks say a child is only truly grown when s/he loses one or both parents. So when I look in the mirror, I KNOW I’m grown.
When I went natural this last time, I still had no clue how to care for my hair. I did it the same way I did when I had perms. I learned quickly and painfully that that wasn’t going to work. So I wore braids and didn’t think about it. The one thing I noticed that REALLY impressed me, was when I would take the braids out after months, my hair was oily and very detangled. It was dirt too, but that’s not impressive. That gave me a lot of hope that I could find a regimen that would mimic that state. I mean it got there naturally so why couldn’t I take it there?
I read all the internet advice I found. I bought every product that someone suggested. I bet I could pay my mortgage for a month with all the money I wasted on product. I was disgusted but didn’t give up. I had to get back to that filthy hair state.
The first glimmer of hope was “No Poo.” Not using shampoo to wash your hair but a light conditioner. That was the beginning of the truth for me. No pooing made my hair soft and manageable. Also, I could no poo as much as I wanted and my hair would not dry out. But then I asked myself what was the value in washing my hair so frequently? Did I really have to imitate white people? So I wash my hair as needed. I use the cheapest, commercial, non sulfate product I can find. No need to go broke.
I also found that rinsing my hair in straight vinegar would clean my hair and scalp without over drying it. That was a revelation. And it’s my favorite way to clarify my hair. Yeah folks say use ACV. But I use at least 2 quarts when I wash my hair so that expensive ACV…. No…. I use that method no more than 1/month.
To detangle my hair I used to use shea butter. Melt some in my hand and lather a section with it. Leave it be for a few minutes and my hair was detangled and curly. No expensive exotic product needed. When I was rocking 2-stranding twists I used shea butter and she butter only to hold them down.
Now with my locs, I still use vinegar for clarifying, I still use cheap conditioner for no pooing. But for tightening, I use Lottabody and cheap hard gel. All gels flake. I don’t care what they promise. If they don’t flake then they don’t hold. The Lottabody is a setting lotion. It doesn’t flake and it holds. I don’t need gel, but for some reason I just haven’t let it go yet. I was thinking about using aloe vera gel instead of gel, but I use aloe vera for other… more naughty… tasks. Plus I once mixed AV with shea butter and it molded. MOLDED!!! I can’t envision using it on my head hair. I get great hold with the Lottabody.
Another thing… I don’t use the dryer. I air dry. That can take up to 2 days I know. I just plan for it. Also, I only tighten every other month. I used to tighten all the time, but once my hair matured; I saw that tightening so frequently only thins the roots out. I haven’t lost any locks in 3 years but I have come close. Marriage saved the teeny weenies. What I do in the interim is what I call a dry twist. I twist my hair with no product and hold it in a pony tail for a week without taking it down. I will run some coconut oil through there but that’s it. For some reason my locks will hold like this and I can resume my normal whatever until I wash again. 1 month tighten next month dry twist.
Now since I’m righteous, I wear my head covered. Because of that, I don’t tie my hair up at night. It’s tied up all day. Some say that’s a no no. I don’t care. I don’t see lint in the front of my hair and the back doesn’t concern me. When people see me my head will be covered so……
Even though I cover my hair, I do style it. The God sees my hair and I want it to be pleasing to him. But more so, I have to be cute for my ownself. Who is my ownself? A righteous and very cute Earth!!!! I usually spiral curl my hair. My hair is shoulder length, and medium thickness but it doesn’t seem to grow quickly form the top. It grows form the sides. That makes up dos hard and curls are what I do right now. But it is growing and I can see that changing. Also, I’m considering changing the way I wear my wrap. But that is a future post.
So there you have it. Serenity’s hair in a nutshell blog.
Peace
Comments