Get Your Edges In Check Before You Try To Look Like You Know Som'n About Hair

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Pictures of the Day

Now playing: "What You Want" by Evanescence.
Hair: Twist out with Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Conditioner, and whipped shea butter.
8 months, 2 weeks, 4 days natural. :)

This Is TOO Funny!!

I found this video while browsing YT to see if there were any videos on a topic I'm considering vlogging about. Whether this man's hair is real or not, he had my cracking up!  Just thought I would share. :) 

Please click "Follow" in the upper left hand corner. Later, loves. :-*

Hair Ramblings

Just a simple vlog expressing some thoughts and feelings. I hope you enjoy and subscribe and follow. :)

Price Cut!

Remember this pretty little gadget I talked about a couple weeks ago?  Remember how I said it was $140?  It has now been dropped down to $99!!  I'm thinking I may treat myself to this little thing in a couple weeks. :)

Just thought I'd share that little tidbit. :)  Don't forget to follow the blog!!

"I'm Getting Off This Natural Hair Bandwagon" - My Thoughts

Ok..., I take several issues with this video, as you all might expect.  It's not that I'm bashing her for choosing to relax her hair.  It's more so because of her reasons for it.  They just don't make any sense.  But the main one that rubs me the wrong way is "Natural hair isn't for everybody."  I'm sorry, but I just don't understand how that makes any logical sense. How is your hair as it grows from your scalp not for you?  Did God design your hair that way because he intended you to alter it?  This is just my opinion, but I don't think so.  I think the hair texture you were born with is "for" you.

Now that we have the most pressing issue out of the way, let's tackle some of the other ones.  She argues that going natural made her scalp dry.  This is another nonsensical statement.  I don't see how not chemically altering your hair would make your scalp drier than what it was when it was relaxed.  Does relaxing your hair give you an overabundance of sebum?  Not likely, but it's her hair so everything I'm saying is just conjecture.

She complains about not being able to wear her weaves the way she likes because her hair won't lay down and frizzes in the humidity despite all her efforts to combat it.  I guess I can understand this point but on the other hand, if your own hair was long or thick enough you probably wouldn't feel the need to wear a weave in the first place.  If you've been unable to achieve hair that doesn't require a weave with relaxers thus far, it's not likely that you will be able to do so now.  I don't think it's fair to penalize our natural hair for not behaving the way your relaxed hair does.  Natural hair isn't designed to "lay down" and will almost always frizz in humidity.  So to list these as reasons why you fell like natural hair isn't "for" you, just shows that your mindset is still "relaxed."  Natural hair and relaxed hair mindsets don't go together.

"Ever since going natural I can't use any synthetic hair in my hair." ...What?  So you're trying to tell me that relaxing your hair strands made your scalp able to take synthetic hair?  And allowing your hair to grow naturally made your scalp sensitive to synthetic weave?  I'm sorry, that just doesn't make any sense to me.  You're essentially blaming your hair texture/curl pattern for a bad reaction your scalp had.  I don't see the connection.  At all.

I'm sorry.  Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but I love natural hair.  And to see someone bash natural hair and say it's not for everyone when it's obvious she didn't really give it a chance and went into it with the wrong mindset makes me give a side eye.  I know videos like this can be influential in someone's decision on whether to go natural or not.  And it's just not fair.  You don't have to agree with me, and in fact I welcome comments from the other side of the fence. Just thought I would share my thoughts.

What I Want For Christmas

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been in love with the guitar.  I just think it's one of the most fascinating musical instruments in the world.  I can remember asking for a guitar for Christmas probably three times when I was younger.  But I never got one. :(  I don't know if I didn't ask for it with enough gusto, or if my family just thought I wouldn't stick with it if I was actually given one.  Either way, after I entered my teenage years, I thought I was probably too old to learn how to play guitar.

About two months ago I decided that if I never learn how to play guitar, I will always regret it.  I'm only 20 years old now, so I can still learn how to play.  Obviously, it won't be as easy as it might have been if I started trying to learn as a child, but I'm completely dedicated to accomplishing this goal.  And I've already picked the guitar I want to get.

The blue Kona Thin Body Acoustic Electric guitar pictured above caught my eye while I was browsing the internet for potential guitars and I've decided I have to have it.  Not only is it absolutely beautiful, it's only 3/4 the thickness of standard acoustic guitars, has electric capabilities (which will make it compatible with Rocksmith, which I'll talk about later), and a nice cut out on the right side to make reaching the bottom frets easier.

I don't know if I'll get this as a gift or if I'm going to buy it for myself.  Either way, I WILL have it!  So you guys can look forward to videos showing my practicing on my new guitar. :)

Why I Didn't Like The Denman and Other Thoughts

And Now I Remember Why I Prefer My Paddle Brush

This is going to be a little rant, which I may follow up with a vlog.  I just finished trying to use my denman brush to detangle my hair with and I FREAKING HATED IT!!! I don't care what anyone else has to say about this, denmans are not for me.  They just don't have the same amount of give as most paddle brushes, which means I have to pull my denman through my hair harder than I have to pull my paddle brush.  That puts more stress on my hair and causes more breakage.  After I got through one section of my hair with the paddle brush there was so much hair in it I just couldn't bring myself to finish the rest of my head.  It's just not worth it to me.  I would rather deal with the balls on the ends of my paddle brush's bristles than the pitiful amount of give the denman has...  Just typing this is getting me mad all over again.  Right now I'm sitting underneath my bonnet dryer, so once my hair is done, I'll record a vlog so I can go into greater detail.

Please don't forget to support me by following the blog. Later, loves.

So, I Think I'll Be Going Back To The Denman

I've been using a plain paddle brush by Goody to do all of my detangling for a few months now.  I love the amount of give the bristles have, the size of the base, and its visual appeal.  In the world of natural black hair, plain paddle brushes tend to get a bad rep because of the little balls found on the ends of the bristles and their potential to snag on your hair and cause breakage.  I've always believed that problem can be avoided so long as one is careful when detangling their hair and being cognizant of the potential damage the tool can cause.

This has worked for me in the past, but I was rushing through my hair in the shower recently and I could feel strands of my hair getting caught on the balls on the tips of the bristles and I know I broke way more hair than normal that day.  I am not about to give that a pass just because it was "just one time."  Imagine how many broken hairs that could potentially add up to over time if I have one rushed detangling session a month.  Twelve times a year, I'll be ripping through my hair unnecessarily, causing breakage and slowing down my hair's progress.  I can't make it to my ultimate goal of waist length hair like that. 

So, in an effort to make sure I'm doing everything in my power to ensure that my hair is treated as gently as possible at all times, I've decided to go back to using my denman brush to detangle (and possibly style) my hair for the time being.  The whole reason I stopped using it in the first place was because I felt like the give on my paddle brush was greater than my denman and I liked the larger base and number of bristles.  But if all that comes with a greater possibility for breakage of my strands, it's not worth it. 

I'm out to prove to myself and everyone who has ever known me that Black girls can grow their hair healthy and long without repeated application of harmful chemicals.  I want to prove that you don't have to have the typical "good hair" to accomplish these goals.  Having patience, gentle handling, keeping your hair moisturized, and detangling properly will allow your hair to thrive and flourish.  But without these things, your hair will just continue to break off and seem as if it won't grow.

In order to reach my goal, I have to practice what I preach.  That goes for the tools I use, as well as everything else I mentioned.  So, goodbye for now, Paddle Brush.  Maybe we'll meet again.  Maybe we won't.  If not, it was nice knowing you and I thank you for allowing me to learn from you on my hair journey.

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