Naturally Me

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

2010-11-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

Ok so I never professed to be a great blogger and have no real excuse for being MIA for the past three months but I'm back!!!

Progress pictures since my last post below:

6 Months Natural...

7 Months Natural...

My routine consists of weekly DC with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner with honey and olive oil added after washing with Anita Grant Babassu Shampoo Bar. I twist my hair as my protective style for the week and wear out for the last couple of days as a twist out.

Moisturising and sealing with Jojoba oil througout the week and my hair is thriving.

I have been focusing more on moisture than protein so want to incorporate a once a month protein conditioner to my regimen and think I will try the Aubrey Organics GPB conditioner for this.

Month 8 pictures to follow once I upload them.

5 Months Natural

2010-08-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

Five months natural today and these are my length check pictures.

Hair is 4 inches in length :o)

My Growth Model

2010-08-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Based loosely on information I have researched in the book Grow It by Chicoro as well as The Natural Haven blog and incorporating the leave in conditioner recipe You Tube user Kimmaytube developed, this is my hair growth model to achieve my hair goals of waist length hair.

Anita Grant Goodies

2010-07-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am still a curly girl (sulphate and silicone free) but have mixed things up a bit and am now shampooing again with a shampoo bar courtesy of renowned mixtress Anita Grant.

I placed a sample order recently at http://www.anitagrant.com/ recently for the Babassu Organic Kelp & Ylang shampoo bar, Rhassoul Deep Conditioning Cubes, and the Aloe & Rose Oil Free Spritz and I am a fan!

The Babassu Shampoo Bar ingredients and benefits are as follows: (Taken from the Anita Grant Website)

Organic Babassu Oil or Babacu Oil

In Brazil, Babassu oil is often used for cooking, soap making, to treat eczema, itchy, dry and inflamed skin & scalp conditions. This is due to its high content of Vitamin E (anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant) & Phytosterols (which stimulates the formation & growth of new cells).

Babassu Oil adds a sparkling glow to curly tresses restoring strength and elasticity from roots to tip.

Refined Mango Butter

Offers extreme moisturising, healing and emollient properties rich in Vitamin A, Vitamins C & E and Selenium. It also helps to protect skin, hair & scalp from harmful UV rays.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Promotes sheen, a healthy scalp, adds nourishment & softness to dry hair & skin. This is mostly due to the presence of Olive oil derived squalane, which contains phytosterols & oleic acid, both help to retain moisture. Olive Oil contains an abundant amount of vitamins E, A, D & K.

Organic Castor Oil

Provides softness to the ends of curly, coily, wavy, textured hair.

Quickly removes toxins.

Nourishes the scalp & stimulates hair follicles.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

This is a rich & seductive floral note specific to the first distillation of the freshly picked flowers.

On the Molucca Islands, Ylang Ylang is used as a scalp stimulatant to encourage hair growth. It's also known to have "aphrodisiac" powers.

Organic Norwegian Sea Kelp

Kelp's unique moisturising properties are found to be stimulating, nourishing & revitalising for skin, scalp and hair follicles. This is due to it's natural sulphur amino acid content, disinfectant properties and anti-inflammatory properties.

I used the Babassu as instructed by rinsing my hair with a solution of ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) first and then proceeding to shampoo. It was lovely having luscious lather without that stripping feel and my hair looked and felt sparkly clean after rinsing.

The Rhassoul Deep Conditioning Cubes have the following benefits:

Rhassoul Deep Condishioner contains Unrefined Black Cocoa Butter & natural Soya based Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) which helps to guard scalp & hair from free radical damage. When hot liquid is added to our Rhassoul Deep Condishes, it swells & increases its surface area like a highly porous sponge. Attracting & trapping toxins into these open porous spaces so that when it comes time to rinse the Rhassoul Deep Condish from your hair the toxins are eliminated and you're left with detoxified fluffy soft tresses.

This is what the Rhassoul looks like after mixing with hot water and being applied:

After rinsing my hair felt moisturised and so soft and I didn't even need to apply a leave in conditioner before styling.

My final sample was the Aloe Rose Oil Free Spritz which I purchased due to the fact that my trial and error to make a glycerin spritz of my own to keep my hair moisturised has been an epic fail each time.

Aloe Rose Oil Free Spritz:

Main ingredients:

Organic Rose Water (Hydrolat) is created from the first steam distillation of hand-picked Organic Roses (Rosa Damascena or Damask Rose). Only Organic Roses grown in Persia, at high altitude, are selected as they provide optimum extraction of the marvellous fragrance.

100% Pure Aloe Vera Juice:

Aloe Vera enhances cellular rejuvenation and the amino acids provide the building blocks for hair proteins. Aloe Vera's anti-inflammatory properties help to protect against scalp damage and hair breakage. Aloe Vera contains a veritable cornucopia of nutrition to help soothe the scalp and promote healthy hair growth.:

Lignin - provides Aloe Vera with its deep penetrating properties.

Minerals - magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium, sodium, potassium and iron.

Vitamins - B12, C, E and Beta-carotene.

Just to name a few.

Organic Vegetable Glycerin:

It helps to balance and maintain moisture levels - part of the skin’s natural lipid structure.

Organic MSM:

MSM assists with the rehydration and detoxification of the cell fibres by allowing water and nutrients into the cells and toxins to flow out.

Not only does this spritz smell divine but my hair loves it for moisture and soft manageable curls.

Anita Grant's customer service is second to none and I have placed my first full size order of my new favourite products. The only negative is that all of her goodies on the site look lush and tempting that I want to try them all. Best of all she is based in the UK too. Woo Hoo!!!

Naturally Angie Product Rating =

4 Months Natural

2010-07-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

These are my length check pictures taken on 12th July at four months natural.

It's creeping past my eyebrows:o)

Is that my hair on it's way to chin length???

3 Months Natural

2010-06-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Quick growth picture update.

Happy 2 Month Anniversary To Me :o)

2010-05-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well I have been natural for two months today and although I am getting a little impatient waiting for the "hangtime" in my hair I can definitely feel and see the growth and also the difference in my hair from my big chop to now.

The Curly Girl method is working for me and my hair is looking shinier and feeling more moisturised than it was feeling at the beginning of this journey. I am also applying JBCO when I cowash weekly and I am sure that it is making a difference

These are my 2 month anniversary pics. I have done a length check again and can see that my sides and back have definitely grown since last month. The front doesn't seem to have grown that much but I am happy with my progress so far.

Happy Hair Growth :o)

Product Review - Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner

2010-05-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

I cannot believed I survived the past seven weeks of my natural hair journey without this fantastic conditioner in my arsenal.

Having read lots of rave reviews about Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner for Dry Brittle hair I decided to invest in a bottle from eBay which arrived this past Wednesday.

Well I never, this is just DC magic. The consistency is super thick and even looks a little irridiscent in appearance and coupled with the gorgeous scent I could tell immediately that this was going to be a great experience.

Today I made up a DC containing Aubrey Organics, a tablespoon of honey and some almond oil and wrapped my head in cling film for 45 minutes. I knew that my hair was going to soak it up but I didn't expect to have the Herbal Essences advert "Ooooh Ahhhh" experience that slipped out of my mouth when I started to rinse :o) My hair felt like silk!

I just added some Giovanni Direct Leave-In, some jojoba oil and The Green People Aloe Styling Gel to my wash and go style and my curls just popped. My hair (now dry) feels SO soft, like the softest ball of cotton wool.

The only negative I have about this amazing conditioner is that I am not going to be able to keep my hands out of my hair:o)

Naturally Angie Product Rating =

Natural Conditioner Recipe For DC Sunday

2010-05-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have some over ripe avocados so I have decided to make a natural deep conditioning treatment using them. There are quite a few recipes online so I am going to make my variation as follows:

1 Avocado
1 tbls EVOO
1tbls Castor Oil
1 tbls Almond Oil
1 tbls Honey

Avocados are beneficial for dry hair and can also help with growth as it contains essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins A, D, E and B6, magnesium, copper, iron, amino acids and folic acid.

As I am doing my Castor Oil challenge I will add some to my DC as well as to my scalp after I co-wash.

My hair results have been new thicker growth and since starting the Curly Girl Method this week increased softness and moisture. Happy Healthy Hair :o)

These are my pictures of my Avocado DC and the results

All change again LOL!!!

2010-04-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

I know my hair obsession is bordering on fanatical at the moment but I can't help it. I love my curls and want to do the best for my tresses. With this in mind I have decided to start using the Curly Girl method in caring for my hair.

The basic concept is to have a regimen which is free from sulphates which I have already been doing but also free from silicones (cones) which coat the hair and over time forms a barrier making it difficult to absorb the precious moisture it needs.

This saddens me slightly as I can no longer use my Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner as it contains cones, however being the product junkie that I am I have quickly switched to an alternative conditioner. It is the Phyto Organics Nexxus Humectin Conditioner which I will use when I DC not for regular co-washing at £13.99 a bottle. My cousin Fiona has found the equivalent of this which is the Andrew Collinge conditioner and is more reasonably priced so I will invest in this for my regular co-washes.

I have just ordered my copy of Lorraine Massey's book Curly Girl so that I have it as an ongoing reference for my Curly Girl method.

I have a feeling my hair is going to love this.

JBCO - Feelings so far....

2010-04-24T23:37:00.000-07:00

My Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge Part Four is well under way and in addition to the cheaper castor oil I started using I also invested in the Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) as I heard so many good things about it.

I purchased my bottle online at http://www.blackcastoroil.co.uk/ for £8.98.

My initial feelings were of excitement as soon as my order arrived and being the sensual person that I am immediately opened the bottle to smell it, expecting a lovely lavender aroma....oh my! Lets just say it is definitely an acquired scent. It smells burnt and has been likened to stale cigarettes by other Hairlistas.

I didn't panic too much though as being a huge fan of lavender essential oils figured I could mask the burnt smell by adding a few drops of my essential oil. I am pleased to say that it does tone down the smell and once I apply it to my scalp on co-wash days I cannot smell it.

I don't know if it is a placebo effect working on me as I have heard just how quickly JBCO makes your hair grow and how much thicker it makes it but after only two applications my hair does feel thicker and look slightly longer. How much of this is just down to my natural hair growth post BC or JBCO working its magic I don't know but I am going to keep monitoring my growth on a monthly basis and try to figure it out.

These are some pictures of my first twist out and afro puff taken this past week six weeks post BC....

My hair is looking and feeling SO healthy:o)

It's DC day today so I am going to pre-cowash with a mixture of ordinary castor oil mixed with some EVOO and then I am going to co-wash with some Hello Hydration and DC with more EVOO, Jojoba Oil and the magic that is honey. I will two strand twist with some Darcy's Botanicals Madagascar Styling Cream and a little Eco Styler Olive Oil gel for hold and leave to air dry.

I'm going for my morning jog now and then coming back to get started on my hair :o)

1 Month Natural - Castor Oil Challenge 2010

2010-04-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

It has been four weeks since my BC already and I am so pleased with my hair and the growth in such a short time.

I have stopped snipping what I was thinking were remaining relaxed ends as I have realised that I just have some random straight bits in my hair. The different textures in my hair are just amazing. Using the hair typing system I think I am a mixture of 3B on the crown of my head, 3C at the back and nape and 4a at the front where I have much smaller tighter curls. It will be interesting to see how this curl pattern looks as my hair grows longer.

My product list is growing but I am pleased to say that it is more natural ingredients than lots of brand name products. My regimen is now including:

Shea Butter (Virgin unrefined)
Coconut Oil (Virgin Organic)
Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel
Jojoba Oil (Used for the first time in a Deep Condition Today)
Castor Oil (Used for the first time last night as an overnight pre-poo)
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner (I love this as my co-wash conditioner)
Naked Shine Sulphate/Paraben Free Shampoo (Used for the first time today for my once monthly shampoo)

I discovered http://www.hairlista.com/ while doing research on the benefits of castor oil on you tube and I have the castor oil challenge starts this forthcoming week on 15th April in which I will be applying castor oil to my scalp twice per week and keeping progress on the growth and thickness of my hair. Although I pre-pooed with the castor oil last night I'm not going to start the scalp application until Wednesday when I next co-wash.

Fiona is starting the challenge too so we can compare our growth and document this healthy long hair challenge.

These are my growth pictures one month in...

BIG CHOP DAY

GROWTH AT FOUR WEEKS

I have a feeling that I am going to get to that inbetweeny stage soon where a simple wash and go won't be so easy but I will move to two strand twist outs once that happens. I have some Darcy's Botanicals Madagascar Vanilla Butter on the way from British Curlies which I have heard is very moisturising and good for twist outs :o)

I'm a Vlogger

2010-03-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying my hair journey so much that I thought it is only right that I join the thousands of Vloggers out there who are sharing their hair stories, helping and encouraging those who are thinking of transitioning to natural.

While I didn't record my big chop on video camera I documented the whole process along with my cousin Fiona who BC'd on the same day as me in photos so we both decided to make a mini video each which we uploaded to You Tube.

You can find my video HERE and Fiona's video HERE

Week 1

2010-03-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

Well my first week of being natural went by easily with no bad hair days. I realised quite quickly that Kinky Curly Curling Custard didn't give me the finish that I liked as my hair felt very dry and too crunchy.

Thankfully I managed to get hold of my new favourite styling product Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel shipped over especially from the US and I love it. It's not like traditional gels that are sticky and make your hair rock hard as it can be used with your usual moisturising products setting and defining my curls just lovely. I have even worked out how to get 2nd and 3rd day hair from my style.

Herbal Essence Hello Hydration is working for me as a great co-wash conditioner so I stocked up this week in Boots on the BOGOF.

My greatest discovery this week has to be my deep conditioning treatment. Oh my!!!

Simple instructions
After co-washing (with Hello Hydration) Mix a tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and apply to your hair with a generous amount of conditioner. I use Hello Hydration and Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner, wrap hair with cling film and leave in for 30 minutes. Rinse out well with warm water and give a final cold blast of water at the end which I find adds shine to the hair.

My plan is do to this deep condition once per week but I love the results so much so may even do a midweek one too.

These are my Eco Styler end results.

Day 3 post BC

2010-03-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well this is my third day after my BC and I'm falling in love with my hair more and more each day.

I think all of my relaxed ends are all gone now as my wonderful hubby shaped me up with the clippers yesterday. I looked like a proper 70's chick with my fro picked out.

I tried co-washing with Herbal Essences Hello Hyrdation yesterday and followed it with some shea butter and olive oil. My hair felt moisturised but it wasn't defining my curls and it still looked a little spiky in places. I spent much of yesterday evening on You Tube getting styling tips and also read through my Thank God I'm Natural again and decided that a deep condition was in order.

This morning I co-washed again (a little obsessive methinks!) but this time deep conditioned by adding honey and olive oil to my conditioner and leaving it on wrapped up under cling film for 30 minutes. Well what a result my hair came out super soft and shiny and when I put Knot Today and Kinky Curl in and brushed through with my Denman my curls finally started to pop.

This is me before church this morning with hair still a bit wet. I'm beaming because I was so excited finally seeing some curl definition.

This is me later in the afternoon with dry hair and although a little crunchy is feeling super soft and is looking good.

My Big Chop :o)

2010-03-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

A week after my initial panic and I decided to just go for it.

I co-washed this morning and proceeded to snip snip snip. These are my before, during and after pics.

Are you sure you want to do this?

No turning back now....

Now that wasn't so bad was it?

Shea butter, coconut oil and some kinky curl later....

I am so happy with the results. The dread of having short hair that didn't suit me is long gone and now I am so excited about the fun I'm going to have with my hair. There are still a few straggly straight ends but I'm going to tackle them over the next few days once my hair settles down.

As well as my own personal pat on the back I need to say a huge congratulations to my cousin Fi who didn't let me go it alone and Big Chopped today with me. She looks beautiful and although it is a shock to the system she is going to rock it with confidence and be inspirational to others wanting to take our natural route. Well done cuz, I'm proud of you:o)

I'm au naturel. Woo Hoo!!!!

Thank You.....and Natural Sunshine

2010-03-10T01:14:00.000-08:00

I think I'm going to need to check into rehab for being obsessed with all things natural. I am reading blog after blog about natural hair and watching every video I can pertaining to the Big Chop on You Tube.

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all my natural sisters out there for forming such a positive natural hair and beauty community online. I am not a Vlogger (yet lol!!) but the resources, support and encouragement from these videos is simply fantastic. I am loving being a part of such a positive movement - Thank You!

Anyway this post is also to mention another little gem I have found via my fellow blogger at http://www.mynaturalme.blogspot.com/ called Natural Sunshine. Move over Facebook and Twitter LOL we have our own Natural Hair social network site. Take a look and make sure you sign up http://naturalsunshine.ning.com/

I'm beginning to feel more confident about going ahead with the Big Chop sooner rather than later and having my gorgeous cousin Fi as my natural hair buddy is helping no end. You can check her transitioning progress on Natural Sunshine here.... http://naturalsunshine.ning.com/profile/FionaHinds

BC - I'm scared!

2010-03-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well I thought I was ready to BC last Saturday and decided to snip off the relaxed ends just above my ear to see my new growth properly and also to see how I feel about cutting it at this stage.

New growth looked fine but I realised my hair would be really short and it made me realise just how much hair I will be cutting off so I chickened out. It is a strange feeling as I am really drawn to do it but petrified at the same time.

I need to weigh up the pros and cons and list my reservations before I make my final decision.

My hair is canerowed this week so is very lo maintenance so I may have to stick with this for a few more weeks of this to ease my frustration at the two textures.

On a funny note my hubby thought it was hilarious me doing a mini chop and told me I just need to go for it because now my little sticky out bit of natural hair looks funny :o)

Changing the world one kink at a time....

2010-02-28T03:58:00.000-08:00

I am feeling very encouraged today. I didn't intend to try and influence other women to go natural when I started this journey, it was just my own personal quest, but through talking through my reasons and sharing the beauty of natural hair and how versatile it is once you know how to look after it, I have afforded myself a little following purely by accident. I am pleasantly surprised that my cousins and friends want to transition with me, selfishly because it will be good not to have to go through the ups and downs alone but also because we can all embrace the joys of healthy hair together.

I am not against straight hair if that is your preference, but what I am against is chemically altering the hair. Sodium Hydroxide is NOT good for you and I will keep sharing this with my current relaxed family and friends so they too can think about what they are doing and more importantly why??

Ok back to twitter.....I am enjoying connecting with other newly and established natural ladies out there.

Kinky Curl Transition Style

2010-02-24T05:27:00.000-08:00

These are the finished results using kinky curl on my hair while transitioning. I used a little virgin coconut oil on my wet hair after detangling with Knot Today and then added Kinky Curl Curling Custard and did six large canerows and left to dry overnight.

Hair has a little crunch in a couple of places but overall is really soft.

We love Kinky Curly

2010-02-23T04:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to British Curlies http://www.britishcurlies.co.uk/ I have been able to purchase from the Shelley Davis' Kinky Curly range here in the UK, and although I haven't used it on my own hair yet, I have seen the great results on my daughter and cousin who I used as my guinea pigs. They both have different hair textures but the results were lovely nevertheless.

I bought the Kinky Curl Knot Today Conditioner and the Kinky Curl Curling Custard.

The knot today is a lovely consistency and made detangling simple.

For my daughter I followed the instructions on leaving some in as a leave in conditioner which I feel added moisture and softness and then proceeded to add the curling custard section at a time brushing it through with a denman brush and leaving it to dry.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Her hair was about 3/4 dry in the after pictures and were slightly crunchy when they dried but that went after she slept on it wearing her satin bonnet. Final curls, were soft, light and bouncy.

On my beautiful cousin, I left Knot Today in as a leave in conditioner and did a twist out, putting a bit of shea butter in and using the curling custard on each section as I twisted. She slept on it and undid the twists the next morning and I am so happy as she loves her curls!!

Another great product review and one I am excited to use in my own hair. Oh how I wish I was 100% natural already. Patience is a virtue.....

My Chiney Bumps (Bantu Knots)

2010-02-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here are my pics from my Chiney Bumps:

I co-washed with Organics Conditioner, put some Organics Coconut Milk serum in, with shea butter and two strand twisted and then coiled into Chiney Bumps and left to dry.

The curls were soft and came out really lovely. I still haven't worked out how to maintain the style beyond a couple of days though and have to end up re-wetting, detangling and doing it all over again.

I am getting impatient and want the transitioning stage to pass quickly as handling the two textures is not much fun but I will persevere as I'm not quite ready for the big chop yet.

Product Junkie - Akamuti

2010-02-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks but transitioning is still going well and I'm now into my 5th month. I have many been doing braid outs sticking to the same routine and I feel as though my hair has grown a bit.

This week I am going to switch products slightly as I have found a brilliant supplier of all natural and organic products and have just received my first order. The site is http://www.akamuti.co.uk/ and they do everything from skincare, haircare and even baby products.

I have been reading a lot about African Black Soap and Castile Soap so have invested in both as well as some coconut oil, Shea & Olive Butter and some Lavender essential oils.

I think I may use the Liquid African Black Soap first as a shampoo and follow it with my organix conditioner and style with bantu knots (or chiney bumps as we call them in Jamaica). I will post up pictures and results in my next post.

Oh I forgot to add I also trimmed 2 inches of my relaxed ends so feeling liberated and excited that I am another step closer to the natural. I just need to up my water intake, keep taking my skin, hair and nail vitamins and eating lots of fruit and vegetables to speed up this growing process.

Next on my TTD list....research TWA styles as June is just around the corner!

Loving my braid out :o)

2010-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is the end result of my canerow braid out which I did last night and I love the results.

My hair is supersoft with a lovely shine. The curls feel so soft that I hope they last. Tonight I will put it in a loose ponytail, spritz with more of my moisturising glycerin mixture and cover with my satin bonnet.

When I co-wash next I will try shea butter and see how this turns out.

My Thank God i'm Natural book arrived today which I will be reading cover to cover. Thank you Chris-Tia for the lovely message. If you haven't got a copy yet, make sure you visit Amazon.com for yours!

My First Co-Wash - Early review of products.

2010-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

I went shopping today for new hair products and accessories to aid my styling for my first co-wash. I purchased the following:
Pure Shea Butter
Pure Glycerin
Pure Olive Oil (not extra virgin though as they didn't have any)
A spray bottle
Rollers
Satin Bonnets
Assorted Head Bands

I came home this evening and put the olive oil in and wrapped in cling film (not a sexy look) but so much more effective than a plastic cap and let that soak in for about an hour. Then I co-washed with my new Organix Coconut Milk conditioner which I must say smells divine. I used quite a lot of conditioner making sure my hair was saturated and then detangled carefully in the shower with my wide toothed comb.

I then rinsed, lightly towel dried and added the Organix Coconut Milk serum and sprayed some of my homemade glycerin/water/tea tree moisturising spritzer and separated and twisted my hair in four large sections.

I googled the recipe for the spritzer and made it up using equal parts of water and glycerin and added 3 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil. It smells good and I'm hoping it has the moisturising and softening effect I have heard so much about.

I plan on doing a canerow braid out so have done 7 large canerow braids and curled the ends around small rollers and covered with a satin cap. I will post the finished result tomorrow. I am so excited to see my hair.

The only one of my new purchases that I haven't used yet is the pure shea butter as I didn't want to go mad with lots of products so will try that out next time.

I am loving my natural transition :)

First Braid Out

2010-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

I have just undone my canerow which I have had in for the week. My scalp was itching so bad I couldn't wait until the evening to take it out before washing so have just put a hairband in and let my curls free. It was really big to begin with but with a bit of finger combing I have managed to tame the mane a bit.

Looking forward to my first co-wash later with my new Organix range and think I'm going to do braid outs with large canerows for this week to see how I look with larger curls. Just watched a great demonstration by Bargainprincess on You Tube so will try it out. Only thing I don't have is Shea butter yet but will improvise in the meantime.

Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo & Conditioner

2010-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

Well this week has been another research week for me namely searching for good product and watching You Tube for handy tips from the lovely ladies who are at different stages of their natural journey.

I have invested in the Organix Coconut Shampoo, Conditioner and Serum today which I am excited to use as I have heard many good reviews about it and will use it on both my daughters' hair as well as my own. I cannot believe how much I have learnt about Sodium Laureth Sulphates and how drying they are for our hair (and body) and just how many so called good products have them in. I am going to do a big overhaul of my toiletries and eventually banish all SLS's from my range of products.

I have a feeling I am turning into a product junkie but will try not to over do it. The only other items I want to get at this stage is some AAA Shea Butter, and the EO French Lavender Conditioner which I can use as a leave-in. Oh and some new hair accessories.

I still have my canerow in from last weekend which I need to take out as it's starting to itch a bit and I'm eager to co-wash with my new Organix conditioner.

Just thinking about what transition style to wear next?

I've won a copy of Thank God I'm Natural.

2010-01-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

I entered the competition via New Naturalista's blog and a signed copy of Chris-Tia's book will be winging its way to me next week sometime.

The book is available on Amazon and you can get more information about it at http://thankgodimnatural.wordpress.com/

Transitioning is still going great. I washed my hair, did two strand twists and bantu knots while it dried and then my wonderful cousin Fiona canerowed my hair for me. Check out this weeks style :)

Would the big chop suit me?

2010-01-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

I've had my hair in cornrow for the past week and undid it this afternoon ready to wash and transition style. This got me thinking what my hair would look like curly and short (IF I was to brave the big chop) so I patted the front down a bit and tied the rest back to imitate a little fro and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't look like a boy LOL!

Would the big chop suit me? Hmmm food for thought....

2010...going back to my roots.

2010-01-08T02:24:00.000-08:00

The decision is made. This is the year that I make my transition from having chemically relaxed hair to my natural afro hair. After a failed attempt in 2007 to go natural (9 months transitioning) I am more determined than ever to succeed in growing out my relaxed hair and returning to my natural mane no matter how challenging.

My last relaxer was on 1st September 2009 so I have been transitioning for 4 months so far.

I was half decided towards the end of the year that this is the direction I was going to go in, but watching Chris Rocks' film Good Hair during the Christmas holidays solidified it for me. The quote from the film that resonates with me is from the scientist who said "Why would they do that?" when Chris Rock explained that we use sodium hydroxide in our relaxers to straighten our hair out. It makes NO sense! If I want straight hair I can use my GHD's, but can't get my curls back anytime I want them and I know for a fact that the chemicals aren't doing my hair and scalp any good.

I am going to transition by doing twist outs, cornrow and GHD occasionally so as not to cause heat damage to my new roots.

I'm not brave enough to do the Big Chop (BC) just yet as I've only ever had long hair so will transition to June 2009 and review again then.

I cannot wait to embrace the new me!