Browngirl Speaks

Last week I clicked a link in a tweet and was reminded of why I went natural over ten years ago: to have healthier hair. The link was t a post about a bantu knot out by curlynikki. Her mane is just lovely and so healthy. I was immediately captivated by this site and could feel a hair revival commencing.

I’ll admit that I don’t read others’ blogs for more than a few minutes at a time. However, curlynikki had me so caught up that I wanted to somehow take her site to bed and snuggle up with it like a cozy blanket. I couldn’t do that, but I did run out for a fresh avocado to make an avocado mask and some apple cider vinegar to use as a rinse.

My hair loss was excessive and my own damn fault. I wash weekly-detangle maybe every other week- and my style is typically a wash n’ go. The styling choice has been the culprit for inconsistent and stunted growth for all of these years. You see, I went natural when it was still not very popular in my neck of the woods-”down south”. So, proper products and educational resources on caring for natural black hair were very scant. I held it down amidst that issue and those constantly questioning why I would do such a thing. And then there were those always with the same comment about how they’d go natural if their hair looked like mine which was/is equally annoying, but that’s a whole other post. Over time any naysaying became compliments and I thought my hair was always…cute. Well, now I see that there are tins of blogs, websites and forums for naturally curly girls like myself and wonder how I wound up sleeping on this. I’ve been aware of naturallycurly.com for several years but not of its community forum.

Somewhere along the last 12 years of being a curly girl, I stopped caring. My hair was just that-hair. But it’s more than that. It is very much an extension of me and often defines me. And I’m okay with that. I’m cool with folks saying: “Girl, I thought that was you; I saw that hair.” I just need to get back to honoring this crown of curls resting on my head.

I’ve also made another discovery. Teri at Tightly Curly, my namesake and new curly hair guru. She had me on a mad hunt for that Denman D4 brush and I found one for about $13 on eBay. I’ve quickly learned from her that I’ve been using the right products but not the right technique. Curlynikki also gives a great suggestion for a style to promote growth-the twist n’ curl and she’s great for the product junkies.

my avocado mask recipe:
1 ripe avocado (be sure to remove the seed, duh!, so you don’t have to shake out bits from your hair or nearly eff up your blender like me)
1 banana
1 tbs. local honey
1 tbs. evoo
I also included some lavender, rosemary and peppermint essential oils. These are not cheap and not necessary. If you have some on hand then they’re a great addition. An egg white would’t hurt either, I simply forgot to add it. Once you slather it all over your head, cover with a plastic cap or bag and sit under a hooded or bonnet dryer for about 30-45 minutes then rinse thoroughly. I’m looking forward to trading in my hooded dryer for a bonnet style. Those are just easier to sit comfortably under and not be so contained.

If you’re a curly girl or wannabe, naturallycurly.com is a great starting point. You can learn your curl type and what products to choose that are most suitable.

afrobella reminded me it was about that time to color the locks.  so i was supposed to have a before and after shot for this, but they didn’t turn out to great.  you can’t really see that my hair was not jet black before and that it is sun kissed brown now.  buuut, here ya go…

so my hair is naturally dark auburnish brown.  my last color was some deep reddish shade and it grew out to blondish highlights on the tips.  i wanted something a little more subtle but still get that cool grow out effect.  so i went with dark and lovely’s sun kissed brown.  in a few weeks, i may go over it with henna to get it just where i want it and not to over process.  hopefully, i’ll get to take some better after shots this week…

a dear friend reminded me of this product from "back in the day".  i never really forgot it, i just stopped using it.  upon the first use in probably ten years, i couldn’t remember why i had pushed this one to the side because my curls were pleased.  but, then i remembered after i finished my shower: the lingering smell leaves much to be desired.  thank goodness i discovered essential oils…

puhleeze get rid of it if you do!

I wanted to try yet another product to moisturize my hair and give my curls some staying power beyond 48 hours.  Why I hadn’t thought to try this before, I don’t know.

1 tablespoon unrefined shea butter

1 teaspoon olive oil (evoo)

3 drops rosemary essential oil

2 drops peppermint essential oil

I melted the shea butter first, then stirred everything, and massage into my hair and scalp. The clincher: I wrapped a wet, heated towel (via microwave) around my hair until cool.  I repeated this steam wrap three times.  If anyone tries this, just go by the thickness and density of your hair.  For once, my hair is moisturized and retaining it as opposed to having product just on it.