The Mane Thing

10/18/16 Natural, No More

As my 30's rapidly approached, I began reflecting on my hair.  For the last few months, I noticed that my twist-outs weren't quite right and I became more frustrated with the task of doing my natural hair.  After trying more hairstyles in the span of 3 years than I have in my whole life, I decided to revert back to a relaxer.  Here are the reasons why this was the best choice...for me :)

1. My hair is very dense 

Last Blowout as a Natural

2. I got bored with my go to styles

3. I was putting too much stress on my edges to get the look I wanted

4. I started straightening my hair more often, however it would revert quickly

5. My workout schedule -I need to wash my hair at least once a week and it takes hours that I would prefer doing something else

6. I don't like going to bed in twists or rollers

7. My husband likes my hair straight

8. I like my hair straight

Relaxed

Of course, I know many women out there have some of the same issues, if not all the reasons that I listed and still rock their natural hair like a boss.  Relaxing my hair was a personal choice and after considering the pros and cons of both keeping my curls and going straight, it is one that I am comfortable with.  I have never appreciated my natural texture as much as I do now, AND it came to a point where I was holding on to being natural even though it was no longer conducive to my lifestyle.  

I would like to encourage you to do what's best for you. If you're on the verge of making a change, do your research and remember that your hair is a matter of preference...it doesn't define you.

-His Millennial Housewife

9/17/15 Twist and Shout

Okay, so I have been rocking my curls consistently for the past 3 weeks and I’m loving it!  I by no  means have all the answers but here are the top 3 things that have helped my twist out keep the lock and luster...

1       Re-twist hair at night

This can be a pain, but take it from someone who has tried sleeping with just a bonnet and woke up disappointed.  My hair is considered medium length and for me, just sticking the bonnet on did not work for my twist out (This works for my flexi rod sets).  It takes me about 30-45 minutes to re-twist my hair.  Your nightly routine may vary and you have to find what works for you.  A lot of my length is at the top of my head and middle is extremely dense.  This is why I think the pineapple isn't effective for me unless I’m going to wear a puff the next day.

2     Oil up and Don’t fully detangle

What I mean by this is, avoid the denman brush at night.  For me, I have found when I slip some oil along the chunk of hair I’m about to twist and lightly detangle with my fingers, it works great!  The next day when I unravel my hair, the twists from before pretty much separate on their own!  One twist from the middle part of my head usually separates 4 or 5 times with minimal finger interaction which we know ladies, means LESS FRIZZ!  I also noticed that my hair stretched nicely with this method.

3        Seal Ends with curl cream AND Eco styler gel

Speaking of frizz, I was noticing that even when I moisturized the night before, my ends still looked frizzy and dry.  As a longer term goal, I will be sure to deep condition more regularly; but an effective short term is adding some gel at the end of my twists.  I simply add a small bit of curl cream followed by an even smaller day of gel and finger curl the ends.  When I tell you that my take-down was much more successful…I was literally smiling in the public locker room mirror!

Share your tips, I want to hear them!

-His Millennial Housewife

8/24/15  My Curl Debut

Perm rod set on straightened hair

Twist out on stretched hair

"Yea, your hair is cute and all but I like my perm!"  This used to be my response to my newly natural friends when they would encouragingly try to get me to embrace going natural.  I was not trying to hear it!  LOL that is until I was ready.

September of 2012 I made a quality decision to get off the 'creamy crack' cold turkey.  Can you say bad timing LOL...I had a short haircut, so not only was I feigning for straight roots, but I also had to go through those awkward length phases without having the option of a ponytail!  At the time, I was not into weaves or protective styling so there was nothing much I knew to do with my hair besides be patient.

Fast forward to August, 2015.  I am just under 3 years completely natural and I'm STILL getting used to the differences in my hair from when I had a perm.  This summer has been the toughest.  I soon found that the humidity and my newly pressed hair did not mix; not to mention my 6 day/week workout schedule.  I was frustrated with paying money to get my hair styled, only to find it limp and lifeless hours later!

I eventually tried a sew in.  I wasn't familiar with weaves but I was so frustrated with doing my hair that I needed a break.  The sew in served it's purpose, but I must admit, the installation and take-down had me wondering if I wanted to to continue down that path.  "I just want to be able to do my own hair" I would respond to my mother, who for a long time didn't understand why I would want to be natural in the first place (especially after seeing the PROCESS of washing and blow drying).  I ignored my skeptic mother (who BTW is now natural), finding comfort in the fact that I was natural. No matter how unruly I felt my hair was, I honestly enjoyed seeing it curl up, bounce around and I was even starting to embrace the thickness.  Deep down inside, it was something about the fact that I was embracing the way my hair grew out of my scalp...this is the real me.  Is that too deep?  I mean it's only hair right?  But I'm sure my fellow naturals can understand the journey you go through when you decide to accept your hair for what it is.

Okay fast forward.  So I'm natural, but I still was trying to straighten it.  There's nothing wrong with this, but as I mentioned before, this wasn't working for me because of the 2 dubs...weather and workouts.  After exhausting my milkmaid braids, I wanted something different; I had tried twist outs before with no success.  I would either take my hair down before it was completely dry (a big NO NO) or I wasn't using the correct products. Well recently I decided to give it another go.  The perm rod set pictured above was the first time I actually took my curls to the streets!  I felt confident with them, but then I got sooooo many compliments that it did honestly make me think "okay, okay I can do this".  The most meaningful compliments came from my husband though.  Ladies, you know how it is when you're trying something new, you may like it but it's so new to you that you are hoping for a little positive reinforcement.   Knowing that he is embracing my hair continues to make me feel more comfortable with this new look.

Shorty after, I attempted the twist out.  Different look, but once again, I just owned it and let the curls fall where they may!  I have curls now and my goal is to stay away from flat ironing my hair for at least 6 months.  I'm up for the challenge.  This means giving my hair the TLC it needs: taking the time to wash, condition, detangle and style.  I'm still learning so much and I am excited about seeing how my hair will grow and gets trained in this new style.  I can finally say that I'm grateful for my hair, can you?

-HisMillennialHousewife