My hair care Journey Transiton to Now pt. 1

     If you didn’t get the chance to read the little background on me (home page), I am natural. I have been natural now about 3 yrs in mid February (since last relaxer).  A lot of people remember my hair when I was relaxed. I went from what some may consider long and relaxed, to a long bob, to a “ Rhianna Cut,” to natural.

Who is Lola and for why?!

     I named my hair Lola about a year or almost two ago. I did this because in my transition and some times now, I spend so much time with my hair I felt it deserved its own name. I named it the first name that came to me. The name Lola is soft and unique to me and reminds me of spiral curls and kinks. The benefits are that I feel closer to my hair. Sounds odd, but by naming it, it reminds me to try to be gentle with it and care for it. That would probably sound like a duh as far as caring for your hair, but when you’re busy, sometimes maintenance can slip…seriously.

Why did I go natural? Long story short.

     I was bored with long relaxed hair (had it for years). I went to an Impact Conference in ATL around 06 and saw women with natural hair. Two years later, I cut my hair into a bob and became addicted to getting my hair cut. I felt so pretty and empowered with short hair I went to a Rhianna cut (short!). Then at random while I was in my apartment something was like… natural???? So I transitioned for 3 months and did not tell people, but of course their spider senses went off and started asking.

How did I transition?

     I only transitioned for 3 months, but when I did. I flat ironed my hair since it was still cut short and work kinky twist.

The Cons of my transition:

     My new growth had abs and my relaxed texture was thin compared to it. I didn’t like adding all the heat or combing the textures. The kinky twists were cool, so that helped. I just had to keep my hair moisturizer. I did so dry shampooing and sometime actually washing. I then did a spray in conditioner.

Easier ways to transition:

1.       If you have enough hair to roll, rolling hair verses adding heat a lot is a great option. Yes, your new growth can be rolled. You can use setting lotion and roll it, but make sure your hair is dry before you removed the rollers. This will help blend the two textures and give less stress to your new growth and relaxed hair.

2.       You can flat iron, but use an awesome heat protectant and do not flat iron all the time. Let your hair rest sometimes. A heat protectant I like is Beyond the Zone. It is in a orange bottle with a purple top at Sally’s. Its about $8.00. Make sure you deep condition before and after a flat iron treatment. Flat ironing is beating up your moisture so you will want to add moisture.

3.       Braids, Hats, Weaves, and Wigs are cool, but remember…CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION, AND KEEP CLEAN. My natural hair and sulfate shampoos do not mix. It makes my hair feel stripped and hard. I like none sulfate shampoos like Come Clean by Kinky Curly or Whole Foods $3.00 shampoo (their brand).

Cont….to part 2 for more.

                                      Be Fierce, Be Fine, Better You...WhyKnot?!

                                                              V. Curls