Rod Set

I decided to try a rod set yesterday. I don't think I've ever tried this before.  I wanted to see how my hair would look short and curly, and to try a style I hope will last more than 2 days.  After I washed it, I set it with diluted Lottabody with a little Ecostyler gel on the ends, and I used small flexirods and perm rods. This morning when I took the rollers out, I separated them with coconut oily fingers, and slicked down my edges with Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect Edges.

Honestly, I didn't like it at first, but as the day goes on, I like it a little more.  After I took the first picture, I pinned the sides up a little.  I hadn't used Lottabody in a while, and I really like how shiny and bouncy my curls are.  I'm interested to see the curls in the next day or two. I'm afraid to separate the back too much, because I don't want it to get frizzy.  I don't know..I guess I have to get used to it.  I definitely know how I would do it differently in terms of roller placement, but I know it could have been a lot worse!

The other thing I did differently this wash was adding honey to my deep conditioner.  I never had good results the few times I've done this, but this time was different (maybe it was winter when I tried it before?).  My hair is so moist, and my new growth feels so soft (a first).  I'm definitely going to continue do this.  

Transitioning: Reason #4

Reason #4: Less Salon Visits

I. Hate. Going. To. The. Salon.
It's a huge time waster for me.  On top of that, I haven't been happy with how my hair comes out when I leave the salon in a long time.  I've spent so much money in salons, and to think that I've probably been happy less than 50% of the time makes me mad.  I think I've been mistreated by so many stylists over my life, that even though the salon I've been going to for the past few years gets me in and out, I still hate going.  I actually consider the stylist who has been putting relaxers in my hair a friend, but I still don't want to go to her salon anymore. I'm tired of depending on someone to do my hair.  At this point, I really don't trust anyone to do my hair.  For the past 4 years or so, I have mostly just gone to get relaxers, so now that I'm not getting a relaxer anymore, I should really not have to go.  These are some of the things about salons I hate, even though I may not have experienced them in a while:

• Me sitting there waiting to be serviced.  I never understood paying to wait. WTH?
• Scratching my scalp before or during shampoo.  I hate this!
• My stylist leaving the salon to get something to eat or run an errand while I'm under the dryer.  So unprofessional.
• Me getting bullied into getting a style/technique/product I don't want. And then paying for it.
• Sitting there knowing damage was being done to my hair.  And then paying for it.
• Being late for things that are actually important to me because I was in the salon too long.
• People coming in trying to sell me cds/movies/clothes/jewelry.  I usually bring only enough money to get my hair done!
• Getting pressured to pay for other services and products (nails, waxing, a new conditioner) I don't want or need.
• Getting bad hair advice.
• Listening to gossip.
• Listening to music I don't want to hear.  If they have a tv, watching something I don't want to watch.
• Being bored.
• Sitting in hot a$$ salons- I'm sweating my hair out before I even leave.
• The smells (relaxer, color, burning hair, chemicals, stinky people).
• My face and back getting wet because the shampoo girl doesn't know what she's doing.
• Feeling like I have to chit-chat with people in there.
• Spending hours there and feeling like I look busted (or the same) when I leave.
• No parking.  
• Leaving disappointed.  And paying for it!

I have so many other and better things to do with my life than spend hours in the salon.  Maybe I'll go a couple of times a year.  Maybe....

4 Months Transitioning

Today marks exactly 4 months since my last relaxer.  A little over 17 weeks to be exact.  Although dealing with my new growth and the 2 textures has been challenging, there hasn't been a day that I wanted to relax.  I just know that that the relaxer was doing more harm than good to my hair, and that my hair is on it's way to being healthy- even if that takes a little longer than I want.

Honestly, there's not much I have to add about learning about my hair.  I haven't found any magical products or techniques....yet.  I've just been trying to maintain it.  I have learned how to air dry it so that it stays relatively moist, thanks to aloe vera juice and jojoba oil.  I have been trying different products and styles to see what my hair responds to best.  I also am slowly learning how to manage my edges, and I hope to have a solid method to tame my edges in a week or so.  I've been using heat a little more than I want to, but I will continue to experiment with no-heat styles until I find something that looks nice and is good for my hair.

My new growth had been really hard for me to deal with, but, it seems to softening up some.  I had read about scab hair before, but wasn't sure if I believed in it.  Now, I'm really starting to understand what it is and what it means.

Scab hair is grown the period after you stop relaxing when the scalp is getting rid of the chemicals. During the scab hair period the scalp and hair may not look or feel normal. Sometimes scab hair is just a completely different texture than the true texture that should be growing out of your head. Sometimes scab hair can grow out straighter or look more dry and damaged than your natural hair type.  Some naturals never experience scab hair, but I am!

From essence.com:
Newly grown hair that is dry, wiry and crinkly. If you recently big chopped and previously had a relaxer, the follicle may have been damaged previously from using the relaxer. Scab hair doesn’t represent the actual texture of your natural hair.

For the first 3+ months of my transition, my new growth was so dry and wiry and I've been so frustrated. This wiry texture has not responded to products, leaving it more dry.  I have had a consistent relaxer for over 20 years, so I'm sure there is some damage that occurred below my scalp.  Some of my natural friends have told me that it has taken up to a year for their true texture to show itself.  Just in the past week I have noticed that my new growth is coming in a little softer and curlier.  Even my edges have been laying down easier with little product.  I will continue to pray for better manageability!

PPD Allergy

A little over a week ago, I went to the salon to get my hair done.  I had some stubborn gray hairs, and decided to get a black rinse.  The stylist used a semi permanent color from Clairol, called Radiance.  I sat under the dryer with it in for about 15 minutes, she rinsed it out, and proceeded to style my hair.  My hair looked great and felt fine when I left the salon. The next morning, my scalp felt itchy, which is rare for me.  By noontime, I had a red rash along my sideburns and my ears.  I also had a few oozing sores in my scalp. I knew then, that I was reacting to the color.  I took some Benadryl and washed my hair, but it was too late.  The next day, the burning, itching rash was all around my hairline, neck and ears, and my face was visibly swollen.  I felt like a monster!  I went to the doctor and was prescribed steroids for 10 days.

I reacted to a chemical found in many permanent and semi-permanent hair colors called paraphenylenediamine (PPD).  This chemical can also be found in dark colored cosmetics, dark synthetic hair (which is why some people think they are allergic to braids), textile dyes, temporary tattoos, black henna products and printing inks.  

This has happened to me before, but it wasn't this bad, and I didn't know what it was from.  The previous two times it happened were both from salon experiences.  However, I had gotten a relaxer and a color at the same time, so I assumed that the stylists didn't rinse out the relaxer enough.  I just moved on to another stylist. This allergy gets worse with each exposure to PPD.

My rash is just about gone, but I'm still itching- all over my body, actually.  I'm still taking Benadryl.  My scalp is very tender, so I'm trying not to manipulate my hair too much. I've also only been co-washing, staying away from shampoos or any products that might aggravate my scalp.  Applying hydrogen peroxide once a day has helped the rash go away more quickly.  I also apply calamine lotion to the areas that itch.  Not fun at all.

Compared to some, I didn't have such a bad reaction.  For some, the swelling lasts for a week or more.  My doctor told me that she has seen much worse, and some even experience trouble breathing.  Some people are hospitalized, and there have been reports of some falling into a coma from their reactions.  Fortunately, I haven't lost any hair.

Make sure you check the ingredients of your hair products.  PPD can also come up under the following names:

• PPD or PPDA
• Phenylenediamine base
• p-Phenylenediamine
• 4-Phenylenediamine
• 1,4-Phenylenediamine
• 4-Benzenediamine
• 1,4-Benzenediamine
• para-Diaminobenzene (p-Diaminobenzene)
• para-Aminoaniline (p-Aminoaniline)
• Orsin
• Rodol
• Ursol

You can develop an allergy to this any time, even if you've used the same product before.  Doing a patch test a couple of days before applying hair color can usually reveal a sensitivity to PPD.  Please, please, please, do a patch test- using a NATURAL product or not- before applying any color!

I really want to move on from this bad experience, but since I have this blog, I feel I should use this platform to help others and prevent what happened to me to anyone else.

Transitioning: Reason #2

Reason #2: Discovering My Natural Texture

I got my first relaxer when I was 13 or 14.  Since then, I have regularly gotten a touch-up.  This means it's been over 20 years of consistent relaxers for me.  I have no idea what my natural texture is!  I remember my hair being kinky (I rocked the afro puffs pretty hard), but I also remember my mother not knowing how to do my hair, so I'm sure it wasn't being conditioned and cared for properly.

My father and his siblings have a 3c texture.  But I think my father's texture has changed over time. He had a kinky afro when I was little, but I think it started changing to curly in the back of his head when he was about 40.  Now, it's all changed to that texture and curl pattern.  I'm not 40, but my texture in the back where his started is changing already. My son's hair is similar to the texture of my father's hair now.  My mother and her side of the family are in the 4's in terms of texture, although my mother's and sister's hair is fine. I actually remember my mother and my aunts on both sides telling me that at a certain point, their hair couldn't take relaxers.  Since most of them have passed away, I can't ask them, but I take that to mean that the relaxers were damaging their hair and scalp more as they got older.  When my mother went natural years ago, I couldn't believe how thick and pretty her hair was.  She mostly wore braids and weaves, but when she wore it out, it looked great, and it was the longest it had ever been.

No matter what my texture is, I'm going to do my best to embrace it and work with what I have.

I found some inspiration from this post at Black Girl with Long Hair.  Erin says that it's all about taking ownership of the ugly you were born with and realizing just how beautiful it actually is. That's exactly what I'm going to do!

Fried.

I washed my hair Saturday.  I actually enjoyed the experience, mostly because I didn't lose a lot of hair de-tangling, and I really liked how my new growth felt.  While it was wet.  I was invited to a day party, so I felt like I had to do something, so I let it air dry and then attempted to blow dry and flat iron it.  FAIL.  Why did I even do it to myself???  There was so much hair on the sink, and although my hair was straight, there really wasn't any body or life to it.  I was able to go to the event looking decent, but...the next day my hair looked ridiculous, even though I wrapped it.  Yesterday I wet the ends with a water/aloe vera mixture to try to give it some life.  When it dried, I applied moisturizer and oil and did a few bantu knots.  This morning it looked pretty, but it's misty outside and my hair was straight again before I even got to work.  Ugh.

I know that really should not be putting heat in my hair like that.    I probably would have been better off trying to pull it into a bun.  The only thing is that my edges get so fuzzy because I still haven't learned to tame them.  I'm not sure I ever will.

Back to my liking how my new growth felt when it was wet.  Maybe I just need to find the right product to keep it moisturized.  As always, I appreciate any suggestions.

Can't Do the No-Heat Thing All of the Time

Yesterday my hair was busted!  I co-washed the night before and air dried in a bun.  I woke up with major frizz.  I also lost a lot of hair while de-tangling in the shower.  Plus, it was still hard to get even a large comb through my hair.  My girl told me that I probably need to flat iron for a little while.  She was so right.  I flat ironed my roots last night and my hair is so much more manageable.  I'm still rocking a bun, but it looks much better.  And, my edges look great- much better than when I tried to flat iron them when they were relaxed. I'm also only going to de-tangle with after I've added leave-in.

I can't co-wash as often as I thought I could.  I just lose too much hair.