Legendary and Fly Carline

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Been Natural For?

I’ve been natural for 8yrs, I decided for my 25th birthday I would cut off all of the relaxer. I did a big chop & boy when I tell ya, I couldn’t stand it, I couldn’t stand it….LOL.  I don’t wear a ceasar very well, hahaha  Every year since high school I would stop relaxing my hair from may till my birthday in september.  I felt I had a very good amount of new growth so though I was nervous about the actual cut, I was mentally prepared for it.  I mean it’s just hair right??  Once he started with the clippers I was like “WHOA” ok, I can deal with this but then he kept getting lower and lower and pulled out the scissors, I wanted to scream “What are you doing, stop cutting”  Instead of screaming, I just asked “Why are you still cutting?”  He just said, “U still have some straight ends” which means he assumed I still had relaxer that needed to be cut off.  What I found out, that he should’ve known, is that we as colored people have different textures growing from our head and I just happen to have some strands that are bone straight.  It took a month for me 2 start liking it more, my hair crack then was Paul Mitchell foaming pomade, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED that product.

At the time I knew nothing about caring for natural hair, I was still greasing my hair and shampooing my hair with the wrong shampoo and was wondering why my hair was so dry and when it didn’t feel dry it looked so dull.  I had to learn not to play in my hair cause it would just get frizzy, now don’t get me wrong I CAN’T STAND PERFECT CURLS for me because it looks unnatural as if I had a curl put in.  Now, I’ve gotten better with my hair but I’m far from a pro.  I’m still a work in progress but I’m not giving up by a long shot.  Your readers can look into the curly girl method, in this site the author actually lists some info that can be helpful: http://curlgirljourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-to-find-curly-girl-method-products.html

Advice to the newly natural:

I would tell anyone who is newly natural that it’s a real commitment and I know it can be frustrating because having natural hair is a job on it’s on.  The rewards of being natural far more outweigh relaxers.  Though many cultures don’t admit it, they would love the diversity that we have with our hair.  No longer being a slave to the elements of nature, be free, be wild and don’t worry if it’s windy and your hair blows in the wind.  I LOVE my hair big and all over the place, don’t care if it’s windy or if it’s misty outside which can be a relaxers nightmare.  I have a lot of hair but it’s far from being thick and when my hair was relaxed I only enjoyed it when I got a roller set, I would take the rollers out and keep it moving, didn’t even want sheen spray cause it would weigh my hair down.

Since it’s cold out, I dampen my hair in the shower, add some conditioner, use my denman brush and brush thru the ends.  Rinse with cool water, apply a lil more conditioner then spray with my vegetable glycerine mixture, shake and brush my hair back into a clip, add some gel and pin the ends up.  Sometimes I cheat on the cool water, I mean come on, who likes cold water.  I stick my glycerine bottle in the fridge so it’s cold when I use it…LOL  Not sure if it works the same but it works for me, esp when it’s cold out…hehehe.  At night, I oil my scalp and massage it in, when not feeling lazy, I rake Cantu shea butter through my ends and braid just the ends up if I know I’ll be wearing a ponytail the next day.

Where can we get helpful information?

I’m addicted to Facebook and youtube and there’s a plethera of information on youtube about natural haircare.  I wanted products that were inexpensive and worked well, I got tired of trying soo many different products (which can be expensive) and they wouldn’t work for me.  That’s money sitting in my closet on the shelf that needs to be in my pocket.  I’ve been using Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa shampoo and conditioner as well as Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle shampoo.  I decided on Trader Joe’s because it’s inexpensive and has natural ingredients.  I co-wash with get this…VO5 conditioner, u can’t go wrong (though some don’t like it, they prefer Suave naturals line,I haven’t tried it as of yet) it’s cheap, if you have a good 99 cent store u can get them in there or find them for under $2.  This conditioner provides a very good slip which is great for detangling and these products don’t leave a build up, on my hair.  I co-wash daily but shampoo my hair about once every 2wks or when I feel it’s time.  I try and deep condition once a week with a heating cap that I purchased from naturallycurly.com.  I love this cap because u can either heat the gel inserts in the microwave or boil them on the stove.  I choose the later because I don’t like microwaves, the heating cap stays warm for 30min, I usually heat it up 2x, if it’s late, I sleep with it on.  Don’t worry, it stays put and you aren’t stuck in one place, it’s the best (in my opinion).  For a deep condition, I have a bottle concoction of different oils along with tea tree oil (for dry scalp), I apply this to dry hair, massage, then  I’ll mash up an avocado with some mayo, honey and extra virgin olive oil (evoo) in a small bowl and apply it to my hair.  I section my hair, apply the conditioner and comb it through section by section then add a plastic cap and the heating cap.  I also use Elasta QP DPR-11deep penetrating remoisturizer as a deep conditioner.  You can also dump out your bottle of conditioner in a bowl, add honey and extra virgin olive oil, mix together and replace in the bottle.  This will provide extra shine and moisture, the honey mixes well and isn’t sticky nor does it go rancid.

You went natural because?

The main reason I went natural is because my scalp couldn’t take the chemicals.  Each time I went to have a touch up my scalp would be on fire and I’ve always used mild relaxers.  I’m glad I made the decision or rather I’m glad the decision was made for me.  I love my curls and would have never known the true texture of my hair if I didn’t go natural.  The versatility I have is practically limitless, I enjoy playing around with my hair textures, the only problem I’m having now is finding hair color.  I love color but the last color I put in changed the texture of my hair and really dried it out.  Moisturizng is the key to natural hair, you just have to find what will work for you because what works for one doesn’t work for all.

I experience MAJOR shrinkage so when I do my twist outs it’s like a 2 step process in order to stretch the hair.  I double strand twist damp hair in medium sized twists, with cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream making sure to apply extra on the ends.  Once it dries, I separate the twists then re-twist them in bigger strands.  Sometimes I use BB oil moisturizer hair lotion with the twist outs or if I do cornrows,  and only apply the cantu on the ends.  I may also do bantu knots and loosen them out when I’m ready to go, just to get a different curl pattern.

Tell us something about you:

I enjoy helping others in different areas of life, whether it’s personal or general.  It makes me feel good to be able to help others or make others feel good.  If I see someone and I like something about them I’ll pay them a compliment.  A lot of us are too busy tearing each other down, I would rather put a smile on someone’s face.  I like to make body products and would love to learn how to make soap and learn how to blend essentials oils for the perfect scents.  I’m fascinated in learning about natural and homemade products, it’s the time and  personal touch that means a lot.  I also love, finding unique gifts that are not expensive for people, playing sudoku, music, being a couch potato, rough housing with my boys, laughing and enjoying life the best way I can at the moment.  Things could always be better but I’m still truly blessed and thank God everyday.  I also enjoy setting goals for myself to achieve even if it’s one thing out of the entire year as long as I accomplished something, I’m good.  My next big goal is finding my blood relatives and getting the answers I desperately need.  I’m no expert in any area of life but if I can help I will try my best, I can be reached on Facebook, or by e-mail sarcasticcj@gmail.com, when contacting me it would be better to state hair in the subject or something that won’t make me think you are spam…LOL

A few good recipes from Carline:

Hair oil mixture, I use 1oz each of (I just happen to have these on hand, u don’t need 2 use all of them though they work for my sons and I)
-hemp oil
-sweet almond oil
-sunflower oil
-apricot kernel oil
-evoo
-cranberry seed oil
-wheat germ oil (pure)
-grapeseed oil
-jamaican black castor oil
-tea tree oil (about 10drops)

I want to try this mixture which is much simpler:
-jamaican black castor oil ( or just castor oil)
-vatika oil
-coconut oil
-Evoo

Vegetable Glycerine mixture for a 12ox bottle ( I eyeball it, so it’s not precise)
-2oz Vegetable Glycerine (if it doesn’t say vegetable then it’s from a pig)
-3oz Pure Aloe Vera Gel
-10 drops of tea tree oil (kills fungus)
-10drops rosemary oil
-10 drops Cederwood oil (not nec, choose whatever scent u wnt, u may want to increase the drops up to 15 depending on how strong u want the scent)
-1/4 tsp jamaican black castor oil (had a measuring spoon on hand)
fill rest of bottle with water leaving space at the top so you can shake thoroughly then use, shake well each time.  Try and use while still in the shower or put something on the floor, the glycerine can be very slippery.

I know that was a good read, please come and see many more like it on the blog.

And as always, stay blessed and Afroniquely You.