He Loves Me...

I have been thinking about my entry detailing Babe's (my hubby) reaction to my hair when I did the "big chop" and I remind myself to come back and update the evolution of said disapproval.

A week or so ago I went to a stylist who has natural hair and knows how to care for it..oh, and cut it, which was a good thing because after combing my hair out up and away from my scalp I needed a good trim. Who knew my hair would grow so fast?? Anyway, I planned on getting a good wash and deep condition because Babe agreed with me that I shouldn't get any cut. Any little curl that joined the coils covering my head were keepers in his opinion, or so I thought.

Not long ago I asked him if I should grow it out all wild and curly, okay, just grow it out and he says, "nah, I'm getting used to it being short, I like it." I immediately wore the "duh" face. I was, and still am, baffled.

So, at the salon I called him to get his final opinion and he says, "have her trim it and see what you think." So I did and it's beautiful. Much easier to manage, read: product and water makes it curl nicely, and keep moisturized. Rasheeda did her thang with this little 'fro.

The last thing I need women to know about going natural, whether you're considering it or just wondering WHAT I could have been thinking, is that a short, sexy, sassy 'do has the ability to make you feel like the "nubian princess" God made you to be. Again, I've never felt sexier and it shows in the way I dress and how flirtatious I've become with my man. I'm much more confident, it's kind of like there's no hiding behind the hair so you either embrace your newfound beauty or hide under a head wrap...which I do on bad hair days only.

So whatever his reasoning for changing his tune, Babe has his same ol' crazy, naggin' wife with a sassy new look and a fabulous outlook to boot. There's no denying it, I'm a new woman and he simply can't resist me. I love it!

Having some Issues

So I'm about 5 days short of a month since having had my very own "big chop" and much like a month-old baby to a brand new mother, the thrill is gone. Maybe not gone, but I've hit a bump or two.

My hair, my glorious, beautifully curly-sometimes straight-sometimes NOT so beautiful hair has grown a bit and that little bit has forced me to change my routine. Why couldn't it be easy? I had it down pat after a week or so and was feeling mighty fly, but today and the past few days have proven a bit...dried out and unmanageable. If you've ever had a bad hair day, try a bad 3 days...in a row, with no hope and no real understanding of where you've gone wrong.

Okay, here in good ol' Colorado, winters are incredibly dry. Well we've gotten snow and 35 degree and below days since my hair catastrophe. I washed it on Saturday, like I usually do. I go all out with the deep conditioning and hair dryer, the whole shabang. Why after I washed it did my head covering feel like dry, fragile straw?

"Hm," I thought, "maybe I need to do a clarifying treatment to get the gunk out and combat the hard water (gotta love Colorado)." So I tried said remedy. Why was my hair even harder, dryer and more fragile feeling than before? I panicked.

"Natural hair is extremely fragile, especially if it's coiled," I remembered reading. Mine is coiled like a spring, read: fragile. What if it's broken? What if I've completely ruined my baby?!! With my stylist, aka mom, in Africa until January I'm going to have to deal with this on my own for another...another...THREE weeks!?

Panic has set in. It's still here because I don't know what to do with this baby of mine. I love her so much but I feel like every idea I have in hopes of "repairing" her takes me three steps back and at this point, I'm so far behind I can't afford to go any further!

So I baby my baby. Yesterday was spent saturated in a natural oil with a silk scarf to cover it. I prayed about my baby last night, going natural is important to me and I just can't see God leaving me out here with the hair HE gave me, feeling hopeless and, well, fragile. Today I had to go out and wanted to see how much the oil helped...my scalp feels better but my hair still seems very, very dry. Once I'm done writing here I'm going to saturate once again and tie it down, again.

I've hit a bump in the road and my hair is having some issues, but once we get on the same page I think my baby and I will get along famously. If I can adjust to my, now, 6 1/2 year old daughter after the sheer shock of becoming a mother, I know I can take care of a little hair.

Growing Pains

This weekend was the first time I looked at my hair, felt my hair and thought "Okay, this is not cool." I'm sure after 25 years of relaxed hair, it's normal for a girl to think "What have I gotten myself into?" Not so much regretting my "new" hair, but more of this is seriously going to take time for me to get a handle on.

I like to twist my hair all over at night after a good washin', sleep on it then untwist, sheen and go in the morning. This was the plan for Saturday morning when I had an early breakfast to go to and plans for a holiday picture to be taken of me and the fam. All went well during the twisting, but the morning after left a lot to be desired.

First off my hair was apparently dried out from the product "LottaBody" I put on each twist to help hold in that twisty look. There wasn't enough oil in the world to make that look any better so I had to call in the big guns. I used a combination of water, curl activating gel, shine booster and a moisturizing lotion to help fix the disaster that was my hair. Not only was it dry, it had the nerve to grow over the past week or so since the last time I twisted it and it just didn't have that same...umph. I knew for sure I was gonna be late trying to work this one out.

You'd be surprised at how much a few spritzes of water will do for natural hair. It seems to love water, so I make sure I keep it happy. The only problem with that is we have hard water here in good ol' Colorado and hard water and hair don't go together well. I heard that Home Depot sells water softeners and I'm going to have to get myself one. In the meantime, I love Motown Girl's recipe for a clarifyer (1 tablespoon of baking soda mixed in a cup of warm water) because it really works well. I put a lot of gunk in my hair to get the look I like, so this easy recipe helps keep my hair clear of product residue.

I'm quickly learning what will work for my hair and what won't, but it's a process most days. It's time for me to step up my game and spend a little dough on my hair regimen, otherwise I'm going to be a hot, dried out mess...and I don't care who you are, that ain't cute. I'll let you know what I try and how it works.