well then. might as well explain what im doing.

WTF, yo.
well, after 3 years of what i like to call ‘absolute hair nerdery,’
it became noticeably clear to myself and my friends how much time and energy i was putting into my hair… and the results i was finally getting. i had been going fairly hard… researching different hair types, and all of the best hair products available to me. over time, a lot of people have seen the length and the growth i can get out of it, and ask questions. and to be honest, a lot of people are just curious as to how my hair works, and what its like to work with. which i totally understand. im nosey too.
i just never thought tracking it all. until now.
a great friend (hey raina) asked me if i was blogging all of this great info i was sharing with her via twitter one day.
never thought about it, but despite the drawbacks of having to constantly keep up with any kinda log, it is a fairly kickass ideal.
and so, with the poking and prodding of several good friends… here we are.

Basics?
Me: Black and Awesome. Fuck You if you dont like it.
Age: 26
Hair Type: Somewhere between curly and nappy. Also, different textures all over my head (thick in the middle, loose and curly on the back left, no curl at ALL in back right… spirals in the front… its wild). Thin hair that looks thick out the shower, but then presses out to nothing. Its all fairly tameable tho.

Story?
aaah, my hair. i love it. always have, always will.
as curly and wild and ‘non wash-and-go’ as its always been, ive always adored it.
could be my mother installing an amazing sense of self worth and love of self
or maybe its just my egotistical leo ways.
regardless, some afro-curly girls grow up not liking their hair. i was not one of those girls.
ive always love the texture of it
(except for when it was combed through as a child)
the open range of options i have style-wise with my hair
(afro puffed, braids, curly, wet set, straightened… you name it, i can prolly do it)
how it made me unique… stand out in the crowd…
what it represents
and what it is to me.

somewhere, in the midst of my overtly tomboy-ish life, i noticed that this was, and still is,
the most girlie trait within me.
blatantly girlie.
maybe a bit to ‘western-colonialization’ girlie.

nevertheless, just like a precious CD and music fetish of mine, i indulge it.
and as ive gotten older, i notice that i spend much more time on it.
at this point, the game plan is:

• keep a strict hair regime
  (and i mean STRICT, people… its braided 70% of the time, this might change as the length grows… only 2 people are allowed in my hair; my hair dresser and hair braider… ect)
• invest a significant amount of time and money into its health and upkeep
• research and use all the best products (and home remedies) i could find. that were reasonably priced. however, the older i get, the more price isnt an option (thank you jebus).
• No Perming, No Coloring, NO CHEMICALS. (I keeps it Boho. lol.)

it can be consuming, but it helps when you have no children, no major credit cards, no debt, and nothing but school and work to worry about.

over the years, ive had a lot of fun with it.
worn it blown out, cut it to a cute, ‘catherine-zeta-jones-in-chicago’ bob, henna’ed it out, put a baby perm in it once at 18 (i wasnt using that full strength crap, f*ck that), grown it out, wacked it all off, and grown it out again.
which brings me to where we are now.

What are you doing with it|Whats your routine right now?
welp, i just reached the third year of a new hair growth cycle
and its going remarkably well. surprisingly enough. (no jinx-o.)
how it all started?
well, back in june of 2006, after cutting my hair into its shortest point,
then letting it break off somehow,
i decided to cut it all off within an inch of my scalp
and start an intense braiding cycle
which goes a little something like this:

• 4 to 6 weeks of braids, 3 days out of braids for blowdrying/light press, then back into braids.
• after 3 to 5 months, take it down, go to the hairdresser for a hard press|flat iron and trimmed for training
• wear it out for 1 to 3 weeks
• back into braids.

basically, i try to leave my hair alone as much as possible.
lolz.

now when my hair is in braids… thats when i make the magic happen.
i use an everchanging array of products to keep it clean, strong and healthy.
as for the braiding, some chicks wont go for it. either because its hard to find a good one who isnt pulling out your edges, its too expensive, its ugly (when done wrong), or you dont have the texture to have your hair braided.
(thats okay. i cant go swimming and never have my hair poof up. sacrifies and compromises must be made.)

honestly, i adore the braids, and the woman who does them. can finish individuals in 4 hours or less. been going to her consistently for 4 years now.
i also love my hairdresser. had her for at least 12 years now. our birthdays are a day apart. never have to tell her what i want. she just knows.
both are winners, and a blog post within themselves.

as for the products, theres been certain products in my hair for a while, but used at different times just for variation. the main products in and out of my hair for a while were:

• Mane and Tail Products
• Doo Gro Oils and Shampoos
• Profectiv Hair Cremes
• Pantene Pro-V Relaxed and Natural Breakage defense
• Infusium 23 (brought that back after a 7 year absense in my hair care, working WONDERS right now)
• a cataclysm of other herbs and oils, home made things, and secret ingrediants. lmao.

As seen below…

(the old school stuff. primarily sold in black hair cair stores, but great for ANYONE)

and while all of these products have been good to me, and will always be in my rotation… its about time to change the game completely. step it up a little. so now… we’ll be moving onto the slightly pricier, seriously professional products.

• MegaTek
• Shapley’s MTG
• Ovation Cell Therapy
• DevaCurl
• Kinky Curly (for EVERYONE with curly hair)
• More to come as I find them.

So whats the point of all this?
well, mainly… i really wanna start tracking the length and growth of my hair, for personal nerd reasons. im getting to a length now where my hair will traditionally stall out in growth, or all start to break off without warning. this is a great way of keeping tabs on it, showing my friends the progress that i’ve made… and making sure my hair dresser doesnt wack all my hair off when i go in for a trim. lmao.

i also plan to buy and use alot of different hair products over time… everything to shampoos and conditioners to hair iron and hair ionizers (the instyler, anyone?). and the best thing anyone can do for anyone trying out anything new is give you in depth insight and review on how the products work for them… and share all the good stuff i find with you. the overall goal is to just find the best stuff out there and post about it, basically. maybe youll share some of your secrets with me along the way.

i wont be blogging about personal stuff here. mostly about things i find on the interwebz regarding hair care products, what products im using in my hair, new hair trends or random brainfarts that might interest me. but for the most part, this will be all hair, all the time.
also, this is a blog for everyone. black, white, yellow, green, kinky, curly, straight, thin, thick… iont care. if youre interested on the best hair products out there, this is a blog for you.

-E

p.s.
thanks for reading this long ass shit.

Next Post? Bye Virgin Hair Oil, On to MegaTek.