I recently wrote about discovering why expiration dates on hair products are so important. So many questions followed that I had to do more research on the subject and follow up with another post. So, what did I find? This post holds all the information I found...just for you!!
Taking Care of Our Hair By Taking Care of Our Hair Products
I read an article a few months ago that I thought had some good information in it. I didn't really think it applied to me, so I didn't pay it too much mind. I'm sure we all do this. We think we can beat the odds, so we read the information but don't retain it. Right?! The article was about expiration dates on a number of things, including hair products. It encouraged users to get rid of hair products according to their expiration dates.
I've had my twists for a month. I haven't had a hairstyle like this since the 4th grade when I had box braids! Before leaving the shop, I made sure to get some maintenance tips so I could be informed about how to care for the hair before being sent off to tend with it on my own. With that being said, here's a few things I've done to care for my natural hair during this first month.
Moisturize & Protect The Hair
One of the perks of having crochet braids has been accessibility to my scalp. I'm able to moisturize my roots and keep my scalp oiled. My hair didn't need much attention during its first week. I started moisturizing my roots and edges with one of my staple moisturizers, Creme of Nature Argan Buttermilk. Two days after I moisturized my hair, I oiled my scalp using Creme of Nature 100% Argan Oil.
The power of social media has introduced me to the best protective style I've ever worn! I'm very grateful so I want to share.
The Idea
This year things magically came together in a weird way. I'd always seen Senegalese twists and thought they were cute, but my edges are too tender for individual braids and twists (with extensions). I first saw this style on Instagram and that was my first time ever realizing you can do so much more with crochet braids besides crochet free hair.
Once I saw the style, I began researching (read Googling). Initially I thought I'd have to buy hair that would be twisted as it was crocheted. During my research I found out there was a such a thing as pre-twisted crochet Senegalese twists. My mind was blown!! This was the best thing that could ever happen to my hair. I would get my hair cornrowed and get pre-twisted hair crocheted into my braided hair to have a protective style I could wear for the harsh winter months.
As long as I can remember, I've had issues with keeping my hair moisturized. Half of that time, my issues with dryness have been in my head. I'd go to the cosmetologist, tell her my hair felt dry, and she would tell me it was fine! I'm walking around thinking my hair feels like a box of rocks; other people feel it and tell me how soft it is! So, whether my dryness is real or imagined, I've always wanted to do something about it.
I was scrolling through Instagram one day and saw this post for a Max Moisture Recipe on We Are Onyx's page:
Beautiful Textures' products were my everything when I was transitioning. They did right by my hair, so when I saw this recipe included their conditioner, I was all for it!
Like many of the tests and techniques I've discussed recently, hair banding has been something I've heard of since the beginning of my natural hair journey. Also like everything else, I've never tried it. I'm stepping outside of many boxes, so I saw this technique and thought "why not?".
What is The Banding Method?
The Banding Method, also known as African Hair Banding, is a way to stretch natural hair without using heat. The basic concept of the method is to wrap sections of damp hair with some sort of "band". A "band" can be anything from hair scrunchies, to ribbons, rubber bands, strips of cotton, yarn, you name it! The list goes on and on and on!
I recently wrote a post about Finding The Right Salon. I put that system to work when I first decided to find a salon in DC and I've recently done it again when I determined it was time for me to find a natural hair salon.
Referrals & Research
I'm a natural hair blogger, so I talk about my hair chronicles often. Along my journey, I recently began researching natural hair salons in the DMV area. I was going to a salon in DC to get trims, but the stylist I was seeing wasn't natural hair focused.
I Googled and found a few salons in the area but none of them seemed to fit what I was looking for. One of my DMV readers hit me up on Twitter and suggested two salons in the area. She gave me their websites and IG names, so for the next couple of weeks, I watched like a hawk!
Along with figuring out what kind of hair type I have, I decided to see what hair porosity was all about. I wanted to see if finding my porosity would provide me with information I could use towards getting my hair healthy and keeping it there.
What Is Porosity?
Just like hair typing, porosity has been something I've run across quite often during my natural hair journey. Before moving forward, let's understand what hair porosity is:
Porosity refers to your hair's ability to absorb moisture and is broken down into three categories: low, normal, and high. Low porosity means your hair has difficulty retaining moisture; high porosity means your hair easily retains moisture; and normal porosity means your hair holds moisture for an extended period of time with no problem. ~Source
How Do You Determine Hair Porosity?
There are two simple tests you can do at home to determine what type of hair porosity you have.
FLOATING HAIR TEST
There are three simple steps:
Grab a glass and fill it with room temperature water.
Take a strand or two of clean hair and put it into the glass of water.
Watch the hair for 2-4 minutes.
If your hair continues to float, that means you have low porosity. If your hair sinks, you have high porosity. If your hair slowly sinks and remains floating somewhere in the middle, it has normal porosity.
It turns out that I have low porosity. When I did the test, my hair floated on top of the water for all 4 minutes.
THE SLIDE TEST
I hadn't heard about this test until writing this post, however, the steps for this test are just as easy!
Take a strand of hair (still connected to your head)
Starting from the end of the strand, slide your fingers up the strand of hair
When you slide your fingers up the strand of hair, you will either have a smooth ride or a bumpy one. If you have a bumpy ride, you're feeling the lifted cuticles on your hair shaft meaning you have high porosity. If you can move up the hair strand smoothly, your cuticles lay flat and you have low porosity.
My results from this test matched my results from the floating hair test. I had a smooth ride, so that means low porosity (x2).
How Can You Use This Information?
Knowing the porosity of your hair can provide you with good information to aid in caring for your hair just like knowing your hair type can.
Here are some traits of low porosity hair:
1.) Cuticles are closed, so moisture does not enter easily / hair is resistant to moisture.
2.) Products sit on your hair.
3.) Water beads up on hair.
4.) Hair takes a long time to dry.
~Source
AND here are some ways to care for low porosity hair:
1.) Use heat to open the cuticles to let the moisture in. Use warm water to wash and condition hair and also utilize heated deep conditioning.
2.) Use lighter products with humectants and lighter oils such as Argan Oil.
3.) Reduce build up on your hair.
~Source 1 & Source 2
The information I gathered from determining my hair porosity has actually been helpful. I've already started using this information and plan to put more to use soon. I've gone through a lot of different things with my hair since my last post, so I'll be working diligently to get this information out to you within the next couple of weeks!
I'm sure hearing about hair porosity isn't a new concept to most of you reading this. I want to hear from you!! Have you tried either of these tests? What were your results? Have you used hair porosity to help with hair care? Has knowing your porosity helped?
My hair is important to me...I'm a natural hair blogger, why wouldn't it be?! There are different kinds of women out there; those who can do their hair on their own at home, those that have to go to the salon to get their hair done, and those in between. I'm an in between kind of woman leaning more towards the have-to-go-to-the-salon side! Knowing this, I've had to perfect the best way to find the right salon for me. I used this method to find the best cosmetologist in the world when I was in NC and I'm hoping for the same results here.
Nothing is foolproof, but this method has worked before, so I have no choice but to put it to work again. Here are the three tips that lead me in the right direction when looking for an awesome salon.
I remember when Facebook first came out. It was only for college students and it was a social network. I guess you can still say that about it, but for me, I use it as a helpful source of information. Recently, I was doing my normal perusing and came across a video. A Facebook friend had shared a video of someone doing a protective style that looked simple enough for me to do. Like I usually do, I saved the link and kept it moving. Unlike I usually do, I actually went back to this video and decided to put it to use.
I've been battling with the wash and go ever since becoming natural. I've never really been a fan of shrinkage so when my hair was in its earlier stages, I couldn't take the reduction in length. Now that I'm being more cognizant of my hair and the styles I choose, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the style.
April seems like such a long time ago but I'm here again with another length check. Since April, I've recommitted to having healthy hair and I've started working fervently towards reaching and maintaining the healthy hair goals I've set.
My friends and I have decided to start a book club. As adults, we've found that we don't read as much as we used to when we were younger. This could be because we're not forced to since our reading isn't associated with a grade that could keep us from passing a class...or because we're all busy adults and reading isn't at the top of some of our things-to-do list but nonetheless here we are!
Our goal is read books that will feed our minds useful information. We picked Assata: An Autobiography as our first read because we were having group conversations around the number of social injustices that have been happening. We wanted to follow some of that conversation up with a book that would shed some historical light on injustices of the past. There were many books brought to the table, but Assata got the most votes!
We all know by now that I’m on a healthy hair trip! There are many things I’m learning and trying so I can do what’s best for my hair. I’ve set a few hair goals and I’m determined to get this thing right. I mean, I have to if I want my hair to flourish!
One of the ways I plan to achieve this goal is with protective styling. Here’s one style I haven’t been able to accomplish since I was transitioning, so I’m very excited to share!
French Braids
When I was transitioning, the easiest style for me to do was a braid out. I would cornrow my hair nightly and wear crinkled hair each day. I was excited then because I was never able to cornrow my relaxed hair. I guess my naturally curly roots allowed my fingers to grab the hair better and those roots laid together better.
Since being natural, I’ve had this style done once in the salon. My cosmetologist French braided my naturally curly hair. The only product I remember her using is gel, but I'm sure there was a moisturizer and oil in the mix. The style looked great and I loved it!! I also loved not having to do my hair every night! Unfortunately, the style didn't last long. Like I've explained so many times before, my hair is super soft and doesn't respond to gel the way other hair types do.
UniverSoul Circus provided free tickets to another blogger in exchange for a review for this event. She was unable to attend, so I went in her place. These thoughts are totally my own, unpaid and honest. Just Mi!
Imagine my surprise when I was invited to a night of fun at the UniverSoul Circus the night before I was leaving town for the holiday weekend. I had the night planned full of activities to prepare myself to get on the road, but I'd always wanted to go to this circus, so I jumped at the chance.
Creme Of Nature Pure-Licious Co-Wash Product Review
I recently did a product review for the first cowash product I tried. I don't know what I expected but I'd heard so much about that particular product that I couldn't resist.
I've always shampooed my hair about every two weeks. Now that I think about it, that may be a part of why I think my hair is always dry! I don't have a staple shampoo but I think I may have found one with the ORS shampoo I tried recently. I shampoo so often because of product build-up but after defining my hair type, I learned I don't need to pile on products AND that cowashing might be the way to go for my type of hair.
I know many naturalistas use conditioner to cowash but I guess brands are getting "hip to the game" because I've been seeing many products advertised as cowashes. I usually don't think twice about trying new products because they're new, but I'm still subscribed to curlBOX and they recently sent this product. I figured since I had it, why not try it...especially after that last attempt.
I've been natural for three and a half years. During that time, I've read a lot of information and I must admit it's a bit overwhelming! I've skimmed over some good information that I had difficulty retaining for several reasons; with most prevalent being if it's not information I can use right at the moment, I'll forget it!
One thing I've seen most often in natural hair communities is hair typing. I've seen chart after chart about what each hair type is, what it looks like, and what celebrity has that type of hair.
One of the styles I decided to master as a protective style is the wash and go. I've tried this style several times throughout my journey and each time the shrinkage has steered me away from rocking the style.
There was never anything wrong with this style but I've never been a fan of shrinkage. Now with my new hair goals in tow, I knew it was time for a revisit. I had two sew-ins back to back so I had a little free time on my hands to do something evaluating. With this time, I decided to look into products to try for wash and go's. I must admit...my biggest influences were a conversation I had a few naturalistas in one my favorite FB groups and my friend's blog post.
Let me share a short story. Before I started blogging, I was very hesistant about pursuing it. My friend had started her blog and I thought it was awesome...it still is! While I was supporting her and her blog, she convinced me that sharing my hair story would be a great idea. I thought about it for a while but I was hesitant because I thought who would want to hear my story?!
Since I've put it out there that I'm going to be trying to find the best hair products for my hair and I've asked for suggestions and advice, I thought it would be helpful to say what I've already tried! Remembering is the key. I've been natural for 3.5 years, so of course there's been many things I've tried over the years. I've tried to give away many of these products but for the most part, I still have most of them. So, I spent the week making a comprehensive list of my stock and the things I could remember from the past. Here's it is!
I've spent the majority of this year trying to do a better job of caring for my hair. Let's just start there.
I spent about five months with my hair under 2 different sew-ins. I needed to hide my hair from myself, protect it, and give it a chance to grow after a major cut. I was successful at doing that and happy with the progress and growth. While my hair was under wraps, I had a heart to heart with myself about how I would approach my hair once it was out. I set some goals. Even thought I haven't been here in a minute, I've started this process already. I needed to lay out the plan here, and do a better job of documenting what's going on, so let's take a look:
Last week was a great week for Turn It Up Tuesday. I also shared a post for a new chicken recipe I tried, a post about my hair growth and my thoughts about that, AND I'm sharing in a celebration with my best friend for you guys...so please go check that out!!
This week is the 84th week here at Turn It Up Tuesday! This is the last week of April...and the last week for our Just to Say Thank You Giveaway!!!!
Last week, we had an awesome time on Turn It Up Tuesday with 315 links - another amazing week! We'd like to thank each and every one of you for making every week so amazing! Keep sharing your amazing posts with us here on Turn It Up Tuesday!
Today my best friend's blog, Pharr Away, turns three years old! She is my go to for everything blog related! I remember the humble beginnings of her blog and giving feedback to her about publishing it! She encouraged me to document my hair journey, so after much some prodding I decided to give it a try. I'm so thankful that she was there to help me expand the blog to what it is today, and I'm even more grateful to be able to use her blog as a guideline! Pharr Away helps me push myself farther than I ever would have thought to go and I'm forever appreciative for that inspiration!
SO! Sew-In #2 comes out and I feel it was a success. As tempting as it is to go right back and get another one, I'm deciding to give my hair a break. I kept the last sew-in for a total of 9 weeks and I've continued to take Hairfinity, drink a lot of water, and make sure my hair stays as moisturized as possible! Let's see my results!
I hope y'all enjoyed the Buffalo Chicken & Cheesy Potato Casserole recipe I posted earlier today. If you haven't already check it out!! Don't forget that we're doing a $50 Paypal giveaway at the end of each week, so be sure to look out for that!! Now, let's jump into Turn It Up Tuesday!!
Welcome to the 83rd week here at Turn It Up Tuesday! Last week, we had an awesome time on Turn It Up Tuesday with 364 links - another amazing week! We'd like to thank each and every one of you for making every week so amazing! Keep sharing your amazing posts with us here on Turn It Up Tuesday!
Sprucing up chicken seems to be my favorite pastime, especially since I don't particularly care for chicken! The Pinterest recipes I've found are just that appealing, I can't turn them down! I found this recipe a while back and decided to give it a try...and if we're being honest the most appealing part of the recipe wasn't the chicken but the cheese, potatoes, and bacon!
Here's how I made this recipe my own:
Ingredients
1 pack of chicken tenders (about 6-9 chopped into chunks)
8 potatoes, cubed
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tsp of salt
1.5 tsp of pepper
2 tbsp of garlic powder
6 tbsp of hot sauce
1 pack/14 oz. of any kind of cheese you like (I chose sharp cheddar cheese)
Hey, hey y'all!! I hope you all had a great weekend. Let's start the week up with another Turn It Up Tuesday!
Welcome to another week of Turn It Up Tuesday - our 82nd week to be exact! Last week, we had an awesome time on Turn It Up Tuesday with 396 links - another amazing week! We'd like to thank each and every one of you for making every week so amazing! Keep sharing your amazing posts with us here on Turn It Up Tuesday!
It's a new week and I hope everyone is energized an ready to push through it!
We hope you all had a Happy Easter...and enjoyed it with friends and family!
Welcome to the 81st week of Turn It Up Tuesday! Last week, we had an awesome time on Turn It Up Tuesday with 431 links - another amazing week! We'd like to thank each and every one of you for making every week so amazing! Keep sharing your amazing posts with us here on Turn It Up Tuesday!
Today is Resurrection Sunday. Not only are we celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we're celebrating the resurrection of hope; the seal on God's vow of love to His children; the declaration that the Love we long for isn't dead...
While today is usually dedicated to so many other things that can get in the way of the true meaning, let's remember the real reason we celebrate. This is not a one day thing! We must incorporate Jesus into our daily lives.
Rejoice and be grateful! The life we live is all thanks to HIM!
I saw this quote this morning and thought I'd share.
It's so easy for us to get complacent. There's not wrong with being complacent, but don't be content with complacency. Most people dislike change. I must admit that I'm one who doesn't!! I think we don't like change because of how it makes us feel. My Bishop tells us not to make decisions based on how we feel. It's so easy to get caught up in our feelings. What we should be doing is listening to God. God has a plan for us all. We should be constantly growing!! So, when you start feeling uncomfortable...GOOD! Keep this quote in mind and seek God.
My Grandmother passed away in 2002. She was the matriarch of our family and her loss affects us during so many moments each year. I spent a lot of time with her when I was really young. The kind of young where the memories are there, but they're so hard to remember. I hate that. My grandmother was a very kind and loving woman. She loved each and everyone of us and she made sure to let us know it...while she was here and after she left. I have a special place in my heart for her and the woman she was.
She's gone but definitely not forgotten. We celebrate her life today, as a family, on her birthday!
Happy Birthday Eunice Mae Henderson Parker.
If it wasn't for you, none of us would be who we are!
My mom has the worst allergies EVER! Growing up and watching her deal with her allergies made me extremely grateful not to have them! Boy was I wrong! Who knew there was such a thing as late onset allergies?!
I washed and conditioned my hair with little to no trouble. It didn't lather up as much as I wanted, but I feel I was able to get it clean enough to last a few weeks. I dried it and it took longer than expected, but I was able to get both my roots and the extensions all dry. Now, my hair was ready to be flat-ironed.
Before I started flat-ironing my hair, I was worried that the prolonged drying for my roots may have dried out the extensions a bit. As I was blow drying I could feel how stiff the hair was, but for some reason I was convinced that flat-ironing would get it back to it's silky state!
I haven't written about my workouts since the end of October! What's been going on?!
Let me explain.
I work out at home, so my home is my "gym". I have a squat rack in the garage that accommodates any type of working out I need. My main focus is lower body (legs, glutes, etc.). I rarely work out my upper body, or anything else, but if I need to I can. So, coming into 2015 my goal was to buckle down again so I could get back to a healthier lifestyle.
I finally got started and there's only one word I can think of to describe it: TOUGH!! Working out has never been easy, but when I dropped off I was at a good point. This is the challenge I face.
With my last sew-in I shared how I was able to wash and condition it at home with a little help from YouTube. Everything turned out so well the last time, I was encouraged!! I had no doubts that I could wash this sew-in with similar results. I had no reason to think otherwise. This wash has some of the same elements as the last one, but of course it didn't turn out the same way!
Here's what happened.
After re-sewing the extensions, the next step was washing the hair. When I asked around about the best shampoo and conditioner to use for the first wash, I decided to go with the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil brand. When I used it, I thought it did a good job with washing both the extensions and my natural hair. When I finished, the extensions looked very similiar to how they looked when I initially had them installed. I expected the same from these extensions.
I don't like eating the same things over and over. I truly use recipes I find and pin on Pinterest as inspiration in my kitchen. I found this recipe and was excited to try it. I'm shooting for different but I'm also aiming at healthier recipes as well. Recently, I've debuted two chicken entrees (Parmesan Garlic Chicken & One Pan Dinner). Now it's time for a side dish!
You all know me by now. I understand all recipes won't be quick and easy, but these are the recipes I gravitate towards! This recipe fits neatly into my quick and easy category!
Let me start by saying that I've been enjoying my tapered bob sew-in! It's been a little over six weeks since I've gotten it, so I'm halfway through the amount of time I'd like to keep it in! There have been a few hiccups though. A few of which I will discuss today and a few of which will come in a later post!
I don't know what it is about me and chicken, but I just can't seem to stay away from it. We used to eat chicken all the time when I was younger, so now I'm not really a fan of it. I get a hankering for fried chicken or chicken wings every now and then. My family ate chicken so much when I was younger, I'd be fine if I never ate chicken again ate chicken less frequently than I do!
I got this recipe off of the Italian dressing packet I used for my last recipe post. I had some chicken thighs left over and I had all of the ingredients in my pantry, so I figured why not give it a try?!
I love when I find things on Pinterest I can actually put to use! I recently pinned this pin and shortly after I just so happened to 'run out of ideas' for things to cook this year so this pin was fresh on my mind. I've tried it (twice as a matter of fact). I've compiled the best recipe from the two times I've tried it:
It's already been another year. Does it feel like it?? YES! I know I've said this many times over the past few weeks, but I've been through the wringer this year with my hair. In last year's Naturalversary post, I had a few updates then, let's see where I stand on those now:
I didn't do length checks every other month like I was supposed to. After the year rolled in, I decided to try and get proactive about my damaged hair. I tried different styles like flexi rods and heatless curls, then I revamped those styles when they got old. That worked for me until...
I've never been to a weave salon before, so The Weave Express was a new experience. I went on a Sunday which was by appointment only. There was a "weaver" and a "braider". They worked like an assembly line. A customer comes in and, depending on what kind of sew-in they're getting, the braider braids the hair in a style that suits the kind of sew-in she's getting and the weaver sews the weave. To thicken my braids, the braider added strands of braid hair to thicken and strengthen my braids for the sew-in. It took the braider about 20 to 30 minutes to completely braid my hair.
Guess what?! I've teamed up with a lovely group of bloggers to offer my Instagram followers a chance to win $100 (PayPal Cash)! All you have to do is follow the steps below (no posting or commenting necessary). Once you find your way back to the original IG post then you're done!
How to Enter:
Follow me @allnaturalmi (on Instagram) and everyone else in the loop.
Like the image on Instagram
Tap the photo on my IG account to see the next step in the loop
For *Bonus* entries, when you get to @pharraway's page, tag a friend or two in the comments of the giveaway image who you think would love to win $100, then keep following the loop!
Once you arrive back at my IG account, you're all done!
Notes: This giveaway is open internationally. You must follow everyone in the loop to qualify and like each image. You must have a PUBLIC account at the time of drawing so we can verify appropriately. You must have a valid PayPal account to receive the prize if chosen as the winner. Giveaway/spam accounts will not be chosen. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced no later than Tuesday, 01.27.15, around 12 PM EST. The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck and thanks for your continued support.
Per Instagram rules, we must also mention that this is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's terms of use.
I hope you all participate, find and enjoy some great IG pages, and most importantly win some money.
There's one day every year where we honor a great man. (If you haven't seen Selma, GO!)
He was not perfect, no one is. We all have our flaws but working towards a better mankind should be all of our goals.
In the words of another great
"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all
persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities."
--Nelson Mandela
Is that so much to ask? Is that so hard to accomplish? Is it so wrong for everyone to have the same opportunities? I don't think it is. So, to live a life working towards a better future for not only my children but for us all is something I can try my best to do.
In remembrance of Dr. King, let's all try to have an impact on the world this year.