Nappy Kitchen

Experimenting Again

I find that I can keep my twistouts defined as long humidity or steam from the shower doesn't get to them. But if I actually don't mind losing the definition then I let the hot water do its thing and pull and shape the hair into a chunky fro.

Last night it struck me that I finally have enough hair to run some flat twists all the way back. I put freshly conditioner washed hair into about 8 really messy flat twists (I was too lazy to take pics). I think it took maybe 15-20 mins....about a third of the time it takes to do my two-strand twists. I had a feeling the flat twists would do a good job of stretching my hair. I didn't worry about how messy they were, since I wasn't particularly going for definition.

The results:

I'm really digging the stretchage I got. This would be great for stretching the hair in preparation for braids or pressing. If I were going out and about I would either rock it like this or pull it up into a nice puff. I think if I actually put some effort into making the twists tight it would look like a really loose twistout, so this is definitely something to add to my style arsenal.

How Ya Like Me Now?

Today my aunt said, "Oooh let me see your hair. I like it now!" I was going to say "As opposed to almost a year ago when I was a baldheaded bitch?" But you know I be trying to keep the peace and stuff. At any rate I thought I'd throw up a couple of pics of the twistout that she found so likeable.

One side looks shorter because I tucked it behind my ear. Ain't I creative and stuff? :D

Lookit Garfield chillin all prostrate in the backdrop! *wops*

Usually when I unravel my twists, I pull the the two strands apart because I prefer the fuller, wilder, chunky fro vibe I get. But I thought I would be different today and unravel and let em do their thug thizzle. Clearly somebody was digging it!

They Just Don't Get It

Last night a friend and I were watching a sitcom (that joint with Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Fuckable Kodjoe), engaging in our usual running commentary. He mentioned that he thought Nicole looked better with long hair. I completely disagreed and told him it was only because he was Beyonce'd out like the typical black man. Clearly Nicole's face is more flattered by a short cut, but mayhap I'm aware of this simply because...I'm smarter. LOL.

At any rate he was a bit offended by my calling him a typical black male, being that he actually is a bit atypical. Now I love my friend to pieces and I respect his preferences. But the typical black male DOES prefer long, silky hair, usually to the exclusion of common sense. Sometimes it's all they see. Doesn't matter if the shit comes out of a bag or right from the scalp, long as that shit is long and straight. Or long and silky-curly. Nappy hair can go to the devil as far as many of them are concerned.

For being aware of this and calling men on their tunnel vision, I get called bitter. Well, I'll be dat.

Men don't want to take responsibility for the large influence they have on women's beauty choices. Do you think the vast majority of African-American women would feel the need to burn their scalps with caustic chemicals and pad their heads with fake pieces if there weren't so many signs around them pushing the idea that this is beauty, this is superior? I highly doubt it.

For some it really is a choice. My hair was rather long as a teen, but I got tired of it and cut it off, going through a cycle wherein my hair was at various lengths. I didn't start weaving it up until I got to my mid-twenties (I was going through a bit of a phase and wanting to try something new). And I can honestly say I did it because of me; I was a single gal not even remotely interested in the opinions and perceptions of the men around me. I looked damn good with my weave, and I'm still not averse to wearing it for a style change even now in my nappy state. But I look damn good with my own hair too. And I will never let any man disabuse of me of this notion.

However, there are far too many women whose self-esteem has been damaged, by this society that prefers light over dark and straight over kinky. I love to see healthy looking hair in all its capacities, relaxed or not. But it absolutely kills me when I see some gal with permed hair hanging limply to her shoulders. And you can almost see her scalp in some places, because the lye has thinned her hair out so badly. And I know she's just hanging on to that hair for length and appearances, because somebody somewhere told her that she looked "better" with long hair.

It makes me smile when I read in somebody's photo album or in somebody's blog that their signficant other absolutely loves their natural hair. I like when men come up to me just to tell me they think my hair is pretty. I like when men touch my hair as if they can't help themselves (can't say I'm not weirded out at times too though). It's important to have at least one person who is fully supportive when you have kinky hair, because we are surrounded by so many others that would have us believe that our naps are something to be straightened into submission or buried under layers of synthetic strands.

I invite the men that are most vocal about their opposition to natural hair to sit with a relaxer on their heads for 30 minutes. See how they feel about nappy edges then.

As for me, I need my man to be just as in love with my hair as I am like I need my next breath. I'll let you know if I ever find him. ;)

And Now For the Finale

After I finished my conditioning ritual, I applied shea butter and let my hair air dry. I then proceeded to twist. I got a bit more hang time than usual because the hair was dryer than it usually is when I twist. I was surprised that they were actually moving...I shall have to be patient and let my hair dry next time I decide to twist. And I will definitely be rocking those outside.

We'll see how long these last...

One of Dem Sporadic Updates

This is the fro I usually wear when I don't feel like manipulating a twistout or puff. It's unstretched save for me pulling at it a bit to create some shape. I dampen it and usually run some kind of moisturizer through it; either shea butter or wave nouveau finishing lotion (has glycerine in it!), which keeps it soft and hydrated throughout the day.

A pic:

(hiding the tired eyes behind glasses...schoolmarm anyone?)

I won't be wearing this all day, since I'm trying to get back into my old habit of Sunday being my day of pampering my hair and myself. So I'll be washing, deep conditioning and probably ACV rinsing the tresses. I'm not sure if I want to put in twists or not, but if I do I shall be sure to come back and update with pics.

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Aight, so I've washed the hair and done a light conditioner with Aura Rosemary Mint Rinse. Lawd chile, that mint was soooo cooling on my scalp. If I still had a problem with the itchies this would be perfect for soothing them.

As I've mentioned before, the hair at my crown is more curly than coily and looser in texture, so it tends to stick up all cowlick like when it's wet. The rest is pretty much small penspring coils. I haven't worn a wash and go in ages, since it's too cold. Plus it shrinks like a sumbitch! But it'll be a nice switchup sometime in the spring.

So now I'm sitting with a deep conditioner in my hair. It's a mixture of Queen Helene cholesterol and olive oil that I warmed up in the microwave for a bit. Then I put a plastic bag on and tied a scarf over that. My head tends to produce a lot of heat, so I rarely sit under the dryer. I'll leave this on a few hours then rinse it out and the last step will be an ACV rinse.

Bless Her Heart

I went to the mall yesterday with my cousin to return some clothes. As I walk up to the counter, I see the girl with the almost painfully slicked back hair with an "afro puff" on top surreptitiously touch the mass on top her head. Yes honey, it does look weird for you to be china in the front and Africa on top. Tsk tsk.

It's the little things that make me glad I had the patience and guts to stop perming. Real afro puffs look so much better.

A Lil Pressed

So I decided to take on the laborious task of straightening my hair a bit so I could snip away some crunchy ends. I used a flat iron...a janky one at that, because it certainly didn't get extremely hot. That was fine though, as I wasn't going for a bone straight effect. In the pic below, my hair has that bushy ass warm press look. Some of y'all know what I'm tombout.

I knew my hair had been growing nicely, but honestly I was prepared for it to be this length:

And in this pic there was (already) some reversion...gotta love nappy hair.

See this is what happens when you're not pressed (no pun intended) about growing out your hair after you do the big chop. Go for the low maintenance styles, stay away from a deluge of products, keep it clean, and let it do its thug thizzle. Woowee! I can't wait to see what's up next year around this time. *c-walks out*