She's Gone Natural Too: Update

Hello everyone, do you remember my earlier summer post mentioning my mom's decision to go natural? Check it out here. It's been around 3½ months since she big chopped (BC) and she's enjoyed every minute.

We've since learnt that it's easy to get caught up in some of the common misconceptions surrounding the desire to go natural:

❝Natural hair will be easy❞  

A twa certainly looks and feels easy but it doesn't stay low maintenance for long.
As the length comes in and the styling options increase,
hair maintence becomes a little more complex
requiring more time, effort and patience.

❝I'll have one set regime❞

In the weeks following your  natural decision you'll 

become a custom to a particular regime that your hair responds well 

to but as it grows out things might not work as well as they once did. 

Your hair will be exposed to the change in seasons
as well as your lifestyle choices
 which require some getting used to as
you go through your first year as a natural.

❝I'll have my true hair texture straight away❞

Don't get caught out by the textural changes afro hair 

can go through as it grows. It may increase in density 

and exhibit a tighter or more defined coil pattern.
This often leads to drier hair that needs to be cared for in different ways.

❝I can't do anything with my short hair❞

You can! Grow out your hair just 3" and you'll have styling options. 

Because of shrinkage my mom didn't think much was going 

on hair-wise until we tried an easy 

two strand twist style a few weeks ago:

using olive oil and water

they stayed in with ease

My mother experienced most of the issues above. First she had to deal with the hair care products she possessed. Things like; holding sprays, setting lotions and creamy leave in conditioners. Having found that they didn't give her soft, manageable hair, she has since opted for simpler ingredients such as almond oil, water and herb infused deep conditioners. She had to wait a few weeks to see positive results.

 

less of this

We then came to the issue of styling tools: At first there was little she could do with a 2" fro but lately she's felt the need to comb through and pick it out each morning and she suddenly started to experience breakage.  After getting in on YouTube's natural hair world we soon learnt from our mistakes. So it's out with the hot irons, afros picks and hair grips and in with a wide tooth comb and detangler.

more of this

She also learnt that even on short hair there is still a "root" and a "tip". Barely distinguishable when you leave the salon chair with something closer to a fade than an afro but as it grows out, even a couple of inches, it's important to comb from the ends first by hand stretching sections of hair and working towards the root.

YouTube gave us a TON of styling ideas for various hair lengths and textures. We had a lot of fun watching the magic hands of some of these brilliant women, all doing their own hair in their own homes. I'd like to share a video from my mom's favourite natural hair Youtuber - SimplYounique:

Peace
-NaturaLocs

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DONOT use without permission. All other material is publicly available on the world wide web.**

Colour: Loc Trial

I decided to dye the locs just behind my ear and near my temple, they're out of the way but still in a good enough place for me to see what I'm doing in the mirror.

What I used:

• L'Oréal Paris FéRia - P37 Booster Plum Power
• MAY's 6% (20 vol) Cream Developer
• Trulites Tz Rapid white Powder Bleach
• Sweet Almond oil
• 1 Glass Bowl
• 1 Tint Brush
• 1 pair of Latex Gloves
• Aluminium foil

Thinning: Oil Haul

So this thinning issue had me scouring the net for information about the success of castor oil on natural hair and later for price comparisons. After failing to find an affordable price I decided to head for my local afro hair shop and purchased a couple of potentials...

Africa's Best Ulitmate Herbal Oil: Not exactly what I planned to pick up but having read the back of the bottle carefully I found it to contain only natural oils and extracts and for the price it seemed a worthwhile venture. It also contains castor oil anyway.

West Indian Castor Oil: Now, I did see this brand online and it was cheaper than the most popular brand - Jamaican Black Castor Oil - (by more than half!) and at this particular shop it was even cheaper still. The one thing I was weary of is the lack of a ingredients description anywhere on the bottle, but it claims to be castor oil nonetheless so in the basket it went.

Side note: I have been using a different brand of sweet almond oil for around three weeks now and I feel that the quality is much better than the previous brand I had purchased online. I received it as a gift from my grandmother. It came wih a detailed leaflet and I think you can purchase a vast array of oils at absolute-aromas.com.

Finally, I'm still using lavender essential oil in my daily spritz. No more than 3 drop as it can over power anything which is useful when using castor oil. As you can see it's a well loved  20ml bottle on the right. This is another oil given to me by my grandmother. Couldn't say where she gets it from because she just pops round and "tops up" my bottle from time to time.

I did a hot oil treatment using the Africa's Best and West Indian castor oil this weekend. Now I'm applying the castor oil to the affected area daily. Check out my previous post to see the thinning.

DREADLOCKS ARE A LIFESTYLE

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DONOT use without permission**

Natural oils: Review

Over the last two months I have been sampling a few natural oils in my regular hair maintenance and the results, in my own opinion, are as follows:

OLIVE OIL (extra virgin)

Moisture Seal: Great for sealing in moisture and it always left my hair soft.

Build-up: No build-up. No dandruff. Absorbs well after drying so it doesn't attract lint.

Itch relief: Yes, used frequently it did minimise general itching between washes.

Re-twist: Yes! Holds a re-twist very well.

Other Positives: Used sparingly it makes for a good body moisturiser post bath or shower but is too thick to be used all the time and I'm not confident about using it on my face as it can be quite oily, good for very dry skin though.

Other Negatives: The scent can be quite unpleasant when used after a vinegar rinse.

Score: 9/10

ALMOND OIL (sweet, cold pressed)

Moisture Seal: It sealed in moisture very well and left my hair very soft and manageable.

Build-up: No build-up, highly absorbent and doesn't attract dirt or lint.

Itch relief: Yes, adequate itch relief as it kept hair and scalp from drying out.

Re-twist: Yes! holds a re-twist very well.

Other Positives: An ideal face and body moisturiser, absorbs almost immediately and is non-greasy. Seemed to minimise facial blemishes though it'd require a longer trial to be sure.

Other Negatives: None

Score: 7/10

LAVENDER OIL (pure essential) + used with almond oil

Moisture Seal: Used with almond oil it held moisture wonderfully and left my hair soft to the touch.

Build-up: Very absorbent. No build-up and because of its high absorbency it didn't attract lint.

Itch relief: Virtually itch free!

Re-twist: Yes! Holds a re-twist very well.

Other Positives: flowery scent that lasts several days, often recommended as a natural insect repellant. Great for healing and moisturising the skin. A good relaxant when inhaled before bed.

Other Negatives: can be very pungent but this is based on personal preference.

Score: 7/10

ALMOND OIL (sweet, possibly refined)

Moisture Seal: It sealed in moisture quite well and softened my hair somewhat.

Build-up: No build-up but there was occasional flaking, so it's not an ideal dandruff eliminator but it does have a high absorbency so it doesn't attract dirt or lint.

Itch relief: Yes, adequate itch relief as it kept hair and scalp from drying out.

Re-twist: Not the best; worked well initially but after a couple of days some of the softer twists had loosened quite a bit.

Other Positives: Possible face and body moisturiser

Other Negatives: Softening effect doesn't last more than a few hours

Score: 5/10

COCONUT OIL (refined)

Moisture Seal: Perhaps. To begin with it left my hair very dry but when applied in larger amounts and directly onto damp hair the softness improved and left a healthy shine.

Build-up: No build-up. Minimal dandruff. Not as absorbent in my hair as olive or almond oil but does soak in eventually. Attracts some dirt and lint when dry.

Itch relief: Yes, used frequently it did minimise general itching but not as well as olive oil.

Re-twist: Yes! Holds a re-twist very well but hair can feel slightly firm or hard when dry.

Other positives: Variety of uses. Good as a body moisturiser. Not as softening on my face but absorbs well into the skin and is non-greasy.

Negatives: Not ideal for a daily spritz because it stays solid unless warmed.

Score: 3/10

The experiment taught me:

•  there may not be a "one size fits all" product but I can benefit from multiple properties when using different oils in combination.
•  oil in its refined form may lack some of the beneficial qualities of it's unrefined/virgin and cold pressed counterparts.
• Quality does matter. You get what you pay for.
• not all oils can be used in the same way or in the same quantities (i.e. coconut oil).
• natural oils have helped to minimise my cosmetic expenses as they can be used for multiple purposes.

Dreadlocks are a lifestyle

Tips: Itchy scalp? Try natural oils!

Last month I talked about sampling various oils each week until I found one that worked well with my hair and soon after my week trial with tea tree oil I settled on extra virgin olive oil because it seemed to work miracles. Not only did it hold in moisture when I used it regularly with water but it also worked well for re-twists (no build-up or flaking). I've also been relieved of itchiness even when my scalp is due for a wash. I'm very impressed with the multi-purposes of this oil and love that its 100% natural.

Week 1

My first week being "loc'd". I've enjoyed it for the most part, adjusting to the curly hair I haven't seen in years, and imagining how it'll look and feel in a month or two. It's be very positive. On the flip side the things I didn't expect in the first week; stray hairs, frizzing after light rain, itching and a heavy urge to wash my hair. Overall  they're considerably high maintenance right now but I do like them, kinda. I think after the first salon wash, re-twist and dryer session they'll feel better.

 

And for the end of week 1:

Sooo as you can see, a few firm and healthy looking twists here and there in the front but a couple at the crown toward the back looking a bit looser and fuzzier, certainly a "unique" hairdo. After managing a few of them I stopped re-twisting for the rest of the week as they were holding up on their own from day to day even when I run my fingers through, well, except for four in the back which unravel every day but I finger twist them back in with bobby pins (but no products). The back seems slightly softer in texture and sometimes comes loose from the satin scarf at night so they probably won't hold until they get a little longer and get a proper re-twist under the dryer.

finger coil (back right corner)

For now I just need to get through the next 3 weeks with patience and let them firm up.

The almond and tea tree oil & water spray worked quite well when I remembered to use it. The itching did stop once I'd sprayed it and the day after they did feel moisturised, which I assume is due to the water.

On to week 2 . . .

DREADLOCKS ARE...

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder, DO NOT use without permission,**

Day 3: Do-over

MAY DAY, MAY DAY quick update: so the more I read and watched youtube vids about how locs turn out when started by two strand twists and braids the more I felt unhappy with the way mine were going to be. I know, I know it hasn't even been a week but something didn't feel right. The collective chaos of tst's, braids, rubber bands and who knows what else were just. . . not right. I didn't know what was going on up there and that would've limited my ability to manage them myself until the next salon visit.

So,

I took each one out, wet with gel and re-twisted it between my fingers - clockwise as it so happens. I held them all in place with bobby pins, makeshift, I know, but they're holding well and I'll being taking them out later to see how they look after the gel has dried over night:

(click pictures to enlarge)

Easier to sleep in than the rubber bands! So here's how they look...

Experimenting wasn't so bad after all. I think these stand a better chance of forming nicely in the future.

So, spray down with tea tree/almond oil/water mix, annnd done! I feel miles better about this and now I know how to twist my own hair and which method was used in which direction. I'll keep using the bobby pins until I can splash out for some shiny new clips when I return to the salon.

DREADLOCKS ARE A LIFESTYLE

**Photography ownership is with the blog account holder, DONOT use without permission,**