Introduce yourself: My name is Alfreda, I'm 19. Born in Nigeria but currently reside in Texas

 

What made you decide to go natural? It wasn't really a decision, I just got too active to schedule in relaxers, so I just kind of gave up on it. In fact I had no idea what effect a relaxer had or didn't have on my hair.

Did you Big Chop or did you Transition? Big chop

What were some of your fears/concerns going into going natural? Honestly, I had none.

Name some reasons why you are happy about your decision to go natural. I've discovered a part of me that I love even more. It's also making me a lot more aware of what goes on and in my body.

What are some of your favorite hair products? Silkience Silky-Smooth Conditioner, spahaus by silkience conditioner, and Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil

Current hair regimen?I co-wash whenever I feel like my hair needs it. I detangle with conditioner and seal in the moisture every night, then wet it and style the next morning. I deep condition once or twice a week, and I shampoo once every two months or less.

What do you enjoy the most about being natural? The versatility, and the shrinkage.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering going natural or a newly natural? It may seem hard at first, but trust me it gets easier.

Make sure to follow Alfreda on all of her social networks:

www.fredafro.blogspot.com

 

Introduce yourself: My name is Rolanda and I am 39yrs old and currently living in Cahokia, IL with my life partner and 2 kids, 7 and 13yrs old. Her and I have been together for approximately 3yrs and have plans on wedding soon. I work in customer service with a behavioral health company.

What made you decide to go natural & did you Big chop or Transition? I tried in 2009 and I shaved my hair clean off. My mother not knowing at the time of me dating women,says you look like a gay girl.. HUH! what is that suppose to mean? Whatever I let it grow back to appease my mother and not to have her detect that I was really into women.. So back to the CREAMY CRACK..  I met my now girlfriend in 2010 and she was already natural for 2yrs. So we go to  Daytona and I decided to wear this short

tight weave that so  uncomfortable. So when I cam back I told my stylist to cut this

What were some of your fears/concerns going in to going natural? I was afraid of what others would say about my hair. I was afraid that my hair wouldn't grow at lightening speed. I was afraid that after this TWA phase, I'm going to be stuck and not know how to do my hair. Now why would I think that and I graduated from cosmetology school in 93? I guess fear of the unknown and not dealing with what's been routine all of my life "CREAMYCRACK"!

Name some reasons why you are happy about your decision to go natural: YOUTUBE is loaded with inspiration to keep you motivated in your natural process. I was happy when my office associates came in one by one with a Big Chop because of me. The compliments! Oh boy, the

mess off in a cute pixie cut. I went from there.
complaints are nice

 

What are some of your favorite hair products? I started with Shea Moisture because it was cheap and free of all of the junk a curly girl should have in there hair. Then I moved to 4Naturals, we bought the product for our daughters hair. But we found it wasn't working. We tried some others that I can't remember. Now I love PINE TAR SOAP for a shampoo and coconut oil as conditioner.
I just used Lush henna and loved it. Even though it was a messy process.

 

What is your current hair regimen? When I find the opportunity to do my hair, that's when I do it. My life is very busy, so I don't have set day or time.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering going natural or a newly natural? My advice would be for naturals  or newly naturals, be patient it takes time to understand your hair. Don't let others persuade you to their methods. Its your hair! Have fun with it. Oh, and don't be a product junkie if you can avoid it, Lol.

 

Make sure to check out Rolanda on all of her social networks!

Facebook: RolandaNaturalrndqt

Tumblr: Random Natural Blogger

Instagram: NaturalRNDQT

Twitter: BrownieSTIX.

Hygral what??? That’s exactly what I thought when I first read about hygral fatigue. I didn't even know such a thing existed until I read Audrey Davis-Sivasothy’s The Science of Black Hair.

Hygral fatigue is the damage that occurs to the hair fiber from the repeated process of expansion (when the hair is wet) and contraction (when the hair dries). Whenever we wet our hair, the hair shaft must expand to accommodate all the water and goodies from the products we are applying to our hair. Our hair also has to shrink (contract) back to its normal size, but during this process, the hair can split and break. The constant expansion and contraction of the hair can eventually cause damage to the hair fiber, weakening the hair cuticle and cortex.

Hygral fatigue is one of the many causes of hair damage since stress is being added to the hair through the expansion and contraction process. We all know that applying stress to the hair (pulling and tugging at the hair, combing and styling the hair every day, etc…) will cause damage and eventually leads to breakage. It is also so with hygral fatigue. If the hair cuticle is  under stress from constantly being expanded and contracted, the cuticle will eventually be exposed, leading to porosity issues and breakage. Since textured hair is more susceptible to damage and tends to take in more water during the washing process than any other hair type, it is especially important to take measures to prevent this.

Preventing hygral fatigue is ultimately all about maintaining the inner protein structure of the hair shaft. Here are a couple ways to beat hygral fatigue:

• Using polar oils as a pre-poo helps prevent damage done to the hair shaft by reducing the extent to which the hair swells. One of the key features of polar oils is its ability to penetrate the hair shaft, which helps to reinforce the hair’s protein structure before cleansing the hair. According to The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, polar oils protect the hair shaft by binding to the hair’s inner proteins, which in turn reduces the protein’s chemical ability to bind to water molecules. Thus, the expansion of the hair when wet is kept at a minimum, and less damage is done to the hair fiber when it contracts. Since coconut oil is a unique, versatile oil, it is fitting to use for a pre-poo to prevent hygral fatigue because of its ability to bind to the natural protein structure of the hair, helping the hair retain moisture and reinforcing the hair fiber, making it stronger.

• Make sure to do protein treatments regularly to ensure the hair has the proper protein structure. Protein treatments should normally be done every 4-6 weeks or as needed to prevent breakage from protein overload. Remember, it all depends on what YOUR hair needs! However, alternating between moisturizing conditioner and light protein conditioners every other week can help to maintain the hair's proper protein/moisture balance. Some good light protein conditioners are Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein Balancing Conditioner, Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Pak. You can also make your own protein conditioners right in your kitchen and add some oils, honey, or glycerin to them so they aren't as harsh on the hair. 

Before washing my hair last week, I did a pre-poo with coconut oil and a bit of honey. After washing my hair, I noticed that my hair had a lot less shrinkage. I actually had a bit of hang time! Usually after I wash my hair, it looks like I have a TWA, and this is before I wrap a T-shirt around my head to absorb most of the water! Shrinkage is real! This could be due to the hair not absorbing as much water as it usually would due to the coconut oil pre-poo. I will definitely continue pre-pooing with coconut oil before each wash because I loved the results the first time around, and I want to see what my results will be after using it for a while.

So give it a try ladies! 

Try pre-pooing with coconut oil before washing your hair and see how if you notice a difference in the way your hair feels, responds to certain things, etc... 

Introduce yourself: My name is Michele "Chele Von" Vaughn. I am a freelance Graphic/Web designer and Blogger. I like to enjoy life to its fullest and help others to see greatness in theirs. I like to read, cook, bake, and travel. I breath fashion and makeup! Spending time with family and friends is a wonderful pleasure for me.

What made you decide to go natural? Seeing how beautiful my mother's hair was and I relaxing my hair was destroying my hair.

Did you Big Chop or did you Transition? I transitioned for a year before I cut all the permed ends from my hair.

What were some of your fears/concerns going into going natural? I did not have any fear in returning my hair to natural. I knew that it was the best move for my hair.

Name some reasons why you are happy about your decision to go natural. My hair is super healthy and I have been able to really learn my hair.

What are some of your favorite hair products? JBCO, EVO, Coconut oil, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Vitamin E oil, and Grapeseed oil just to name a few. 

Current hair regimen? I wash my hair once to twice a week. Depending on what my hair tells me. I use a good clarifying shampoo and leave-in condish. I seal my condish in my hair with coconut oil. Nightly, I twist my hair sealing my ends with a moisturizer and sleep in a satin bonnet. 

What do you enjoy the most about being natural? I have more hair freedom!

What advice would you give to someone who is considering going natural or a newly natural? The best advice I can give is to listen to and love your hair. When you do your hair will love you back! Research is a MUST! Know what you are putting on your hair. All the products out here are not true blue natural.

Make sure to check out Michele "Chele Von" on all her social networks!
Blog: http://www.thereviewchic.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DesignChic98
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thereviewchic 
YouTube: http://youtu.be/qAbYEI-1dCE

Hey there!

So last week, I decided to co-wash my hair. My hair had been in a wash and go style for about five days, and it was time for a much needed wash. My hair was starting to get tangled and knotted, so it was time to wash it.  Check out the My First Wash N' Go post to read more about my wash n go. 

I decided to try out Naptural85's Greek Yogurt recipe, but decided to add a few of my own ingredients. 

Naptural 85's recipe called for:

Greek Yogurt (A Natural Whole or 2% variety)

Apple Cider Vinegar (To cut the smell of the yogurt)

Lavendar Essential Oil (To also aid in cutting the smell of the yogurt)

Because the greek yogurt is packed with lots of protein, I tweaked the recipe a little to suit my hair needs, since I know my hair doesn't respond well to of protein. Instead of Lavendar Essential Oil I used Peppermint Oil, since that was what I had at home. I also accidentally picked up Greek Yogurt with 0% variety, but that's okay. I made do with the ingredients I had. 

Here's my recipe:

Greek Yogurt

Apple Cider Vinegar

Honey

Grape Seed Oil

Coconut Oil

Peppermint Essential Oil 

Here's what my mixture looked like.

Steps:

1. Put about 2-3 generous tablespoons of the Greek Yogurt into a mixing bowl (the amount you put all depends on your hair's thickness and length).

2. Add about 2-3 cap fulls of your apple cider vinegar.

3. Add lots of peppermint oil (or your essential oil of choice that has fragrance to mask the smell of the greek yogurt and the apple cider vinegar). 

4. Mix in your honey, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil (you can eyeball these ingredients).

5. Grab your spray bottle and saturate your hair with water.

6. Section off your hair and apply the deep conditioner about two thirds of the way up the hair shaft. Naptural85 warned that applying this mixture to the scalp would leave your scalp smelling the greek yogurt, so I made sure to stay clear of that. 

7. Tie your ends up (not close to the scalp) and apply your plastic cap. Make sure to apply the cap to just the back of your hair, leaving the front out so the smell doesn't linger throughout your hair. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. 

8. Time to rinse out that yogurt! Make sure all the yogurt is thoroughly rinsed out. Grab whatever conditioner you and quickly massage it into your hair and rinse it out. I used the Tressemme Naturals Vibrantly Smooth Conditioner. 

9. When your whole head is done, style your hair as usual.

Here a a few pics of my hair during the deep conditioning process. 

While applying the deep conditioner, it didn't detangle my hair as well as it did Naptural85's. It was probably due to the fact that I still had gel in my hair from the wash n go, so I'll be trying this deep conditioner out again in about a month or so, or when I feel my hair needs some protein.

After rinsing the conditioner out and after co-washing, my hair felt super soft, supple, and moisturized. 

I definitely will be trying out this deep conditioner again. I'm trying to get into making my own deep conditioners instead of going out and buying deep conditioners. It saves me a lot of money. Two-three bottles of deep conditioner per month at $10 a pop was becoming very costly, so I knew DIY products were the way to go. 

For more info on Naptural85's Greek Yogurt Deep Conditioner, check out her YouTube video below: