Never Thought I'd Consider The "N" Word

[Guest]

Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

But today I saw, Irresistible's Photo Album and it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen - I'm having fleeting thoughts of going "Natural".

Yes, I said it and I never thought I would. Of course
I'm sure my hair would not look like that but I can dream can't I..

Iressitible, what is your Hair Care Routine and What type are you.???

You are my inspiration....

 

[Guest]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Sorry, I don't mean to be sweating you or anything. lol

But I don't usually rave about peoples hair.

 

[Crysdon]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Her hair is so cute and versatile. Love the curls.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

lol Mindymouse@ the "N" word...too funny.

I think some people's hair just cant hang with relaxers cause my hair never got to the legnth and health with them that it has being natural no matter what i did. i dont know my hair type (never could figure that thing out) you could probably tell me better than i can tell you, and i think there is at least a couple types mixed in there though.

here is my regimen...

my regimin over the years has mostly been....

the no poo method (washing with conditioner) untill i feel it absolutlely has to be washed with shampoo. i almost always sleep with the conditioner in my hair overnight as well...when i do wash with shampoo i use Motions moisturizing, it has a real rich lather

conditioners i mainly use are , Motions CPR, and IC, and Queen Helene Cholesterol. and for protien i use Motions oil protien conditioner (not very often though) after a protien mishap (hard brittle hair) i steer clear of protien for the most part.

I wet my hair everyday whenever wearing it natural...i use either African Pride leave in (mostly), Allways 911 or African Royale Daily Doctor(rarely). whenever i use water it seems to be somewhat more drying than wetting it with leave in, leaving it more frizzy and fly away later, plus using leave in elminates the mold smell from hair that stays wet too long

i always comb it out wet, using a K Cutter (metal pic) which is great for detangling.

Ive used african pride grease for years ( although ive heard how bad it is cause it contains petrolatum and probably mineral oil too) but i have loved it a long time, either that or Always herbal with the green cap, love that one too. but now im doing more oils more often than the grease , like olive oil, and sweet almond oil and coconut oil (i litterally saturate my hair in these overnight often) and sometime mix the oil in with the conditioners for a conditioner wash or use with a leave in for styling

plus my vitamin regimin i know is good for my hair as well.

im trying to be as low maintence as possible with it and im not right on top of it all like i used to be when i was concerned with growth long ago..but this is all i do in a nutshell...i mostly wear my hair natural with an occasional press (like in the pics) just for a change.

update 1/2/2004
new products ive tried and love are Elasta QP Mango Butter, and Elasta QP Recovery and i liked them alot after i did a conditioner wash i used these and coconut oil and i LOVED it. I also tried S curl and i loved the moisture but hated the stickiness, and after a while it just felt worse and worse and my hair started to look bad to me, just dry and frizzy. so that product is barried in the product graveyard for real!!
But im back to experimenting with products again, so much for keeping it simple lol....will be trying unrefined Shea Butter,(pure) Mango Butter, Jojoba oil and Avacado butter soon...will let you know how it changes my regimen later. but for now all i can say is olive oil and coconut oil are the bomb!

Vitamin Regimen


multiple vitamin (either centrum or a more expensive one from the vitamin store when my budget allows it)

B complex balanced 100mg. (a multiple vitamin alone will not provide you with enough B vitamins, also its important that the B vitamins are balanced because they all work together)

Vitamin C 1000mg to 2000mg with bioflavnoids ( we all know the benifits to daily use of vitamin C, its also helps in the absorbtion of other vitamins and minerals)

vitamin E 400mg ( we all know the benifits of vitamin E as well) both vitamin C and E are vital to our health and hair health

Calcuim/Magnesium supplement 1000mg/400 (these need to be taken together to absorb ...critical to health and healthy hair)

boitin ( i just recently added an extra 300mcg to my regimin due to the claims of its benifits on hair but this is also found in B complex vitamins)

Flax seed oil (these are the essential fatty acids (Omega 3 with some Omega 6) not found in abundance in our diet and our bodies cant make them...they are critical to our health as well as hair health, i take the the refridgerated liquid due to the low risk of not knowing its rancid as with the capsules) this is the same essential fatty acid found in fish oil, only in the form just before it turns into the form fish oil is in your body. short chain fatty acid in other words while the fish oil is long chain. but they basically are the same thing. i chose the flax oil because of risk of fish oil being contaminated with murcery.

Amino acids (protien) ( this is also critical to our health and hair health , i take either the liquid refridgerated kind or the pills , doesnt matter, just make sure its a whole protein containing all of the amino acids.)

other things to take for hair heatlh

MSM...we all hear of the claims of how MSM benifits the hair , but this is a powerfull detox supplement and some cant tolerate the pure food grade sulfur..this made me very sick, so anyone trying this i would suggest trying it very slow. i dont think that the MSM found in hair vitamins are in the purest form, the pure form has the power to cause detox, but ive never went through detox symptoms while taking a hair vitamin with MSM in it......so i cant say whether or not the MSM found in hair vitamins actually have benfit on the hair or not , when they are not in the pure form.

evening primrose oil (this is a primary source of Omega 6 , this is more plentiful in our diet than the Omega 3, but some benifit from supplementing with it...the essential fatty acids have to be taken in a certain ratio , more omega 3 than 6 because of our diets...they are good anti inflammatories, but when not in the proper ratio they can become pro-inflammatory, and cause inflammation...this is another one i could not tolerate well for long) i would suggest trying this one slow as well.

Horsetail (silica) this is supposed to be benificial for hair skin and nails and bones etc , it has something to do with protein absorbtion...i have taken this in the past with good results and no harmfull effects...when i was taking it i was also taking so many of the other vitamins im not sure it it alone gave any real benifit.

this is a costly , but comprehensive regimin and a very good investment for your health and your hair.

thank you for awesome compliment Mindymouse....and if you should decide to go natural im just a PM away for any help you might need.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
Mindymouse said:
Sorry, I don't mean to be sweating you or anything. lol

But I don't usually rave about peoples hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow another awesome compliment....thank you girlie. you didnt make my day, you made my month lol

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

thank you Crysdon , you have purty hair too

 

[Guest]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Thanks for the info.. And yes I will be stalking, i mean PM'ing you... LOL


I'm torn right now, between, lettin my new growth get longer, that would mean passing up the 20% off relaxers at JC Penney this month.

Their next wont be until spring, if I could make it that long then I could make going natural I think..

I would have to press alot if natuarl and I don't know if the constant heat would be just as damaging as the chemical.

Hmm, what to do, what to do.

 

[serena]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

I just had to look and see what Mindy was raving about, because I knew if she was raving, it had to be something out of the ordinary. And girl, your hair is lovely. I have a different hair type from yours, but your album is very tempting, nonetheless. I admire your combination of both length and thickness.

I've been thinking of transitioning for some time now; I haven't made up my mind, but I'm making darn sure I don't go and apply any more chemicals before I'm 100% sure that's what I want to do - I can't afford to let almost 4 months of new growth go to waste and then regret it. I'm thinking of going to 6 months before I make a decision.

Did you transition, or did you cut off all your relaxed hair at one fell swoop?

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
Mindymouse said:
Thanks for the info.. And yes I will be stalking, i mean PM'ing you... LOL


I'm torn right now, between, lettin my new growth get longer, that would mean passing up the 20% off relaxers at JC Penney this month.

Their next wont be until spring, if I could make it that long then I could make going natural I think..

I would have to press alot if natuarl and I don't know if the constant heat would be just as damaging as the chemical.

Hmm, what to do, what to do.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol anytime girl just hit me up, i actually transitioned with braids and a bun for a long long time...you really dont have to constantly press it only press it when you want to wear it down and straight...cause your right the constant heat wont be good at all..there are so many other things you could do, like roller sets, braid outs etc.

I only press my hair a couple or few times a year , the rest of the time its in a pony tail...i know it seems boring, but its healthy , thats the focus. why dont you just try doing some braids to see how you do, just be sure your hair is well condtioned and oiled before putting them in and they arent too tight and you dont leave them in too long...when done right braids are an excellent way to grow out some new hair from a relaxer. if your hair is long enough girl....just wet it up with a leave in, some oil (i used grease for years to lay it down) and brush it back in a pony tail or bun, this will bring out your natural wave pattern some. just give it a shot and see how you do. but there is lots you can do besides pressing all the time and the pressing becomes a special treat to enjoy all the healthy hair you just grew out.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Thank you Serena,

I totally agree , dont touch the chemical again untill you are sure of what you want to do, so you dont have to end up starting over. i went natural for about ten months and got all this healthy natural hair growing in like crazy then went and relaxed again , thinking it might work out but again had major breakage. and had to start over again

i transitioned for a long long time , litterally untill only the very ends had relaxer on them....and once that was all off, it grew like crazy (or i should say the growth was then seen) i also wore a plain ole bun (it wasnt long enough for a decent looking ponytail) inbetween braiding. it just didnt matter to me how frustrated i got or how bored i got with my hair and still doesnt because i just didnt have a choice anymore to relax, i always ended up with major major damage, breaking, see through hair with the relaxer

 

[Maestradiva77]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Just wanted to give a shout to my girl Iris. Wuz up, girlie?!!

 

[Guest]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
I transitioned for a long long time , litterally untill only the very ends had relaxer on them....

[/ QUOTE ]

That's good to know cause that is also one the things that scared me most is having to cut it all off. I know people say its just hair, but I don't believe that, I belive a woman's hair is her glory.

I never was a braid fan but since I'm older I don't think they are for me but since I've been on the Bun challenge, I probably would do ok with french braids going into a bun. I may try it. God I can't believe I'm entertaining these toughts. LOL

I liked your two strand twist in the bun I want to try that but with all the straight hair, it might not stay.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
Maestradiva77 said:
Just wanted to give a shout to my girl Iris. Wuz up, girlie?!!

[/ QUOTE ]

hey gurl!! i swear i feel like im all ova the place with these boards and groups..... but then so are you... lol...being active here too, is cool though.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
Mindymouse said:
[ QUOTE ]
I transitioned for a long long time , litterally untill only the very ends had relaxer on them....

[/ QUOTE ]

That's good to know cause that is also one the things that scared me most is having to cut it all off. I know people say its just hair, but I don't believe that, I belive a woman's hair is her glory.

I never was a braid fan but since I'm older I don't think they are for me but since I've been on the Bun challenge, I probably would do ok with french braids going into a bun. I may try it. God I can't believe I'm entertaining these toughts. LOL

I liked your two strand twist in the bun I want to try that but with all the straight hair, it might not stay.

[/ QUOTE ]

girl but the relaxed hair started to drive me crazy compared to the thick healthy hair i had coming in and taking over, so i trimmed and trimmed and trimmed and had to fight the urge to chop. its good that the bun is already working for you. its a very good protective style that allows your hair to just grow. and i think your hair would stay in the twists in the bun , if you wrap them good enough with a scrunchie. if not the twists you can do the same thing with braids.

 

[brismom]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

I can't believe I'm thinking of transistioning either. But the thought of long, full, volumes of crinkly thick hair is just too intriguing. I' glad I read y'alls' responses. In the past I would statr out transistioning only to relax on a whim. Then I'd be stuck. Now I know to give it time before I relax.

 

[DigitalRain]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Wow, Irresistable your hair is beautiful!! My hair doesn't look like that natural.

It looks like the hair of that old barber (Cedric the Entertainer) in the Barbershop, minus the gray hair.

 

[ballet_bun]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Irresistable ... I just looked at your pictures, and I really like your hair. It's almost enough to tempt one to transition!

Ballet Bun ...

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
DigitalRain said:
Wow, Irresistable your hair is beautiful!! My hair doesn't look like that natural.

It looks like the hair of that old barber (Cedric the Entertainer) in the Barbershop, minus the gray hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

thank you girl...lol@cedric , well its products that lay my hair down and make it managable im tellin ya.

 

[Bublnbrnsuga]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Irresistable-when I click on your albums,I get an error...why me? BTW the pics I did see are inspirational. I have been transitioning since October 2002 and I want to see if my hair will grow past brastrap length before I cut the relaxed ends,but then again,I may just wait longer after seeing your pics.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
ballet_bun said:
Irresistable ... I just looked at your pictures, and I really like your hair. It's almost enough to tempt one to transition!

Ballet Bun ...

[/ QUOTE ]

thank you Ballet Bun...you can always just try it for a while and see

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
Bublnbrnsuga said:
Irresistable-when I click on your albums,I get an error...why me? BTW the pics I did see are inspirational. I have been transitioning since October 2002 and I want to see if my hair will grow past brastrap length before I cut the relaxed ends,but then again,I may just wait longer after seeing your pics.

[/ QUOTE ]

geesh whats up with yahoo? i fixed the link then the pics dont work ugh that on top of finding out the satin creme press is discontinued and i just wanna scream lol......really you can leave the relaxed hair on as long as you want to and you can deal with it ...i did it to the very end...but i have to say i did see more progress and growth once it was all off.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

the link and pic albums are working again (for now)...yahoo is a trip

 

[Bublnbrnsuga]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

GOOD LAWD GIRL!! Okay now I have 3 hair inspirations: You,Maestradiva 77,and Micarae. Girl join fotki-it's worth money.

 

[annointedaka]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

I think Iris has beautiful hair!! I have seen many pics of naturals and was inspired. However when I started transitioning I was disillusioned quickly. I didn't know what my own natural hair looked like, and as it started growing and the perm started disappearing, I realized it didn't look like many of the pics I had seen. That caused serious discouragement. We all have different hair textures, just keep that in mind. Because I had been relaxed all of my adult like and not knowing what my own natural hair looked like, my parents have 3a/b hair, and mine was what???? 4b??? LOL...I'm just saying, use pics as inspiration but don't get caught up in what someone else's hair looks like and then try to compare yours. Again I mean no offense, I just want to save anyone the frustration I experienced. NOW that my own hair has blossumed and grown into this beautiful head I can appreciate my own uniqueness and beauty. be blessed.

 

[kerplunky]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Wow.

I agree, Irresistible has a beautiful head of natural hair (seriously girl, BEAUTIFUL

)

But ... I doubt when I cut off my relaxed ends that my natural hair is going to look like hers. Does that make her hair any less beautiful? Heck no! But it does mean that I have to like whatever decides to grow out of my head.

I'm ALWAYS inspired by a beautiful head of natural hair, it keeps me longing for my own, BUT I have to remind myself that I'm the80five and my hair is gonna look like the80five's hair, Not pookeylou's, or Afashionslave's, or Maestradiva's, or Irresistible's. So when I do my OWN chop (Soon I hope.

) I'll love whatever's on my head wether it be a Barbershop Cedric fro

or Kelisy curls. If you go natural because you want hair like Irrestible's and your natural hair isn't like that, you might end up dissappointed.

Dang, didn't mean to hijack the thread. Did I mention that Irresistible has a bangin' head of hair? Continue.

ETA: lol, Dang annointedaka! You beat me to the punch. ITA.

 

[Toni]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Irresistable...you do have bomb hair. Very nice.

 

[Guest]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
annointedaka said:
I think Iris has beautiful hair!! I have seen many pics of naturals and was inspired. However when I started transitioning I was disillusioned quickly. I didn't know what my own natural hair looked like, and as it started growing and the perm started disappearing, I realized it didn't look like many of the pics I had seen. That caused serious discouragement. We all have different hair textures, just keep that in mind. Because I had been relaxed all of my adult like and not knowing what my own natural hair looked like, my parents have 3a/b hair, and mine was what???? 4b??? LOL...I'm just saying, use pics as inspiration but don't get caught up in what someone else's hair looks like and then try to compare yours. Again I mean no offense, I just want to save anyone the frustration I experienced. NOW that my own hair has blossumed and grown into this beautiful head I can appreciate my own uniqueness and beauty. be blessed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, that's why I said, I'm sure my hair would'nt like that. But it is a very aspring goal...

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Thank you B , and i can dig what your saying....but here is the key to it all , yes we all have different hair types, but if you are struggling with ANY kind of damage from relaxers , whatever sprouts from your hair naturally , will be stronger, grow longer, look healthier and be thicker.....and believe me , i too had no clue what to expect would grow out of my head......most of us havent ever dealt with our natural hair , we went from our mom's takin care of it , straight to pressed and relaxed hair...so its almost always a new discovery for one when going natural....but no matter the type or texture, natural hair when taken care of properly has the chance to be the best it can be with just about no damage or breakage.

 

[Irresistible]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

[ QUOTE ]
Bublnbrnsuga said:
GOOD LAWD GIRL!! Okay now I have 3 hair inspirations: You,Maestradiva 77,and Micarae. Girl join fotki-it's worth money.

[/ QUOTE ]

its worth money?? please explain.....lol

 

[karezone]

Re: Never Thought I\'d Consider The \"N\" Word

Not working, I guess I will try again later.