Newfound Revelation.
It has been nine months since my last relaxer. My journey began with gradually knowing the science and process of hair through reading two books:
Grow It: How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time by Chicoro a book aiming the objective to achieving long, healthy hair. I have marked this point to achieve one simple goal...long, healthy, waist length natural hair.
Major Lessons Learned in Proper Hair Care:
- Protective Styling: As seen in the previous blog, you can view several styles eg. Bantu Knot Twist Out, Braid Outs, Buns, Tuck n' Go, Miss Naje Faux Hawk, 2-Strand Twists
- Patience. Time. Patience. Time. Need I say more. It will take time to achieve the length you are marking for.
- Proper Care. Detangling is a must and learning how to detangle comes with proper handling of the hair and being very, very gentle with each individual hair strand. This will retain and promote length. Something I will not do ever again is comb out my tangles--this has proved to be quite damaging to my own hair. So I have learned to take my time to individually detangle my hair. The steps below will help achieve length. Keep in mind this may take up to an hour depending on the amount of tangles and length you have. The steps below will make your shampoo and condition process a breeze because you will not spend time detangling when the hair is wet, where it is in its most fragile state :
How to Detangle Your Natural Tresses:
1) Divide your hair in 4 or 8 sections with your fingers. Whether your hair is in a natural or straightened state, it is best to begin the detangling process when the hair is dry.
Exception: If your hair is dry, immobile, brittle or hard because of the use of certain products, such as hair gels or leave-in products, skip the dry detangle step. Proceed to the wet detangle explanation.
2) Apply a dime-sized amount of an essential oil, e.g. jojoba oil to each hair section. Jojoba oil has a very smooth, non-greasy texture to it. Detangling should be done without wetting the hair, and using only your fingers.
3) Identify any tangles in one section. Do not use a comb. Using your fingers, find a tangle and gently pull away as amny hairs as you can from the tanlge, a few at a time, until you reach the
core of the tangle=a point when you cannot remove any more hair from it without risk of breaking the hair.
4) Squeeze the core tangle and move it by rubbing it between your ffingers. This will loosen the tangle. Try to separate the hair from the core tangle, hair by hair. If you cannot remove the core tangle, do not worry because you have significantly reduced the size of the tangle and minimized any chance of losing your precious strands.
The Goal: Detangling the hair enough so that you can further section it without creating more tanlges or matting the hair
5) When you have succeeded in detangling your hair, divide it into small sections and braid each section loosely.
Important Note: Finger combing and detangling minimize the stress and force that you put on your hair as you groom. Therefore, detangling with your fingers aids in the preservation of the hair shaft structure. [source:
Grow It by Chicoro]
Baseline Photo: Documentation of the "Grow It" Process
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| This look was achieved after adding Silk Chi Infusion, straighten with Chi Ceramic flatiron and applied to Aveda Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade. The pomade worked amazingly. After applying the product, I immediately noticed shine. This satiny pomade repels moisture from your hair, helping to prevent frizziness and flyaways. Tames curls to give hair a polished look. Excellent in humid weather. Work through hair before or after styling [source]. |
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| Look achieved with large barrel Instant Heat Conair curling iron |
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| Remember this? My last relaxer: March 2, 2010 |
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| Top view |
