Goopy hair

Hello everyone,

Today, I had my first physical therapy appointment for a shoulder injury. I washed my hair just prior to the appointment and used Kinky Curly (I use this when I do a wash and go). My hair was still wet when I arrived for the appointment. No big deal, right? WRONG!!! First, I had to lay (lie?) down on a white terry cloth towel. Ugh...all I could envision was bits of white lint in my fro. AND, even more embarrassing: globs of hair product on the towel when I lifted up my head for all to see. Fortunately, neither the lint nor the globs appeared. Whew, crisis averted. Or so I thought. I had no idea what was about to unfold.

My therapist, Tom, had me sit up and then said something like, "Okay, now I'm going to do some compression. I'm going to put my hands in your hair and press down on your head and hold it"...SAY WHAT!!??? You're going to put your hands in my hair? I said out loud, "Black women and their hair!". Yes I did! I then told him that my hair was freshly washed and it had product in it. I don't think he believed me but once he finished pressing down, he immediately reached for a towel to wipe off his hands. OMG! I was mortified. All I need is for this man I just met to think that my hair is goopy, dirty, unclean. Wait, why do I care? My hair is certainly clean, he's done this before and it's no big deal. Wow, I think I assumed that he'd never touched Black hair before and I didn't want him to think that all of it was "goopy". Was I some type of standard bearer or something? That is just too much pressure. So, I told him about my blog, that I'd be blogging about the experience and kept it moving. Just another day in the life.

Image found at: http://sewcakemake.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html

First chunky twist-out and headband!

Hi there! Tomorrow I'll get back to my RV hair adventures. But today, I wanted to share a recent hair experience. I just washed my hair and, because I want to start a new exercise regimen (Black Girls Run! (http://www.blackgirlsrun.com/), I decided to see what my hair would look like if I just did a wash and go. Well, sort of a wash and go. I washed, deep conditioned (sat under a hooded dryer), and then applied Kinky Curly (KC) (Knot Today and Curling Custard). I really want to like KC but it just doesn't yield the greatest results for my short, kinky hair. I don't know, maybe I'm using too much of the product or maybe it will work better once my hair grows out a bit more.

Anyway, I wanted to "freeze" my hair in place because it was cute when dripping wet. Thus, I used a diffuser (I need to research this gadget!). So, several hours after washing my hair, I'm left with what looks like a 5 minute wash-and go. I was not happy. I know that I may get some flack for this but I am not enamored with my wash and go TWA. I like curl definition, more styling, something. Otherwise, I feel a bit like a female George Jefferson.

So, I decided to do a chunky twist-out (again, I used Doris New York Olive Oil hair cream...this has become my go-to product). Here are the results. I love it! It is soft, moist and beautiful. However, I need to figure out how to get the same results in the back of my head which resembles a wefted, kinky carpet. Plus, I need to rewash my hair because of the KC product residue. Ugh. Any suggestions?


P.S.: Oh my goodness, the chunky twist-out lasted for ONE DAY. I tied it up with a satin bonnet and this morning I was sporting a George Jefferson. This made my morning a bit hectic because I had no idea how I'd wear my hair to my 9:30 coffee. Should I wear a scarf (oh my goodness, NO! I looked a mess)? Quickly wash it? Please, I've learned that a wash tends not to be "quick" for me. So, I misted it to tighten up the fro. When I got back home I washed it, blew it out and twisted it with my usual products. Here's to learning about my hair! :)

First chunky twist-out and headband!

Hi there! Tomorrow I'll get back to my RV hair adventures. But today, I wanted to share a recent hair experience. I just washed my hair and, because I want to start a new exercise regimen (Black Girls Run! (http://www.blackgirlsrun.com/), I decided to see what my hair would look like if I just did a wash and go. Well, sort of a wash and go. I washed, deep conditioned (sat under a hooded dryer), and then applied Kinky Curly (KC) (Knot Today and Curling Custard). I really want to like KC but it just doesn't yield the greatest results for my short, kinky hair. I don't know, maybe I'm using too much of the product or maybe it will work better once my hair grows out a bit more.

Anyway, I wanted to "freeze" my hair in place because it was cute when dripping wet. Thus, I used a diffuser (I need to research this gadget!). So, several hours after washing my hair, I'm left with what looks like a 5 minute wash-and go. I was not happy. I know that I may get some flack for this but I am not enamored with my wash and go TWA. I like curl definition, more styling, something. Otherwise, I feel a bit like a female George Jefferson.

So, I decided to do a chunky twist-out (again, I used Doris New York Olive Oil hair cream...this has become my go-to product). Here are the results. I love it! It is soft, moist and beautiful. However, I need to figure out how to get the same results in the back of my head which resembles a wefted, kinky carpet. Plus, I need to rewash my hair because of the KC product residue. Ugh. Any suggestions?


P.S.: Oh my goodness, the chunky twist-out lasted for ONE DAY. I tied it up with a satin bonnet and this morning I was sporting a George Jefferson. This made my morning a bit hectic because I had no idea how I'd wear my hair to my 9:30 coffee. Should I wear a scarf (oh my goodness, NO! I looked a mess)? Quickly wash it? Please, I've learned that a wash tends not to be "quick" for me. So, I misted it to tighten up the fro. When I got back home I washed it, blew it out and twisted it with my usual products. Here's to learning about my hair! :)

Hair Disaster: Parenting When Children's Hair Hurts

Image found at: http://madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/a40fd113-bacc-e3a0-7966-d60f563b8565-News_BB_Crying_Girl.jpg

There are some days that go down in history and yesterday morning was one of them. I took one look at Chase’s shriveled up hair and knew that her daily swimming excursions at summer camp were wreaking havoc on her afro puff. I’d spent love and time creating beautifully puffy puffs, detangling with Kinky Curly, sealing in moisture with organic coconut oil, slicking back with Eco Styler gel. The puffy puffs lasted one day. One trip to the neighborhood pond with her summer camp and her hair shrank. That wasn’t the problem, the problem was that her hair had shrunk with product in it. Yup, she know had a crunchy, crinkly mass of kinks on her tender head. Of course, the last few days have been super busy for me as I’ve closed out the fiscal year end at work and attended birthday celebrations. So, rather than wash my daughter’s hair, I’ve been misting it with water, applying more gel and brushing it into an afro puff (one that grew slightly smaller and less puffy with each passing day).

Can you say, HUGE mistake? By yesterday morning (a Friday), my daughter’s hair was extra crunchy and I HAD to comb it out. Even a wide tooth comb was causing my daughter excruciating pain. I told her that she needed to wear her swim cap to protect her hair when she went to the pond. Oh my goodness. My sweet little girl broke my heart when she turned to me and told me that she didn’t want to wear it because everyone will tease her. In earlier posts I’ve mentioned that we live in a predominantly white community (http://tropie7189.blogspot.com/2011/04/loc-wearer-on-hunt-for-salon-in-boston.html). My daughter is keenly aware of the fact that she would be the only child sporting a swim cap and I can’t blame her for not wanting to be teased. Tomorrow, I’ll share how we handled this sensitive parenting moment. Also, please share how you all would handle your child's hair in this situation. Swim cap? Conditioner every night? What would you do?

Hair Disaster: Parenting When Children's Hair Hurts

Image found at: http://madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/a40fd113-bacc-e3a0-7966-d60f563b8565-News_BB_Crying_Girl.jpg

There are some days that go down in history and yesterday morning was one of them. I took one look at Chase’s shriveled up hair and knew that her daily swimming excursions at summer camp were wreaking havoc on her afro puff. I’d spent love and time creating beautifully puffy puffs, detangling with Kinky Curly, sealing in moisture with organic coconut oil, slicking back with Eco Styler gel. The puffy puffs lasted one day. One trip to the neighborhood pond with her summer camp and her hair shrank. That wasn’t the problem, the problem was that her hair had shrunk with product in it. Yup, she know had a crunchy, crinkly mass of kinks on her tender head. Of course, the last few days have been super busy for me as I’ve closed out the fiscal year end at work and attended birthday celebrations. So, rather than wash my daughter’s hair, I’ve been misting it with water, applying more gel and brushing it into an afro puff (one that grew slightly smaller and less puffy with each passing day).

Can you say, HUGE mistake? By yesterday morning (a Friday), my daughter’s hair was extra crunchy and I HAD to comb it out. Even a wide tooth comb was causing my daughter excruciating pain. I told her that she needed to wear her swim cap to protect her hair when she went to the pond. Oh my goodness. My sweet little girl broke my heart when she turned to me and told me that she didn’t want to wear it because everyone will tease her. In earlier posts I’ve mentioned that we live in a predominantly white community (http://tropie7189.blogspot.com/2011/04/loc-wearer-on-hunt-for-salon-in-boston.html). My daughter is keenly aware of the fact that she would be the only child sporting a swim cap and I can’t blame her for not wanting to be teased. Tomorrow, I’ll share how we handled this sensitive parenting moment. Also, please share how you all would handle your child's hair in this situation. Swim cap? Conditioner every night? What would you do?

Mother Daughter Bonding

Image found at: http://cdn.wblk.com/files/2011/01/black_mother_daughter3.jpg

In an earlier post (http://tropie7189.blogspot.com/2011/06/mothers-why-do-we-care-how-our.html) I pondered why we mothers (and some fathers) care so much about our daughter’s hair. I reflected on how my daughter’s hair impacts her identity as well as my own. Yesterday, I washed my daughter’s hair and we had some time to talk. My daughter is quick as a whip and absolutely has no problem telling me how much she hates to get her hair done. But, as soon as I remind her that she likes her hair to look nice she acquiesces and lets me lather, rinse, lather, rinse, (no towel blot…leads to frizz), apply leave in conditioner (Kinky Curly Knot Today), section, comb, two-strand twist (Kinky Curly Gel) hand place her under the hooded dryer for a few minute to remove excess water, then conclude with a fair amount of essential oils. Whew, now it’s time for bed (for both of us!).

Guess what? We managed to have fun doing it. We watched a bit of TV and when it was time for her to sit under the dryer, I lay down next to her so that I could rub her back and keep her company. She soaked it all in and gave me the most precious smile. I love the fact that our hair ritual is becoming a bonding ritual.

Plus, when I untwisted her hair this morning and put it into an afro-puff her hair was moisturized, detangled and gorgeous! She loved it and I was so grateful that we’d spent time together. I love Kinky Curly products and they can be purchased at http://kinky-curly.com/shop.php. By the way, I am in no way affiliated with Kinky Curly just love the products!

Mother Daughter Bonding

Image found at: http://cdn.wblk.com/files/2011/01/black_mother_daughter3.jpg

In an earlier post (http://tropie7189.blogspot.com/2011/06/mothers-why-do-we-care-how-our.html) I pondered why we mothers (and some fathers) care so much about our daughter’s hair. I reflected on how my daughter’s hair impacts her identity as well as my own. Yesterday, I washed my daughter’s hair and we had some time to talk. My daughter is quick as a whip and absolutely has no problem telling me how much she hates to get her hair done. But, as soon as I remind her that she likes her hair to look nice she acquiesces and lets me lather, rinse, lather, rinse, (no towel blot…leads to frizz), apply leave in conditioner (Kinky Curly Knot Today), section, comb, two-strand twist (Kinky Curly Gel) hand place her under the hooded dryer for a few minute to remove excess water, then conclude with a fair amount of essential oils. Whew, now it’s time for bed (for both of us!).

Guess what? We managed to have fun doing it. We watched a bit of TV and when it was time for her to sit under the dryer, I lay down next to her so that I could rub her back and keep her company. She soaked it all in and gave me the most precious smile. I love the fact that our hair ritual is becoming a bonding ritual.

Plus, when I untwisted her hair this morning and put it into an afro-puff her hair was moisturized, detangled and gorgeous! She loved it and I was so grateful that we’d spent time together. I love Kinky Curly products and they can be purchased at http://kinky-curly.com/shop.php. By the way, I am in no way affiliated with Kinky Curly just love the products!