Category: growing long natural hair

Denver’s Natural Hair Meet-Up is Almost Here!

Posted on by Michelle

I can’t believe that the Denver Natural Hair Meet-up is finally coming up this Saturday, June 25th.  Naturals, transitioners and anyone considering going natural are all welcome to join us for what will be a “Girl’s Night Out” style gathering.  We’ll talk hair and swap stories while enjoying some great food.  We’ll each be paying for our own eats but hopefully we can pick-up a sponsor for future events.

Sabrina of the blog, Seriously Natural, has done a great job talkin’ the event up to local stylists who we hope will also be in attendance.  She has even gathered samples of hair goodies from companies like Kinky Curly and Carol’s Daughter!  I’m excited too because this will be the first hair meet-up I’ve been to.  Hope to see you there!

Don’t Forget to R.S.V.P.


Celebrating 2 Years with Natural Hair

Posted on by Michelle
This week marks my two year Natural Hair anniversary.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, it was two years ago this week that I decided to go ahead with the Big Chop and finally let go of the last of my relaxed hair.  Since then, I have tried many different styling techniques and hair products hoping to find what works best for my thick and curly hair texture.  There have been some hits and surely lots of misses but it has been a learning experience all the same. 
The reason for all of my trial error is because I wore my hair straightened by chemical relaxer since age 11.  Before that, my mother styled my hair so the last two years have been my first experience with doing my hair in its’ natural state.  Not only that, my hair is beginning to grow past the shorter lengths I am used to which means I’m also learning how to maintain my length. 
So proud of my TWA
in 2009
Still, even after all of the research, hair forums, YouTube videos and my own personal hair trials, I am discovering that I still have a long way to go before I can claim that I have mastered my hair.  My natural hair journey hasn’t exactly been easy but it is still something I wish that I had done sooner.  It just makes so much sense to do my hair without all of the extra manipulation that comes with heat styling and chemical processing.  I don’t run inside when it rains.  I enjoy my fro and my big hair.  When I get that itch to wear it straight, I can do that too.  I love my natural hair and I can’t wait to see where it ends up in the next two years. 

My True Hair Length

Posted on by Michelle
The other day I was watching a hair length check video by pltbyCormie on YouTube.  She was explaining that if you think that you are not experiencing hair growth, it may be best to start measuring your hair with a tape measure.  This way you end up getting a more accurate look at how long your hair truly is.  Since I’m trying to avoid straightening my hair for awhile, I can never really “see” where my hair is due to shrinkage.  I decided to try it because I have been a little frustrated waiting for APL length hair.  This method not only showed me where my current length is, but also gave me an idea of how much longer until I reach my hair length goals.  It turns out that I am approximately 2″ away from reaching my goal and another 4″ before I reach BSL (bra strap).  I was relieved to finally have something more concrete than just looking in the mirror and waiting for hair growth. 

Measuring from shoulder length to APL;
about 5 to 6 inches
Height and Hair Length
Cormie also mentioned that when we look to others who have already reached their hair length goals, we should try not to compare our hair to theirs.  This is where height comes into play.  Depending on how tall you are, you may have longer or shorter to go before reaching SL (shoulders), APL (arm pits) and BSL (bra strap).  The distance between these points is different for everyone.  If you are shorter in stature then you may be able to reach your goals sooner than someone who is considered quite tall.  I’m 5’6″ and the distance between SL and APL on me is 5 to 6 inches.  I had the unrealistic goal of achieving this length by Dec. of 2010 after only getting to shoulder length in May of 2010.  That’s only 7 months time while my hair most likely only grows 1/2″ per month.  Now I can stop fretting over not reaching this goal already because I can see that I’m on track to reach it by my 2 year natural hair anniversary (May 2011) which is more accurate.  Others who have reached this goal sooner may or may not be shorter than I am.  Now that I have this knowledge, I am looking forward to seeing hair growth in a time frame that is true to me and based on my own hair. 

Gettin’ My Natural Back

Posted on by Michelle
One of my favorite places to stock up on
products for my Natural hair care

I have finally decided what my hair goals are for 2011.  I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit because I wanted to come up with something that I can go after without burning out.  My main goal is to retain as much length as possible this year.  Healthy hair grows.  So I am updating my regimen to coincide with my new attitude towards my hair. 

Many of my YouTube subscribers are aware that I flat iron my hair at least one time each month.  I even did a few videos on how I get my hair bone straight.  After trimming away heat damaged ends earlier this month, I can see that this routine has taken its’ toll.  I’m not saying that I won’t straighten my hair again but, I definitely want to start using a lot less heat from now on.  Which brings me to my next goal which is to use little to no heat.  This means wearing my hair up in protective styles or curly with wash n’ go’s.  I also have rollersets and my newly revamped braidout method to play with so I can still be fabulous without the straight look. 

This new attitude is making me reconsider some of the products I have been playing with for the past few months.  Something keeps bringing me back to my old stand-bys like unrefined shea butter, apple cider vinegar rinses and Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castille Soap for my homemade shampoo mix.  I’m even thinking about making up some Flax Seed Gel for the first time so that I can finally set aside my Eco Styler gel.  So today I’m going to stop by my favorite natural grocery store and stock up on the things I need to get back to Natural.  I’ll probably head over to T.J. Maxx too just to see if they have those liter bottles of Giovanni products in stock.  My adventures in silicones & sulfates land are coming to an end and I think I’m gonna just stick to what I know for right now.  My hair just responds best to things that have natural ingredients.  Why did I ever stray?