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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. 

I Did My Own Big Chop

Posted on by Michelle
My hair after 9 months of Transitioning;
Relaxed ends and lots of new growth
I have been doing my own haircuts and trims ever since I graduated from high school.  Still, I wasn’t sure if I could successfully do the “Big Chop” myself.  I transitioned for nine months so it was very easy to see where to make each cut.  I guess I was mostly concerned that I would end up with a fro without the right shape.  I had never worn my hair shorter than ear length so the shape of my hair was going to be pretty important to me. 
For awhile I considered going to my Dad or Brother who are both trained barbers.  I even asked if they would be willing to do it when the time came.  I could tell that my Dad was not going to give me a buzz cut because he’s so used to seeing me with longer hair.  My brother however had done the Chop for a few other ladies who were starting their journey so he was up for it.  Before I made my decision though I decided to check out some videos on YouTube to see how other naturalistas got it done.  It seemed to me that having someone do it at a salon meant getting a little more length taken off than I wanted.  This was because of the shaping that was done after the relaxed pieces were cut away.   That’s when I decided that I would just do it myself because then I would only have myself to blame if I there were any mishaps.  Anyway, I could always have my brother fix it if it came to that. 
My hair the day after the Big Chop
During my transition, I made it a point to cut off a little each month so that I wouldn’t have very much relaxed hair left to part with.  I started out by putting my hair into small sections and cut the first piece right in the front.  No turning back!  My fro was bigger than I expected which was a plus.  The following day, I used some Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-in Conditioning Cream, aloe vera gel and shea butter on my wet hair to encourage my first little curls to come into view.  I was so proud of my new hair and how the cut turned out. 

Review: Shea Moisture Conditioning Curl & Style Milk

Posted on by Michelle
Shea Moisture’s Curl & Style Milk
for Thick, Curly Hair

I’ve been hearing so much about the Shea Moisture line and have been wanting to try it out.  All of the products are made from natural ingredients which is a plus.  The haircare items seem to be targeted mostly at people with curly or even kinky hair.  Since they carry it at my local Target store I thought I would finally give it a whirl.

Now remember, my guidelines are the following:

  • It has to be affordable (the amount vs. the price)
  • It needs to be easily accessible (if I can get it locally this is a plus)
  • It has to work for my hair (kinky, curly), my husbands’ straight hair (in most cases) and our kids’ 3b/3c curly hair

I most recently purchased the Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Conditioning Curl & Style Milk.  I paid $9.99 USD for an 8 oz./237 ml. size bottle.  The texture is a lightweight, creamy consistency and, in my opinion, has a strong pina colada fragrance.  Since this line is geared towards curly hair, I’m not expecting my husband to rave about it but he has been known to dabble in my products.  As for me and my kids, it worked differently for all of us.  My twins have fluffy, big curls that have a satiny feel (3b).  This product weighed their hair down and made it look a tiny bit greasy.  (I normally use Giovanni Direct Leave-In to moisturize their hair and will continue to do so once this runs out.)  My oldest son has longer (3b/3c) hair and, while this made his hair soft and easier to manage, it did not provide enough hold for his curls to last all day.  His hair tends to get really puffy without something to weigh the curls down. 

For my hair which is a 4a/4b texture, I was really happy with how soft my hair felt after using it.  My hair definitely felt moisturized and more manageable.  Another plus was how much softer my hair felt when I used it under my Olive Oil Eco Styler Gel.  The only thing I didn’t like is how fast I was going through the product.  We were already halfway through the bottle after a little over 1 week.  Once I saw this, I started to reach for my Palmers Coconut Oil Replinishing Hair Milk instead in order to save on this product.

Overall, I think the Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk is great as a leave-in type moisturizer that makes the hair soft and manageable.  However, I have achieved similar results by using my Aloe Vera/ Leave-in Conditioner spray and sealing with oil.  Follow that with the Palmer’s to make the curls pop and I’m good to go.  I probably won’t purchase this product again based on the little amount you get for the price.  I’m happiest with products that work for all of us and our different textures so getting more for less is a huge factor.  Still it’s worth a try if you’re looking for a good water based moisturizer and the price falls within your budget.

1400 YouTube Subscribers!

Posted on by Michelle

Many of my friends and family are amused when I tell them about my YouTube videos.  Most of the time I don’t even want them to watch because I feel a little silly.  All I talk about is hair so I figure they won’t really get why I do them anyway.  As for my YouTube family, there is still so much I want to share. 

My first video was just to show others how I transitioned from Relaxed to Natural Hair.  I was so happy to see all of the positive comments and decided to do update videos to show my progress.  With each video, I received questions which ended up leading to another episode. 

The first time I saw that I had subscribers on my YouTube channel I was shocked.  I didn’t really think that I had much more to offer than any other Natural on YouTube.  This is what sort of kept me going though.  Ever since those first two subbies, I’ve been posting more and more content on my hair journey.  I checked to see how many I was up to today and saw that I have a little over 1400 subscribers!  I know that there are “Hair Gurus” out there who have waaay more but I am blown away by that number.  These are all people who for one reason or another genuinely would like to see more content from lil’ ole me! 

I wish that I could post more often but my dinosaur of a computer is a real drag when it comes to video editing.  Hopefully I’ll be able to push out a couple of vids here soon to feed the masses.  In the meantime, I just hope that my place in YouTubia is a help to someone out there who is looking for more information on how to go natural.

CLICK HERE to see my Channel, “mitchellzee”, on YouTube

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?