Hair it is...

I have been meaning to post an update on my hair for the longest while, but I just have not been feeling to write.

But after posting this picture on Facebook I received lots of compliments as well as some messages on what products I use in my hair and the usual "how did you get your hair to look like that?"

So hair it is...

My hair now is not much longer than it is in that pic now with the longest strand reaching the top of my top lip.

My usual hairstyle for during the week is a ponytail or a very neat afro puff, and for the weekends I just let it all out like how it is in the pic. The routine below is for my "weekend hair."

My hair essentials

SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER:

I recently changed from Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner that I used to use as it provided colour protection for my hair (I colour kinda often...LOL).

I am now using John Frieda Curl Around Shampoo and Conditioner which doesn't give me colour protection but I am it liking so far as it brings out the best in my curls with more defined curls.

While I do wet my hair on an almost daily basis, I do not shampoo my hair daily.

I shampoo once a week, but squirt a little bit of conditioner in my hair most mornings, as this is the only way for me to comb out my hair.

I use my plastic Afro pick and comb through the hair while still in the shower and the hair is still wet, then I rinse out the conditioner from my hair being careful not to get it tangled up again.

I never even attempt to comb my hair out when it is dry, because that would only result in me getting a huge headache and a sore scalp.

Once that part of my routine is finished I then move on to moisturising my hair.

MOISTURE:

I use a variety of moisturisers.

While my hair is still wet, I apply Pantene Relaxed & Natural Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer and sometimes I'll also add some IC Shea Butter Oil Moisturizer or Organic Shea Butter Hair & Scalp Softening Lotion.

I apply these products very liberally to my hair from roots to ends.

Once this is done then I move on the the "other stuff".

THE "OTHER STUFF":

Some days I apply all, some days I just use one or two of the other stuff.

Most times I just finish up with the Soft & Beautiful Botanicals Sculpting Foam. Four pumps of this applied through the hair and I'm good to go.

The thing I like about this product is that it gives great curl definition, especially when your hair is shorter. What I don't like and it's not necessarily a bad thing, is that it really shrinks my hair.

Makes it just disappear into itself, so I try not to use more than the four pumps. It also gives your hair a sort of crunchy feel to it which again is not a bad thing, I just don't like that.

Which is why some days I stop at the moisturising and just add some IC Hair Polisher Sculpting Gel. There is also a great local brand called Eternal and that smells really nice too.

The John Frieda Dream Curls™ Curl Perfecting Spray is a new one I'm using since I started with their line of shampoos/conditioners. This one is also applied to my hair when wet and so far I like it.

For my ponytail or afropuff styles I usually leave out any products that give extra curl.

COLOUR:

Last but certainly not least is colour.

Disclaimer: The colour of my hair in the Facebook pic is enhanced. But my hair colour is along those lines.

One of the things I like about being natural is that I can colour my hair more often than I could have when I was relaxed. I get more opportunities to experiment with colour too.

My favorite brand of hair colour is Clairol Textures and Tones. And my favorite colour combination is their Flaming Desire and Cherrywood.

But it seems as though everyone in Trinidad knows about my special mix so it's very hard to find those two colours these days.

The last two times I've coloured, I've used Dark & Lovely, which is much better than when I first used it many years ago. The smell is much better now and not as strong.

And yes, most times I colour my hair myself or sometimes my mom does it for me.

So there it is, my hair/hair products update.

Is natural hair back in style?

This was the question posed to me by a woman last Friday.

I was minding my own business as per usual, on my way to a meeting and this woman stops me to ask, "Is natural hair back in style or something?"

The look on my face probably said it all, cause she quickly added, "because you're the third person today who I've noticed with their hair natural and it looks so nice. One was in a ponytail and one was like yours (mine was in my usual for work, a huge afro puff)."

She then went on to explain to me that her hair is natural as well (she had in braids) and she just didn't know how to wear her hair or what to do with it, as it was thicker when she was younger and now it's a lot finer etc etc etc.

Being the ever gracious Afro Chic that I am (LOL), I told her that for me going natural wasn't about style and was more about just getting rid of my relaxer and spending money to go do my hair every 6 weeks.

I told her also that there are lots of resources on the internet that she could go to and get lots of information on what to do with her hair. I suggested the only two I could remember off the top of my head Motown Girl (which helped me out a LOT in the earlies and even now) and AfroBella.

The woman seemed extremely grateful to have her question answered and kept gazing at mine and telling me how beautiful it looked.

I finally had to excuse myself cause he was going to make me late for my meeting.