2013 Update!

Hi Everybody! Just thought I'd post some recent and random pics. Now days my basic routine is to co-wash my hair every 2 (or 3) weeks, shampoo once a month and do an apple cidar vinegar rinse once a month. I still pre-poo with Coconut oil and whatever conditioner I have on hand and after washing I use a leave-in, ususally KCKT or even some of my pre-poo conditioner like Tre' Semme Naturals, then I apply clear aloe vera gel as a styler and seal with whipped shea butter. After that I put my hair in twists and wear it in a bun for a couple of weeks to stretch it. Once I get tired of the bun, I take the twists down and rock a twistout for about a week. I'm able to get my twistout to last for a week or more because I pull it back into a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck at night and cover it with a satin scarf. In the morning I just fluff with a bit of olive oil and lightly spray with an olive oil spray and go! I love it :) In between washings I moisturize my hair with water mixed with aloe vera juice and seal with an oil or shea butter when my hair is in twists.

Any-who, enjoy the pics. And check out my Youtube Channel at:
 http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1?feature=mhee

Ciao for now!

Pam

The "Diva" Bun

I recently visited Chicago for a work conference and wanted to wear my hair in a no-fuss style for the week. It was BLAZING hot and I didn't want my hair down in my face or on my neck because we had to do alot of walking outside, mainly from the hotel to our corporate headquarters. I also wanted to do some site-seeing in general and just didn't want to have to mess with my hair. I had co-washed and conditioned my hair and put it in medium twists all over my head. I didn't want to take the twists down so I decided to put my hair up in a bun. But, I wanted a HUGE bun (of course) so I got some of the "Marley", Kanekalon hair from my local beauty supply (just one pack). I got the one that matched my hair color and texture the closest and 2 strand twisted the whole thing into one big twist. I then twisted that big twist around my own bun on top of my head and secured it with bobby pins all around. The results? Instant LOVE! This style was easy to do, easy to maintain - I just tied my hair down with a scarf at night and then spritzed my hair lightly in the morning with some Jamaican Mango & Lime No Itch Growth Spray. This style lasted a whole week and could've lasted several. I love it and will be wearing this style again. It's perfect for these hot summer days and it looks fantastic and regal, I think. I got so many compliments, not to mention a really great twistout once I took the twists down!

Check out more pics from my Chicago trip on my Youtube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1?feature=mhee

Ciao for now! :)

I'm Baaaack!!! (Again)

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted on this blog. I've been busy. Alot going on. I'll try to do better from now on. O_o

Updates. Well, let's see. My hair has grown quite a bit since I last blogged. It was well past shoulder length (stretched) up until about 1 month ago. I had a little bout with SSKs (single strand knots) and nightmar-ish detangling so I had to trim my ends about a month ago. I think I trimmed a good 1 1/2 - 2 inches. So, no my hair is back to just past shoulder length, but, it's growing. I have TONS of products that I need to give away or use up, but I'm only feeling a few right now. I'm also currently engaged in the "Curly Girl" method, co-washing weekly and clarifying with a mild sulfate shampoo maybe once a month. I like the results so far. My hair stays moisturized, for the most part, and detangling has become almost a breeze after co-washing.

Right now I pre-poo with extra virgin olive oil and Aussie Moist condish. I know Aussie Moist has "cones" in it and the true Curly Girl method avoids cones, but, it works best for my hair and I do shampoo once a month to clarify so my hair is doing quite well. I follow up my co-wash with Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in (still my staple leave-in), I detangle with this, in sections, of course, then add some shea butter to seal and finally just plain old Aloe Vera gel as a styler. This combo of products is WONDERFUL. I usually twist my hair up into medium/chunky sections and then style my hair in an updo for a couple of days to a week or longer until I get ready to wash again. I'm really feeling keeping my hair in twists. I also spritz it lightly every morning with Jamaican Mango & Lime No More Itch Gro Spray. I love this stuff. Great daily moisturizer, as it's main ingredient is water. I seal that with a light spray of ORS Olive Oil Sheen Spray. A couple of days before I wash, I might take my twists down and wear an AWESOME big twistout. I seem to have gotten my twistouts to look great just about everytime now. Really feeling good about my hair these days :)

Thinking about revamping my blog and Youtube channel or starting a new one. I think I want to focus more, now, on presenting info and pics and tips for just the average natural curly - as opposed to the "super-gurus". I love the natural hair icons and their beautiful heads of hair, but I know for me it really helps to see average, everyday curlies with hair like mine, styling and working their hair. Does that make sense?

Well, Above are a few recent pics. Also, check out my Youtube channel for more pics and videos!

http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1?feature=mhee

Ciao for Now!!
Pam

Fluffy Twistout and Thanksgiving Pics

Here is the twistout I wore on Thanksgiving day and pics of me and the family having fun! I used Blue Magic hair grease and Design Essentials Curl Defining Creme Gel on dry hair :)

Ciao for now and Happy Holidays!

"Ma'am, You Look Really Nice!"

Just had to share an experience that I had a couple of days ago that really made my day. On my way home from work I stopped at a gas station and went inside for a few things. I was dressed fashionably professional and my hair was in medium twists, pinned in an up-do, nothing fancy. I collected my items and proceeded to stand in line at the counter to pay. I was in a bit of a hurry and not paying attention to what was going on around me when I heard a man’s voice behind me say, “Excuse me ma’am.” I turned around and saw this very nice looking young man (probably a good 15 – 20 years younger than myself). He went on to say, “ Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not trying to hit on you or anything, but you look VERY nice!” WOW! I thanked him for the compliment, turned back around to the counter, paid for my purchases and strutted out of the gas station very matter-of-factly, but y’all know inside I was really feeling myself! LOL.

I know that we naturals feel that if no one else appreciates us in all of our natural-haired glory, we don’t need their approval. We’re already confident in ourselves, because it takes a lot of confidence to go natural in the first place. We appreciate and love ourselves and don’t care what others think. I know I usually don’t. As long as my husband admires and appreciates me and the way I look (and he tells me so, often) and most importantly, as long as “I” like what I see when I look in the mirror, I really don’t care much about what others think of me most of the time. But, on that rare occasion, when you do get a heartfelt, sincere compliment from a complete stranger, I have to admit, it is WONDERFULLY refreshing!

Ciao for Now!

Visit my You Tube Channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1

New Pics

My Wash n Go not quite dry yet

It's been a little while since I posted. My hair is doing well, I've slipped off the "minimalist" bandwagon and purchased a few more items for my hair which I really love. I've been using Tre Semme Moisturizing Conditioner for EVERYTHING, co-washing, as a leave in and as a detangling condish and I love that stuff! I also purchased some of the Taliah Waajid Bodifying Mist as a detangler/leave in and I love it too. I got some Olive Oil Ecco Styler and tried a wash and go for a few days, which I actually did like - I liked the low maniplation of just putting on a silk scarf at night and then misting and fluffing in the morning. That lasted for about a week and a half. It's actually a wash n "fro" for me because the shrinkage is unreal, but I liked it! I'll definitely explore the wash n go again soon. I also did twists/ twistout using some good old fashioned hair grease to seal in moisture from my shampoo and conditioning and under my gel styler. It kept my hair very moisturized and soft. I liked it too. I've discovered for the best results to stretch and twistout my hair after co-washing and detangling to apply a combination of coconut oil, shea butter and Aloe Vera gel (mixed together) to stretch my hair and seal my ends, and then apply a GENEROUS amount of Design Essentials Curl Defining Creme Gel to twist. I got the most amazing, full and stretched twists-turned twistout that I've every gotten before! It also doesn't hurt that my hair is growing like a weed. Not only longer but "fuller". I'm retaining length and just more hair in general because I rarely use any tools in my hair to detangle and style. Just my fingers. Well, here are some pics of my latest styles.

Visit my You Tube channel Here:
Website:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1

Successful Braidout and "Jamaican Girl" half-wig

Just some pics of my first braidout that I was actually happy with, now that I'm all natural and my hair has grown out. I misted stretched hair with a little water, EVOO and Aloe Juice, added a little HEHH condish, sealed with more EVOO and then braided it in about 12-15 braids, curling the ends with the skinny plastic from sponge rollers (just removed the sponge part). I LOVED how it turned out. Lasted about 4 days.

Here's me in my Free Tress "Jamaican Girl" half-wig. This is what I wore after my twistout started going bad - LOL. I just braided my hair back up but left the front out to blend with the wig. I don't think it looks too bad. Kinda close to my own twistout - just a little fuller and the curls are a bit more defined. but, anyhoo...I like it!

I think I'll wear it more often during the winter months while I keep my own hair braided up and protected underneath. At least, this is what I might do after I've worn a braidout and it starts to look raggedy but I'm not ready to change the "look", know what I mean?

Check out my You Tube Channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1?feature=mhee

Well, Ciao for now! :)

August Update ALL Natural and B&B Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion

So, I'm finally 100% ALL Natural! I cut off the very last of my permed ends a few weeks ago and I love it. Although, I've been transitioning for 18 months and there really wasn't much left of the perm anyway so I didn't really BIG CHOP. LOL. After my "trim" My hair is probably about 9-10 inches long in most parts of my head when stretched. About 6 inches in the back. I'm still following my simplified routine and my hair is loving it. I shampooed the other day with Jessicurl's Hair Cleansing Cream and did a chunky twistout (about 12 twists) using Jessicurl's "Too Shea" conditioner as a leave in and the Confident Coils Styling Solution as a styler. I sealed with EVOO. The twistout turned out pretty good - particularly since I can do them now without having to curl the ends with rollers or curlers. I was very pleased with it.

I used a spritz of water/EVOO mix (very little, just enough to dampen hair a bit), Aloe Vera Gel and sealed with EVOO then retwisted in chunky twists to maintain the style at night. I got about 3 days out of it. I could've gone longer but I got tired of having to retwist my hair every night. I'm lazy like that - LOL! I like to be able to just throw a scarf or bonnet on and go to bed. That's why I keep my hair in twists and updos a lot and forgo the twistouts. So, on the third day, on my old twistout, I went ahead and did an updo and I'll probably rock that for the rest of the week. It's actually my version of Kimmaytube's 40's updo style which is basically a roll, tuck and pin with a bun in th back and pompador in the front.

The only problem that I have when I wear my hair in updo or protective styles that are from an old twistout and not in actual twists, is how to keep it moisturized. I've found that if I keep my hair "stretched" it doesn't tangle as easily and I can put it in different styles easier than when it's "shrunken" - but, it's hard to keep your hair moisturized when it's stretched because if you add water, it's going to shrink up. Oils don't really add much moisture, they just seal in moisture. Enter - B&B Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion! I always loved this stuff, but had stopped using it because I discovered it had mineral oil. I like to co-wash or use a hair cleansing cream with no sulfates and not have to use shampoo often (no more than once a month), so I don't want to use a bunch of products that have mineral oils which coats the hair and require a sulfate shampoo to remove. But, B&B works SOOO well. It moisturizes without being greasy and doesn't cause the hair to shrink and makes my hair super soft! I rub it into my dry hair, seal with EVOO and style. Well, I've decided that I'm going to start back using it ANYWAY. Considering the fact that it's a water-based moisturizer (water is the first ingredient on the list) and it contains castor oil, jojoba oil, canola oil, coconut oil and aloe vera - this stuff can't be bad for my hair! Plus, the mineral oil is like the 6th indgredient down on the list so it doesn't contain a concentrated amount. I'm going to roll with it. I love the way it makes my hair look and feel.

Well, that's it for now. Pictures coming soon, I promise ;)

SIMPLICITY & TEXTURE ACCEPTANCE

So, I'm really getting my routine down to basics and I love it. It's really working out great - less product, less manipulation and healthier hair! I took some tips from Cipriana of "Urbanbushbabes" mainly because her hair type is similar to mine and she has had such great success with hair growth and health over 4 years following her routine. I've modified it to suit me, of course, but here goes:

• Shampoo monthly with a mild shampoo to remove any buildup on hair



• Pre-poo and Co-wash bi-weekly with conditioner and olive oil (leave pre-poo on with a baggy and scarf for at least 15 mins to deep condition) rinse hair, apply leave-in and put into medium to small twists all over head



• Once a week take twists down (using oil and a little bit of oil/water spritz) apply leave-in and re-twist, twist the "twists" together making about 6 big twists and then "band" twists to stretch overnight. Release the 6 larger twists in the morning and style hair in a protective updo for the week. (bun, twists, twist bun with Goody barrette or faux puff bun)



• Nightly while hair is in protective updo style - spritz hair lightly with EVOO "spray" and tie with satin scarf and satin bonnet before bed.

Generally the only products that I use now are:

Water, EVOO, Hot Six Oil, EVOO Spray, Shampoo of choice (right now it's Jessicurl's Cleansing Cream or ORS Creamy Olive Oil Shampoo), Kimmaytube leave in mix, Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter, Jessicurl's Weekly Deep Conditioner or HH Hello Hydration.

I'm also discovering the beauty of my hair the way it is - not twisted to create a certain curl pattern but just appreciating it for it's kinky, shrinky, nappy, poofy self. Check out my video on this:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1?feature=mhee

Ciao for now!

Flexirod, Flat Twist Twistout

I recently did a flat twistout using flexirods to

curl the ends (see my tutorial for this style on my Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/pstaver1) I didn't like it at first, it was a little TOO curly for me, but I played around with it a bit and got it to a point where I could live with it - LOL!

I've been following the exact same routine for about a month or so now and it really seems to be working well for me.

On Saturdays I take my twists down with a little bit of EVOO, divide my hair into two sections, first, saturate my hair with water, Aloe Vera Juice and EVOO spritz, and then apply a deep conditioner to both sides of my hair. I then divide my hair into about 5-6 sections on each side of my head and secure them with clips. Starting on my left side, (because I'm lefthanded, I guess) start detangling each section, first with my fingers then with my shower comb and finally with my paddle brush. After detangling a section I twist it. Once all the sections are twisted, I put on a plastic baggy and then a scarf and deep condition for anywhere from 15 mins to 4 hours, depending on how much time I have and what I'm doing that day.

Next, I rinse my hair in the shower (leaving the twists in) and then shampoo with a non-sulfate hair cleanser or shampoo. Finally, I rinse out the shampoo and then proceed to style with my Kimmaytube leave-in mixture. My style is usually medium sized twists that I leave down over the weekend, and then pin up either in somekind of updo style or pull back into a banana clip bun for the week. This cuts down on frequent manipulation and allows me to leave my hair ALONE. It also cuts down big time on styling time in the morning because my mornings are very rushed and I don't have time to spend forever getting my hair together. To maintain my style throughout the week, I sleep with a satin scarf on and in the morning I just spritz it my hair with my aloe vera spritz, put on a stocking cap to keep the style neat while I go through my morning routine, then, once I'm all dressed with my makeup on and ready to leave the house, I remove the stocking cap and accessorize. About midweek, I may dampen my hair and add some more leave-in conditioner and retwist the twists in the front of my hair if they're looking raggedy. But, that's about it. This routine has helped me tremendously and I think my hair loves it too :)

Ciao for now!

New Pics!

Not a whole lot to report - just some pics of new and different styles and my twist n curls! What do you think? I think I'm getting better at the TnC ;)

Ciao for now!