MBL. That's Mid-Back Length in natural hair terminology and my newly achieved length.
This May will mark my 6th year with natural hair. Yay! Last summer I decided to just let my hair grow out. I'd trim my ends, but I wanted to see how long it would get if I just let it go.
It's almost a year and recently, I hit a new length--mid-back length when stretched. Awww snap! I don't use heat so stretched for me equals a bantu knot out, then stretched Curlformers curls.
I've been thinking about having it blown out, but my one experience four years ago left me scarred for life. I had so much heat damage I ended up chopping off about half of my then two-year-old afro. #devastating. I was a new natural and allowed my stylist use way too much heat. The thought of a blow-out still makes me cringe. I probably won't.
Long hair. It's a lot of work. I mostly keep it twisted and pinned up, especially in cooler weather. I co-wash weekly and oil my scalp a couple of times a week in the winter. My favorite products are mixed at home:
1.) Oil Mix--fill a bottle with a pointy tip half full of Hemp Seed oil, half full of Olive oil (Grapeseed oil in warmer weather or when I need less moisture) + 20 drops of Peppermint essential oil. I use this as an oil rinse, and to oil my hair and scalp as needed. And I use it on my body. I love everything about this mix. It's perfect for me.
2.) Whipped Shea--1 lb of Shea Butter, 1-2 oz each of Coconut oil, Grapeseed oil, Almond oil. Sometimes I infuse my oils with Lavender, Rosemary, or Vanilla before mixing them into the Shea Butter.
3.) Fancy Water--2/3 Water + 1/3 Aloe Vera Juice + 1-2 Tb Glycerin in spray bottle
4.) Daily Conditioner--I like to hit up the beauty section of Marshall's or Ross for whatever brands I can find there, especially on clearance. If I'm not using that, it's the Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner from Trader Joe's or Herbal Essence's Totally Twisted Curls and Waves or Hydralicious Silky Boost.
I co-wash once a week or so with a cheapy conditioner, then rinse, oil rinse, and seal with cold water + cold Aloe Vera juice. Then I Bantu-knot into about 10 sections, allow to air dry for an hour or so, then do medium-sized twists with the above listed ingredients. Twisting takes me 2 hours. For a big hair day, I bantu knot overnight--the knots aren't actually dry when I take them out in the mornings, but they're stretched a ton and air-drying the rest of the way gives me a bit of curl. So my hair is huge and curly!
I sometimes like to mix things up by using Oyin stuff in place of my Whipped Shea and Oil Mix. I love using the Honey Hemp Leave-In Conditioner and the Burnt Sugar Pomade together, along with my fancy water. It smells scrumptious and gives my hair the chance to experience something different. Oyin has been my constant for almost four years, but the last time I restocked I spent like $30 bucks for the smallest sizes of both those items. I don't remember them costing that much and I might be on the hunt for a different brand next time I need to re-up.
I love my hair. It's healthy, soft, versatile, and fun. It's exactly what I envisioned wanting after I decided to go natural, post Corinne Bailey Rae's appearance on my radar. I can not wait to start wearing it big and curly again this summer.
Cute Curly Things:
1.) The boo loves loves loves my hair. He's a bit obsessed. I thought it would wear off, but I've known him for over two years now and it's about the same. My secret: I blame it all on the Hemp Seed Oil, tehehe. He goes hard in the ani-cut/anti-straightening camp. I get a frown face whenever I mention either.
2.) I have one single curl that always always falls in the middle of my forehead. It's the only curl that doesn't defy gravity and stand on its own. So strange. I have to actually pin it up if I don't want it there. I have a habit of tugging on it.
3.) People don't understand my curl pattern. This general "people" includes other Black people. I can't tell you how many times people ask me how I get my hair so curly or if I use a texturizer or if I'm mixed. That last one really gets me. Ninja, do I look mixed? No. Both my parents are Black. I'm Black and from a line of people that hardly stepped foot from South Carolina. I'm about as Black as an African-American girl descendant from American slaves can get. "Well, your hair suggests an intermingling of races"-- this from a Black Studies Ph.D. student. Yeah, maybe, but you'd have to hop into the Wayback Machine. Grrr.
I get in my feelings.
I'm still shocked by the reaction I got in Brazil--home to the largest population of blacks outside of Nigeria. My curly fro marked me as clearly exotic, possibly famous. I was really feeling myself, but at the same time I wanted to shout, "Your hair can do this! Hello! Just let it grow. Stop with the Jheri Curl-esque look!" But, my Portuguese wasn't that good. And you don't just go to another country and tell people that. Bad manners. The natural hair scene was almost non-existent. #sadface
4.) People still ask to touch my hair. Yes, it's soft. Yes, if you pull on a curl it will spring back. I know, I know, fascinating. It's never really bothered me, though.
5.) Six years in and I still have Hand-In-Hair Syndrome. I pull on my twists when I'm thinking. I'm constantly stretching my hair to see where it falls, how much its grown. If I'm bored, I check for split ends--I know that makes me look crazy. I don't care. Split ends are evil!
6.) Most of my friends are natural. In fact, all my close friends are natural. I was the front runner. hehehe.
7.) Shrinkage is a reality--mine is somewhere between 70-80%. You'd never know how long my hair is until you start to stretch it and keeps going and going and going...and going some more. I just embrace it.
8.) Nap85 is my hair guru of choice. She makes things so easy. Her recipes are cheap and natural. Her hairstyles are dope. She's always posting useful stuff. #yes She motivates me to try harder. Shooting hair videos is hard--I learned that from my couple of attempts. She does such an amazing job of making it look easy! I have so much respect for her.
9.) Vitamins really help my hair grow, usually a multivitamin + a hair, skin, and nail vitamin. Every few weeks, I'll do 1 week of also adding MSM powder--1 Tb a day.
10.) I have natural highlights, they're a subtle golden red. A channeling of my fiery Aries temper, lol. I think a henna treatment would really make them pop.
New goals:
1.) Learn to do a fishtail braid.
2.) Try a henna treatment.
3.) Successfully pull off a hippy headband.
 |
| Medium Twists--not stretched #shrinkage |
This May will mark my 6th year with natural hair. Yay! Last summer I decided to just let my hair grow out. I'd trim my ends, but I wanted to see how long it would get if I just let it go.
It's almost a year and recently, I hit a new length--mid-back length when stretched. Awww snap! I don't use heat so stretched for me equals a bantu knot out, then stretched Curlformers curls.
I've been thinking about having it blown out, but my one experience four years ago left me scarred for life. I had so much heat damage I ended up chopping off about half of my then two-year-old afro. #devastating. I was a new natural and allowed my stylist use way too much heat. The thought of a blow-out still makes me cringe. I probably won't.
Long hair. It's a lot of work. I mostly keep it twisted and pinned up, especially in cooler weather. I co-wash weekly and oil my scalp a couple of times a week in the winter. My favorite products are mixed at home:
1.) Oil Mix--fill a bottle with a pointy tip half full of Hemp Seed oil, half full of Olive oil (Grapeseed oil in warmer weather or when I need less moisture) + 20 drops of Peppermint essential oil. I use this as an oil rinse, and to oil my hair and scalp as needed. And I use it on my body. I love everything about this mix. It's perfect for me.
2.) Whipped Shea--1 lb of Shea Butter, 1-2 oz each of Coconut oil, Grapeseed oil, Almond oil. Sometimes I infuse my oils with Lavender, Rosemary, or Vanilla before mixing them into the Shea Butter.
3.) Fancy Water--2/3 Water + 1/3 Aloe Vera Juice + 1-2 Tb Glycerin in spray bottle
4.) Daily Conditioner--I like to hit up the beauty section of Marshall's or Ross for whatever brands I can find there, especially on clearance. If I'm not using that, it's the Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner from Trader Joe's or Herbal Essence's Totally Twisted Curls and Waves or Hydralicious Silky Boost.
I co-wash once a week or so with a cheapy conditioner, then rinse, oil rinse, and seal with cold water + cold Aloe Vera juice. Then I Bantu-knot into about 10 sections, allow to air dry for an hour or so, then do medium-sized twists with the above listed ingredients. Twisting takes me 2 hours. For a big hair day, I bantu knot overnight--the knots aren't actually dry when I take them out in the mornings, but they're stretched a ton and air-drying the rest of the way gives me a bit of curl. So my hair is huge and curly!
I sometimes like to mix things up by using Oyin stuff in place of my Whipped Shea and Oil Mix. I love using the Honey Hemp Leave-In Conditioner and the Burnt Sugar Pomade together, along with my fancy water. It smells scrumptious and gives my hair the chance to experience something different. Oyin has been my constant for almost four years, but the last time I restocked I spent like $30 bucks for the smallest sizes of both those items. I don't remember them costing that much and I might be on the hunt for a different brand next time I need to re-up.
I love my hair. It's healthy, soft, versatile, and fun. It's exactly what I envisioned wanting after I decided to go natural, post Corinne Bailey Rae's appearance on my radar. I can not wait to start wearing it big and curly again this summer.
Cute Curly Things:
1.) The boo loves loves loves my hair. He's a bit obsessed. I thought it would wear off, but I've known him for over two years now and it's about the same. My secret: I blame it all on the Hemp Seed Oil, tehehe. He goes hard in the ani-cut/anti-straightening camp. I get a frown face whenever I mention either.
2.) I have one single curl that always always falls in the middle of my forehead. It's the only curl that doesn't defy gravity and stand on its own. So strange. I have to actually pin it up if I don't want it there. I have a habit of tugging on it.
3.) People don't understand my curl pattern. This general "people" includes other Black people. I can't tell you how many times people ask me how I get my hair so curly or if I use a texturizer or if I'm mixed. That last one really gets me. Ninja, do I look mixed? No. Both my parents are Black. I'm Black and from a line of people that hardly stepped foot from South Carolina. I'm about as Black as an African-American girl descendant from American slaves can get. "Well, your hair suggests an intermingling of races"-- this from a Black Studies Ph.D. student. Yeah, maybe, but you'd have to hop into the Wayback Machine. Grrr.
I get in my feelings.
I'm still shocked by the reaction I got in Brazil--home to the largest population of blacks outside of Nigeria. My curly fro marked me as clearly exotic, possibly famous. I was really feeling myself, but at the same time I wanted to shout, "Your hair can do this! Hello! Just let it grow. Stop with the Jheri Curl-esque look!" But, my Portuguese wasn't that good. And you don't just go to another country and tell people that. Bad manners. The natural hair scene was almost non-existent. #sadface
4.) People still ask to touch my hair. Yes, it's soft. Yes, if you pull on a curl it will spring back. I know, I know, fascinating. It's never really bothered me, though.
5.) Six years in and I still have Hand-In-Hair Syndrome. I pull on my twists when I'm thinking. I'm constantly stretching my hair to see where it falls, how much its grown. If I'm bored, I check for split ends--I know that makes me look crazy. I don't care. Split ends are evil!
6.) Most of my friends are natural. In fact, all my close friends are natural. I was the front runner. hehehe.
7.) Shrinkage is a reality--mine is somewhere between 70-80%. You'd never know how long my hair is until you start to stretch it and keeps going and going and going...and going some more. I just embrace it.
8.) Nap85 is my hair guru of choice. She makes things so easy. Her recipes are cheap and natural. Her hairstyles are dope. She's always posting useful stuff. #yes She motivates me to try harder. Shooting hair videos is hard--I learned that from my couple of attempts. She does such an amazing job of making it look easy! I have so much respect for her.
9.) Vitamins really help my hair grow, usually a multivitamin + a hair, skin, and nail vitamin. Every few weeks, I'll do 1 week of also adding MSM powder--1 Tb a day.
10.) I have natural highlights, they're a subtle golden red. A channeling of my fiery Aries temper, lol. I think a henna treatment would really make them pop.
New goals:
1.) Learn to do a fishtail braid.
2.) Try a henna treatment.
3.) Successfully pull off a hippy headband.
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