It was all quite inevitable, and it finally happened this past week. I became ‘that’ woman who would do anything…travel any distance and harass any store attendant in order to score her ‘holy grail’ product. The search began online, scouring site after site for days, price comparing to ease the impending guilt…and then slightly dejected, took the hunt to the streets. Diving in and out of countless stores for daaaays in hopes of finding an 8oz bottle of {{hair joy}}, a woman took over the keyboards of 1 store clerk, batted eyelashes and sweet talked a few others to !!keep searching!! because, really….if you type in “rose chamomile” together as opposed to simply “chamomile” you’re bound to get results (duh!).

What’s my defense? I really don’t have any except to say that when you find something that works for your hair…may it be the dopest moisturizing hair butter or most gentle detangling brush, it’s worth it in the end when you walk into that final store…reach into the back of that one ridiculously high shelf ….and reach for your prize. Not on sale…but eh, paying full price and feeling the thrill of success is worth.every.penny.

Products Used:

• Pre-Poo: Hot Oil mix of Jojoba/Tea Tree/Grapeseed Oil on scalp
• Cleanse: *new favorite* TheraNeem Organix Shampoo
• Deep Condition: Darcy’s Botanicals Deep Conditioning Mask
• Style: KBB Hair Ambrosia + EO Protective Moisture Rich Conditioner

In the usual Monday rush to get to work on an albeit rainy morning, I forgot to take pics of the up-do I managed to pin & secure. Alas, above is what transpires after sitting under florescent lighting for most of the day and 3 minutes after inhaling half a bar of Trader Joe’s Belgian dark chocolate….a tempered half smile and my twists let down.

An attempt was made as well to take a few length check shots to chart my progress so far, yet none of the pics came out the way I wanted. This is my second attempt at this, and at this point I’ve just about given up. Will post the reject pics on Facebook.

No promises that I will not repeat this past week’s series of events tho…because, really…how far can an 8 oz bottle of moisture juice last a woman?!?

*What lengths have you guys gone through to find your “holy grail” staple?*

Thanks again to all who entered into last week’s giveaway! Winners were chosen using this handy numero generator to avoid inevitable agita, so……..

**Congrats to**

Joy

MangoMadness

T. Darby

My take on the Tangle Teezer soon come this week! But in the meantime check out more reviews on their FaceBook Page & be sure to follow on Twitter for updates on stock if it’s particularly difficult to find in your area.

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A few months back I put together a few tips & methods I’d learned over the years for properly detangling natural hair, the majority of which I still practice today. The basics still apply especially after embarking on this year’s hair challenge,  but after reading the flurry of regimes YOU guys recently posted I thought it’d be helpful to add to the pile of goodness.

Now, while I’m happy to proclaim that my detangling routine is no longer as arduous a struggle as say…three years ago, it’s still my least anticipated part of my weekly routine. With that said, I still think it’s always important to learn & improve on caring for natural hair no matter if you’re newly natural or 10 years in. Implementing and evaluating hair’s needs on a consistent basis will no doubt save you not only time, but increase overall hair health.

Finger Combing

This was by far the most mentioned method to detangling & after my first attempt last week while in the shower I can understand why. After pre-pooing and sectioning hair into quadrants, I began finger detangling & loosening up small & large tangles. According to Miss Priss, you’re able to catch more knots & believe it or not our fingers are in fact “The Original Tool!” So true, but often when fingers aren’t enough hand held tools can be called in to finish the job.

Ouidad Comb

Whenever I think hair reviews for Natural Hair I instantly think EmpressRi, and sure enough she reviewed this comb early last year. This is a great alternative  for those who abhor the use of a brush of any kind when detangling or styling hair, the Ouidad according to Isabelle is “kind of like using two shower combs at once in quick succession.” If you’re endowed with thick/dense hair, my guess is this would be ideal. Fine Haired curlies might be safer with a more gentler tool.

Jilbere Comb

Even I have a special place in my heart for this comb & the reason why I stopped using it was simply because I’d failed to carry it with me during my most recent move. This tool works wonders while in the shower using a steady stream of water when hair is soaking wet. Not great for overall curl definition, but gentle enough on hair to free up previous tangles. Ideal for use during the Summer for those wash-n-go’s or when you want an easy no fuss routine, without worrying about excess breakage. Whether you fall into line with the 2a’s or 4c’s, it seems to work well across the board.

Modified Denman

This method is popular amongst naturals who love their original Denman brush for detangling & defining, yet prefer a gentler tug when smoothing and eliminating tangles. This is great no matter your hair’s texture & especially if you notice excess breakage or split ends caused by over manipulation. A great how-to on modifying the Denman brush is a vid from A Grl Can Mac.

What We All Agree On…

• Sectioning is essential
• A great detangling conditioner with adequate slip helps tremendously (think Aussie Moist, Suave Condish, Herbal Essences)
• A wide toothed comb will always have your hair’s back…
• Patience, Prayer & some Good Music will lead you to still waters tangle free hair…

*Please fill me in! If there are any tips I might’ve glanced over or completely left out,  drop em in the comments or check out the original post for more ideas!*

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I’ve been starting to believe that the word ‘challenge’ has overtaken one too many aspects of my life in the past couple of weeks. From hair,  school, to friendships, healthy eating…the list could go on if it so desired.

The upside to this (because I’m finally choosing to claim it) is that I’m undoubtedly aiming to complete each task I assign myself. This post certainly helped.

I made a slew of self declarations at the beginning of the year, that while my life would be void of redundant  resolutions, the opportunity for change & improvement is always an open window.

The Healthy Hair Challenge while seemingly on track, has forced me to reevaluate a few thingy things, namely the audacity of my hair texture to change after just 2 Henna Gloss treatments. My hair’s suffered the dreaded lack of curl definition, and what I experienced a few weeks ago could only be described as a serious let down.

I whimpered in the confines of my wee apartment for a brief moment, before realizing that bucking up and doing a bit more research could help salvage my relationship with Henna. There’s a lot of information available for those who’ve experienced side effects to Henna, mostly mixed but helpful nonetheless.

I’ve read anything from mixing Amla to your Henna mix could help revive your curl texture to avoiding this all together because it offers even worse results.

There was a bit of information overload on my part, but ultimately I grew more hesitant the further I read. I aim to take risks with my hair as far as styling whatnots, but after my heat damage fiasco…I’ve taken the practice of hair health very seriously. Loosing the kink is not up for debate.

So, while any future plans for a Henna treatment have been put on hold indefinitely, I’ll be shopping around for an alternative hair treatment that is equally beneficial in terms of improving hair health. I’m considering all options from brewing something quick in my  kitchen to dipping into past favorites to get the job done.

What’s a challenge without a few stepping stones and roadblocks…eh? No worries. Making mistakes and learning from them is altogether the best guide to success.

…oh yeah. and regularly scheduled posting shall resume next week. Have a great weekend!!

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Recently I attended another wonderfully organized Natural Hair event hosted by Karen of Karen’s Body Beautiful here in Brooklyn, NY and was amazed at the sheer volume of women who came out. I mentioned to a friend who also attended, that the amount of natural women in the room left me a tad overwhelmed, and this was not due to any personal inadequacies, but more so to do with the undeniable warmth and camaraderie that filled the air. If you’ve secured a Natural Hair meetup under your belt already, you may have an inkling as to what I mean.

In a matter of minutes after walking into the event & even before I could grab a drink or a slice of red velvet cake, I was exchanging tips, routines and encouragement with  ladies I’d never met before, women I’d only seen for a little over 8 minutes on the Youtube screen & even a chance meeting with the young woman who’d inspired the tail end of this post.

After coming home with a raspy voice & a few hair goodies richer, the thought of some Natural Haired women not having access to this kind of inspiration & motivation led me to question whether some do in fact give up the journey due to insuffiicient support & encouragment from friends, family & loved ones.

The failures most of us experience along the journey are often learning curves & small setbacks allowing us to reevaluate what it is we’ve done wrong, which direction to head in and what advice we could finally kick to the curb. Ironically, it’s the handful of failures more so than the successes that enable many of us to share & emphasize with others who are on the same journey.

If you’ve found yourself saying “natural hair might not be for me” or feelings of failure have annoyingly crept in, do realize that most successful journey’s whether they’re hair or heart oriented require constant changes in perspective & learning.

How To Stay On Track:

• Try different methods of caring for your natural hair. If you’ve exhausted all avenues, stayed up until 3 a.m. watching Youtube vids and trolling  forum boards searching for the ultimate hair game plan. Stop. Reassess & head for the mirror. Nothing beats hands on experience and learning from the almighty touch. Take it slow, practice & take mental note of what you could do better. i.e. detangling, deep conditioning, nightly routines.
• Place the ‘look game’ on pause and focus first on hair health. Too often we prioritize on achieving the right ‘look’ while forgetting the health of our our hair is just as important & often contributes to the overall feel, texture of our strands. The right ‘look’ comes after you put the appropriate amount of ‘work’ in.
• Reach out to fellow naturals, plan to attend a Natural Hair Meetup in your area and challenge yourself to think further outside the box than what you’re normally used to.
• Build your own pillar of support. Tear down negative walls (even the ones you’ve built) and accept only positive & supportive people into your life. If Negative Nancy happens to be a family member or a close friend, reevaluate your own reasons for going natural & don’t be afraid to reaffirm & stick to those reasons.
• Challenge Yourself! The start of the new year is apropos for this kind of thing, but change is always on it’s own continuum, and ‘now’ is always the perfect time to start.

* If you’ve recently attended a natural hair event in your city, would love to hear your experiences!*

I mentioned before that my main goal going into the Healthy Hair Challenge 2011 was to focus more on keeping my hair practices simple while still maintaining effectiveness. Now, in order to accomplish this I’ve stepped up my protective styling game, reduced my overall product usage & focussed more on being more gentler with my strands when detangling each week.

I’ve been a long time Denman brush user for a few years, and haven’t had much complaints. It does the job of elimating a week’s worth of tangles & sets hair perfect enough for styling. BUT…a curly girl’s faith has been tested, and I’ve recently found myself game to try the new craze, The Tangle Teezer.

Mae from Natural Chica did a great review of the detangler, and I was further impressed! Still hesitant…but, intrigued.

So, to help squash any hesitations I might have, here’s a giveaway to help encourage others who might also be on the fence about trying this dubious invention!

Ways to Win!

• To qualify,  simply leave comment down below letting me know the best way you’ve found to detangle your hair, i.e. Denman, finger combing, wide toothed comb etc.
• For an additional entry, simply like my new Facebook Page ( all who’ve done so already are automatically eligible to win)

*UPDATE*. The folks over at Tangle Teezer have generously donated TWO MORE to the pot, so that’s ultimately THREE chances to win!

Giveaway will remain open until Friday, February 25th at 9 p.m. EST., & is open to all US & Canadian residents. Winner will be chosen at random & notified within 1 week by e-mail.

**Please leave a valid e-mail address. Winner will have 10 days to respond once one is chosen**

*GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED*

*If you’ve already tried the Teezer, please let me know your thoughts! I’ll be trying it out for the first time this weekend, and I’m excited!!*