Sh!t People Say to Transitioners..

No, I am not jumping on the whole '___ people say to ___' wagon. But something happened this weekend that made me have a flashback one of the YouTube videos that I have seen.

If you follow my blog then you know that I am participating in the 'Protect Ya Ends' Challenge. Well, on Saturday, I got up, went for a brisk walk, did some pilates, and decided to wash my hair. Mind you, it was 12:30 when I got into the shower and my nail appointment was at 2. After I got out of the shower it was 1:34 or so. I couldn't braid it up to put on a wig, so I was forced to slick it up into a bun. I grabbed my EcoStyler gel and went to work!

I tied it up while I drove to my appointment to meet my friend. Well, when I got there I still had the scarf on. After we chit-chatted for a while, she mentioned going to the mall to Tiffany's. Ok, fine. Now, this is where it got really real. My scarf slipped off and it she was like: We need to stop by Clair's to get you a head band or head wrap. *insert my screw face here*

It caught me completely off guard. I explained to her that I was in a challenge, which she was uninterested in, just how we would look going into Tiffany's together. We left and I looked in the mirror. There was nothing wrong with my hair. Yes, it lacked a part, or baby hairs, but it was slicked very nicely into a bun. Actually, my waves were poppin' at the top. There wasn't a hair out of place. I couldn't understand why she would say something like that. But then again, as I have said in other posts, there is no need to argue people just don't understand.

Sidebar: While in the mall, it seemed like every woman of color had natural hair! There were puffs and fro-hawks all over the place. Oh yeah, Tiffany's didn't have a problem giving excellent customer or taking credit cards from people with natural hair slicked up into buns.

Product Review: ORS Edge Control

Alright, so keeping with my Protect Ya Ends Challenge, I have been wearing alot of wigs. I recently brought a half wig (throwback) called Keya from Blackhairspray.com. Now, as many of you may know that I am transistioning and trying to stay away from heat, so in order for me to get this half wig to look right, I had to slick my edges down. Anyone who has natural hair, knows that any water based gel will make you hair revert back to its natural state. Meaning, that your hair/edges will be nappy. I did a little bit of research and came up with the ORS Edge Control. I thought that it would be a better choice than my normal QP Glaze.



Now, to be fair, I flat ironed my hair lightly so that it wouldn't be as bad and it would blend better since this hair is basically curly straight hair. I put the front portion of my hair in bantu knots over night. Wait, before I go on, I did wear my hair out one day (The PYE challenge gives you two free passes). So, I had a lunch date I was prepared just incase it didn't work out. The bantu knots were prefect for blending with the half wig. I applied the ORS Edge Control.....nothing. Yes, nothing. It made no difference in slicking down my hair or edges for that matter. I feel like I could have gotten the same thing, maybe better from QP Glaze. It actually didn't spread as well, since its a thicker formula. It left, as some of the reviews that I have heard people say, a grey like sheen to the hair.

Here is a picture of the finish look. (Note: I had to cut the wig to get desired look)

Pros & Cons:

Pros: Thick formula, which may work for some peoples hair. Smells good.

Cons: Leaves a residue/ grey sheen. Same hold as any other gel.

I am going to give it a try on wet hair, maybe slicking it up into a bun and see how it does.

Protect Ya Ends Challenge: Week 2 & 3...oh wait, and 4!

Just an update on week 2 and 3 and what I plan for week 4. For week 2, I washed my hair with Aveda Nourishing Shampoo (the verdict is still out on that), conditioned with Yes to Carrots to help with detangling, and then made some deep conditioner. It consisted of: Some Redken hair mask that I was trying to get rid of, some Aussie Moist, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Glycerin, and Honey. I let that sit on my hair for about 4 hours. I fell asleep, so it got some extra conditioning. I washed it out and added Giovanni Direct Leave-In. Then, I added Shea Moisture Curling Smoothie, sealed with coconut oil, and braided my hair up to go under the wig. I must admit that I am getting a little tired of the wig and hope that trying a bun will change things up.

The one thing that I am noticing that since I am focusing on ends, my scalp is dry. Because of this, I am starting to massage my scalp with oils a couple of times a week. I want to get some jojoba oil from Trader Joe's in the near future, but for now I'll be using coconut oil.
For week 3 and 4, I will be wearing a bun.
Here is the bun that I created following some YouTube videos. For week 4, I will be using different hair, this really doesn't match the texture, and making it a little bigger and higher on my head. I am still trying to figure out the best way to slick edges and make them last for the whole day (FYI: I am using Eco styler gel).  I am still moisturising and sealing my ends. During weeks 3 and 4, I will be doing a co-wash with Aussie Moist once a week.




Up close of the edges.




For week 5, I really don't want to go back to the wig...thinking about some crochet braids. Actually, hoping that my income tax comes through and I can get some box braids put in.

Until next week...

Protect Ya Ends Challenge: Week I

As I stated in an earlier post, I have joined the Protect Ya Ends Challenge on Black Girl, Long Hair website. Well, all I did was join, I didn't read all of the directions or anything. Typical me. I did read that challenge rules and I can follow that, but here is some other pertinent information.

Starting Stats: Currently transitioning. When straighten, my hair is past shoulder length. I have been transitioning for over a year, but have suffered severe heat damage, which is making the process longer. I would love to BC after this challenge, but I'll have to see how much growth I have. Oh, I currently do not have a regimen in place since I was getting my hair washed and flat ironed at a salon for almost a year.

Plan of Attack: I plan on actually using a calender to plan out how to wear my hair and to keep me on track. Right now, I am wearing a wig and probably will continue to wear this one for at least another 3 weeks. After that, I plan on bunning (with synthetic hair) for a week. And then either another wig or possible some crochet braids. I am still planning and checking my finances. Right now, I am currently washing every two weeks. This week, I did a co-wash because my hair was feeling a little dry. I use the Shea Moisture products for moisture and I co-washed with Aussie Moist. So far, so good.

A picture: I hate taking pictures and I don't have a good camera right now...but here it is.

 Danika human hair lace front wig
Note: My hair is in plaits under the wig protected by a wig cap