How often do you purchase airline tickets outside of 14 days?
September 22, 2011
July 18, 2007
My favorite hairstyle!
Hands down...my favorite hairstyle is the ponytail. Love it, love it, love it! It's the only reason I haven't cut my hair this summer when I'm tired of it.
My ponytail has finally gotten to the point where it's very elegant. I can do a messy, quick one or a sleek, structured one and either way...it's takes little or no effort to do.
The last time I saw Gladys, both of us were 8 - 10 weeks in need of a touch-up. She asked me how I got my hair to lay down so well and not be so puffy. I don't remember what I told her but Imma share it with yall.
The headscarf! LOL!
The things I use to make a perfect ponytail are:
1. Phytospecific Moisturizing Balm
2. S-Curl Moisturizer
3. Coconut Oil
4. Wide tooth comb
5. Boar bristle brush
6. Ouchless ponytail band
7. HEADSCARF!
So...I put a good bit of the moisturizer in my hair and use the wide tooth comb to comb it back. Then I spray all along my hair line and on the top of my hair with the S-curl. I use the brush to brush my hair smooth and secure it in a ponytail with an ouchless ponytail band. I wrap the band three times and make sure it's not tight. Not even REMOTELY TIGHT. Why? Cuz it thins the hair around your hairline and you be round here looking like Susan Taylor. LOL!
Yup...it's gonna look puffy if you're in need of a relaxer. BUT...that's why the next two steps are ESSENTIAL!
Melt some coconut oil between your palms by rubbing them together and smooth over your hair. The coconut is your sheen. If you're wearing your hair in a loose ponytail...you can put the coconut oil on the ponytail part too. If you're wearing your ponytail pinned up spray it with S-curl FIRST and THEN put coconut oil on it, plait or braid and then pin up.
The final step is to tie your hair down tightly with your headscarf. Leave on for about 20 minutes. I usually put it on and then go about my teeth brushing, face washing and moisturizing. Before you know it...it's laying down perfectly. The beauty of this is that it LOOKS like it's pulled back pretty tight but it's not. Why? CUZ WE ALL KNOW THAT PULLING HAIR BACK TIGHT WILL FUG UP OUR HAIRLINE RIGHT? Right. You should be able to pull your hair away from your scalp easily as a test and smooth it back down.
If your hair is wet when you're doing this, after you put in the moisturizer, saturate your hair with a mixture of Sweet Almond oil and Jojoba oil (I buy mine at WholeFoods) and comb back with wide tooth comb. BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL when brushing. Your hair stretches when it's wet so when you brush it out...it's getting longer and if you wrap off your ponytail with it stretched...when it dries and you release it...you're gonna have a LOT of breakage. When you're doing this and your hair is wet...please make sure that you pull it back as neatly as you can while keeping it LOOSE. Tie it down after you add your coconut oil and you should be good to go. I generally keep my ponytail pinned up when it's wet and at night before I go to bed I repositition the ponytail and remove the band so the part under the band can dry.
Now...Imma read this again tomorrow to see if I messed up. I'm on my second glass of wine and yall know how I get when I'm tipsy. :)
Any additional tips? What do you do for YOUR ponytail?
P.S. This works for hair like mine which is 4A/B.
www.MonicaMingo.com
March 08, 2007
There is a difference ya know...
That's the length my hair was February 2006 when I first starting growing out my hair.
When I was home in Louisiana I got a couple of emails regarding hair that irk the hell outta me. One was from a chick who'd received a bad home perm (I get like 4 of these a week by the way). I told her what to do for it from the perspective of what I would do if it were me. The same as I do for everyone who asks me which is to wash the hair GENTLY, rinse and condition. Let air dry with a natural oil like jojoba ON THE HAIR ONLY and then put Neosporin on the chemical burns twice a day until they were healed. Then I tell them to pray they didn't do any major damage to the scalp because if they did...hair might not grow back where the burns were. The last thing I say is to go to a professional for any chemical treatment from that point on cuz obviously...home perms ain't for you.
Simple huh? Yeah...unh huh.
Well, apparently this person had only found my hair site after google-ing her hair problem. Once I answered her or maybe before, who knows, she read the rest of what I had to say on the site about hair. And then I got this question:
What are some cheaper brands of stuff I can use on my hair because the stuff you say to use is expensive? Oh...and she also said: My cousin's hair is really nice and she DON'T BE DOING ALL OF THAT YOU DO.*sigh* So I told her that I wouldn't know of any other lines that worked as well as the products I use because it's all I use. I ignored the part about the cousin. She writes back that I should put cheaper stuff on my site that people can afford if I wanted to offer some real help. I officially hated that heffa. Now...YOU jacked up YOUR hair. I offer you what I consider sound advice and you mess around and ATTACK ME????????? LIL GIRL...YOU DON'T KNOW ME LIKE THAT AND YOU NEVER WILL! I didn't say anything more to her as I was having too much fun with my family. But now...I want to revisit it and note that she does have a point. About her cousin that is. Her cousin's hair always looks nice...and she doesn't do all of the stuff I do. There are two basic different phases in your hair maintenance in my opinion: 1. Maintaining a fly cut that looks good on you. 2. A growth regimen. To maintain your cut it's perfectly fine getting your ends trimmed after every relaxer. Matter of fact...it's necessary if your hair is growing at the normal rate of 1/2 inch per month. For a growth regimen however...you're going to have to make some changes because you can't treat your hair the same as you would when you're not worrying about retaining your length. And it's the honest truth. For years I went to the salon once a week. My hair was always fly as hell but it never seemed to grow. Why? Because the heat and trims were making it that way. But hey...my hair was always fly right above the shoulders. Now I know better and I've taken the liberty of chronicling my journey and what I've learned. It's free. I don't sell any products. My site is currently ad free and nobody pays me a dime. That said...DO NOT ROLL UP ON ME ACTING A DONKEY'S BUTT BOUT YOUR JACKED UP HAIR. Why? Mainly cuz I don't give a dang cuz my hair is perfectly fine thank you very much. I said I was going to stop answering new people's emails but decided that I'm not going to do that because I enjoy being a resource to help people get to the bottom their hair issues and questions. I am, however, going to let folks know right off the bat that my advice is my opinion and not up for discussion. When I learn something new...I share it. It's liberating learning the TRUTH about your hair. Questions for you. Do you use any products that are cheaper that you have used and loved and therefore would recommend? Do you have any secrets you'd like to share? Got any questions? Oh and please know that I know someone who is like an expert on natural hair (HEY QUEENY!) so if you have questions about natural hair I know Ms. Q would be happy to help you. Oh yeah...the second chick? Not even worth my time. Humph.
February 16, 2007
I finally found a stylist who GETS IT!
Yall know I'm funny bout my hair right? Well...maybe that's a bit...erra...of an understatement as I take hair care to the whole other level. Because of this, I'm REALLY particular about who does what to my hair. Especially touch-ups. Why? BECAUSE SO MANY HAIRSTYLISTS NEED TO UNLEARN WHAT THE HELL THEY'VE LEARNED AND ARE FORCE FEEDING US! So...I finally found her. I finally found that woman who can give me a touch up without my sitting on pins and needles and watching her every move thinking that the VERY next thing she does was going to set me back by three months. AND I'M SOOOOO HAPPY! How did I know she was the one? Well...first of all Tammy and Becca BOTH go to her and RAVE about her services and their hair is always on point. But you know me...I STILL gotta see for myself. So I went and watched her while she finished two people before me. The first person's hair was nice yall...the second...wow...like Barbie Doll hair. LOVED IT! (This chica was FABULOUS by the way...she had such a great personality. HEY GIRL! LOL!) Then it was my turn and you know what she did? SHE ASKED ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS! WHOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! SHE ACTUALLY KNEW HER ISH! Go head mama! I didn't have to explain anything to her nor did I NOT ONE TIME have to bite my tongue from saying something that contradicted her. Yall...SHE GETS IT! My touch-up was timed perfectly and she did a conditioner treatment between rinsing and shampooing JUST AS SHE SHOULD! My hair didn't end up being bone straight and is touched up PERFECTLY! Now...I NEVER do this because hey...I just don't...but I gotta tell yall how to find her because every woman in the DC Metro area DESERVES to have someone who KNOWS HEALTHY HAIR do their hair. That's right folks...my very first hairstylist recommendation...(DRUM ROLL PLEASE!) Fabulous Images Michelle 815 Thayer Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910 301.608.2578 Now...styling my hair as I like it is difficult to do, especially when you've never seen how I wear it down...so I'll give her a B on styling MY hair but everything else was an A hands down. And baaaaaaaaaaaby...LOVE HER FLAVA! She's so peaceful, warm and inviting into her space. We chatted like we were old dang friends the entire time and TRUST...this won't be the last time I'm in her chair. Once again...if you are looking for a stylist who GETS IT completely regarding healthy hair...she's the very first one I've met and I am in AWE. When yall go...tell her I sent you so she knows how very much she was LOVED!
February 07, 2007
Black Hair Loss / Thinning
One of my hobbies, as yall know, is black hair care with my main learning focus on healthy growing. I've learned a lot in the past year (today is my 1 year anniversary! Wheeeeeee!) and most of it COMPLETELY challenges what stylists in the past have told me.
Because I've publicly tracked my progress...I get a lot of hair questions. Most I can answer and if I can't...I send you to someone who hopefully can.
A question I get a lot, however, is one that I don't know a lot about because I haven't experienced it personally. It's about hair loss and thinning.
Now keep in mind that this is TOTALLY different than from breakage...okay?
I usually answer people by telling them to find a black dermatologist and go in for a diagnosis because it could be because of a number of things. Some treatable...and some...nuttin you can do about it if you want to wear YOUR hair without people noticing it's thinning or you have hair loss. Once you've done that...then you can pretty much figure out what your options are.
Now...my hat has to go off to the women who have loss such as this and have no problem with wearing their own hair. Say what you wanna say...but that person has a LOT of confidence. Think about it. In this world where it's all about image, image, image...a woman who has the confidence to say...hey...this is me NOT photoshopped...that's a pretty powerful thing. Nuttin wrong with being image conscious (cuz I know I am) but I just wanted to point that out.
I have folks in my family and people that I know personally with this problem and I've taken it upon myself to read up on it and try and understand it more. Also...to be able to try and help a bit more when someone in WWW asks me about it.
The big dawg seems to be male pattern baldness or alopecia. The treatment of 
this is one of the best reasons to REALLY know and pay attention to your hair. As soon as you see signs of ANY thinning...hot foot it to your dermatologist as it seems that the sooner it's treated...the better. Rogaine has been shown to work as well as estrogen replacement therapy (this disease is caused by a significant reduction in estrogen so don't be surprised if your change of life brings about changes in your hair too). Apparently there are some birth control pills that have been developed to increase hair growth too. (I find this VERY intriguing indeed!)
The two reasons that it happens and IT DIDN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN are because of overprocessing and too tight braids and such.
That's right folks. Yall balk at me when I tell you to stretch those relaxers out to a minimum of 8 weeks...but there is a REASON! People who are relaxing their hair every 4 weeks are just ASKING FOR IT! I remember watching chicks using TCB Bone Straight relaxers once a month like CLOCKWORK and thinking to myself...that CAN'T be good. I even had a chick tell me once that she could do mine for me cuz I was looking a bit nappy round the edges. I quickly told her that my mama said don't be letting nobody play in my hair. ROFL! (I KNOW yall remember that one huh?)
I would bet if I were to run across that same chick today...she'd be rocking a serious weave. Not because she wanted to...but because she HAD to. And yes...there is a difference.
Overprocessing using regular relaxers and colors (chemicals, chemicals, chemicals!) can cause PERMANENT HAIR LOSS. Lemme say that again. PERMANENT. As in...nope...it won't grow back. EVER.
When I see little girls with slanted eyes that weren't slanted prior to getting their hair done...I cringe. Do that to that child everyday and she's going to start missing hair along her hair line with the swiftness. This is easy to fix although it will take time. Just stop doing it so tight and the hair will grow back. At a average rate of half an inch per month.
You can pull your hair back just fine without it being super dooper tight and looking un-puffy. Personally this entire winter I'm wearing mine pulled back. I do it by using a boar's bristle brush to brush back and secure loosely with an ouchless band. Since I haven't had a touch up since November...yeah baby...puff, puff the dragon. LOL! So...I take my nightscarf and tie it down for about twenty minutes making sure it's moisturized well with coconut oil and S-Curl. When I remove the scarf...POOF! Puff is gone and in it's place is a sleek, shiny, simple look that takes hardly any effort to create. When I use my fingers to pull my hair...there is a good amount of give meaning I can pull it away from my scalp so I KNOW it's not too tight.
I would think the most frustrating of this would be when you see the rest of your hair is healthy and growing just fine...but you have noticeable thinning in areas that are not easy to style to be overlooked...like on the top of your head. That would drive me nuts. Cuz you could SEE that the person would have a complete head of BEAUTIFUL hair if they weren't having the hair loss issues. Frustrating as hell.
One of the most successful styles I have seen someone rock is the 
half wig or, as we call it in the South, a "fall." (Up here I've heard it called an "insta-weave." I don't like that term for some reason.) Say you're having issues in the top of your head. Well...you comb the hair IN FRONT OF the hair loss area forward leaving enough hair going backwards so the comb of the half wig can be secured. Then, MAKING SURE THE HAIR AT THE BACK IS VERY MOISTURIZED, pin it up and then put the half wig on using the combs to secure in place.
Afterwards...brush your own hair that has been brought forward BACK to now blend in with the hair of the half wig. If your color is dead on and the length is realistic...you should be good to go as it's VERY undetectable if done right. IN MY OPINION.
Another thing you can do is, of course, wear wigs. I know someone who rocks wigs religiously and is ALWAYS the flyness. LOL!
Braids. *sigh* I know braids are the style of choice for lots of people, especially students...but yall...be smart about it. Don't add lots of extra hair for length and end up making the hair so heavy that it PULLS OUT YOUR OWN HAIR! You can also do this by adding heavy beads to the hair ends. It's just too heavy. It will stretch your own hair until it ends up snapping. Sorry...but it's common sense. Also...nothing can mess up a hairline quicker than braid abuse. IN MY OPINION!
Other things that can cause hair loss are, of course, age (our hair grows thinner as we age), medication, eating disorders, major stress, etc. So it's yet another reason to get and KEEP yourself healthy and your mind right. At least for me it is. Being cute comes with benefits. ROFL!
Excellent information from Dr. Susan Taylor, a black dermatologist. (I own her book as it's VERY informative on dermatological issues for people of color. I consult it regularly as she's an EXPERT!) http://www.societyhilldermatology.com/feat_unique.htm
Are you suffering from hair loss or thinning? Did you once and found a regimen to reverse it? Is it hereditary? If you suffer from permanent loss, how are you wearing your hair?
Do you wear braids often and SUCCESSFULLY? What do you do to make sure you don't have a problem?
Any advice for anyone dealing with this?
AND...most importantly...what are the names of the dermatologists in your area (include your area of course) that specialize in issues of people of color?
January 22, 2007
The Hair Up There
So, number one...I keep my hair pulled up so it doesn't drag across my coats and sweaters and dry it out even more causing breakage.
The products I use in the winter are:
1. Phytospecific Revitalizing Treatment - I use this as a pre-shampoo treatment. Use as directed.
2. Phytospecific Intense Nutrition Shampoo - In the shower, wash hair once with this and rinse.
3. Phytospecific Intense Nutrition Mask - Mix with the next product.
4. Phytospecific Multi-Regenerating Creme Bath -Use this mixed with the previous product and put in your hair. Comb through gently with a wide toothed comb.
Then...here comes the fun part. Get in a hot bubble bath or jacuzzi with a good book and a glass of wine. Stay in for 30 - 45 minutes and let the steam give you a good deep conditioning. Get out of tub and back into shower to rinse conditioner out using water as cool as you can stand it.
5. Phytospecific Integral Hair Care - Spray hair with this.
6. Sweet Almond Oil - Mix this with the following oil.
7. Jojoba Oil - Mix with sweet almond oil and massage through hair and scalp. Comb through well and let air dry.
8. Using blow dryer on low setting and a paddle brush, blow hair out.
9. Brush hair into a ponytail secured with ouchless ponytail holder using S-Curl to smooth hairline. Also use S-Curl on your ponytail (do not saturate...just dampen). Seperate ponytail into 4 sections and twist each section. Cover with scarf and let dry. When dry, seperate twists and brush out for a textured ponytail.
I pretty much do this twice a week in the winter and moisturize twice a day (morning and night) with Phytospecific Moisturizing Styling Balm. I wash my hair twice a week because after about three days or so...it gets icky with moisturizing twice daily.
When I wear a knit hat in the winter...I put either a scarf or a satin cap on my hair first so the knit hat doesn't dry it out. By doing this, I'm pretty much assured that in the Spring I'll have a healthy, shiny head of hair.
Now...this might not work for you as it's all according to hair type, but this is what works for me. As with any personal regimen you have to work out your own system.
Another product I use a lot of in the winter is Coconut Oil. I use it as a pre-shampoo treatment sometimes by putting it on my hair for 45 minutes before washing as well as to use as a styling aid. The shine it gives is just amazing!
I buy the jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and coconut oil from Whole Foods.
Oh...and once a month, use a clarifying shampoo to cleanse the oily residue from our hair. I use Neutrogena Anti Residue Shampoo. I only use it once and then follow it with my normal shampoo and conditioner.
Well...this is what works for me for winter hair. Yall got any suggestions...holla atcha girl.
December 16, 2006
Humph!
Wash and style - $45
Trim $45
Tip $20
Total $110
Reminder as to why I no longer go to a stylist weekly? PRICELESS!
I had to get about an inch trimmed off and it looks and feels so much better.
The stylist I went to was someone whose work I've seen and one of my girlfriends goes to her as well so I was pretty comfortable letting her trim my hair. I was more than a bit shocked at the cost...but hey...I've not had a trim since February so I'm okay with paying that much once a year or so. At least I'm happy with the results.
Things I wasn't happy with? She didn't put moisturizer on my hair after I sat under the dryer prior to her blow drying it. That kinda irked me. In fact...there was no moisturizer used at all. They used something called Wala (I think???) leave in conditioner that was supposed to be moisturizing before I got under the dryer. And then she put some kind of oil in my hair as a finisher and I really , REALLY hope it didn't have any alcohol in it.
She had a few of the normal stylist opinions that they always give you, of course, but since I have been on this hair journey and have seen "the truth" by actually doing and seeing results.
I could have argued with her. I could have shared with her my points of view...but I didn't cuz I knew I'd only see her once a year or so and there is no reason to get into all of that with her considering the minimal amount of time involved.
Something I liked about her was that she didn't dilly dally. There was no waiting around all day. It was very concise and she did it the way ALL stylists should be able to do it. I was VERY impressed as my time, to me, is valuable.
If you'd like to know who she is if you need a cut...send me an email and I'll give you her info. I watched her do a couple of heads and I have to say...the woman has skillz and if I wasn't on a "growing regimen" I'd go to her on the regular.
December 12, 2006
October 22, 2006
EXCELLENT ADVICE!
You Learn Sumptin New Everyday!
I have a girlfriend whose hair broke off where she ties her scarf knot at night. I tie mine in the front middle and have noticed some breakage too. Well I was on a hair board today and was intrigued by this chick who said she wrapped her hair tightly with her scarf but instead of tying it...she covers it with a stocking cap. So...no knot needed. Hmmmmmmm. That might be the best damn hair tip I've ever received right up there with sealing in moisture on my ends with sweet almond oil.
P.S. Am I the only person I know addicted to Biore nose strips?
Seven Month Comparison
My first goal was APL (armpit length), it took me 6 months to get there. I figure it will take me another year to get to BSL (bra strap length) doing what I'm doing.
August 26, 2006
July 09, 2006
Air Drying
....usually sucks for me. LOL! Even though I know it's the best thing to do for my hair when I'm on my protective styling wash (I wash twice a week. Flat iron after one...protective style after the second.) I usually hate air drying because of how my hair feels afterwards.
I used to pull it back in one ponytail but my hair would dry VERY dry and tangly. So I've found the best way for me to airdry is to spray with Phytospecific Integral Spray, part down the middle, put jojoba or sweet almond oil generously in hands and rub together getting in between the fingers well. Then smooth over one half of the hair and comb through with a wide tooth rat tail comb. Secure with an ouchless band and twist ponytail. Wrap ponytail around (ala Princess Leah) and secure with a hair pin. Do the other side.
The trick is to make sure you use a good amount of oil and work it all the way through the hair while combing with the wide tooth rat tail comb. For the rest of the time you're doing protective styling that week..you'll find your hair is more manageable and you get less breakage from tangles.
June 12, 2006
May 27, 2006
Three Month Comparison
I've got to say...I'm a TRUE believer in the difference moisturizing my hair morning and night while using great products (PhytoSpecific) and incorporating protective styling into my weekly regimen. Check out the difference three months has made so far for me:
April 30, 2006
Sunday, April 30, 2006 - Two Month Comparison
What do you think? I'd say this is pretty good. At this rate I'll be at APL (armpit length) before you know it and that's WITHOUT all that crazy no heat ever mess. It can be done! It can!
April 26, 2006
April 08, 2006
March 25, 2006
March 24, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006 - Anniversary Day!
I wore my hair flat ironed today since we were doing fancy stuff for our anniversary. LOL! I used my normal flat iron regimen. Since I was wearing fleece I was going to pull my hair up in a loose ponytail but I didn't want a "bend" in it for dinner later tonight. I remembered that most of my golf wear is made out of a wicking polyester so I put one of my golf jackets over my fleece so I didn't have to worry about my ends. PERFECT!
Yes these pics were taken when I first awoke (had a doctor's appt. at 8:30 in the morning...BLECH!) so yes...I know I look tired. I was up till midnight thirty with Sky from BV emailing back and forth. LOL! Don't worry, tonight I was quite gorgeous all dolled up. LOL!
March 16, 2006
March 16, 2006 - Not enough hair for a bun?
My favorite protective style is a bun these days even though I don't have enough hair to make a good one. So...this is what I did.
I went to the beauty supply store and bought some human hair that matched the color of my hair and a foam donut. The human hair is to do two things, to protect my own hair from the foam donut and to make sure the bun looked "filled out." I take the human hair (10 inches long) and cut off about 10 - 12 inches. I then wrap this around the bun. (If you click on the pics you can see them larger.)
Then I take my brush and smooth the hair around the bun. (My husband was taking these pics for me and said it looked like an ape's azz..*sigh*)
Take the hair and tuck it through but not pushing it through all the way.
Next, slick your hair back and secure in ponytail using ouchless band. Then push your ponytail through the middle of the bun pushing out the rest of the human hair.
Then fan out all the hair in the middle and smooth around the bun. Put hair around bun by using an ouchless band around it. Tuck extra hair.
And then...VOILA! A fabu bun...the premier protective style!
March 13, 2006
March 12, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006 - One Month Comparison
I decided to flat iron my hair today to see if there was any difference in the hair length by retaining hair that used to break off because of lack of moisture. I was impressed by the difference, however, I'm thinking that maybe my shoulders were raised higher in the March pic and maybe that contributes to it looking longer. What do you think?
March 05, 2006
March 02, 2006
March 01, 2006
Week 3 - Black Hair Snob
I have to admit to being a hair snob. I would see someone with a weave or a fake ponytail and turn up my nose.
I have never had hair "issues." My hair has always grown and been healthy. I contribute this to the fact that I use very good products on my hair and also because I'm lazy and didn't like doing anything to my hair myself and would go to the salon for weekly maintenance.
Now...notsomuch. LOL! In the past year, I have been much more comfortable experimenting with fake hair. I am proud to say I own two fake ponytails. One I hate because I was kinda embarrassed about buying it and the idiot salesgirl sold me a color no where NEAR my hair color and one that I've never worn out of the house, but that I like to put on to imagine where my hair will be once I finish this healthy hair growth journey.
Today, I washed my hair and conditioned it in the shower. When I finished I sprayed it with PhytoSpecific Integral Hair Care and then moisturized it with PhytoSpecific Moisturizing Styling Balm. Then I sealed in the moisture by putting jojoba oil then sweet almond oil in it and combed back with a wide tooth comb. I secured my hair in a ponytail, after brushing gently, with an ouchless band twisting the ponytail around the band and securing with a bobby pin. I call this my ballerina look. LOL!
I played with my phony pony and took a couple of pictures of it so you could see my hair goal. I figure with two years of healthy hair care I should be there with no problem.
This pic is of my own ponytail wet:
Phony Pony:
One day I'll be brave enough to wear my phony pony in public. I don't know when...but one day. LOL! Noreen is laughing at me because I'm on the phone telling her about it.
Noreen: Wear it to the mailbox.
Me: Kiss my azz.
Noreen: I dare you to wear it. Go on...wear it to WalMart.
Me: I can't talk to you right now.
February 26, 2006
February 20, 2006
February 19, 2006
February 18, 2006
Heat Use Regimen
Black Hair Care - Updated February 2006
Everyone that knows me knows that once I take an interest in something I'm going to research it until I'm satisfied with what I've found out. Over the past year, I have been doing some serious research as a consumer on products and general hair care for black hair. The thing I found to be true more than anything is that there is a TREMENDOUS amout of misinformation out there. Some of the stuff you read just doesn't make any darn sense and...as with anything else...if it doesn't seem to make sense, THEN IT PROBABLY DOESN'T! GEEZ!
One thing that no one ever addresses is the fact that all black hair is not the same. For that matter, all hair period isn't the same. That said, there is no way that the maintenance schedule I use for my hair should be the same every other black woman uses for her hair. And who knows your hair better than you? No one. So I suggest you try different products making sure that the products are mostly plant based using extracts from actual plants and not chemicals. If the ingredient list STARTS OFF with chemical sounding names...guess what...there are mostly chemicals in it. DUH!
Another thing that irks me about the information that is out there is that everyone has "techniques" to use in order to get your hair to grow...but the "techniques" always leave you with your hair looking crazy for long periods of time. Now I don't know about you..but I think I am waaaaaaaaaay too cute to have my hair looking crazy for even a DAY! But that's just me. LOL!
So basically, I am looking for a hair care regimen that will help me retain my hair growth in my relaxed hair without my looking like physchochick. You know...HEALTHIER maintenence tips.
Okay...lets move on to specific things I have learned so far:
1. Black hair grows. LET ME REITERATE! Black hair GROWS! Okay...so our hair grows an average of a half inch per month, six inches per year. The problem we have is RETAINING the growth because our hair is prone to dryness and everyone knows dry hair suffers from breakage. Most times...excessive breakage which makes it seem as if the hair doesn't grow. If your hair grows a half inch in a month, and breaks of an inch...do the math people!
2. The most important thing we can do to retain hair growth is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. And then...moisturize again! One thing I don't understand is this...if I'm using a good deep conditioner that is based on plant extracts and is healthy for my hair...WHY ONLY USE IT ONCE A MONTH? Never understood that one. So...I've been putting it to my own personal test. I use a deep conditioner ONCE A WEEK and sit under a dryer for 30 minutes with a clear cap on. HA! How does that grab ya? LOL! I have begun to see outstanding results which come in the form of much less hair breakage because my hair is deep conditioned. I also use a very good cream moisturizer, concentrating on my ends, every night.
3. Getting your ends trimmed DOES NOT help with hair growth! I've always had stylists tell me that keeping my ends trimmed will make my hair healthier. Uh...no. From the second hair has broken through the scalp it is DEAD! That's right. DEAD! Keeping your ends trimmed just makes your hair look better. That's all. So if you're keeping your hair moisturized, concentrating on the ends, this should alleviate the need for frequent trimmings to keep your hair nice looking. I have cut back my trims to every 4-6 months. AND...I go to Hair Cuttery for my trims. LOL! Yup. I pay a resounding $16 for a trim. LOL! This way I walk in and say..."I want a MINIMAL trim, please." without any of the usual guilt you get from stylists ie. "you need to keep your hair ends trimmed to keep it healthy, blah, blah, blah." Now don't confuse getting a trim with a shape. Some people need to get their hair shaped so that it looks good as it's growing. If you don't start out with a good shape...your hair will continue to look a mess. Just a longer mess...lol!
4. KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR HAIR! I only handle my hair twice a day. In the morning to unwrap it with a wide-toothed comb and at night when I moisturize and wrap it. There is a really good technique for combing out your hair for wrapping called the "Crown and Glory Technique" I read about on the following website: http://www.growafrohairlong.com/combbrush.html. It's the best way I've seen yet as to how to handle your hair for minimal breakage. I comb it out this way every night. I don't do the brush step cause I don't want to handle my hair that much. It makes sense to me that this would only work with hair that is wrapped nightly so keep that in mind when you're starting to comb out hair that has been roller-set. It would be death to your curls. LOL! I'd "surf" around that website too because there is a lot of good information on it, but, once again, I'm not trying to look crazy to grow my hair longer. LOL!
5. When hair is shoulder length it's more prone to breakage because it's in contact with your clothing. Fortunately for me, I don't leave my house everyday so I can keep my hair wrapped for most of the day if I'd like. Usually, I keep it wrapped until right before my husband comes home so he can see his beautiful fabulous wife in all her glory. LOL! When I am forced to leave the house for errands I pull it up in a loose (I only wrap it twice) ponytail with an ouchless (no metal) hair band so that it doesn't touch my sweater or coat. When I'm going somewhere and I wanna keep my cute on...I figure the few hours won't do too much damage if I leave my hair down if I've properly moisturized and deep conditioned on a regular basis. Once the hair ends are past your shoulders, this becomes easier to maintain it seems.
6. Relaxers more often than every 6 weeks is BAD, BAD, BAD! I'd really rather to see everyone do it a minimum of every 8 weeks. Just try to push it out as long as possible. I'm currently in my 12th week and never, EVER thought I'd be able to go longer than 6 weeks at one point in my life. What do I do differently you ask? I flat iron my roots really, really well in quarter inch section by section. This way it's smoother looking and feeling and I don't have to worry about breakage attempting to comb through the new growth as is.
7. Dandruff shampoo will dry the HELL outta your hair. So...try this. Part your hair as you would during a relaxer (4 sections) and only put the shampoo on the scalp as much as possible. Work the shampoo through your scalp for about 5 minutes and rinse. Only do this once. Then shampoo with a good moisturizing shampoo and deep condition. Try this out and if it doesn't work for you...then don't try it again. Simple. LOL!
8. Dry scalp can also be caused by product build-up. All that mousse and other crap is not necessary in my opinion. When a stylist uses these products in your hair...it's to make HER/HIS job easier. They help with "finishing" the hair so that it looks good for you to leave the salon and not think they didn't do a great job. Your stylist isn't going to be around until you see her again and YOU will be the person responsible for maintenence. With less product build-up...it will be easier on you.
9. After a relaxer ALWAYS deep condition! The chemicals in the relaxer are going to wash over your already relaxed hair when you are washing it out. Even though this is a minimal amount of contact time...CHEMICALS STILL TOUCH YOUR ALREADY RELAXED HAIR!!!!! So deep condition after every relaxer please.
10. To keep hair moisturized, wash it twice a week. I'm sure you've noticed your hair usually loses it's "life" by day 4 or so after a wash. It's dry and lifeless and you kinda just want to put it into a ponytail. Well...I figure this. If day 4 is the day it starts looking like it needs to be "done" why not do it? I suggest Tuesday and Saturday. Tuesday for a shampoo and condition and Saturday for a shampoo and deep condition. Or Monday and Friday. Or whenever your days are conducive to doing this. Just remember you'll need more time on the day you deep condition. I don't think it's a NECESSARY step...but it makes sense doesn't it? And it seems to work for me, especially when I'm pushing my relaxers out so far apart.
11. Don't wash your hair until it's squeaky clean. In fact, only wash it once with a nickel sized amount of shampoo. It always says to use this amount on the shampoo bottle, but I never paid any attention to it and used MUCH more believing that if I get a good lather going it's better for my hair. Truth is, it seems, I'm washing out all of the natural oils in my hair. So...I only wash once now and I don't worry about getting up a good lather. If you use lots of oil in your hair, or a pre-shampoo oil treatment as I do, rinse your hair well with warm water before you put the shampoo in.
12. DON'T SCRATCH THE HECK OUTTA YOUR SCALP! In fact, only use the pads of your fingertips. You don't want to damage your scalp.
13. Go to a dermatologist to get an assessment of any hair loss. If you know what you're working with, it will be easier to develop a maintenence routine for your hair.
14. When you put your daily moisturizer on your hair, don't do anything to it for at least 10 minutes to allow your hair to absorb the moisturizer. Nuff said.
15. The products I use are pretty expensive relatively speaking, so I suggest purchasing them from Sephora first. This way, if you don't get optimal results, you can return the products for a full refund after one use. You can't go wrong with this policy. It's a no-brainer.
16. RINSE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER OUT OF HAIR TO ALLEVIATE BUILD-UP AND DULL LIFELESS HAIR!
I have revised my regimen drastically and want to share it with you. Use this as a guide to help you develop your OWN PERSONALIZED regimen remembering to use maily products that are plant based.
PRODUCTS AND THE STORES I BUY THEM FROM
- Pre-shampoo Treatment - Phytonectar Ultra Nourishing Oil Treatment http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P42892&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5332
- Shampoo – Phytonectar Ultra Nourishing Shampoo http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P35050&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5332
- Conditioner – Phytokarite’ http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P21256&searchString=phytokarite
- Deep Conditioner - Phytospecific Multi-Regenerating Cream
Bath
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P6116&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5332
- Detangler – Aveda Styling Curessence http://www.aveda.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY6156&PRODUCT_ID=PROD5832
- Setting Lotion –
Dudley
Fantastic Body http://dudleyq.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=dudley&Product_Code=164088
- Moisturizer – Phyto 9 http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P2891&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5332
TOOLS
- Wide tooth comb
- “Rat-tail” comb with wide teeth
- Plastic shower cap
- Hooded dryer (I also have a bonnet dryer so I can stretch out on the sofa while deep conditioning…lol!)
- Blow dryer (I know everyone says to steer clear of blow dryers…but, AGAIN, I’m not one for looking crazy and if my roots need a little extra to look straight then so be it! LOL!)
- Wide paddle brush http://www.aveda.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY6152&PRODUCT_ID=PROD5837
- 4 – 5 alligator clips
- Curling iron (s) (I use a large barreled one. It’s either 1 ¾ inch or 2 inch I can’t remember. I only use this to “bend” the ends of my hair. I don’t use this step if I’m just wrapping my hair afterwards.)
- 2 Hair rubbers (the kind that don’t have metal and won’t pull your hair out)
MY PROCESS
- Put in Phytonectar Ultra Nourishing Oil Treatment. (Sometimes I follow the instructions, sometimes I leave it in over night.)
- In shower (I feel that all the product comes out when I use the shower instead of a sink. When you leave product in that’s not specifically a leave-in product, it leaves a dulling residue), rinse hair well to remove oil. Then shampoo once concentrating on SCALP and roots of hair. Don’t worry about getting up a good lather. Let the shampoo set for 5 minutes (shave your legs while waiting…lol). Rinse.
- Using a towel, dry your hair as much as possible (squeeze water out…don’t be rough on your hair please!) because from what I’ve learned personally, less of the conditioner will actually penetrate the hair if it’s already filled with water (works if you’re going swimming too….before you get in a pool or body of water, saturate your hair with a bottle of water or tap water, the hair will “fill up” with the non-chemical treated water first making it difficult for the chlorine treated water to penetrate).
- Put conditioner in hair and comb through SLOWLY using a wide-tooth comb being very careful so as to minimize any breakage. I like to comb my hair straight back. (Don’t know if there is a difference, but it works for me.)
- IF DEEP CONDITIONING – put deep conditioner in hair, cover with bag and sit under dryer for 30 minutes.
- Rinse hair using cool water. (Makes for serious shivers in the shower…lol! If deep conditioning you don’t HAVE to get back in shower.)
- Towel dry hair (always be GENTLE when handling your hair!!!)
- Place shower cap over hair until you’ve dried yourself off and gotten dressed.
- Spray on detangler (lightly) and comb hair using wide-tooth comb into your preferred drying style.
- Spray on setting lotion and comb hair GENTLY with wide tooth comb.
- Sit under dryer with a good book…lol!
- Once hair is almost all dry (meaning you can run your fingers through it and just feel minor dampness) put a nickel size amount of Phyto 9 in your palm and between your fingers and work through your hair. Make sure you get your ends really, really good.
- Blow dry hair using the medium setting and the paddle brush. Remember to be gentle! (I only do this once I have new growth and concentrate on my roots.)
- (I usually put a little more Phyto 9 on my ends after this because my hair is really dry.)
- Using hair bands, section hair using the tail of the rat tail comb and begin curling each section (maybe ¼ inch to ½ inch sections that are about an inch wide). I “smooth” or “silken” my hair using the flat iron. You can also use a curling iron to do this. If you don’t know how to “smooth” or “silken” the root, visit a hair salon and watch how a stylist does it.
- Once you’re finished, either style as desired or wrap with a satin (NEVER COTTON) scarf. I made a really nice one by taking a good square one and cutting it in half. I then sewed the cut edge so I can use it as a triangle head scarf that doesn’t have a lot of extra fabric.
This is how I maintain my hair and it works for me. Of course, your hair type and mine are probably totally different and you’ll have to get your own routine in the works for your type of hair. My hair is very thin. I have always, ALWAYS wished for Oprah hair like my girlfriend Noreen (that heffa!) but I’ve worked out a regimen that’s really good for my hair.
I find the most important thing, however, is to always remember to be gentle with your hair. GENTLE! No tugging, pulling, burning it up daily with curling irons. GENTLE! Oh…and drink LOTS of water. I drink at least 3 liters a day.
The relaxer system I use is the Affirm Sensitive Scalp Formula.
Anything chemical should ALWAYS be done by a professional (unless you are confident you know what you’re doing). And ladies… COLOR IS CHEMICAL!!!!!
After this process, I find that I don’t need to do anything more to my hair other than add moisturizer to it daily and wrap it at night. When I get up in the morning, I comb it out with a wide tooth comb and go. My hair is full of body because it’s not weighed down by product.
If you know of some good tips I can add, please share as I am always looking for new ones!
Smooches! Copyright Monica Mingo 2006
February 16, 2006
GOING SEE OPRAH!!!!!!!!!
Well all, I'm going to be bad for the next couple of days because yesterday I found out that I'm going 
to see the Oprah Show next week and I HAVE to get a touch-up and use my flat iron because I can't take the chance that I'll be on tv looking a hot dang mes! So, my dear sweet friends....I'll pick this back up once we return from Chicago! SMOOCHES!
February 15, 2006
February 13, 2006
February 11, 2006
Night 4 (Before Wash Day)
I'm kinda tired from the Home and Garden Show, but not tired enough to slack off from my regimen so soon. Almost...but not quite...lol!
So I'm going to wash my hair tomorrow morning so I'm not all that worried about what I'll look like when I wake up so I saturated my hair with S-Curl (LOLOLOLOL! I STILL laugh at that! ME using S-Curl!!! ROFL!), combed with a wide tooth comb, twisted it up on top of my head, covered it with a plastic shower cap and tied up my head with my nitey nite scarf so I don't ruin my sheets and pillowcases. LOL! I sleep pretty bad so I don't know where the scarf or the bag will be by the time I awake in the morning. Probably plastered under my hubby's back...*sigh*. See ya lata!
The pictures below are after a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong day. I'm tired so don't get it twisted...I'm MAD cute! LOL!
Smooches!
Day 4
So I tried to figure out how to sleep with the braid out and couldn't get my brain around it. So I just sprayed it with the S-Curl and re-braided it with BioSilk on my hands for each braid section. I "curled" the ends under and pinned them with clips. Once the "curls" held, I took the clips out and tied down with scarf and went nite-nite.
The results were much better. Lighter than they were yesterday and they actually MOVED! LOL! I did two layers of braids in the back so it would be fuller and the S-Curl and BioSilk gave it a nice "wet" look which was extremely soft to the touch. ME LIKEY ME LIKEY!!!!!!! Now...off to the Washington Home and Garden Show at the Convention Center. I hope to spend NO money!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! Yeah right. *sigh*
February 10, 2006
Day 2 and 3
I washed my hair yesterday with a moisturizing shampoo. Then I deep conditioned it under a bonnet dryer for 30 minutes with a mixture of my Phytospecific Intensive Moisturizer and some Affirm intensive conditioner.
After that, I put in some leave-in conditioner and some Bio Silk and plaited it while damp. Afterwards, I sprayed my hair with S-Curl (LOLOLOLOL!), then I tied my hair up and let it dry.
This morning, I un-plaited it and finger combed it with Bio Silk in my hands.
It came out kinda cute. The ends, however, are stright because they unravelled.
So I gotta figure that part out. I'm thinking of using a thick moisturizer, like shea butter or something on them. I'm going to Whole Foods today, so I'll pick up some there and try it on Sunday.
February 09, 2006
6 Month Challenge
Okay...I'm going to start a hair care regimen that focuses on healthy hair and hair growth. I'm going to try my darnedest to steer clear of heat as much as possible except for my deep conditioners. When I have to do something special however, I am going to use my damn flatiron hell.
Hair Starting Point
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