Spring Hair Routine

The last time I talked about my hair was September of last year.  I promise that stuff has happened to me and to it since then.  The truth is that I went through a little period where I was bored with/tired of/ashamed of/conflicted about my hair.

Looking sex-ay on wash day with my towel and busted tank top

I was doing observations and tutoring in schools for the education program I am in and it became a little bit of a struggle between feeling a need to tame the beast to look professional and presentable and being all honey badger about it (as in . . . ).  Within the peculiar institution of The School, the Frederick Douglass (my hair's go-to look) has indeed become associated with Dangerous Negro-ness.  I felt real conflict about how my decisions potentially affected how I was perceived by teachers and administrators.  (Students were all "right on!," lovers of the 'fro but who cares about what they think right?)

I tried the organized somewhat legitimately curly look . . .

Flat twisted roots twisted bantu knot out

. . . and that was fine.  Ultimately, it proved to be a little too fuss and bother.  I was getting up at five am for my student teaching assignment and when it looked less than perfect, I felt some kind of way about it.  Thankfully, my hair is now long enough for a decent back of the head bun--and i don't even need a sock to fill that sucker out thankyouverymuch.  I did that for a while and was lazy enough to put it in a bun on a Sunday and leave it that way until a couple of Sundays later.  Yes, a couple.  

Ultimately, that was not really working for me since letting bobby pins slowly rust in your hair is probably not a good look.  And oh yeah, I started working out which meant I was sweating a lot more and my hair was uh, less than fresh.  No one ever noticed but me, not even Wes, but still.  It was gross and I couldn't deal.  

So finally I said fuck it.  I downgraded my standards to "intentional".  (That means that whatever happened, I wanted my hair to look like I meant it to look that way)  I went back to washing my damn hair regularly with damn shampoo and using whatever tools and tricks I could learn from YouTube and the internet to meet my particular needs.

1. I want it dry.

2. I want it stretched. 

3. I want it to stay moisturized for at least a week.

I'm whatever as far as styling goes.  If I have the time and want to play, numbers 1-3 will have me ready to go.

Right now, I accomplish 1 and 2 by washing my hair in 12-14 big twists and squeezing as much water as possible out with a towel.  Then I let it air dry for a bit before adding any leave in conditioner.  I  basically let it get to a point where water droplets stop forming.  Then I separate my big twists, apply conditioner and styler and re-twist into two smaller twists.  I generally end up with 24-28 twists.  

1. SheaMoisture Curl and Shine Conditioning Milk; 2. Curls Coconut Curlada Conditioner; 3. SheaMoisture African Black Soap Deep Cleaning Shampoo; 4. SheaMoisture Curl and Shine Curl Enhancing Smoothie

I let that marinate.  Depending on where I'm going and whether or not a hat or scarf is appropriate, I leave my hair twisted for as long as possible.  Eventually I take them down and shake out my hair.  I might stick a bobby pin on the part that likes to stick straight up.  I wear it out for a few days, keeping it stretched by spritzing at night with a little water and putting it in two high ponies.

Hot right.

Anyway, I can ride this out for a week to a couple of weeks.  More often a couple of weeks with the occasional night time re-twist.

Twists removed and fluffed-I needed a few more bobby pins to shape but you get the idea.  Also-I need a trim.