Alright With Me: Tresseme Naturals Conditioner

If I had a list titled Things I Am Bad At By Arbitrary Internet Standards, having natural hair would be an item on that list.  It would probably be right underneath blogging.

I don't really obsess that much about my hair.  I mean sure, when it's been so long between detanglings that I have to cut chunks out I get a little anxious and berate myself.  Sure I watch youtube videos and check CurlyNikki religiously.  Sure I browse natural hair products at Target.  All of those things are passive though, and they very rarely translate into action.  I should have known this kind of laziness would happen as soon as my hair was long enough to snatch into a respectable ponytail.  Although to be all the way real, I had already downgraded my styling standards to intentionality.  (Basically I ask myself "Does my hair look like I meant it to look this way?"  If the answer is "Good enough" I consider myself good to go)

Despite my general lassitude in regard to my hair, I have made some recent intriguing discoveries.

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Tresseme Naturals is a pretty popular conditioner and with good reason.  I bought some as a splurge when I ran out of the even cheaper V05 stuff I have been using to detangle.  (I used to prefer Kinky Curly Knot Today but it's $11.00 and I use a lot to detangle-even diluting it with water in a spray bottle doesn't make it stretch sufficiently.  I could get a bottle of Blackberry Tea V05 conditioner for like .67 cents.  Of course, I used half a bottle at a time to detangle so volume wise, it wasn't that great either.)

I can work with this conditoner though.  It comes in a bigger bottle and it only took maybe 1/6 of it to do the job for my whole head.  I was actually able to wash and detangle my hair in the shower in about 45 minutes.  That's unheard of.  The point that sold me though is that I left some of this conditioner in and it actually had enough hold and weight for three decent hair days in a row.  Color me impressed.

I tried it as a leave in again with a little EcoStyler Gel on top and had an absolutely banging twist out -or about twenty minutes because it was raining cats and dogs.  Another list titled Things I No Longer Care About Now That My Hair is Natural would have rain and umbrellas on it.

Big Ass Top Knot Bun

That's all me baby-just my hair, a headband I used as a hair tie and the three bobby pins I managed to stick in my pocket this morning.

I finally took out the flat twists I put in almost two weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I was a little overzealous with the moisturizing last night so it was still too wet to leave down.  I did this bun in a moving car!  I am extra-proud of myself.

Dry Hair Styling

I've been experimenting with dry hair styling.  You would think I would have figured this out in the winter . . . but I'm kind of slow.

I finally got around to washing and de-tangling over the weekend.  After a few weeks of finger de-tangling and slicking a little conditioner through . . . it was a beast.  Instead of twisting I decided to dry my hair by banding.  I threw a *GASP* cotton bandana on over that monstrosity and went on about my business for the rest of the weekend.  Last night I had the brilliant idea to give bantu knots a try.

I just twisted these up with a little SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and slept on it for a night.  These are by far the best looking Bantu knots I've ever managed.

All of these stunning images are my creation

 A little goofy action shot of the takedown . . .

Et voila . . . .

We might have a contender for a wedding day hairstyle.  If I had used a styler with a little more holding power and a little more shine . . . we might seriously be talking.  We might even be making out.

My attempt at styling.  And yes-that is the same busted paper flower I made in my first attempt at a paper flower bouquet.

Sidebar . . .  I was still in my pajamas when these photos were taken.  Some folks get rid of stained tank tops and t-shirts.  Around here we just retire them to night time wear.  Check out Kiki in the background in that same busted-ass dress.  More on that later.

Anyway.  I tried the double band look and I think it could definitely be adapted to the festivities.  Imagine some pretty ribbon instead of a Goody band . . . you get the idea.

As a whole I kind of love this look.  My hair has serious body and hang time in the back.  Considering how it usually looks back there I'm considering this a win.

 

 

 

What do you think?  It the Bantu knot out a do or a don't?

P.S. Headed out to class . . . tremendous fro after the first hour.  I smoothed that back into a banging afro puff though so I'm still loving it.

Elements of Style

As I progress in my academic program I find myself wondering more and more . . .

What does one wear to student teach?

I'm sure one reason I'm obsessed on this point is that I am very nervous about my first forays into the classroom.  Worrying about style is less threatening.  I am very concerned about the educational job market.  Worrying about how to dress authoritatively without looking middle aged is less foreboding.

And friends . . . my personal style definitely needs help.  In a misguided effort to dress like a grown up for my first corporate job I miscalculated and ended up dressing like a frump.  On the day to day, my style definitely skews old, tired, and entirely too black.

How to overhaul my wardrobe and get back on track?  Of course I have a three point plan.

Point one--take risks.  I have this weird mental block/conviction that a lot of the clothes and fashion elements that I want to wear wouldn't look good on my body.  Hello-I've got boobs and thighs.  I can't wear miniskirts or horizontal stripes or anything form fitting or etc., etc.  If you do a round on the fatshion blogs then you know that's just not true.  Jay Miranda at Fatshionable is wearing the hell out of this Monif C dress.

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Point two--invest.  I stopped investing in fashion for a lot of reasons.  The quality of what I could afford meant I was wasting my money, nothing fit right, I didn't enjoy the process . . .  I need to move beyond that.  Clearly, a working and workable professional wardrobe is necessary-but I should also invest in clothes that are fun or that make me feel good. 

Point three--accessorize!  Nothing injects the personal into personal style like accessories.  Shoes, boots, jewelry . . . I used to love that kind of thing but I've since given it up.  I think it's key in my stagnated style.

Am I forgetting anything?

Hair Today

Once upon a time I was working with this. . . Look at all of that smooth lusciousness. But right now I'm talking about my hair.


It looked good, but looks, as we have established, aren't everything. Everywhere I went I was hounded by a trail of broken hairs. I couldn't get dressed and out the door in the morning without brushing hair off of my shoulders. Couldn't run my fingers through it because it would break off. I hesitated to wear white shirts and sweeping up hair in the bathroom became my job because I was the one with the problem.