FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO!

I'm a lil' self-conscious about it but it's all good!

Support and watch!

You can check it out by clicking here. 

~JPB

Today's Braid-out!

Normally I do twist-outs because they are much quicker to take out in the morning, but I wanted a more stretched out look.

~JPB

My new wash regimen is DA BOMB!

Had to go back to some 90s terminology there, lol, but it seriously is! I went through my subscriptions on YouTube the other day and found that luvbeinnatural posted her updated wash regimen and I thought I'd give it a try. Let me tell you all this: it cut my shower time on wash days...IN HALF.

The regimen starts with her finger detangling her hair in small sections with olive oil and twisting it up. Then she goes ahead to shampoo and condition her hair while they are in twists, I believe. After this she deep conditions while her hair is in twists, then washes out the deep conditioner and conditions. Sounds a little confusing, I know.

I kind of changed it up a bit. I used my own pre-poo recipe for the finger combing part. (I just combine my Giovanni Direct Leave-In with EVOO and Jojoba oil). After I finger detangled and twisted the sections, I went on to co-wash my hair. Instead of just applying the conditioner to all the twists and rinsing, I decided to apply the conditioner to each section by taking down the twist, adding the conditioner, detangling it with my Tangle Teezer, and twisting it back up again. It took no time at all!! Once all the twists had conditioner applied to it, I rinsed it all out while the twists were still in. When I got out of the shower, I applied the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair cream to deep condition. I left it on all night and braided up my hair for a braid-out tomorrow.

This is definitely a wash regimen that I'm going to stick to. I've been trying to find an efficient way to wash my hair without having to stand in the shower for a long time, and I finally found it!!
Thank God for YouTube, lol.

I'll definitely post pics of my braid out tomorrow!

~JPB

Original Moxie Hair Products

I'm obsessed with them even though I haven't tried them! Crazy, I know. I first heard about them on MeechyMonroe's YouTube Channel and Website, and they seem like the perfect hair products to have. I did further research on their website which you can check out here. I've already looked into purchasing the Get Clean! No Foam Shampoo and the Intense Quench Deep Conditioner. The Twist Mist Lightweight Shine spray and Lux Locks Styling and Shine have also caught my eye. The only cons to these products are that they can only be found online and they're kind of pricy. I'll definitely be adding some of the products to my Christmas list. They seem worth the money and are all natural too =).

All pictures are from the Original Moxie website.

~JPB

Follow me with Blog Lovin'!

Something new that I'm trying out. We'll see how this goes.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3247462/natural-beauty?claim=6keaf592kax">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The Evolution of the Puff

~JPB

Winter Hair Regimen!

My hair turned out really great today! So I'm pretty sure that I have my winter hair regimen together as well as what products to use.
Here it goes!

Winter Hair Regimen:
Co-wash every 7-10 days
Deep condition with every wash

• Add deep conditioner, cover with plastic cap and wrap with towel

Twist hair with deep conditioner leave-in and shea butter
At night, re twist with shea butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a little bit of water
    or just moisturize hair w/ shea butter, oil, and water
Wrap hair in silk scarf

I'm also going to try ONLY Co-washing this winter and NO SHAMPOOING.

Products that I use:
Shampoo: Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo
Conditioner: Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner
Leave-in: Giovanni Direct Leave-in
Deep Conditioner: Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Repair Cream
Shea Butter: Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque
Oils: EVOO and Jojoba oil

Here's some pictures of how my hair turned out using this regimen!

One of the best twist outs that I've had in a while!

~JPB

Figuring Out My Hair

Lately it's been really difficult for me to figure out what my hair needs/wants. I've been trying to do twist outs (my signature hairstyle) but all of them have turned into a horrible mess. It's like I don't know my hair anymore! During the summer, I had the perfect routine and I was getting the perfect results with everything that I'd been doing. I'm starting to think that it's either the change in the weather or the fact that my hair is getting longer and behaving differently. Either way, I'm still searching for the perfect hair regimen for me, and I think I may have come up with a good winter regimen too.

We'll see!
I'll figure it out soon.

-JPB

Mini Twist Out

Last week I wore my hair in mini twists for about 5 days (i know, not long at all), then I took them out and my hair actually had a cool effect to it.

This was the first day after taking them down.

I then wrapped my hair up at night without twisting it, and it actually came out more or less the same the next day!

Then I tried wearing it the same for the 3rd day and it still looked pretty decent.

It might have lasted a 4th day, but I didn't want to push it, plus it was time for my hair to get washed!

~JPB

Package!

Look what came in the mail!

About a week ago I made an order online for accessories at BL Boutique. I follow the owner, Ambrosia, on her blog and her YouTube page, so I thought I'd check it out and support! The items came in the mail and they are beautiful! I bought a pair of earrings, an ear cuff, and a flower clip that works as both a hair and clothes pin. The ear cuff that I ordered was mailed separately so I haven't gotten it in the mail yet. If you want to see what that looks like, click here.

Here are some pics!

You should definitely check out the boutique.

~JPB

Deep Conditioning!

This is one of the things that I'm really inconsistent with when it comes to my hair, and it's sad! During the  summer I had a regimen of shampooing and conditioning my hair once a month with co-washes between that every 7 to 10 days. When I did shampoo, I deep conditioned also. These were the days that I was home from college and had a little bit more time to make my own homemade deep conditioners with yogurt, honey, and other ingredients out of the kitchen. Now, I just want something that I can purchase at the local Walgreens and put in my hair!
Recently I have bought the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream and after I cowashed last Sunday, I put it on my hair and slept with it still in and a plastic shower cap over my head. When I woke up the next morning, my hair did feel soft, but I also feel like my deep conditioning method is missing a 'wow factor.' I may try mixing it with some other products that I have.

~JPB

Protective Styling

Last Thursday night while I was bored and writing a paper, I spontaneously started to put my hair in mini twists! This is something that I've been thinking about doing for a while but never got the courage to. I wasn't sure what the length of the twists would be, but they came out looking pretty good! They fell to about the middle of my neck and they weren't too small. I only kept them in for about 3 days because it was about time to wash my hair. Next time, I want to wash my hair, let it dry for a day, then that night I would start my twists, this way I can keep them in for a longer amount of time. I think I will definitely do this for the winter when low manipulation is key!

 This was the first day that I wore them. I left some of the twists out in the front, then pulled the rest into a low, small bun.

This was the second day I wore them. The night before, I braided up the twists to give it a more curly effect.

Signature Hair Style: Twist Out

A significant part of my summer since my "big chop" has been to focus on my natural hair. What products work and which ones don't, how I'm going to style my hair and maintain it once the college life rolls around again. 

The main style that I've been leaning on so far are my twist outs. 

I do need to start wearing protective styles so that I can retain more length in my hair.

Still searching!

Braid Out: Products Used and Results!

Since becoming natural, I've done several twist-outs that have turned out good and bad. I used the Eco Styler Styling Gel on those twist-outs, but this time around I wanted to try out shea butter to see if I would get better results. I'm also going to try doing a braid out for the first time. I'm hoping that this will stretch out my hair a little more than the twists would.

This is the shea butter that I used:

And this is what the braids looked like once I was finished:

I'm not sure if you guys can notice, but once I got to the end of the braid I started to combine two of the sections into one and began twisting the rest of the way. This is a method that I learned from watching br0nzeqt's channel on YouTube.

The next day it turned out pretty nice:

I'll keep you all updated with how long the braid-out lasts!

~JPB

Hair Style: Updo Puff

Being newly natural, this summer my main mission is to figure out more about my hair. In doing this, I've followed the tips of many YouTubers (I'm addicted to watching their videos) and I learned the good ole stocking trick. I took an old stocking foot from one of my drawers and stretched it out so that I could wrap it around my head like a headband. After doing so, I pushed it up until I achieved to get a puff on my head. It was really easy! Plus, my hair didn't have to be super long to get the look.

Here are some pics!

I bought the headband from an accessory store called Charming Charlie.

If you have one near you, I encourage you all to check it out!

~JPB 

Lookin' a lil Retro

I decided to blow out and straighten my hair for my sister's graduation. Let me tell you...it was DEFINITELY not easy lol. I got a lot of flashbacks to the 90s when I was a young girl in the kitchen while my mom pressed my hair. Yes, that old pressing comb that heats up on the stove. It took a very long time from blow drying, to pressing, to flat ironing, and I will probably go to a professional if I want to straighten it again (far, far, far in the future). I think the thickness of my hair made it a bit hard to straighten out. It was really too much heat that was being used and I'm not a fan of that.
This is how it turned out...

It's really soft but I can't help but think that it may be a little dry as well.

It turned out ok and had a cool retro look to it, but I can't wait to wash my hair and get it back to normal.

Still on the journey to get long and healthy hair.

~JPB

I Did It!

I'm happy to announce that I am 100% natural =).
I did my big chop on Saturday (5/14/11) and I have to say, it takes some getting use to.
I love it though, and most of the people around me love it as well.
I'm truly blessed to have the supporters that I needed throughout this whole transition.
And I'm sure you're dying to see a pic...
So here it is...=)

~JPB

Update!

Hey there,

I still exist...don't worry =).
I've been M.I.A. for a couple of reasons...
1. I'm in the process of finishing my first year of college (8 days left!).
2. My hair is still in tree braids until later on this month. When I take them down, I'm going to cut the relaxed ends of my hair and rock the natural look (so excited!)
My future plans for this blog include pictures of the before and after effect of the "Big Chop." I'm really interested in seeing how much growth I've received in a year of transitioning. Also, I may even vlog about it. I have a YouTube channel, but I may make a new one dedicated to my natural hair journey.
We'll see what happens...

I'll be back later this month =)

~JPB

This is the Beginning

About ten months ago I started a journey that many African American women take in their lives: I started going natural. From May of 2010, I decided that I no longer wanted to continue on with getting relaxers. It was a time in my life when I was transitioning from high school to college and I decided that I wanted a change in my hair as well. I had kind of been thinking of just letting it grow out for most of my senior year and despite what everyone said against it, I told myself that this was for me, it was something that I had to do.

So... Just so you all can get a little more background...here's my natural hair journey.

I had natural hair when I was a kid until 2nd grade when I had my first relaxer. My mom had been pressing my hair up until then. I kept getting my relaxers up until last year when I decided to go natural. During the ten years that I have been getting relaxers, I had A LOT of problems dealing with breakage and keeping my hair moisturized. I had a dependable hair dresser for the majority of that time until some of my hair would break off and she didn't know why. I later changed my hair dresser to someone who knew how to deal with it more professionally and my hair was able to get back to its original health. Although the health of my hair had gotten better, I still felt that my hair wasn't at its optimal health because my hair was still being chemically treated. This is when I decided that it was time for a change.

May 2010, I got my last relaxer and that was the beginning. It has now been 10 months of transitioning from relaxed to natural hair. I was too afraid to just completely chop off my hair and I feel like that would've been too drastic of a change for me at the time. Transitioning seemed like the easier option. It gives me a chance to do research on natural hair, figure out the best tips on natural hair care so that when I was ready to be fully natural I would have a pretty good feel for what I was doing. My transitioning has consisted of me wearing various types of braids every couple of months. I started off by wearing micro braids, then going to individual braids for a little while and right now I have tree braids. My plan was to go through this process and when May comes around this year I would finally cut off the relaxed ends of my hair.

It was just today when watching natural hair vlogs on YouTube that I chose to start making this natural hair blog. At this point I feel that I probably won't have that many followers, which is fine. My main goal was to log my natural hair growth journey so that I can see how much I progress throughout all of this. If I happen to pick up a person or two along the way who are interested in what I post on here, then that's perfectly fine. I would love to share my journey with as many as I can.

(My Tree Braids)

Until Next Time....

~JPB