~*~*The Newly Natural Thread*~*~

Diva_Esq said:
:hiya: BC twin! :D Thanks for the compliments! Simple is best for me.

Question: What does the curl diameter show?
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cch24 said:
I'm pretty sure that curl diameter tells your hair type according to the Andre system. His system does not take into account factors like strand size, density, or texture. That's why some people have difficulty with hair typing because they want to include those other factors.
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Yes, curl diameter correlates to Andre's numbered hair typing system. The reason I ask for more characteristics beyond just what type (1-4a/b/c) you are is because strand size, strand shape, density and texture play a large role in not only how hair appears, but how it behaves and what types of products, ingredients and techniques work. It's not so much that I find conventional hair typing difficult, I just don't find typing only by curl size/diameter useful in theory or application. kblc6 describes it perfectly in this post.

Here's my curl size/diameter:
000_0069-vi.jpg


In a few days I'll be 19 months post relaxer and almost 2 months natural! I'm loving my journey thus far. I still haven't changed my regimen, but it seems to be working. I'm currently under the dryer now with coconut oil and Mane n Tail for my protein prepoo.
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:yay: Glad to hear that! I did a coconut oil prepoo last weekend prior to shampooing and hennaing - my hair was so soft!
 
andromeda said:
Yes, curl diameter correlates to Andre's numbered hair typing system. The reason I ask for more characteristics beyond just what type (1-4a/b/c) you are is because strand size, strand shape, density and texture play a large role in not only how hair appears, but how it behaves and what types of products, ingredients and techniques work. It's not so much that I find conventional hair typing difficult, I just don't find typing only by curl size/diameter useful in theory or application. kblc6 describes it perfectly in this post.

Here's my curl size/diameter:
000_0069-vi.jpg


:yay: Glad to hear that! I did a coconut oil prepoo last weekend prior to shampooing and hennaing - my hair was so soft!
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Ooh nice close up pic. Maybe we should all post pics of our curl/coil sizes. I recently ask BMP to check my fotki to see what my hair type was. I was thinking I was a 4A/B with some 3C. But she determined that I was more 3C/4A mix no 4B. Of course Andre's system is strictly by curl diameter. But I encourage you to seek BMP out if you really wanted an assessement by someone who is used to looking at different hair types. You can post pics to this thread. http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=464028 Just an FYI. But I do agree with you Andromeda, that so much more comes into play in regards to which products, techniques and regimens work for our hair. BTW, I have shed hairs the same size as your coil also:yep:.
 
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Oh yeah, as I mentioned above - I hennaed last weekend. This was my first time hennaing as a newly natural. I took lots of pics before, during and after the process because I wanted to document the effects. Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned and insisted the storage card needed to be reformatted and I lost all the pictures. I only 3 pics showing my hair after I had hennaed, rinsed and DCd. As usual, my hair felt softer and stronger. I did have some temporary loosening, esp along my hairline and at my temples and nape. I've been doing wash-n-go puffs all week and most of my hair is back to its normal level of coily-ness, while the tendrils at the temples and nape are still looser.

I don't know why I've been tempting fate by doing wash-n-go''s.:nono: I've experienced lots of SSKs. I absolutely have to keep my ends stretched. I put in some small twists yesterday.
 
andromeda said:
I don't know why I've been tempting fate by doing wash-n-go''s.:nono: I've experienced lots of SSKs. I absolutely have to keep my ends stretched. I put in some small twists yesterday.
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Andromeda, how do you know if you have SSKs? Do you feel them when you touch your hair, or do you see them when you look at your shed hair?
 
Mini update:

My hair is super dry and brittle. Its highly annoying. I think its because I let my hair shrink so much. Shrinkage gets my hair so tangled and also its hard for my moisturizer to get to every strand when my hair is shrunken. So, I'm thinking I'm going to have to comb my hair daily. Because my hair does not like this "only combing on wash days" thing. Will post pics on the 11th when I am 3 months post chop.
 
Evallusion: Sorry to hear that your hair feels dry. Do you think a spray moisturizer would help ensure that each strand gets moisturized?
 
cch24: I'm using a glycerin based spray moisturizer now and my hair feels nice today. (I had stopped using it because the glycerin was acting up with the weather change.) Do you know of any non glycerin based spray moisturizers?
 
Just bought me some Bentonite clay and plan to use it tonight. I'll take pics if I do use it to show before and after.
 
cch24 said:
Andromeda, how do you know if you have SSKs? Do you feel them when you touch your hair, or do you see them when you look at your shed hair?
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I feel them when I touch my hair. I also witnessed one form on a shed hair - it strand formed a knot, pretty much on its own, just in the process of me picking it up and trying to place it in my hand.

Here's a pic:
000_0067-vi.jpg

Before I picked it up, it was an almost perfect coil with one bend. But the time I got it into my hand, it had loosely knotted/coiled up on itself (I tried to remove the knot but since it's so small, I ended up making it tighter), causing another bend. Of course, all these bends are prime spots for breakage.

Evallusion said:
Mini update:

My hair is super dry and brittle. Its highly annoying. I think its because I let my hair shrink so much. Shrinkage gets my hair so tangled and also its hard for my moisturizer to get to every strand when my hair is shrunken. So, I'm thinking I'm going to have to comb my hair daily. Because my hair does not like this "only combing on wash days" thing. Will post pics on the 11th when I am 3 months post chop.
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I notice my ends start to feel brittle after wearing my hair in a shrunken puff for a prolonger period of time.
 
Evallusion said:
cch24: I'm using a glycerin based spray moisturizer now and my hair feels nice today. (I had stopped using it because the glycerin was acting up with the weather change.) Do you know of any non glycerin based spray moisturizers?
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I'm actually not sure. I tend to use creamy leave-ins or just plain conditioner. I know a lot of people make their own spray moisturizers with a little conditioner, oil, and water. Maybe that would help?
 
Thanks andromeda! I know that SSKs are a problem that many naturals encounter, but I was unsure of what to look for, especially since I don't plan to straighten my hair for a while.
 
Sigh... I knew it was too good to be true
I guess my mom only thought my hair was nice for funsies. When she found out I intended on starting residency like that she flipped the script
Begged me to relax it, told me I look like a village woman (aka poor and uncivilized), told me it's crazy, then hung up on me
The best part is I'll be in the same city as them for residency
 
I'm sorry to hear that Foxglove. I hope your mom comes around. I think your hair is beautiful, and I would be so intrigued if my doctor/surgeon had a beautiful head of natural hair on her head.

Congratulations on your upcoming residency!
 
cch24 said:
I'm sorry to hear that Foxglove. I hope your mom comes around. I think your hair is beautiful, and I would be so intrigued if my doctor/surgeon had a beautiful head of natural hair on her head.

Congratulations on your upcoming residency!
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ITA with cch24. It really sux when your family isn't behind you on those things in which you are passionate about. I LOVE your natural hair. You shouldn't have to change it for anybody or anything. Just keep being you. Hopefully she'll come around.:bighug:
 
Well she called back and apologized. She said she was sorry for making me feel bad and she knows I'm an adult blablabla she just wants me to look presentable
I'm contemplating my first ever weave for graduation but I'm not sure
I hate this. I love my hair and I have no intentions of relaxing it but knowing that for the next 3 years I have to see her every week just gets my blood pressure up bc I hate having to deal with it
 
:nono: foxglove, I'm so sorry. It literally pains me to hear her reaction. I can understand that negative attitudes about natural hair are deeply ingrained and that her reaction is out of love, concern and trepidation more than anything else. However, I hope she realizes how her words and support, or lack thereof, carry extra weight. Hopefully, she'll come around.

Congrats on your residency! And I concur with cch and stephelise's comments - if you were my doctor, I'd be admiring your hair and asking for hair care prescriptions, best believe it!:yep:
 
Foxglove said:
Sigh... I knew it was too good to be true
I guess my mom only thought my hair was nice for funsies. When she found out I intended on starting residency like that she flipped the script
Begged me to relax it, told me I look like a village woman (aka poor and uncivilized), told me it's crazy, then hung up on me
The best part is I'll be in the same city as them for residency
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You leave your hair as it is, and be proud of it. I work in an OB/GYN residency program (clinic), and one of the best former residents I've ever worked with had pink streaks in her hair, tatted up arms, and a nose ring. It never affected the care she gave her patients, and her patients loved her. It also did not affect her ability to go into practice following her residency.

This is the New Millennium...and quite frankly your mother's view is ignorant and out-dated. Don't sweat it, and do what you do. As a matter of fact, you oughta wear a blow-out fro to your graduation, and stick a pretty plower in your hair. Tell your mom she should be glad and proud she has a physician for a daughter.
 
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My hair is super dry and shrinks like crazy.:sad: I have been using a little Suave Humectant as a leave-in condish and that really helps. :yep: I'm thinking about wearing a blow out this week. I'm in Tennessee right now and I noticed a lot of :perplexed looks from the sistas here. Yesterday, I was in the ATL area and the sistas wear their naturals with pride.

I still love my hair!:grin:
 
Great thread... If I still feel how I feel right now by tomorrow afternoon, I may be joining you ladies. :look:
 
In happier news, I got the perfect twistout... in a dream. I can't believe I'm dreaming about hair now lol
 
Foxglove I'm sorry to hear your mother's reaction. When it gets longer she probably won't say that. I don't know why but it seems that when our hair is natural and short, that's when everybody has an issue with it.

Well I'm doing good with my hair. I can't wait for it to grow out more. I can get it into a half ponytail with lots of clips. I don't like to wear my hair out everyday, but I have to because it's so short. But other than that, I'm just trying to keep my hair moisturized.
 
FlawedBeauty said:
Aaaaand here I am to join you guys as some of you may know lol http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=467552

I'm too impatient for long term transitioning. Has anyone had any luck finding a product that gives good curl definition without leaving the hair feeling crunchy? I tried using just conditioner but that has my hair feeling a bit crunchy, good definition tho.
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I like to use curl activator gel and then put ecostyler on top of that. It works really good. Hair stays soft and defined (well as defined as my hair will get right now:perplexed).
 
FlawedBeauty said:
Aaaaand here I am to join you guys as some of you may know lol http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=467552

I'm too impatient for long term transitioning. Has anyone had any luck finding a product that gives good curl definition without leaving the hair feeling crunchy? I tried using just conditioner but that has my hair feeling a bit crunchy, good definition tho.
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You could try KCCC or a cheaper alternative- a curly pudding made my mixing ecostyler gel and olive oil. Here's the youtube with the recipe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmBn8qFlcTw
 
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