Hey peeps, a few pics and a few updates to come. No excuses- sheer laziness!!
I was on my way to my cousins bbq. I got this hairstyle of someone on youtube- I will credit them when I found the vid again. I have found youtube increasingly helpful in my quest to become more creative.
You will be flooded with posts in the next few days!! enjoy
Jah Bless
Naturally
So my aunty J is gwaaaaanin. Here is my hair. It was washed and dc'd when she got here and in several do do plaits. I wanted to put twists in as I am lazy- but the dreaded post partum shredding had started- I cannot bare to see all my hair fall out in the shower!! so I figure leaveing it alone for a few months can only do my hair good.
My plan is to sprizt it daily with the wonderful stuff from hairwegrownatural and play the rest by ear.....
Try not to watch the crackhead look!!!
My aunty is amazing- thought of the style- did it, 4 hrs (with all four children) she is WONDERFUL!! how could I ever repay her?
So this is my hair for the next few weeks. Infact I am leaving it in till my cousins wedding on July 29th. I may take it out just before that to give it a good dc- in the meantime I will be back at my aunties house in three weeks- just before I go back to work (whooole other post about my distress!) just to re-do the cornrows.
In the meantime, I will post inspriation pics, and do those product reviews I have been promising!!
Jah Bless
Naturally
Ok so they only lasted a week. I did wash them- first time I have ever done that- not really feeling the results. On the good side Tresseme naturals are having a BOGOF sale at Superdrug- Bought two bottles of condish as I have heard good things. I will keep you posted. Twists are coming out tonight - plan to rock a HUGE puff for my Sons 5th birthday party tmrw.
It was a sunny day here in London- check the £3 shades from Primarche!
I am frugal people!!
Jah Bless
Naturally
Whilst browsing Onsugar- I was elated to find another British blog. I immediately contacted Dionne and asked her about her experiences. She has kindly taken the time to answer a few of my questions. Britisish Bloogers month is LIIIIIVE Y'ALL!!!!!!!
1. What inspired you to start POMPOMAFRO?
I had been increasingly more interested in natural hair blogs, vlogs and forums. It all started when I was living abroad and couldn't get access to my normal hair products (looking back it was a blessing in disguise). I discovered a site called Fotki. There was many women (and some men) who were achieving fantastic hair health and lengths that I always secretly thought was possible, but never actually committed to. Pom Pom Afro was a upgrade from my picture blog at Fotki. Pom Pom Afro is also my stance on celebrating fine Afro hair care in the UK. British Afro hair blogs/vlogs seem to be under represented, which is odd, cause we are out here!
2. In a paragraph, describe your hair journey.
Unlike many blogs out there. I never had relaxed hair before (shock, horror!!). I have always had natural hair (apart from a 4 months when I relaxed my Mohawk in 2004 - whoops!). I have, however, had a unhealthy relationship with the old blow dryer and (gulp) those hair GHD straighteners. I'd think nothing of rocking a skin head then growing a Afro and as soon as it reached around 6" or more, I'd attack it with heat!!! I did this mainly to stretch it, I suppose I must of got frustrated with waiting for it to grow, so would blast it! This cycle of growing, heating and breaking has been going on for some while now. Then I l discovered Fotki in late 2008 and was educated on the basic needs of Afro hair. I'm still learning, but I'm on the grow and my hair feels good.
3. Three products you cannot live without & why
At the moment my hair is braids. In fact my hair has been tucked away in either weaves of braid extensions since December 2009. So I recognise my hair products are much less then when my hair is loose. However there are few things my hair loves and needs.
1. African Pride Braid Sheen - This spray soothes the scalp when the braids are freshly done and I use it every couple of days to keep my hair moisturised.
2. Doo Gro Mega Thick Growth Oil - I always use this after I use the braid sheen, it locks the moisture in and my hair loves it. It contains no cones, mineral oil or parabens, however the same cannot be said for all Doo Gro products.
3. I've only used this a couple of times, but I think its a keeper, Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment - This is used in dry hair, I use it when I'm going swimming and I wanna give my hair some added protection against the chlorine
4. Is the 'Natural scene' in the UK a phase or is it here to stay?
I think its here to stay. I see more naturals out here at the moment. When I had natural hair back in 2005 people always assumed I was going to get my hair done and when I told them that was my hairstyle, they seemed a bit confused. I was actually told, that I shouldn't have my own natural hair, in it's natural state for my birthday, because it was gonna sweat out and just not look right :/ what was really strange, was that I wasn't asking her opinion.
With the likes of Rihanna's shaved hair, Janelle Monae's quiff, Solanges' Braids, Jill Scott's re-occuring Afro puff etc we're constantly shown more styles that seem acceptable for Black women to have. We're not only limited to a Beyonce weave or that Jamelia ponytail piece - like come on!!!
Now I see women really making a statement with their natural hair. In fact most of my black female friends and family members have natural hair (even if it is hiding under a weave). I really think it's here to stay. Once we understand how to work with our own hair and lean to love it no matter what, we'll start to achieve great hair health and lengths, PAK is gonna start losing some money......
5. You mentioned in one of your vids that you have lived abroad- what was the natural scene like in the Crete?
I did live abroad in Crete. It is the largest of the Greek Island and although it's closer to Africa than London, UK is, the number of Black people in my neighbourhood were about 7 and of them, maybe 4 were women. Sooooooo there wasn't much of a scene lol.
Most of the Black people there were immigrants from Sierra Leone or Senegal and the women had long, tiny twist extensions. The scene was therefore very ethnic, very African and I don't think they ever understood how a 3rd generation Jamaican woman came to be there :D
I bought most of my hair products from natural product stores. I had to make everything myself, so I would buy Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Henna, Glycerin, essential oils etc and mix them all up at home, with the help of vlogs/blogs. I don't do this as much anymore, but will start again soon, probably at the end of the year when my protective styling challenge comes to an end (2 years in a protective style).
6. You have mentioned on your blog that you have fine hair, and you don't feel that your hair is well represented on natural hair blogs (I agree) How have you learned to deal with your hair in light of this?
Yeah, I do have fine hair and I suppose it was originally bought to my attention when my mum would do our (me and my sisters) hair and she'd get to mine and complain my hair was too slippy. To make it worse she believed it never looked neatly done, even after she'd just done it :( . When I started to do my own hair, I had nothing to compare it with, so in my opinion, it felt normal - I was right.
When I started my natural hair journey, all the blogs/vlogs were of bouncy, coily, kinky Afro manes. I think there is a global misconception that natural Afro means thick hair. It doesn't mean this at all.
As my hair has grown and I deal with certain problems specific to fine hair i.e breakage, thinning etc I found that there wasn't a Youtube Channel or blog dedicated to fine hair in particular. So I thought well, I'll try and find out how to deal with my slippy hair myself and share the knowledge.
For example, my fine hair in general really likes protein. It makes it stronger and less prone to break. I also found out that although no hair likes heat, fine hair hates it!!!! I did not know this, no wonder it broke in the past.
Most of the time, info found online regarding Afro hair is applicable to my hair, but it's not just info. Its also good to actually see women with fine hair. My blog will hopefully get women to celebrate their hair no matter what density.
My hair is very soft, has a nice curl pattern and can be shrunk and stretched pretty easily. However, it's never gonna be thick without a little help from some tracks at the back!!
I'm learning to be thankful with what I was given and after watching one of my sisters (with silly thick hair) get frustrated with her tresses and take to cutting it to manage her care regimen. I can quite smugly say, that my hair will never give me that problem :)
Thanks oo much to Dionne for sharing her story and having another great UK blog. If you have not already done so pleae check out POMPOMAFRO.
Jah Bless
Naturally
Every now and again I remember that this is a hair blog! so nothing has really been happening with my hair at the moment. I am on the look out for a new go-to style as I am bored of the puff- although it is becoming ever more impressive even if I do say so myself. I have been scouring the web- but some ladies are spending HOURS grooming their fro's. I simply dont have the time (or inclination) so this weekend I had a family bbq to attend (Happy Eartday 'Bib') so I decided to twist it.
So as I am lazy, my hair had been washed a few days before I just wet my hair with HAIRWEGROWNATURAL's Sprtzy moist (wicked stuff) and sealed with Hairwegrownatural Healthy Hair Hairdress. Apologies for the quality of the pictures, they were taken on the Blackberry-I am loving that phone.
These are the mini sizes, (budgetry restraints mean that I have to be a miser!) but this is an excellent idea. I know Curl Harmony also do mini sizes. Everyone should do it. I cannot tell you the amount of products that I have only used once as I dont like them... they are just sitting in my cupboard gathering dust.
Anyway this stuff was really good. I will certainly be repurchasing the Spritzy Moist. My only complaint with the hairdress was the smell. It is minty- I hate minty stuff, but it was a lovely consistency and moisterised beautifully. My hair was shiney and bouncy and really didnt shrink as much as it usually does.
5/5 for the spritzy moist
4/5 for the Hairdress-smell is a personal preference. If they changed the fragrance I am all over this!
So what I did was pull a small section of my two day old hair (it had been in a puff) spray with the spritzy moist until damp then twist using the hairdress. Simples!
I have finished the Hairdress- I may have overused- but Ilove the heavy feel of my twists, and the bottle is half empty. this tuff is clearly made from good ingredients and my hair is LOOOVVING it.
I intend to keep the twists in for a few week. I will spray as needed with the spritzy moist. it is a clear liquid and smealls lightly minty- but the smell does not linger. It does not leave a film on your (my) hair like some other herbal sprays do. I am Loving this stuff it is by far the best spray/spritz that I have used since being natural- including my own concoction!!
I will be trying the other stuff they have on offer- they have a Heat Protection Hairdress,Maximum Growth Hairdress and a Spritzy Shine.I paid £3.50 each for these miniatures which were delivered the next day..impressive. In line with my UK month, they are a British based company. If you dont know, now you know..... check them out.
So thats me for the next few weeks. I have some othe product revies to catch up on I will try to get them to you asap. The next installment of British Bloggers is coming up on Friday.... keep watching!
Jah Bless
Naturally
Hey ladies,
Soooooo for wash day I used the orange Smooth and Soft (HESS) the conditioner and the tub. To coin a very British phrase it was PANTS! The condish in the bottle is much like the other HE condishes- smells loveeerly and has plenty of slip etc. I am not too convinced that they have not just squeezed the bottle into the tub!! I could not tell any difference in smell, thickness or result.
ZERO definition!!
So for a product that is meant to make my hair less frizzy (it is for dry damaged and frizzy hair) I dont think my hair had ever been so frizzy!! Ohhhhh the irony......
Jah Bless
Naturally
No rebraid last night, just popped on a satin bonnet. in the morning a bit of ecostyler and HEHH at the front to 'style it out' The top actually looks and feels quite dry- wash day today....
So thas it for today.... It is the second day of sunshine here in London, I am aware i need to be more inventive with my hair. It is certainly long enough to experiment now. Thats my next mission. Any suggestions?
Jah Bless
Naturally
I luuuuuuuve the FRO!!
I am gonna killdem with my fro as soon as the sun shows its face here in the UK,
I cannot wait.
Jah Bless
Naturally
Ok, so I am into the second day of my braidout.You may remember yesterday that I mentioned that the products that I used didnt have much hold, I have to tell you- London has much wind.... the two are not a great mix!! I was not intentionally going for the crack-whore look, but thats what happenend in the end lol!
So far, not so bad right?.... look below- after my morning walk- then after getting my son from school!!!
So, any suggestions for products with hold....I have come to the conclusion-my hair does not like gels...
Hows your hair today?
Jah Bless
Naturally
Ok, so I am into the second day of my braidout.You may remember yesterday that I mentioned that the products that I used didnt have much hold, I have to tell you- London has much wind.... the two are not a great mix!! I was not intentionally going for the crack-whore look, but thats what happenend in the end lol!
So far, not so bad right?.... look below- after my morning walk- then after getting my son from school!!!
So, any suggestions for products with hold....I have come to the conclusion-my hair does not like gels...
Hows your hair today?
Jah Bless
Naturally
Usual braid out- not much hold though, after going to collect my son from school- I had a real 'windswept' look-lol. I used the last of my Naked condish from Boots and it seems its been discontinued- so I will have to start on something else in my arsenal. I like the way it made my hair shine.
I didnt actually use these for this braid out, well actually I used everything except that gel. I have to tell you that braid and loc gel SUCKS!!!!! It looked like I had flour in my hair...never a great look. I am goingto do a product review, but I have not found enough rude words to fill the page.
Multi tasking holding baby-lol.
Jah Bless
Naturally
I am loving this hair- look how healthy it looks. Ultimately that it what I am striving for.
Jah Bless
Naturally
I am loving this hair- look how healthy it looks. Ultimately that it what I am striving for.
Jah Bless
Naturally
ok i am doubly excited about; 1:doing this post on my blackberry ( i have not worked out how to do capital letters yet, so forgive me!) 2:also i did a shop online. i finally found my beloved lustrasilk hair cholesterol. now i am sure my american friends will stop reading here and think "is that it" but this stuff is not easily available over here, so i was chuffed to find it. i bought it at paks.com
here is a picture of todays hair- its wash day, them my haul! i dont know why they are sideways-modern technology eh!!
jah bless
naturally
I was shaking my head the whole time I was watching this video. It has been featured on a few hairblogs over the past few months. I am not sure if I admire her or think she is a fool. I just keep waiting to her a news report that she has broken her neck!!
This is definately dedication for you!!
What do you think? Madness or genius?
Jah Bless
Naturally
I was shaking my head the whole time I was watching this video. It has been featured on a few hairblogs over the past few months. I am not sure if I admire her or think she is a fool. I just keep waiting to her a news report that she has broken her neck!!
This is definately dedication for you!!
What do you think? Madness or genius?
Jah Bless
Naturally
I saw this as I was looking at BGLH online archives. It is a little funny- but sadly true. Where do you stand on this?
There are the LEFT-WING NATURALISTS, who believe that natural hair is an indication of spiritual, emotional and social health, and also believe that relaxing is a manifestation of societal pressures, and lack of self acceptance.
There are the RIGHT-WING CHEMICALISTS, who believe that natural hair is not “good”, i.e. does not look pretty or professional, and needs to be altered with relaxers, flat irons or hot combs.
There are the MODERATE CHEMICALISTS who believe that natural hair can be pretty, but only on certain women. They still believe that the majority of Black women need to straighten their hair.
There are the MODERATE NATURALISTS who understand the chemicalists’ “convenience” argument i.e. that Black hair, in its natural state, is too hard to manage. They are cool with Black women relaxing their hair.
There are the RIGHT-WING NATURALISTS who are natural, but believe that straightened, shiny hair is more beautiful.
And the LEFT-WING CHEMICALISTS who are relaxed, but subscribe to some of the LEFT-WING NATURALIST doctrine, and wish their hair was natural.
And then there are the INDEPENDENTS. They’ve relaxed, they’ve been natural. They don’t discriminate. They see the benefits of both states of hair, and they’ve rocked both looks.
I think I am a !?! bit of a few of them...
What about you? Is this stuff true of people you know? or true of you?
Jah Bless
Naturally
I saw this as I was looking at BGLH online archives. It is a little funny- but sadly true. Where do you stand on this?
There are the LEFT-WING NATURALISTS, who believe that natural hair is an indication of spiritual, emotional and social health, and also believe that relaxing is a manifestation of societal pressures, and lack of self acceptance.
There are the RIGHT-WING CHEMICALISTS, who believe that natural hair is not “good”, i.e. does not look pretty or professional, and needs to be altered with relaxers, flat irons or hot combs.
There are the MODERATE CHEMICALISTS who believe that natural hair can be pretty, but only on certain women. They still believe that the majority of Black women need to straighten their hair.
There are the MODERATE NATURALISTS who understand the chemicalists’ “convenience” argument i.e. that Black hair, in its natural state, is too hard to manage. They are cool with Black women relaxing their hair.
There are the RIGHT-WING NATURALISTS who are natural, but believe that straightened, shiny hair is more beautiful.
And the LEFT-WING CHEMICALISTS who are relaxed, but subscribe to some of the LEFT-WING NATURALIST doctrine, and wish their hair was natural.
And then there are the INDEPENDENTS. They’ve relaxed, they’ve been natural. They don’t discriminate. They see the benefits of both states of hair, and they’ve rocked both looks.
I think I am a !?! bit of a few of them...
What about you? Is this stuff true of people you know? or true of you?
Jah Bless
Naturally
Hey Peeps,
So I pulled out the twists as my hair well needed a wash!! I co-washed with HEHH then let it air dry a bit, later that afternoon I did an overnight henna treatment.
Co washing with HEHH. I also finger detangled, ready for Henna treatment. In hindsight- not sure why I bother- its always a mess after I wash the Henna out!
This is nice shiney hair after washing henna out, DCing with Naked treatment with some Vatika oil (mmmm) for around a half hour. I am going to experiment with DCing for less time. I have read posts on BGLH this week where people are using fewer products, some are even ditching DCing all together!! I wont go that far, as I feel my hair does benefit from deep conditioning, but I may tweak my 'routine' a little as a result of reading this post. I will keep you informed.
So when the DC was rinsed out I left in some Cantu Shea butter repair then I braided it all up and sealed with the Vatika. Below is ny hair after a day air drying - I pulled it into a puff- which is getting much bigger (LOVIN IT!!)
So if you look very carefully you can still see the little bits of Henna remaining in my hair- I didnt have the heart, or the arms to continue rinsing it out- this is what happens when you run out of Jamila Henna. ( although to bve fair the stash that I am using has been there for well over eight months!! I am trying to use it all up)
Although I am trying to deny baby has affected my life!! I found the whole henna experience a little chore this time around. I usually dont think twice about the time that it takes to mix the henna- to apply it, to bag it all up, to rinse it out etc. However as you can imagine, every time I started a task baby would want lunch, breakfast, dinner!! (breastfeeding) for this reason I am going to buy some Cassia. The effects are meant to be the same, but it lasts less time - around two weeks or so, but the big advantage is that it is less messy and it is only kept on for 1/2 hour or so. This means I should (in theory) have no problems entertaining baby.
So puff it is for me until the end of the week. I used some aloe vera and also some olive oil gel at the front to smooth the so I will wash on Saturday.
Whats up with your hair this week?
Jah Bless
Naturally
Hey Peeps,
So I pulled out the twists as my hair well needed a wash!! I co-washed with HEHH then let it air dry a bit, later that afternoon I did an overnight henna treatment.
Co washing with HEHH. I also finger detangled, ready for Henna treatment. In hindsight- not sure why I bother- its always a mess after I wash the Henna out!
This is nice shiney hair after washing henna out, DCing with Naked treatment with some Vatika oil (mmmm) for around a half hour. I am going to experiment with DCing for less time. I have read posts on BGLH this week where people are using fewer products, some are even ditching DCing all together!! I wont go that far, as I feel my hair does benefit from deep conditioning, but I may tweak my 'routine' a little as a result of reading this post. I will keep you informed.
So when the DC was rinsed out I left in some Cantu Shea butter repair then I braided it all up and sealed with the Vatika. Below is ny hair after a day air drying - I pulled it into a puff- which is getting much bigger (LOVIN IT!!)
So if you look very carefully you can still see the little bits of Henna remaining in my hair- I didnt have the heart, or the arms to continue rinsing it out- this is what happens when you run out of Jamila Henna. ( although to bve fair the stash that I am using has been there for well over eight months!! I am trying to use it all up)
Although I am trying to deny baby has affected my life!! I found the whole henna experience a little chore this time around. I usually dont think twice about the time that it takes to mix the henna- to apply it, to bag it all up, to rinse it out etc. However as you can imagine, every time I started a task baby would want lunch, breakfast, dinner!! (breastfeeding) for this reason I am going to buy some Cassia. The effects are meant to be the same, but it lasts less time - around two weeks or so, but the big advantage is that it is less messy and it is only kept on for 1/2 hour or so. This means I should (in theory) have no problems entertaining baby.
So puff it is for me until the end of the week. I used some aloe vera and also some olive oil gel at the front to smooth the so I will wash on Saturday.
Whats up with your hair this week?
Jah Bless
Naturally
I have two girls and My cornrowing skills are not as they should be. It always looks llike it has already been in a week when I do it. Therefore we take a weekly trip to my mums (or more recently her to me) to get their hair done before school on a Sunday night.
Some of these styles are simple and achieveable.
Jah Bless
Naturally
Ok so I have posted a few hair inspiration pics in the last week or so, I am currently feeling big hair. But is this a case of overdoing it?
What say you?
pic from BGLH
Jah Bless
Naturally
