Time is FLYING!

Hey Peoples!

Time is FLYING!

As the summer semester draws to a close here at my school, I’m becoming more and more aware of how long I’ve been transitioning.  Tomorrow will be the beginning of month #17!  I’m excited and I can’t wait to see what this month has in store for myself and my coils.  Here’s what I plan to do:

1. Do my first REAL henna treatment.  Last night I was just too tired, but I KNOW it’s going to happen sometime next week!
2. Finally review the AfroVeda products I have been using for styling and conditioning purposes (I’ve been using this brand for a minute!)
3. Show how castor oil has done wonders for my mom’s hair (I’m so inconsistent with it, but she lives by it and her hair looks wonderful)
4. Do posts on Ayuervedic hair remedies (something I’ve been interested in for a few months)
5. Do posts on natural hair and confidence.
6. Write the sequel post to the ArtKid date story (hint: it may become an ongoing saga!)

I know I’m going to do a couple of posts later on today… but I just wanted to record my August goals for this blog on my page.

Peace, Love, and Blog Goals,

SuperCoils

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Henna Score!

Hello ladies and gents!

So yesterday I was incredibly bored after class and decided to visit one of my favorite blogs, Natural Chica, to see what she’s been doing with her hair out here in Atlanta. Turns out, she’d gone to this Indian grocery store called Patel Brother Brothers and scored, among other things, some Jamila henna!!!

Yes, caca is your friend...

Now, I must give you a little background on why this excited me so. I’ve been a LUSH caca (yes “caca” as in “no shit hair color”) bar user for the past 3 months, but only because I couldn’t find henna on the ground and I hate ordering it. As a matter of fact, I hate ordering most things online just because I’m an instant-gratification type of gal. I wanna pay for it one second, and be holding it in my hands the next. I guess that’s just how I roll. Anywho, I’ve been enjoying the conditioning and strengthening effects of the LUSH caca bars all of this time, but knew that I could get better and more potent results if I would just go ahead and purchase some henna online.

… but I was NOT paying 7 bucks a box for that isht, especially since it would surely take more than one box to do my head. THEN pay shipping on top of all that? Oh effs no… no sir… NO SIR!

As you can imagine, I was thrilled to find that there was a store, in Atlanta, in which I could purchase Jamila henna! Finally, I can henna my hair without having to seek out a Macy’s or a LUSH store and buying a $24 (tax included) bar of henna!  While I was in Patel Brothers, I also managed to get my hands on some Brahmi powder, Amla powder, Dabur Jasmine Hair Oil. All in all, I bought 300 grams of Jamila brand henna for $4.47, 300 ml of Jasmine Oil for $3.99, and one box each of Amla and Brahmi powder for $1.49 apiece. Just in case you don’t know… those prices are fantastic. Patel Brothers is kind of a big deal.

Anywho, I am currently in my dorm room looking up recipes for my very first real henna, which will be this weekend. I’m still trying to hunt down my camera’s charger so that maybe… just maybe… I can do a pictorial for all of you out there who may be interested. Just know that I’m very excited to be trying this for the first time (why do I always do something radical to my hair right before finals? Hmmm….).  I’ve got honey, henna, Brahmi, Amla, coconut oil and milk, and lemon juice.  Let’s see what we can mix up for Friday night (since I need to spend time avoiding ArtKid and his incredible kisses of doom).

Peace, Love, and Henna,

SuperCoils

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Outing-Turned-Ego-Booster-Slash-Date

So… myself and this man that I have known for a long time decided to step out this weekend and go get fish tacos out of boredom.  Neither of us were really looking to do anything… we just thought “Well, I’m hungry… and he’s hungry… and we both have nothing to do so… fish tacos at the Taqueria on Howell Mill!”

Taqueria Del Sol... best fish tacos ever!

And I was wearing my signature braid-and-curl with a bang flopped over the front of my face, wearing my favorite orange shirt (orange is my favorite color, BTW) and rocking some freshly painted toe nails, not to mention moisturized ankles.  I had already run that day so I had my little “runner’s high” and no stress to boot!  When I say I was feeling good… I was looking and feeling like a billion bucks.  If BP felt the way I felt, they’d take all that money they have to pay in fines, get it converted to one dollar bills, and make it rain on the capitol.  Yeah, I said it.

Back to the story:

So I went ahead and decided to hang with him… whom I’ve always thought of as a semi-homie.  We will refer to him on this blog as ArtKid (he’s a graphic designer in my area).

Music... oh I should've seen it coming...

Well, ArtKid and I had a great time at the Taqueria and decided to go chill at his place.  We get there, start playing some music, and spend the whole time just talking about things… just any old thing!  We talked about high school, college, engineering versus art, The Boondocks (pause)… you name it.  We actually sat there from 10 pm to 4 am and just talked without the TV being on or anything!

So, of course, after those 6 hours I naturally had to pee.  I mean, I drink a lot of water and I’m not trying to be cute and hold it.  Hellz no.  As a matter of fact, the “trying to be cute taken to the extreme” thing is something for another post, but I hope it will suffice to say that I find myself incapable of trying to be one of those cute, salad-eating chicks.  What the hell do I look like eating a salad?  I’m a carnivore, damnit.

Once again, I digress.

Anywho, I go in the bathroom, do my business, and come out to the couch.  Naturally, we’re both tired and he’s had a shot (when we first got there… but still) and he drove so… I’m not trying to go back to the dorms just now.  Fulton County will lock you up in a heartbeat if you even look suspicious… and doesn’t everyone look suspicious at 4 am?  So we both laid down with a line of pillows in between us and went to sleep, although, after that night, I really wasn’t sure just how I felt about him.

Four hours later, I’m waking up and rolling over only to find ArtKid staring at me, which is very startling at 8am.  What’s even more startling is that one of his hands is on my waist and the other is in my hair, not to mention that the line of pillows is nowhere to be found.  He says to me, “I love it that your hair is natural.  It fits your personality more than when you had straight hair.”

Hmmm…

WOW!

Wiping sleep out of my eyes, I think of the smoothest thing I know to say in moments like these: “I have to pee.”

So I get up and half sprint to the bathroom and immediately look at my hair, only to find that I’d slept pretty wildly and my hair indicated this fact.  This, combined with ArtKid’s pulling and twirling while waiting for me to wake up had wreaked havoc on my once-cute style, leaving it stretched and only curly on the ends.  Being that I always carry an emergency headband in my pocket, I did something I had never done before: I grabbed that headband, stretched it to the max, looped it twice around my head, and flat twisted my bangs into a side sweep… and as the headband migrated to the back of my head, I realized that I had done what I thought was impossible: I had made a puff.

And y’all, my puff was bigger than Kanye’s ego (the intangible one, that is).

With my new-found hairstyle firmly in place, I walked back into his room and sat down on the side of the bed, only to

mmhmmm... yup...

have him crawl across to where I was and drag me into the center… all to play with my hair!  He continued with the compliments and hair-play for about 10 minutes (aka a long time), then looked me in my eyes and kissed me.  I did not know what to say… so I didn’t say anything.  I just know that I enjoyed that kiss (although I shouldn’t have) and I’ve been rocking my puff ever since.

Sidenote: ArtKid and I are very similar in personality, music preference, and interests… hmmm…  But there’s a twist to this story… that’ll just have to wait for a bit.

Peace, Love, and Cliffhangers,

SuperCoils

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Sage NaturalCeuticals

Have you ever wanted to try all of those elusive, wonder products only offered on the web, but been reluctant to pay shipping and handling just to wait to get it?

Well, if you are in the Atlanta area, you can now get some of your favorite brands on the ground!

Girl: Say WWWHHHAAATTTT?

Sage NaturalCeuticals!

SuperCoils: Girl, yes!

Nestled in cozily between two other random boutiques on Walker Street is the best (and I do mean the best) place in Atlanta to get natural hair, skin, and home products.  Sage NaturalCeuticals, owned by a wonderful, bubbly natural named Cindy, offers the best of Uncle Funky’s Daughter, Komaza Care, Donna Marie, Bee Mine, AfroVeda, Darcy’s Botanicals, Hamadi, and more!  It’s a truly wonderful shop, with all of the sweet aromas and soft R&B music inside.  I would encourage all of those who want these products on the ground for their regular price (or 15% off for college students) to go to Sage NaturalCeuticals anytime Wednesday through Sunday, noon to seven, and give Cindy some patronage. Your hair, as well as your wallet, will love you for it.

Peace, Love, and Cindy,

SuperCoils

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Product Review: Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize Conditioner

Hey guys!  I know it’s been a bit since I posted but it’s been quite a week to say the least.

Anywho, I was doing well on the PJ tip until about two weeks ago, when a trip down the hair care aisle in Target derailed all of my progress and hard work.  There I was, just minding my own business when out of the corner of my eye I saw a beige bottle right above a sale sign.  Lo and behold, peoples, it was Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize Conditioner!!!

The Aveeno brand itself has been very close to my heart since my itchy, ashy beginnings as child with eczema in the late (late late like I-don’t-even-claim-to-be-an-80’s-baby-late) 1980s, following Hurricane Hugo.  Affectionately (not really) dubbed “Scaly Skins” by a childhood foe, a young SuperCoils relied on the magic of Aveeno oatmeal baths and creams to soothe away the itchies and melt my scales into “normal people skin”…

Fast forward to the 20-year-(and a half)-old SuperCoils, in college, looking to re-up on her conditioner stash, caught completely off-guard on the hair aisle in Target by a beige bottle of creamy goodness.  You guys, I don’t even know what happened.  One minute, I was in Target, my hand outstretched in the general direction of the bottle; the next, I was in my dorm room, rifling desperately through a red and white plastic bag for my new homie.  Ugh… I feel like such a crackhead.

Aveeno, why are you so confused? You KNOW you're a styler... why don't you just face the facts?

Price: about 5 bucks for 10.5 fluid ounces (not bad at all)

Purpose: Rinse-out Conditioner (or so I thought)

Consistency: creamy; very thick, but easy to spread

Color: creamy white-ish beige… a lot lighter than the bottle

Smell: fresh, pleasant, oatmeal scent (very much like the lotions)

Now for the juicy stuff:

I initially put this product on my dry, straightened hair for about 10 minutes before my co-wash session (it was fun to watch my hair curl back up) and washed it out, only to receive lack-luster results.  This does not compete as a wash out conditioner, and it’s detangling abilities are barely up to par.  As a matter of fact, the only true benefit I saw from it was curl definition, and what does that matter without moisture?  I walked out of the shower looking sad… had I just wasted another 5 bucks on another crappy conditioner?

Surprisingly, no.  As a wash-out, this conditioner is, well, a wash-out… but as a leave-in/styler… this stuff is the bomb!  While sitting “Indian-style” in front of my trusty dorm mirror immediately after washing my hair, I got the idea to use this stuff as a styler in order to provide hold to my braid-n-curl.  This may have been the best idea I’ve had all week!   The Aveeno went on smooth and soft, and provided my hair with loads of curl definition!  I mean this stuff was amazing!  I proceeded to use it on half of my head, let my braid-n-curl set up overnight, then took my rods out in the morning to see soft, silky, shiny braids with MUCH less shrinkage than normal.  As a matter of fact, as I sit here looking in the mirror at my hair, I’d say my hair hasn’t shrunk much at all today!  I think I love this conditioner… but only as a styler.  Let’s keep it real Aveeno; just embrace what you truly are and stop being such a poser (lol).

Peace, Love, and Poser Hair Products,

SuperCoils

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Protective Styling

The infamous hair idol, Wanakee, was once quoted as saying that the thing that robs our hair of moisture… is our environment.

Dang, for real?

I mean, it makes sense, but then how do I keep my hair moisturized and healthy in order to maintain length?

This is where protective styling comes in to play!

Hair grows from being pushed out of the scalp, therefore making the ends of your hair the most fragile.  Protective styling is a method by which you protect those fragile, old, arthritic (let me stop) ends, tucking them away in styles that keep them off of your collar, shirt, or out of the air (especially in those windy dry months of winter).  Another method involves stretching the hair by plaiting/ twisting it up so as to reduce breakage caused by detangling shrunken hair.  This, along with proper sealing and moisturizing, should allow you to hold on to more of your length!  If you don’t have enough hair to touch your collar, then just stretch it out to reduce breakage due to detangling.  This can be done by banding, bunning, twisting, bantu-knotting, braiding,wigs, weaves (when done properly), etc…   And if you think protective styling can’t be cute, hit up youtube and think again!

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Mini Chop

Hey Guys,

Do any of y’all remember way back (maybe 2 weeks ago) when I finally “scratched” the BC itch by going to a local natural salon “Too Groovy” for a free consultation?  Well, I went back for my first appointment last Thursday and got my hair straightened and trimmed.

I will not name the stylists who did my hair because I don’t want to hurt her business, but she burned my head!!  Right in the back, at the nape of my neck.  I actually picked a scab out of there this weekend.  WTF?  I haven’t had one of those since my perm days!

I won’t be going back there.  I think it’s safe to say I don’t recommend her (the salon as a whole is pretty nice though, so I’d give them a try… just maybe without heat).

All of that aside, I got a very nice cut.  My hair is now even, and the shortest it’s ever been.  I have yet to wet it so I guess I won’t find out just how much relaxed hair I still have until then, but I’m guessing there’s not much left at all.

It’s also a sure bet that I’m going back to my old stylist for any future hair cut/ straightening services I may need.  I’m shooting her an email as we speak.

Peace, Love, and Hair Cuts

SuperCoils

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BC When YOU Are Ready!

I gotta admit… I’m kind of annoyed right now.

You got somethin' to say?

You know, since beginning my transition to natural hair, the most comments I’ve gotten against natural hair in general were from my mom, and she was only pissed because she didn’t think I’d be able to manage it.  Once I began to do natural styles and she saw that I knew what I was doing, she loved it and is actually enjoying my transition just as much as I am.  Her words: “they didn’t have this many resources for natural hair 26 years ago!” (when she was natural).

Most people compliment my hair in general and have a lot of questions about it, which I’m more than happy to answer.

The thing that bothers me the most is when other naturals pressure me to BC.  I’m just not ready for that yet, but some people just don’t seem to understand that.

And it’s not the vast majority of them… just a select few who seem to think their opinions actually matter.

I’d much rather cut it off slowly as it grows out, and this is why:

1. In my opinion, with my facial structure, very short afro hair would NOT look good on me.  I personally like my hair to at least hit my chin bone with a braid-out, although my hair has been longer than that my whole life.
2. As fly as some new naturals are with their short, sassy, cropped do’s… the BC look just ain’t for everybody.  While I will always support anybody who goes natural no matter their method… it just isn’t cute on some faces.
3. I don’t know how to maintain short hair!  Short hair is more difficult (in my opinion, of course) to do than long hair just because of the boredom factor.  I get bored very easily and want to be able to style my hair in more than just a TWA plus something.
4. I’m in ROTC, and need to be able to pull my hair back in order to conform to regulations.
5. I really want my first style to be a set of long, thick twists.
6. I want to be sure that I know how to manage natural hair before my hair is all natural.  Right now, when I mess up, it’s mostly my relaxed ends that suffer the most.  They are something like a permanent protective style of sorts in that my natural hair is less likely to break off with the relaxed ends on it.  The relaxed ends just break instead.  It’s the lesser of two evils, in my opinion.
7. I’m just not ready.  I don’t feel comfortable with having hair that short.

What bothers me most is when other naturals counter with, “Well, are you just insecure about yourself and having short hair?”

Ummm… no.

And this is the part where I vent:

No, I am not insecure with myself.  I know what I want and this is what I have chosen to do.  I also know that I am blessed with beauty, a wonderful, supportive family, and, most of all, the ability to make my own choices.  Why you hatin’?  Why is it your business how I choose to manage my transition?  Why do you insult the fact that I have chosen to transition this long, then ask me for styling tips and help managing your hair in the same sentence?

This is something I just don’t get, and probably never will, but hey, maybe I’m just tripping.  I mean, I know people may be curious to see it, but we’re grown, and that high school peer pressure isht is just downright annoying.  Sorry, but I can’t sugar-coat it any more than that.

Personally, I think one of my friends, Joyce, whom I’m always admired for her positive attitude and great wisdom, said it best when she said, “I think someone should only BC when they are ready.”

You rock, Joyce!

All that aside, the purpose of this post is to a.) vent and b.) encourage people to do just as Joyce said, and BC when you are ready!  I’ve come ttthhiiss close to BCing a couple of times and chickened out, only to be glad I did.  Don’t let anyone pressure you into making that big of a decision when you aren’t ready.  After all, it’s you who has to deal with your hair, not them.

Personally, it’s not a fear of natural hair, but the knowledge that I am not yet skilled enough to manage it as well as I would like to be that’s keeping me from cutting off my relaxed ends.  Besides, the whole transitioning period gives you time to adjust slowly, find what works for you, and be sure that natural hair is truly what you want.

That’s all I got for now, but I’ll probably post again in a few hours.  Been feeling kind of restless today, and I have to make up for yesterday, when I didn’t have internet and couldn’t post 😦

Peace, Love, and Naturals like Joyce!

SuperCoils

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Products I Will Be Trying This Month

Lol, my wallet screams every time we go down this aisle together.

So… I went to Target yesterday not out of shear boredom but out of a serious lack of conditioner.  I realized that, since I’ve been cowashing so much lately in an effort to retain more moisture, my conditioner supply has paid the ultimate price.  But then I went down that dreaded hair aisle of wallet doom…

…And I now have a list (albeit small) of products to try this month…

1. Aveeno Nourish + Moisture Conditioner (Been meaning to try this one for quite a bit!  I’ve used Aveeno’s products faithfully on my skin since I was a small child (Eczema is no joke… but those Aveeno oatmeal baths had my skin on POINT!  That stuff used to tie ashy down and pimp-slap it ’til it said “Uncle”.)  I can’t wait to see what it does for my hair and my SUPER itchy scalp.
2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Smooth (the Moist one is one of my staples… but I killed the last few drops of that on Monday.  I’m hoping the smooth can help with my frizz.)
3. Shea Moisture’s Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk (y’all, I think I’m addicted to this stuff.  It smells amazing!  I feel like this stuff can be used on dry hair to revive a style, but we will see.)

So… that’s my list of stuff to try this month.  I have a feeling all of the reviews are going to come at about the same time, considering each one of the products represents one step in my overall styling process.

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Product Review: Kinky Curly Curling Custard

This is actually a product that I’ve been using for a while to help give me more definition in my signature style: the braid and curl (which I totally jacked from my idol Curly Nikki, aka the most bangin’ hair maven this side of Pluto). Anywho, my hair is very… playful and gets a little out of hand in the mornings when I take it down if I don’t have some sort of holding product on it beforehand.

After hearing all of the rave reviews online and from people I know and trust, I scraped up my funds at the beginning of the summer and hopped in my car (windows down, of course: this is Hotlanta) in hot pursuit of hair perfection.

I bee-lined my way to the Midtown Whole Foods (where I first discovered jojoba oil) and picked up an 8 ounce tub of gluey, sticky, slightly icky goo affectionately dubbed “Kinky Curly Curling Custard” or “KCCC” on all of the forums.  When I first opened the tub and touched it, I grimaced.  The stuff felt icky and kind of made me want to wash my hands.  I went the rest of the day pondering whether or not I should return it.  I’m very glad I didn’t.

Believe the hype, people… BELIEVE THE HYPE.

Soft, Curl-Poppin' Deliciousness!

Price: $19.99 for 8 ounces, which is kind of on the steep side.  I was looking at the price like “Girl, stop, I was rockin’ pigtails back in 1999!”.

Where to purchase: Online, Whole Foods, or (soon) at your neighborhood Target (sidebar: Target is really coming up in the natural hair care world. Wal-Mart’s TTTHHHIIISSS close to getting the side-eye.)

Purpose: curl definition, hold, light-weight hold,no crunch

So I washed my hair that night and half-dried it with a regular old towel (bad girl, SuperCoils, bad girl), then sat down in front of my dorm mirror and went to work with my Denman brush in one hand and a little leave-in conditioner in the other.  *Please be advised that I use my rinse out conditioner as my leave-in conditioner… I just add two parts water to one part condish and spritz my hair with it*  I put the leave-in on my wet, already detangled hair, then a llliiitttttttllleee dollop of KCCC, then went through GENTLY with the Denman… and whoa.  My curls were PPPOOOPPPPPPPPIIINNNGGG like an old man’s joints on a stormy day, and they still had relaxed ends hanging from them!!!  WHAT???!!!

Since that faithful day in May, Kinky Curly Curling Custard has been a major staple in my product rotation.

The next morning, my hair was wonderfully defined WITHOUT the crunch factor that most gels have.  A little goes a very long way though, so make sure you only use a LLIITTTTTLLLEE bit at once.  That crunch factor will creep up on you really fast and you’ll just be left high, dry, and… crisp.  Not a good look.

A word of caution though: DO NOT use this product on top of an oil-based “moisturizer”, sealant, conditioner… ANYTHING…  KCCC and oil are not friends.  As a matter of fact, KCCC and oil used to be friends, but then KCCC stole oil’s boyfriend and now they don’t even speak!  Seriously though, this product, as great as it is, will give you little white specks all through your hair if used with an oil-based sealant.

There is another Kinky-Curly product, Kinky Curly Knot Today, that is made especially to be used under this product and has been reported as being the best detangler/ leave-in in the game, but I have yet to try it.  Gotta get my money up.

In conclusion: I love this product and would recommend it to anyone with… shall we say… rebellious hair.

Peace, Love, and Curl-Poppin’

SuperCoils

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