Welp I have to do interview hair....

So, of course after I washed and deep conditioned my hair after posting the vid, I was told I have an interview (yay me!). Now grant it I have gone on interviews before, and even landed the positions (I'm a contract/temporary worker) wearing my puff. My last assignment I wore a puff mainly because I didn't have the time to actually do any styles (hence the reason why I had to trim earlier this month). Okay so fast forward, the assignment that was supposed to last until November got cut short, and I put myself on availability. So, this position is right up where I want to be financially and career wise.
On my checklist is to figure out what the freak is going to happen with my hair???? I was like hmm blow out pinned in a professional like style, and then I said oh yeah that's not going to fun lol. Then I said hmm let me do a curly set, and then I thought about sitting under that dang dryer. Final resolution, a press and curl...this time I'll use the actual pressing comb. Something about a good ol' fashioned press takes me back to my days in Houston. When they were done right my hair actually grew past my shoulders, and it was also thick and healthy. My phobia of pressing combs stems from the frying sensation I got from a press I received when I was getting ready for my baby shower (it's been almost 3 years and I'm still shell shocked lol). My deal is to pretty much do it MYSELF, or get my Mommy to assist me. More than likely it'll be me lol.

WISH ME LUCK!!! I will post a vid, especially before my interview so you can see the final results.
ETA:

What's the hype about all of this hair type talk???

I've seen that mentioned so many times, and even had to pretty much tell someone it's just about knowing what might work or won't work for your hair. Well this was actually brought up around the Mizani Hair Type system, which I honestly love more than Andre' Walker's version. In my opinion it covers both the LOIS factor and the curl/kink patterns. Here's what they Lor..Mizani has to say about their "natural curl key."

With the support of our world renowned scientists in the United States and France, MIZANI has pioneered the Natural Curl Key™. After years of research and testing, our laboratories defined global hair types based on specific-shape criteria and utilizing a scientific approach to measuring features of human-hair strands, including curve diameter, curl index, number of twists and number of waves. This research resulted in the identification of eight distinct hair types worldwide.

The MIZANI Natural Curl Key™ is an easy-to-use reference guide that allows professional stylists to identify the hair type of any client and determine its key characteristics and special needs, as well as the most beneficial care and service suggestions.

MIZANI, THE PROFESSIONAL AUTHORITY FOR MULTI-TEXTURED HAIR.

 According to Mizani 8 curl types ranging from straight with no wave to zig-zag coiled (see how they call that pattern coils right (: ). If I go by their curl system I am a type 5 (very curly) through type 7 (very coiled) throughout my head of coils and kinks. That's with my hair properly moisturized allowed to air dry. Grant it I probably won't buy their products, but it does help to know that there's another curl chart/system floating about and to see their suggestions. Take a look at their site for yourself, and tell me if it helps you out.
http://www.mizani-usa.com/?m=86&rid=300



Type V hair (my hair sporadically throughout my crown and my kitchen, but mainly when it's picked out not dry)

Type VI hair (the texture of my hair in the front just as cottony just thinner)

Type VII hair (this is texture of my hair smack dab in the middle real wiry)

To press or not to press...*shrugs*

I'm not a natural "nazi" as some people call them. You know the one's who shun fellow naturals from hiding their hair under wigs, weaves and extensions saying that you're ashamed of your hair. To me having natural hair is all about the versatility of doing whatever you feel like doing. Well this post is inspired  from Essence's "blog" posting by Anthony Dickey, which he used to promote his new product line for women trying to maintain the health and texture of their hair. Who Do You Want to Be Today?

I for one didn't find it as informative as I expected, but hey it did help with me wanting to at least add on to it. I would try to trust a stylist, but some of these stylist will singe the living daylights out of your hair since some are not trained to properly handle natural hair. Believe me I have had to tell certain beauticians not to just straight up use the blow dryer, and place me under the dryer to pre-dry (love my high school stylist for teaching me this). This way I don't have the dryer from Hades burning my scalp and my hair. Nothing like feeling like you have flames on your scalp to make you feel insecure about the person handling your hair.

Here are some tools a person would need to press their hair (I personally like the roller set and then running a flat iron over it to smooth the roots). Remember to ALWAYS start with clean hair!:

 A good heat protectant...like that should be a given. You could either use this product, its Sally's "cousin" made by GVP, or good ol' coconut oil. Use sparingly!

A good Ionic blow dryer...This prevents you from using half of the heat required to dry the hair, and makes the process quicker eliminating frizz and heat damage. Try air drying the hair in sections instead of applying heat to soaking wet hair, and plus to also cut back on the drying time.

Next you'll need a good brush to help along with the smoothing/straightening process. I pick this one because I lost mine, and now haven't been able to find a replacement at my local Wal-mart and Tarjay (with the exception of looking on Amazon of course).

A ceramic flat iron, that has a controllable heat setting. Nothing like messing up all of that good prep work just for you to singe your hair on an iron that is too hot. My suggestion is to do a check on the iron by using a damp washcloth. If it turns brown, you just might want to turn it down a notch. Better to be safe than sorry.

Hope this little bit of information helps with safely straightening your hair.

Yes I'm hyping homegirl up!

Okay being somebody who had bc'd like (4 times), just to fall back on the "creamy crack" wagon I know where she's coming from. Honestly, it's good to have a change from looking like everyone else. Even though it's looking like short is the new trend....let me retract my statement. It's becoming more acceptable, and truly I appreciate that SOME people these days can accept that beauty does not require the attachment of a lace front. You look beautiful Ms. S. Knowles!

I did it!

I cut off my hair a lot earlier than I had planned, but it was worth it. I just got tired of looking at the thin scraggly parts that were once full this time last year. I'm not tripping because by the time of my anniversary, my hair will be long enough to put in some twists for our vacay. So, yay I'm a natural again!

All of my kinky, curly, coarse hair folks...

We have a search engine!!!
http://www.findnappiness.com/index.html

That is all!

A Good Guide For Naturally Curly folks

It's good for those who decided to embrace their coils, waves, or kinks, whether your old or new.
http://journals.fotki.com/Copa-canary/basic-guide-to-natural-ha/

Oh a hair update

Okay so this is one of those random things...okay my hair needed some type of moisture/protein balance because you can finally tell that I was texturizing my hair. Like while sitting around with my pre-poo...I have to pre-poo because if I don't my hair will be tangled mess. My pre-poo consists of Suave Coconut conditioner, CoCasta Shikaki Oil (from Hairveda.com), some extra castor oil, and some avocado oil. I heat up everything in the microwave for about 20 seconds, apply to my hair, and put two plastic bags on my head then cover with a bonnet. Let it sit for...pretty much forever lol. I mean the curls/waves popped, and for one quick second I was like "hmmm maybe I need to just do like Che' (my BFF whose a cosmetology student) suggested?" She said for me to do it 2x a year instead of my 6x year, but honestly I the only chemicals I want in my hair are from my rinses and other dye I use.
Oh and I finally washed my hair the correct way with the Dr. Bronner's soap. The other two times I used it, I used it straight up. Yeah so obviously I didn't think it was concentrated because it made my hair squuuuuuuueaky clean. So, this time I used the soap (Peppermint), added some Hollywood Beauty Olive Oil, and water (1:1:2 ratio) with 3 drops of extra peppermint oil. Tingly untangled goodness is what came of this, and I will be using this method for a long time now. I guess I will have to switch it up from time to time with my other shampoos, but this helped a lot with softening up my roots for detangling.
I guess that's it....lol yeah that's it.

Those lovely people at Clutch Magazine

Ha, no they didn't ask me to become a writer for them (even though I secretly wish). Their natural hair columnist wrote an article that showcases all of the "natural support groups." Speaking as someone who has been natural on more than one occasion, we do need support groups. Other cultures are thought to embrace their uniqueness, and we were told that our nappy didn't make others happy. Browsing the forums I used to frequent (sorry I refuse to pay for advice I can get for free in these trying times) I ran into some pictures of women with 'fros that would make my hairspirations look flat. If have one question, if you are a woman who is of Pacific Islander decent, what tips do you have for your hair (if you don't straighten it)? I know I could just easily google it, but I want to get some feedback. Until then, here's the article with the support groups. http://clutchmagonline.com/beauty/natural-hair-online-support-groups/#1 (sorry that you have to copy and paste, but for some reason I am having no luck with posting my links).

Some, if not all, of the support groups are of those that I follow here on my blog (yay go me, being a nosey blogger lol), i.e. http://newlynatural.com/blog/, www.curlynikki.com, brand new community http://www.mynhcg.com/12-hair-tips-for-transitioner.html, and http://textureplayground.com/blog/ (these three are very informative, IMO).

For those who transitioned

What products were in your holy grail? I've done this before, but a lot has changed these days lol. I usually co-wash every other day, but needed some assistance on finding a good deep moisturizing conditioner (I love Elasta QP DPR-11). Like I think most of my breakage is due to the fight of the dual textures (I have about 1.5 inches of ng). Any tips besides doing the BC (not ready to doit just yet)?