City Chick Online

(*me at my store)

Last week I decided to visit my mom and little sister's hairstylist for an old school press and curl (I've been going to a dominican hairstylist to do it weekly but I had to take a few weeks off because my hair was breaking due to all that heat). I went in and the stylist Yvonne washed and trimed my hair (I deep conditioned it overnight). I asked her to give me bangs to change up my look and this is the result. I absolutely love my hair like this and I've been getting tons of compliment on it. Oh and the best part? My press lasted all week. I think that I could have stretched it to last a little bit longer but I'm use to washing my hair 1 to 2xs a week. I think that I will be going to get my hair pressed by Yvonne every week because she does an amazing job and does not use that much heat. Plus she is very gentle...and my hair stays straighter longer than it ever did going to my old Dominican salon.

As some of you guys know, Im transitioning to natural..I'm almost 8 months post relaxer and have no intentions of doing a "Big Chop". When my hair is fully natural however, this is how I'm planning on rocking it. I loveee big hair and I'm obsessed with Marsha's hair...*sigh* Hair-gasm..

So I started my hair journey on January 29th, 2011 (which was also the last time I relaxed) because my hair was extremely damaged and I couldn't figure out why. I was going to the salon once a week religiously for over a year but it was constantly breaking off. My hair was always dry, over shedding and thinning (gasp!). I decided that there must be something that I could do and thats when I found youtube and learned about thousands of other women who are on hair journeys. Well I immediately started and during this short time, I saw my hair flourished. The more I started taking care of my hair, the less breakage and shedding that I saw. I decided that instead of relaxing at 6 weeks that I would do it at 8. When 8 came around I saw that not only was my hair manageable but that I was starting to fall in love with my new growth. I started inching towards becoming natural and I finally decided to do it. The main reasons being for me are these:

*Versatility (I can wear my hair big or bone straight if I choose)
*I love big, thick hair
*Relaxers just don't agree with my hair. I've tried several different kinds, different strengths, etc and they all have jacked up my hair
*and finally, because of my little sister's natural hair. Everytime she spends the night at my house, I do her hair and I am so amazed by how thick and healthy it is. She would always say that she can't wait to have relaxed hair like mine and the whole time I'm thinking that I want my hair to be just like hers!

I know that everyone has their own reasons for doing it i.e some women want to rock their hair the way God intended, for some its a political statement but I think many women are like me, who just feel that enough is just enough. Going every 6-8 weeks, dealing with the burning scalp, the breakage, etc. Honestly I know its not for everyone and I feel that if relaxing works for you and your hair then hey, work it out! There are many women out there like Megz who have healthly, long thriving hair down to their backs while relaxing. Me? no, I'm not and have never been one of them. I just believe that the definition of insanity is keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results and I finally decided to stop being insane lol. Here are 2 pictures of my hair.

This pic was about a month before my journey started (look at those edges smh)

and this was yesterday (I had just gotten my hair washed, trimmed and blown out for the first time since my journey started and I forgot to bring my own conditioner so they used this dominican protein conditioner on me which was a no-no. It dried the hell out of my hair. I will be bringing my ORS next time!..oh and I also usually have a black rinse in..this is my natural color..no bueno..will be putting back that rinse in soon)

In only 3 months my edges have grown in, my hair has gotten thicker and grew. Because my hair was curled under and I did get a trim, you can't really tell that it grew but trust me, it did :-). So I will continue on this journey and see where it takes me...and of course, I will keep a track of it on here.

Recently I've decided to start taking better care of my hair. Because of my (former?) career as a model and just my desire to always change my look, I've put my hair through alot. Weaves, wigs, weekly Dominican blowouts, etc. Randomly one day I was googling "roller set" and discovered a whole world that I never knew existed. I found videos, personal websites, message boards all dedicated to black women's "Hair Journey". I spent a few days feverishly researching, joining boards, watching videos and was amazed at all these women regiment for having thicker, longer and healthy hair. So you know what? I decided to give it a try. Throughout my researcher I kept hearing about this lady name Traceyee (KissSeventyseven) from different people and I found her videos on youtube. After watching her video and getting alot of ideas, I decided to join her website www.k-i-s-s.biz and now I'm completely hooked lol. The site is super cute...it's kinda like a myspace/facebook for black women who share hair advice, write blogs, give motivation to each other, etc. I've already found so much valuable info on there. If you are looking for tips on how to make your hair healthier, check it out :-)

P.S. The above pic is a style I tried yesterday (don't judge me, it was my first attempt lol) called a Braid Out. Its a great way to create curls and waves in your hair without using heat and its my new favorite style (for today at least lol). Here is the back....

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Honestly, I'm not a fan of Ms. Hilson...no hate, I just personally don't like any of her songs, her overall fashion sense or this new "over-sexed" image that she's trying to put out there. However, the girl is beyond beautiful to me and I for one, can't get enough of her hair styles. When I was contemplating wearing out my real for the first time in years, Ms. Hilson was my inspiration because our hair lengths are basically the same. Well, I should say the length that she wears her hair most of the time is sort of like mine (and yes, I do know that she wears mostly weaves and wigs to achieve these styles). Here are a few of my favorites :-)

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So this is how I look without makeup and weaveless, lol..I was at my store a couple of days ago and honestly didn't feel like "putting my face on" and decided to document the occasion. Honestly, even though I am a makeup junkie, I don't wear makeup all the time. If I'm running a quick errand or just hanging with friends, 9 out of 10 times my face is bareless. Oh and for the past few months, I've been wearing my "real" hair. I decided to do it beause I knew that my hair needed a break and was only planning on leaving it out for about 2 weeks but loved it so much I decided to keep it this way (for now at least). Its been about 3 months since my tracks were removed and you know what? I feel free. Don't get me wrong, when I have a photo shoot or modeling event, I do pull out the phony pony, lace wigs and clip in pieces just to maintain a sexier image but on a daily...this is me.

*sidenote: I will never forget the first time my boyfriend saw me weaveless...his first response was "You got hair!!!" LMAO...I was like WTH...just because I wear weaves Im suppose to be bald? LOL...even to this day, I catch him rubbing his hands in my hair just to be sure...hilarious!!!

Oh and isn't my earrings to die for? I bought these clip on from my store Samantha's Consignment :-D