Second Helping: “Giiiiiirl WHAT Happened to your Hair ! ? ?”
One of my many many attempts at a style that went horribly wrong. Originally published on March 30, 2010, this post chronicles one of my many attempts at a style that went horribly wrong. Truth be told, I still have yet to revisit flat twists (because of this experience), but after re-reading this one, I’m more inspired to give it a whirl once again…on a weekend…when I don’t have to go into work….
Last week, all puffed up and jazzed about Operation Cornrow, I decided that my first step towards Cornrow-dom would be to try a set of flat-twists. Basically, flat twists are similar to a cornrow in that they “attach” to your head, but instead of using three strands to do a braid, you use two strands and do a twist that lays flat therefore creating a FLAT TWIST.
I watch a couple youtube videos on the Curly Chronicles channel and though “ok, seems easy enough. I got this.”
Flat twist out--- pretty cute, right!??
Went home and before going to bed, set out on flat twisting my hair. I was able to get in seven flat twists. I have to say that doing the one on the direct back of my head was really difficult, but I found that the trick was not to look in the mirror while doing it because the opposite side/reflection thing kept messing me up.
When all was said and done. I thought they looked pretty good.
Went to bed. Went to work. Went to the bathroom to change out of my bike clothes and untwist.
My hair definitely looked like it had been twisted. Unfortunately, it looked like that twisting had been done by a tornado or something. But I decided to put in some bobby pins and a flower clip and just rock it.
As I walked into my office, I stopped by my coworker/friend/third eye Fidel’s desk and say good morning. Instead of returning the morning salutation, he looked at me wide-eyed and exclaimed “GIIIIIIIIIRL! WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR!?!?!?!?!?” I casually explained the flat twists and how it was supposed to look and that I was learning yada yada yada. ”Well maybe you should stop trying to learn on week days…”, he suggested.
I slunk back to my desk, but I could just feel my hair sticking out in a weird, triangular formation. The smooth waves that I had attempted to create resembled more the shape of electrocuted strips of bacon. Five minutes later, I was back in the bathroom with a spray bottle and more bobby pins getting Lola back to normal.
Flat Twist: FAIL. BUT! I will not give up, I think the more that I do this, the steadier my hands will become and the better the twists will be. It actually is really helpful to master these because they use the same concept of “adding hair” into the twist. I think the main issue is that did my twists too large for the length of my hair. Next time I try this out (ON A WEEKEND, I GET IT!) I’ll go for smaller flat twists. For now, I’m going to let Lola have a break, so that her, my, and Fidelito’s trauma wears off.
Recovered Lola
From Frustration to Free Flowin’ Curls!
Back in June I received and responded to a letter from a desperate transitioner, Worn Out in SF, who was so fed up with the process of going natural that she questioned not only her ability to rock her natural, but also if “going natural” was for everybody.
Well guess who is three months natural and LOVING IT! Seems like today she is less “Worn Out” and more “Wearin’ it Well”! I wanted to share with you this letter and photos that this formerly frustrated transitioner turned full-fledged, fellow natural sent over to Natural Selection.
We’ve Got a Winner!
Congratulations to MARCY who was selected at random as the winner of the Ouidad Double Detangler Comb.
Marcy, please send me an email with your mailing address so that we can get you detangling! Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway and thanks to Ouidad for sponsoring the giveaway!
Last Call for Ouidad Double Detangler Giveaway Entries!
Wanted to post a reminder to get in your entries for a chance to win your every own Ouidad Double Detangler Comb ($25 value)! Here’s what you have to do.
1. Check out my review of the comb (you know..make sure you want it…)
2. Make sure you’re a subscriber to this blog
3. Post a comment on that review that includes three words that describe your tangled hair
4. “Like” the Ouidad Facebook Page
I’ll be picking one winner at random on MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20th, so be sure to get your entries in before then. Thank you again to Ouidad for sponsoring this giveaway!
Until then, have a phenomenal weekend!
Desegregating Hair Products
A few weeks ago, I made a product suggestion to an African-American woman, encouraging her to try out Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. “But isn’t that for white people???” she responded. I found myself unsure of how to respond “… well, I’m black and it works for me, but technically speaking I suppose it is typically found in the ‘white section’ of the store”
Recently a couple of white friends with highly textured hair have asked me for product recommendations to help them with dryness and frizz. One said “I think I should try, you know, some products that are for black people because they always have a lot of moisture.” And so I made some recommendations of “black products”.
But why do we have this black and white view of the product world and why does it seem so unnatural to break out of it? Read more…
Skya Rocks Her Natural!
Today I head back to California after spending the past few days in my home state of Minnesota. Generally speaking, on a trip back home one spends a significant amount of time “rediscovering their roots”. However, this trip was less about my roots, and more about my 7-year-old sister Skya’s roots; literally the natural roots of her hair. One of my main objectives of this trip home was to apply my knowledge gained through my year+ of Natural Selection to help my sister [and mom] learn to care for Skya’s natural hair.
It’s been a very interesting process for me to not only to work with hair that is not my own, but also to remember the extremes of joy and pain that come along with being a young girl and having to have your hair done. In the end, what really matters, though, is that Skya is super happy with her natural hair!
Here’s a little video I put together about our natural journey together!
A Curl Casualty
I rely on an army of duckbill clips and ouchless bands to help me section my hair off for styling purposes. Working with my hair in sections makes the entire process of styling – whether its twists, detangling, or wash’n’goes – go so much more smoothly. However, sometimes this smooth sailing encounters a snag, literally.
This was the first entire curl that I’ve ever had to cut from my head and it was really sad to have to do it. However, after 20 minutes of wrestling and pulling and unwinding, I just had to sacrifice this coil to the duckbill gods. Let’s just have a moment of e-silence here.
Ouidad Double Detangler Comb Review + Giveaway
An expression in French, the most romantic of romance languages, comes to mind when I search for the words to describe my relationship with my new Ouidad Double Detangler Comb: COUP DE FOUDRE. Translation: love at first sight. After pulling the hulking behemoth of a comb out of its box and feeling its impressive weight in my palm, I knew that I had found a workhorse worthy of taking on my dense thicket of coils. It had the strength all right, but would it perform?
It was 3:00pm in early August in Atlanta and I was hot, parched, and waiting for a bus. After a sticky hour of commuting through humidity, I was delighted to find myself in the elegantly tranquil, not to mention air conditioned, interior of Urbanbella Salon, Atlanta’s ‘curly, kinky, wavy hair apothecary’ to meet with owner and fellow naturalista, Keneesha Hudson.
- Urbanbella Owner + Founder, Keneesha Hudson
I had heard stellar reviews of Urbanbella on forums and from other bloggers; I thought that my weekend in the A for the Bronner Brothers show would be the ideal time to visit the salon-shop. Freshly arrived and glowing from a relaxing and adventurous weekend of white water rafting, Keneesha welcomed me into Urbanbella’s plush seating area where we spent the next couple hours doing one of my favorite things in the world: geeking out about natural hair.
The cozy, plush and elegant Urbanbella waitingroom
Artsy Get Down
A few cool things going on that I wanted to share with you all:
- The first thing is open to ALL readers and that is a G.i.V.e.A.w.A.y.! It is for a pair of crochet earrings by Fatemeh’s Jewelry and Accessories. All you have to do is send an email to naturalselectionblog@gmail.com telling me what hairstyle you would wear to rock these earrings. Thanks to all of you who have already entered! I’ll be picking a winner THIS FRIDAY so be sure to get your entry in! Oh and Fatemeh also makes really cute hair candy so be sure to check out the Etsy store!
- This week is Independent Artist’s Week in San Francisco with a lot of fun activities and events going on. I attended a live art celebration in the Fillmore this past Monday and had a phenomenal time checking out the performers and mingling with other Bay Area Naturals such as photographer Sasha Kelley! Concerts, networking events, parties and an art walk are all part of IAW. Check out the full scoop here!
- I am on the Board of Directors of an amazing non-profit arts organization called Precita Eyes Mural Arts Association. On Saturday September 25th we will be hosting our Annual Gala at the SOMArts Gallery in San Francisco. This years theme is ¡VIVA MURALISMO! and there will be music by the Gaucho Gypsy Jazz Sextet, participatory live mural painting, and auctions for pieces of authentic mural details. It’s a really fun party for a really great cause: keeping the mural arts alive. Visit Precita Eyes’ website for more details on tickets and to learn about the organization!
- For those ladies in Chicago, BGLH will be hosting its next natural hair meet up on October 9th so mark those calendars! Natural Selection’s next Bay Area meet up is coming next month as well. Details to come soon!
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