Coily World!!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Coily Girl of the Week: Meet Sugary Snowpea!

Q: Do you straighten your hair? What precautionary measures do you take?

A: Well, I've been thinking about straightening my hair for my next birthday at the end of the summer, but to be honest, before I decide to do anything like that I would really really have to research how to do it safely. I colored my hair myself last fall and though it's healthy, I have no idea if straightening my hair would damage it. I'm really not tryna kill my naps! I love them so!

Q: Your current products/ routine:

A: I'm really cheap when it comes to my hair products, which is why I don't have alot of information on my fotki about what I use and all that. I like to keep it simple, when I first went natural I was buying any and everything that I read on natural hair boards that seemed worth the shot, but I only ended up wasting money.

Finally, I've arrived at some pretty wonderful cheapies that never fail. In cold weather months I try to keep manipulation pretty low, so I keep my hair twisted for the most part. I use my own homemade batch of shealoe butter which is pure yellow shea butter mixed with oil and aloe vera gel. I condition wash or co-wash my twist every week with any V05 Moisture Milks conditioner that smells good and stir some veggie oil into it.

I deep condition my hair, no matter the season, every two-three weeks. This includes thorough detangling with Suave Humetant or a Suave Naturals conditioner, veggie oil, and V05. Once a month I do a protein treatment, I don't think this was as important before I colored my hair, but now that it is colored, I never miss a protein treatment.

I use Lekair's Cholesterol conditioner, or Creme of Nature's Moisturizing Conditioner (this one is pretty hard to find these days) both have the perfect amount of protein for my strands. I find the key to getting great results with cheapies are mixing them with an oil that your hair likes and letting them sit for a while underneath a plastic cap and allowing the heat from your head to work it's magic.

I try to wear puffs and braidouts mostly in the spring and summer. For puffs I'll use a brown protein gel or IC Fantasia's clear gel (both without alcohol in the ingredients) after co-washing, for braidouts I'll use my homemade shealoe butter. As for a shampoo, I'm not big on them, I only use them if my hair has lots of build up from products or before my monthly protein treatments. I'll either use my Verifen Moisture Shampoo(not actually a cheapie, cost me $30bucks but it's last two year s now) or a Sauve Naturals shampoo.

Q: Your hair type:

A: In the beginning of my journey I drove my self crazy trying to place myself in the "proper" hair category, I found it fustrating and limiting. I would search Fotki albums and study all the information I could find online and actively get involved in the chats on the hair boards trying to indentify with one hair type.

I realized that though my hair had lots of similarities with other beautiful heads of natural hair, I still couldn't find what I thought was an exact explanation of my hair texture. So now, I just say that I'm a type four.

There are at least three separate types of kinks in my head. They range from strands in the back that are easy to define with product and are s-shaped tight curls,and in the crown I have wavy almost straight strands. In the front, I have kinky,tight strands. That's all I know!

Q: Has reaction from family/friends/opposite sex been positive or negative?

A: When I told the women in my family that I was going natural they thought I was crazy! I think they assumed this was something I was doing because I saw women on the internet doing it and so I just had to do it too, another example of that damned computer influencing me!

Actually they were sort of right, if it wasn't for NP(a hair board I belong to) I would've never known how beautiful natural hair could be for ADULTS!

My family has never thought natural hair was "bad" or "ugly" but it was for young children that were too young for relaxers. Friends were on the fence, no one really knew of someone who had a head of great looking natural hair and most pictured me with a permenent super short doo.

While I was transitioning all anyone could say was "I don't know how you do it!" "What are you going to be able to do with it?" Now that I've been rocking my hair natural for a little over a year just about everyone even strangers will ask me how I take care of it and tell me how much they like it. Some friends and a cousin are even considering becoming naturals themselves! As for the man in my life he's been ever so supportive since day one, he finds my hair to be really "sexy"!

Q: Your hair length goal:

A: It's so funny, when I was relaxed I was so obsessed with length. My hair was never long enough for me! Now I'm all about the health of my hair, if it's protein treatment weekend and someone ask me to go out, I just might pass up a night with friends to keep my strands healthy! I want super big hair, and that comes along with length. One day I would love to have this great big mound of sexy hair that floats down my back, but there is no real length goal I guess. A really long thick braid that hits the small of my back is beyond a goal...more like a fantasy!

This pic is soo fly! Lovin' the whole look! Love the contrast of her pink dress with the dark street and plants behind her!