curly girl wonder diaries - twist and shout

So, where do I start??? I believe that I am 10 and a half months into this natural journey. It has certainly been a roller coaster ride for me. I guess right now, I'm going "up" but there is still so much for me to figure out. With my schedule being the way that it is, there are things that I want to do but I just don't have time to do it. My regimen now is "get it in where I can fit it in."

As I blogged before, I rocked twists for about 5 weeks while I studied for my exam. Here's the Catch 22 about natural hair for me...I like wearing twists, but protective styles aren't considered to be as cute as wearing your hair out. I like wearing my hair out, but when I do, I have to moisturize twice as much. I am finding that I have more of a preference for fluffy, soft curls/frizz over defined curls. But I think the latter is more sought after b/c it looks more tamed.

Onto the "boring" styles:

So, I started out with these twists. I used Hell.o Hydra.tion as a leave in and sealed with coconut oil. I rolled these up so that I could have more fullness. I kept these in for 2 weeks.

Everyday, I would either pin them up, pin them back, or don a flower. I have learned that I could probably go to work looking as if I just rolled out of bed, but if I wear a flower, I'm bound to get a compliment.

I took these out and decided to do another set, which lasted for 3 weeks.

I wasn't intentionally trying to stretch these 3 weeks, but I refused to fuss over my hair during that last week. It takes me around 4 hours to do really small twists. The time actually flies by b/c I get up on Saturday mornings around 5:30 am/6 am to get started. I usually have somewhere to be by 9 or 10.



And then I took that test and got my life back...

But unfortunately, I was bored with the twists.

I took them out again and was left with...



I do not like the super-defined skinny twists...unless I can...

...get them out of my face.

Then, I decided to do bigger twists for a twist-out. I wasn't too fond of my first set, but I can't recall why. Anyway, I decided to wet my hair the next day...not necessarily a wash and go but more like a rinse and go.

I spritzed my hair with my oil mixture afterwards and that actually did wonders as far as liking the way that my hair felt. Plus, my curls felt very spring-y. I have to remember: water and oil.

And then after watching too many episodes of "G.ood Ti.mes", I decided that it was time for the "Flo 'fro".

I couldn't keep my hands out of my hair THAT day. I loved how it felt.

But I also love my puff, so...

Obviously, this is my favorite flower. I have 2 in heavy rotation and one that I can't seem to find. It's time for another trip to Micha.el's anyway. I find that what works best for me is to wet my hair the night before, gel it up with Eco Sty.ler, wrap it with a scarf to lay down the frizzies, and then put my stretch hair band on it the next morning. The band is not tight, so it looks like I pulled it tight but I'm not stressing my edges with the band.

I can't keep my hands out of my puff either.

I tried another "big" twist set.

Honestly, I was trying to do a totally different hairstyle, but another major "fail" on my part, so this was my Plan B.

Now, that it is a few days old...here comes the flower again...

At least, I switched sides, right?

I'm still on a quest to be more "girly", I suppose. But then again, I will probably never be into make-up outside of special events and heels aren't really my thing (although I wish they were). Now, that I can sport my tank tops and flip flops, I'm good. All of this fussin' over hair is something that I hope that I don't have to get used to.

Let's see...I'm still using Hell.o Hydrati.on, Y.es to Carr.ots and Y.es to Cucum.bers. I bought TIGI Moi.sture Mani.ac a while back, which is good for a leave-in, but not thick enough for me to co-wash with (maybe it would've worked better for me when I was relaxed). I tried some Hair Mayon.naise deep conditioner and...HATED IT! I should've known better since it had lanolin in it. It took me forever to wash it out and THEN it had nerve to have "parsley flakes" in it, which I was discovering in my hair for days. CRA-ZEE!

So, that's the scoop. I'm getting a lot of attention, but I can't say that I love it. Everyone likes compliments, including me, but sometimes I just want to blend in.

press play

I'm back! I was supposed to blog a week ago. Once the test was over it was great to get my life back, but I still had mommy duties that kept me tied up in the evenings and any spare moment that I had was allocated to this wonderful pasttime called sleep.

I guess one could say that I had a severe case of tunnel vision. I had to reprioritize, so blogging and FB'ing lost out.

How did I do? I don't feel great about the test at all. It was a beast. I didn't tell anyone at work that I planned on taking the test. No one has those credentials in my department and I didn't want to draw a bigger "X" on my back. While at the testing center...of ALL people...they sat me next to a coworker, from a different department. He said that it was his 3rd time taking it. I also ran into an ex-coworker, who was taking it for the 2nd time. I thought, "I've prepped and prayed." I had my books in the bleachers while my baby had baseball practice. I caught some study-time in the car, while J was in drama class. And if the activities at the cub scout meetings could be handled without me, I broke out my material. I missed out on 5 beautiful springtime weekends (only sunning during J's games) and tried my best to push through my sleepiness and illness (in the last couple of weeks) on weeknights. I had visions of turbines, steam properties, and moment diagrams creeping into my dreams.

At any rate, I'm glad that it's over and I don't intend on worrying about it for the next 3 months. When I picked up J from afterschool care, the first thing that he asked that day was, "How was your test?" I told him that I didn't feel as if I did well. He said, "Well, at least you tried." All I could do was grin. My baby knew how important it was to me and did his best not to bother me while I studied. My "friend" was VERY supportive and would check on me when I would go "ghost". I realize that I wasn't myself throughout this whole process and I appreciate him for putting up with me...even when I was a wee bit difficult to deal with. My dad even said that he was proud of me for going through with it. That was enough to make me feel pretty good, despite the outcome of the test. For a minute, I wondered if I should've just waited until October since I wasn't notified that I was eligible to take the test until it was late in the game. I'm not mad b/c I sincerely did my best. I just think that in this case, my best may not have been good enough. I won't know the results until July, so in the meantime, life goes on. The only thing that does disappoint me is that I so wanted this to be a good testimony, but now, I don't think that it is.

In the midst of my aggressive study schedule, my cousin made the big decision to move the Monday after Easter. I mentioned that she was going through some things before. Shortly after I moved here, I recall her saying that she wanted to move to Char.lotte. Somehow over the course of the last year, I was able to convince her that Houston was a better option. This was purely out of my own selfishness, b/c I knew that eventually I'd be moving back home and Houston is pretty close. I never imagined that everything that has happened would've happened and I certainly wasn't prepared for her to make such a huge decision and follow through with it as quickly as it went down. But knowing her, I'm certain that she made the best decision for her and Baby E. So, there's nothing more for me to say on the matter. One day soon, we'll be in close proximity again so this is yet another thing for me to look forward to.

Being out of the loop hasn't been such a bad thing. One day last week, I left my cell phone at home. I realized it while I was dropping J off at school and actually considered driving back home to get it before going to work. J said, "It's good that you left it at home so you won't be distracted while you should be working." I paused b/c I was trying to figure out what he knew about me being distracted, lol. But he's right. I survived without it...just as I survived without the internet. Being tied to the internet has distracted me from giving my full attention to many things that should be more important. Taking those steps back was not only necessary for studying, but also for some perspective. And I think that I will continue to go with that. Not everything is meant to be put on display and some things aren't meant for me to see.

Let's see...if there's anyone out there that reads me SOLELY for my hair updates, I apologize. I'll post something this week, but I'm kinda boring in the hair department. I wore twists for 5 weeks and now I'm tired of them. This past week, I wore my hair out b/c I wanted a change. Just to give you an idea of my situation now:

End of January (I don't know what was up with my camera)

End of April (w/beaucoup frizz)

I'll post some backstory and more pics later. I said that I wanted thicker hair. Now, I'm not so sure, lol.

So again, I'm back! But I am in the thick of baseball season, spring play rehearsals, and cub scout activities so please bear with me. A sista gets worn out. :)

mini-update

Perhaps I should've hung a sign on the door, sent up a smoke signal, or a pigeon. My apologies. We are fine. My schedule has been a little tight and I have been trying to use what little free time that I have to study. Thanks to those that did reach out to me...I was honored. If we're FB friends, no, I didn't defriend you or put you on limited access. I'm just trying to take care of business and have had every obstacle thrown at me in the process.

My test is next Friday. Unfortunately, I have missed out on some good study days, b/c J and I have been sick this week. At any rate, I have to hit it hard this weekend.

Really quick...

Hair update: Not much to tell. I have been keeping my hair in twists b/c I didn't want to think about what I was going to do to it when every minute counted.

My cousin (my only fam here in Richmond) is, well, no longer in Richmond. She has officially moved to Texas and my heart has been heavy. I pray that her and the fam fair well.

I'll have to write a post on what's happening with J's spring play. It has been challenging.

So, I'm about to crack the books. I'll write more next weekend...by then, I will get my life back. Hopefully everyone else is doing well. I have not read any blogs in a grip...maybe one day I'll catch up...or just try to fill in the blanks.

Take care and be cool,

LB