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.