Forever on a quest for the perfect moisturizing regimen for my low porosity hair, I decided to try the LOC method.  LOC is an acronym for liquid, oil and  cream.  You start your hair off with water or a liquid based leave-in conditioner, followed by an oil and finally a cream.  The concept is that the oil will seal in the water (or water based leave-in conditioner) and the cream will seal in the oil into your strands. After repeated usage of this method, you should be left with well moisturized strands. Many naturalistas swear by this method and depending on your hair type you may experience the same success. Below is a list of what products I used for the LOC method.

     L-Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner
     O- Desert Essence Jojoba oil
     C-Eden Bodyworks Jojoba Monoi Hair Milk

 I started by treating my hair that had been rinsed with warm water with a baking soda/water mix to open my cuticles. I dried my hair using the plopping method.  I followed this with deep conditioning with Shea Butter Intense Moisture Masque. I wrapped a towel around my hair and allowed  this to sit on my hair for 30 minutes.  After rinsing my hair with cool water to seal my cuticles, I sprayed it with an aloe vera juice/water mix to balance my hair's pH from the alkaline baking soda mixture.  After detangling, I was ready to begin the LOC method.

 I sectioned my hair into 4 and worked a quarter sized amount of Giovanni Direct Leave-In into one section from root to tip.  I rubbed a few drops of jojoba oil into my palm and rubbed it together.  I also applied it to the section from root to tip.  Finally, I rubbed a quarter size amount of the Eden Bodyworks hair milk into my hand and worked it through the section from root to tip.  Repeat this until you have moisturized all sections.

Verdict so far:  My hair was noticeably shinier and softer.  I will most definitely be trying this method again to see what the long term results are.  I will keep you posted!

Everybody knows my absolute favorite natural hair style is a twist out because of its great curl definition and versatility.  As much as I love twist outs, I decided to try something new and was pleasantly surprised!  Bantu knots  gave me exceptional curl definition as well as a totally different look that I love.  The curls were tighter and just as easy, if not easier,  to maintain overnight (don't tell my twist outs I said that lol).  To maintain this style, I bantu knotted my hair in large sections using a little water in a spray bottle overnight and was able to wear my bantu knot out for five days!  This is definitely a hair style that I will add to my arsenal. Very cute!

One of my worst experiences with being natural has been adding moisturizers and oils to my hair, only for it to look dry by the end of the day. Nobody likes a dry fro, twist out, wash and go, etc. I wondered why my hair did not seem to be retaining moisture no matter how much I added to it.  After some research, I stumbled upon the term porosity.  
     Porosity  is your hair's ability to absorb and hold on to moisture. Your hair can be high, low or normal porosity.  How do you figure out your hair's porosity?  It's simple:

1. Grab a glass and fill it with room temperature water
2. Find some of your shed hairs on a comb or brush, not a broken one (a shed hair will have a white bulb on the end)
3.  Clean the hairs with a little shampoo 
4.  Drop the hairs into the water
    
      Low Porosity-hairs will stay and float on the top
      High Porosity-hairs will sink to the bottom
      Normal Porosity-hairs will slowly and gradually sink to the bottom.

Washing and detangling natural hair can be a headache!!! If you suffer from shrinkage like me, your curls probably clump together when they get wet. Combing through your hair without proper sectioning is just not an option anymore.  Shrinkage and curl clumping make it really hard to properly detangle your hair.  Well, I recently viewed a post by MeechyMonroe (twitter, ig, fb, YouTube) where she washed and detangled her hair with ease.  My washing and detangling method is inspired by that but I did not braid the detangled sections, I twisted them.  Much easier! This method takes a little time, but I assure you, your hair will be well conditioned, softer, more manageable and ready for whatever styles you have in mind for the week.  I hope this video makes your next wash day less of a headache! How do you wash and detangle your natural hair?

October 2012, marks my 1 year anniversary of being natural.  My hair is actually longer than it was before I first cut it!  At this point my curl pattern is defined and I knew what products I love...and hate.  However, during my journey, I only got my hair trimmed once.  My hair was in dire need of a trim.  My twistouts were nice, but not as nice as before.  They also were not lasting as long as usual.  My ends were what I would call stringy.  They were also prone to shedding.  Although, I was loving my curls, I couldnt help but to wonder what my hair would look like straightened.  Exactly how  much had my hair grown?

      A flat ironing seemed to be a good solution for all these problems.  I could do a true length check as well as get a trim.  Then came the worrying.  What if once my hair was flat ironed, it decided that it didnt want to revert back to the curls that I had grown to love?  I have heard horror stories from other naturalistas about how their curl pattern was never the same after flat ironing.  Some naturalistas went as far as to do the big chop all over again because of heat damage!! I was not about that type of headache at all.  I had come too far.  So, I did my research.  I consulted with other naturalistas and many of them had great experiences with flat ironing.  Obviously, your results will depend a lot upon your hair texture as well as thickness.  Knowing all of this, here are some flat ironing tips that I've gathered for naturalistas.

1.  Be sure that the flat iron is not too hot.  Scorched or burned hair rarely, if ever, will revert back to its original curl pattern.  Healthy hair burns at a temperature of 233C (451.4F). Hair that has been subjected to many different treatments can burn at even lower temperatures. (Source:  The Science of Black Hair  by: Audrey Davis-Sivasothy )

2. Wash and deep condition your hair prior to flat ironing.

3.  If you choose to blow out your hair, use some type of protectant and don't use the highest heat setting.

4.  When you flat iron your hair, use yet another protectant. Make sure your hair is properly moisturized also. Flat iron your hair in small sections from roots to end.

Lastly, if this is too much for you, GO TO A TRUSTED PROFESSIONAL.  That's what I did and I loved the results before AND after. 

If  you're in the Baton Rouge, LA area, check out Happy Hair Baton Rouge.
(225) 615-8841.

My stylist's name is Jackie.  However, everybody that I saw leaving the salon  who had been serviced by other stylists looked great! What have you experienced with flat ironing your natural hair?