Christian's yes, Candy...no.

Yes we have Christians here...several of them. Candy...for halloween? No...sorry, wrong house.

This sign will stay on the front door till all the folks that participate should be in bed.

Before/After

Just to be clear...as someone pointed out...I'm wearing the same shirt in both pics. Haha didn't realize that...but it is my fave shirt...I wear it a lot. The pic of me sitting on a brown/tan couch is the "before" with hair shrunk down to 50% and more of its total length. The pic of me standing is the "after" with the hair unshrunk to its normal level.

I figure I'll just resend just those two so it can be seen in a clearer comparison.

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Shrunk/Unshrunk

This is a before and after of my hair...shrunk...then unshrunk. Also...I went downstairs where the lighting is better and didn't realize until then....my red now show up in normal lighting....not just in the sun. Henna red can be a fickle thing huh? Haha anyway...enjoy.

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My favorite shrinks

These are my favorite shrunken hairstyles. I just did a video set on unshrinking the hair so take a peek at the process to take the hair from the shrink back to the normal length. But in the meantime when I went to put a before/after pic...I figure why not show these pics as well.

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On the search for a bottle

...that looks like this. For perfume, body mist type of thing. Think I may have found a source.

Ya...its raining.

Hahahaha I was having a great hair day this morning...first pic was taken at 5:45 am. Then I went outside. Its raining in Cincinnati. Hahaha see the difference. Second pic was taken at 10:34 am. I love it either way but the side by side is funny. This is an attribute known as skinkage....and my hair has not shrunk as much as it can...but its enough that can see the difference. This is why I don't spend much time with flat irons, curling irons and the like.


 

Before semi

This is a visual length check...notice unstraitened, the hair stops right at my eye in the front.

After semi

This is a visual length check...notice after straitening, the hair stops right at my nose in the front.

Semi

Here the hair was stretch with large twists....sectioned off with roller clamps and flat ironed semi strait. It was then combed strait back...given. a shake and here ya go. Semi strait hair...still has the look of my curly hair without the detangling needed. This will last 2 to 3 weeks unless I get bored and change it again.

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How to make a quad pony

 Watch "71. How to make a quad pony" on YouTube  to see step by step how to make a quad pony. The quadruple pony or quad as it were, makes a very secure power puff or ponytail for those with hair less than shoulder length...where the back would be stressful from being in too tight a ponytail or would escape a single pony. I used to wear my hair this way all the time and a friend asked me how to do it. I promised that the next time I put my hair in the style, I would make a vid showing how...this fulfills that promise.

Ponytail fail

I was gonna call this hair style ponytail fail....then i seen it. This is not a fail. Ok here's what happened...i was getting ready for work...i took my twists out last night so i could wash my hair today. My ponytail holder got ghost on me...so i grabbed some bands...i know...its a no-no. Half way to work i felt one of the bands pop. By the time i was to my third pick up...my hair plopped into my eyes. I brushed it out the way and kept moving. When i got home...i figured let me take a pic of this failed ponytail before i take it down ...this is that pic. Now i realize people weren't looking at me cuz i was hairy scary...they were looking at me cuz its pretty. Anyway...these bands have yanked my scalp long enough so bye bye ponytail!

I have hair groupies!

 Watch "70. I have hair groupies...and they ask!" on YouTube I got caught in the rain...while everyone was running around like they were gonna melt, I simply walked towards my car. One sister natural asked "arent you scared your hair is gonna get messed up?" I said "nahh, it'll just curl more...thats what it does." Next thing I know, we are standing there...in the rain, talking about hair. I had a similar conversation on Friday with someone else. Seems I have hair groupies! Unlike the rude folks I've come across that say stuff like "you got an afro...gotta feel it!" while they are approaching with both dirty hands out...and wondering why I say, "No...don't." Not like the person who lives in the same house with me and should have known better..."looking" by tugging...ring caught...painful scalp upon removal....no....this person asked. She wanted to know everything I do from cleansing to styling . Her mouth fell open when she seen how long it actually is...then she asked ...or tried to ask...if she could touch it. So I let her. Now shes gonna ditch weaves and wigs and relaxers and grow her own. Next thing I know...heres a group of folks...hmmm where'd they come from?...asking me basically the same stuff. Far as I knew ....my hair is simply chemical free...curly texture, nothing special....I see now, to those that want to take the leap to a chemical free existance...healthy, curly hair, has been a mystery to them. They arent sure how to go about it, what to do, where to start....so I will do my best to show them the way.

Pretty n pink and puffball pink

Here....i have a Red Heart pretty n pink icord necklace and the Benat puff ball pink scarf....imagine my surprise that its a perfect match! Now I can make a border for the scarf to hide the loose puff on each end. Or not...havent decided yet. What I have decided was to take note...this can affect design options in the future...like maybe the sleeves or neck of a sweater.

Bernat Puff Ball Pink Scarf

Support Komen for the Cure and get a cool scarf! Bernat is donating to Komen for the Cure for every ball of Puff Ball Pink sold. This yarn is so cool that I bought it without knowing that. I got all the way home before I actually read the label. Actually I seen the yarn...felt the yarn...put it in my cart and continued shopping. When I got home I put on my glasses to read the washing instructions and that's when I seen the pink ribbon and read the label.

Anyway...to make this scarf....with a size 9 needle...cast on 10 sts using a backloop cast on....knit till nearly out of yarn...count to see if you have 20 or more puffs left...cast off. The cast off took 20 puffs using a standard bind off...had one left on my scarf....and at at that point found out the term "weave in loose ends" doesn't work on this yarn. Hahaha so knot it and trim closely.

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Bernat puff ball pink....swatch

This is 10 sts and 10 rws of puff ball pink by bernat. The bottom 5 rows are garter st. Don't really like how that came out. The top 5 are plain St st...and the purl side is the puff lined up all nice and uniform while the knit side has a knit st in between each puff that is visisble. I like that much better so I'm going to take the whole thing down and start over that way.

The only tricky part of working with this complicated yarn was the cast on. A long tail cast on is like out of the question....much tangle. A back loop worked perfectly...all the puffs lined up evenly giving me the hint that I'm only working on the corded part of the yarn and let the puff fall in place. At least that's my take on it. This uses a size 9 needle and each puff is considered 1 inch in width...which it is, although in length its about a 1/2".

Taking a break often is recommended...my hand got cramped up holding the puffs out the way to knit the cording. Its polyester and each skien sold supports Komen for the Cure. Also...pulling this skien from the center, proved problematic. The puffs keep collapsing onto the center making pulling the yarn smooth ...like with any other yarn on the planet...a challenge. Do yourself a favor...get a bowl...remove the sleeve put the yarn in. It and work from the outside allowing the ball to roll within the bowl. No center skien tangle/pull conflict that way.

I was a bit skeptical about this yarn originally then I felt it....its softer than fleece and once you get the hang of working with it...its easy. Stay tuned for the finished product....which should be soon since this. 10 x 10 took about 20 mins. It measures 4.5 by 9 inches.

Now all I have to do is decide what this is gonna be...a scarf? a hat? A shawl? A fun purse? We'll see.

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Teach 'em!

Girl at work said she likes my hair and "hey...it isnt loc'd!" I said no...its just twisted. She said, "wow...you can do that...i thought hair had to be longer for twists." So I told her as long as you have an inch...you can put hair in twists but my hair is longer than it looks...see" and I pulled the hair to its full length...then released it and of course it retracted to resting length. Her mouth dropped open. "Wow! How you get it to spring like that!?!" I said, "my hair is curly...my shrinkage is a little over 50%. I add water and fun stuff like that happens." So now shes thinking about getting rid of relaxers and weaves and exploring her own curl pattern. I will be right there to help if she needs me. Its nice that I am apparently an example of healthy natural hair care...without trying to be. Someone behind me said "yeah! School 'em!" I'm not trying to school anybody...but I will teach 'em. You school someone to show off...and they learn nothing. You teach someone....and they retain the knowledge for a lifetime.

Converted!

No more retwisting the single strand twists. They have all been converted to two strand, non ravel, longer lasting, no worrying about locing twists. Thats right....I converted the finger coils into two strand twists, sprayed them with water, gave my head a shake and went on out the door. If you want to see how I did that...in less than an hour...click here:

 

 converting finger coils into two strand twists 

Time to wash the single strand twists

But unlike the "be very careful so they dont unravel and redo any that does unravel" instructions....Im washing them in clamps. None will unravel this way...and I'll have a clean scalp. If any do manage to escape the clamps....i can redo them in sections. I see no reason to put up with the itch of holding products when this technique works great.

A few missed points in hair care...

It has come to my attention that while most are on point with the basics, there are a few missed points in natural hair care. The satin sleeping bonnet for example...I hear folks say the elastic is pulling their edges....and they put a scarf or headband under it. Missed point: its satin...just reverse it. Let's take a look at the concept...satin is so named cuz its smooth on both sides, although one side may be shinier than the other. The elastic is on the inside and there is a satin strip in a contrasting color on the outside.....why not wear the bonnet inside out? The elastic won't touch your hair then and there's an extra cushion of satin that way. Since you wear this to sleep in...who's gonna know anyway? In fact...unless you look closely....you can't even tell its on reversed.

The scarf to protect your hair while getting dressed...missed point: what about the drive to work? Tie a scarf over your headrest...then the fabric they make car interiors from can't snag your hair.

The concept that natural hair is expensive to maintain and a lot of work! missed point: then how come poor people have long, healthy hair without the use of products? Hair grows. 1/2 inch a month usually....on some more. What's unhealthy is buying a bunch of stuff to use on hair cuz the labels make fantastic claims instead of looking at the ingredients in it. Of course theyre only going to say good things about their own product...they want your money. Label says "promotes shiny hair" but what it doesn't say "the shiny comes from a pore clogging, petroleum based grease, that will weigh your hair down and can only be removed with a sodium laureth type shampoo"

Shampoo cleans. Missed point: the shampoos in the American market...ya they clean, but strip the hair too. The main ingredient is used to clean cement. You don't have to use that stuff. Many natural things will clean your hair. Ex: baking soda, brown sugar, quinoa, bentonite clay, lemon, vinegar, plain water...etc.

Conditioner. They are needed. Missed point: you don't have to buy the most expensive stuff out there...mayonaise is actually the best thing you can use and its probally already in your kitchen.

Skin...is delicate on the facial area...scalp skin...is an extention of that. Missed point: if its too strong for your face...its too strong for your hair and scalp.

Tools...combs, brushes, etc. Ya...need those. Missed point: pay attention to the type of combs...wide tooth is good. Smooth tips are good. If it scratches your hand when ran across it....dont use it in your hair. Same goes for brushes. Clips....should be plastic when ever possible...if the teeth have rough edges....run a lighter pass the tines and smooth them. I actually do this when I buy them. If you have to use metal...the kind with the coating on the points are best. When the ball of protective stuff pops off your bobbi pins...toss them, theres nothing to protect your scalp at that point. Tools can snag, tear, or rip your hair, scratch or abrade your scalp, and leave an irritation that will take a long time to heal.

When using ponytail holders and elastic bands...avoid the kind with the metal crimp to hold it close...that can snag the hair and scratch the scalp. Replace them when the rubber is exposed.

Itches happen. Missed point: sharp nails or pointed objects are the worse thing to scratch a scalp with. Massage instead. Spray. Vinegar water or minted water on the inch instead. Realize that growing hair itches more. Gently brushing can help.

Applying products to hair to make it beautiful. Missed point: beauty comes from within....eat properly, drink water and take multivitamins.

Hair grows according to genetics at an average rate of 1/2 inch a month.  Missed point: cutting it too often results in not realizing any growth cuz you are removing it faster than its replacing itself. Friend of mine complained her hair wasn't growing....but every 2 weeks she was removing 1/2 inch in trims. Let's think about that....she was cutting an inch per month...but her hair only grew 1/2 inch per month. Ya...easy fix...don't cut it.

Hope this helps you on your journey...stay blessed and stay strong.

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Length check for October



Its getting there! Its at my shoulders in the back and sides...the top and front are at the chin. Of course ....until i straiten it ...no one will know unless i pull it like this.


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