"What do you call it?" dinner, December 2006 (Wash and Go)
This is Cherrywood tones and textures, May 2007 (Wash and Go)
Here's our wedding pic, April 2008 (twist out)
So, my new kick had been a chunky twist out using the flat twist method. With only one problem, I am horrible at flat twisting. I've never known how to french braid or do cornrows, so this has truly been an adventure for me. The first attempt took about an hour to finish 7 twists. Attempt number 2, 45 minutes and finally attempt number three about 20 minutes. So, as I finally get the hang of it, what I find is that I don't love the look that the flat twists give, I just love the chunkyness, so I have been putting my hair in giant two strand twists, which takes all of 10 minutes. Then I twist the TSS into a bantu knot and sleep on them. When I get up in the morning, I un-twist the bantu knot and let the TSS down as well. The result- chunky, curly, run my finger from root to tip hair. It's really close to the Corrine Bailey Rae style, as close as I've gotten at least.
And then I watched youtube and decided that I should put my hair into a protective style for a few weeks to give it a break. BIG MISTAKE!!! I discovered genie locs (yarn braids) and there were several tutorials. So what does Mrs. Do-it- yourself do? I went to the store and bought some yarn and did it myself. It took a while for me to get the hang of it, I had NEVER attempted to add any kind of supplemental hair save a track that I wrapped around into a ponytail when I was in undergrad. It was by far the most strenuous thing I have every done. It took three days to complete, but I was smart enough to do the front and sides so that I could pull it back into a low ponytail to camo the hair that had yet to be done. The majority of the time spent on the third day was re-braiding, I had several that were too loose and had slipped, and some that just looked atrocious. I also realized how extremely soft my hair is. There are some regions of my hair that will not hold this yarn, no matter how hard I try. In those places, I have just TSS'ed that hair and it is blending, for now. I love locs, just love my curls more. I think that this is a fantastic way to get the look without the commitment!! We'll see how long this lasts...
So, I have yet to try the Kinky-Curly Custard. I hate ordering new things online without actually seeing the product, smelling it, etc. And since I live in po-dunk Alabama, we don't have a Whole Foods store. (Factually, I live in Montgomery, we should hav a Whole Foods store!!!) In my many viewings of YouTube videos, I repeatedly came across ECO Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel. Many people said that it was comparable to KCC. So, I went in to Sally's to buy a jar. It was priced at $2.99 for the 32oz size, which is normally $4.79. So, of course, I thought 32oz at that price was a steal. At the time of purchase, I had just done a super cute twist out, so I decided to wait a few days to try the gel. On wash day, I cleansed my scalp, washed my hair, conditioned then rinsed and conditioned without rinsing, leaving in my Aussie Moist Conditioner. I detangled with my knock-off denman and sectioned my hair into four. Once I sectioned, I sub sectioned as needed. I took a small scoop of ECO styler and smoothed it down each section. It took me about 30 minutes to smooth all of my hair. Once I smoothed it all, I let it air dry. Now, I have to admit, that it was a little crunchy in places where I was a little heavy handed with the gel, but it was by far the best $2.99 that I have ever spent. My hair was shiny, well defined and for the most part, extremely soft. The following morning, I took off my satin bonnet, and let my hair fly. It still looked really great, but on that particular day, it was really humid, so I experienced a good bit of shrinkage. The following day, I decided to play with the product a little. I sectioned my hair, took a little of my Lisa's Hair elixir (dabbed on index finger) and worked it into small sections, I then smoothed the ECO down each section. And you'll never guess what happened? Beautifully defined, soft, shiny curls all over again. I couldn't believe it. My hair loves this stuff. Six days after the initial usage, my Hubby ran his hand from my scalp the full length of my hair with just one little snag about an inch from the tip. But, he had his finger in the middle of a curl, once I moved that curl around his finger, he got all the way through it with no problems. This is the first time that I've even used gel in my hair since 2004. I always had bad results with gel. You know the flaking, the stickiness, the stiffness. Not this time. It goes on easy, no white clumps, no sticky fingers or flaking. And most importantly- it left my hair soft and shiny. I am so thoroughly impressed!!!
This is the twist out. All I did was put my hair in about 16 large two-strand twists while it was still wet. I use the tightly curly method, so my hair was saturated with Aussie Moist Conditioner at the time that I twisted it.
This is the final product after the ECO styler, but before my hair was dry. Again, when I applied the ECO style, my hair was saturated with Aussie Moist Conditioner. 
This is day 4, the day after the ECO refresher. Still soft and shiny as before.
I got extremely hot overnight and the satin cap didn't help the matter. My hair drew up so much, I had to do something.On day 5, so I stretched with a little Kids Organic Olive Oil and Shea Detangling Lotion and the blow-dryer. Don't yell, I used cool air on the lowest setting. Even after a little heat it was still shiny and fantabulous!!
On wonderful day six, my hair looks like this, drawn up a bit from humidity, but still adorable. Like I said, this stuff really works, and all of this for $2.99? Can't beat the price. ECO Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel, has just been added to the products I love list!!
“What do you call it?” That was the question that a young woman of color asked me about my hair a few years ago. "What do you call it?" I replied simply, "my hair." And she asked, but what do you do to it? I replied smugly, "I wash it." She prodded about how it got to be so curly, and asked if I was mixed with something? I, in the midst of my sarcastic mind said yes, my mother and my father, but being that I was at a nice dinner with colleagues, through all of my aggravation, replied, "It's natural. I don't have a perm. It's just my hair." Whilst my white colleagues laughed and mocked, "what do you call it?" My fiancé and I were thoroughly annoyed. I thought: how is it, that a black woman doesn’t know that our hair textures are as diverse as our skin tones? Was she so thwarted in thought, by society's image of beauty, that she had never explored the magnificence of natural black hair? Was perming her hair ritualistic? More commonplace than dental cleanings? Had she grown into adulthood not knowing that perms are not the natural state of black hair? I was perplexed and aggravated, insulted and bruised. Not by her words, but by her ignorance. Yet and still I was strangely invigorated by my conscious decision to be how God made me, rather how man wanted me.
