Dear FbN: Product Testimonial

So after hearing about the great results that Miss G had with the Giovanni Mousse,  a loyal reader, Tracy, wanted to also share her good experience that she had while experimenting with some new products.  

Testimonial!  So I just took my rods out and my hair is softer than ever!  I tried to post this but this is what I did:

Put on dry hair Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose Co then added EVOO on top of that, put on cap and sat under dryer for 20 min.  Rinsed and cowashed twice with Giovanni Smooth as Silk. The put in some HEHH to comb it through.  Put in Giovanni Leave-In and Giovanni Mousse Foam and set on rods...two hours later under dryer my hair is softer than ever before.  

Wha'ts different? The DC with Aubrey and EVOO and the HEHH at the end.  The rest was "normal" and I never achieved such soft results before.  

If you want to share of your product reviews or hair-perimentations, please send to us.  We'd love to hear about your experience.

Stay Fierce!

 

Dear FbN: What's your regimen?

A transitioning curly was interested in the regimens of the FbN contributors. Here goes:

Sunday afternoon:

• divide hair into four sections
• I deep condition with Aubrey Organics - Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner  on dry hair for 30 mins to 1 hour
• co wash and detangle with HEHH
• take down one section
• spray with Infusium-23 (Moistur)ologie Leave-In /Glycerine /water mix and sometimes DevaCurl Set It Free, or HE Totally Twisted Mousse
• do about 4 finger parted plaits
• curl the ends of the plaits on rods
• continue until all four sections are finished
• let air dry if time permits (sometimes an hour under the hooded dryer to speed up the process)

Monday morning:

• oil scalp with Jojoba Oil
• moisturize each plait with Oyin burnt sugar pomade
• unravel and fluff each plait

Wednesday night:

• grab a small section of hair and plait
• continue until whole head is plaited randomly
• spray a plait with Infusium 23/glycerine/water mix and sometimes DevaCurl set it free, or HE totally twisted mousse.
• curl the end of the plait with a rod
• continue until all plaits are damp and have rods on the ends

Thursday morning:

• oil scalp with Jojoba oil
• moisturize each plait with Oyin burnt sugar pomade
• unravel and fluff each plait

I may be purchasing a set of curlformers this weekend. If so, I will replace the Sunday braid out with a set of curls.

Readers, we are also interested in your regimen. Please share.

Dear FbN: Redefining Beautiful

FbN,

I have a ton of emotions rushing in right now as we speak.  I just finished taking down my first real braidout (my own attempt at a two strand twist went horribly wrong a month ago)...I got it done professionally (call me lazy). I was highly anticipating the style in the days leading up to my appointment; I couldn't wait to officially start my two weeks no heat regimen (I need a nice roller set for my bday in 2 weeks!).  I took it out, and bam...before my eyes, there it was in all its glory...my "big hair"...it was all those adjectives ladies use to describe their hair in its natural state: kinky, curly, thick, to name a few.  I had to face it.  No longer was I hiding behind side swept bangs and longer hair framing my face...I now had to face it all...I had to face ME...I didn't realize what his moment was going to be like.  I didn't realize I was going to have to come to know and love my features in a whole new way.  Embrace my lips, my eyes, my cheeks and nose.  All that makes me the beautiful woman God created me to be is no longer hidden.  Then fear began to set in..."what are my coworkers going to think?", "how many *side eyes* will I get?", "does this look right on me?".  The first thing I wanted to do was complain: "its too 'big'", "its too frizzy", "its too short"...then I had to pause, take a second look, put on a smile, and realize, it was cute.  It was different. It was me...

 

I have to redefine what beautiful is.  All my life, beautiful has been, straight, long, and flowing...movement.  My hair had begun to take me on an emotional roller coaster even before I started this natural journey.  It had begun to break off and was much shorter and thinner than it use to be.  I started to lose confidence then too, but this is difference.  This is a chance to gain a new confidence.  A confidence in what I decide is beautiful!    I think that whatever I rock with grace, and class, and a confidence knowing that it suits me and who I am, is now beautiful, no matter what anyone else says.  We all have a right to decide for ourselves what beautiful is and as I go on this journey finding me, I am learning that.  I'm not there yet, but today was my first step in the right direction...

Dear FbN: Can rinse out conditioners be used as a leave in?

FbN,

Can you explain how you use HE HH as a leave-in? I am finding it hard to wrap my mind around using a "normal" co as a leave-in, but I been reading CN and it seems to be a normal thing to do. But how much? You do it with your hair wet or dry?


FbN found sources that state information supporting the fact that rinse out conditioners can in fact be used as a leave in on wet hair.



The beauty brains:

Rinse out conditioners are typically made with heavier ingredients (and they generally conditioner better) because they contain a combination of “fatty” chemicals and high molecular weight silicones.


You don’t usually find these ingredients in leave in conditioners because they weigh the hair down too much.

Now, if you have hair that’s really thirsty for conditioning, all bets are off. And while most leave ins don’t make very good rinse out products (because they’re not designed to stay on the hair after rinsing), many rinse outs could work well as a leave in.

Rinse out and Leave in products are formulated to have different functionality, but they can overlap.

Over at the Naturally Curly Forums a member recalls her experience:

since most of CGs need that moisture, many of us use our regular rinse out conditioners as leave in. How much you need depends on your individual hair needs, but I can't remember the last time I used an actual "leave in" conditioner. I just use a smaller amount of my regular conditioner to leave in, and it works much better for me.

What do the readers of FbN think? What were your results when using a rinse out conditioner as a leave in?

Dear FbN: Can I Get and Keep a Man with Natural Hair?

Us at Fierce by Nature want to hear from our readers.  We welcome emails with any questions, comments, or stories you want to share about your natural hair journeys.  Today, we will share an email we received from Tracy who wants to know if it's possible to get/keep a man with natural hair.

Dear FbN:

As you begin your blog, I want to go ahead and put this out there and state what I consider to be the single transitioning girls biggest concern: "Am I gonna be able to get a man with natural hair?"

I ask that those women who 1. may already be natural, 2. have a man supporting their quest already, or 3. don't care what others think of them in any aspect of life, not to judge and write this off as a shallow question that we need to "get over". This is a valid concern many women have because of the pressures that have been put on us to look a certain way. We have been programmed to think that guys like hair they can "run their fingers through"; the kind that blows with the wind! First, let's be reminded this is not just an issue Black women face. Women of all races and in other countries around the world hold stock in having straight and silky hair. Countless commercials and products make women of all races feel their natural curl is not beautiful and luxurious. Sarah Jessica Parker even forgoes the natural curl all of us SATC lovers know she has, to advertise hair care products with a silky straight mane. I say all of that to say that the pressure is even greater than some may think. Many women across the board just don't embrace their natural curl and will spend tons of money, time, and energy to cover up what's naturally there. 

So, do men really care about a women's hair as much as we think they do? Well, I can say the one word answer to that is NO...BUT many men do care about the way the woman handles the hair. What's her attitude?  Is she still seen as graceful and regal? Does she look well kept? (yea, I said it, because there are some ignorant men and women that associate some natural styles with not caring about appearance). I had to begin to ask myself "do I want a man who can't see me in my natural state as being beautiful?" No! We all deserve a man that will be our greatest encourager in this quest. Now don't get me wrong, we all gotta "keep it tight" and look fierce at all times! I'm just saying we must redefine what that means and realize that many real men out there love us as a whole being, natural hair and all. 

Tracy

What do you think Readers of FbN?  Is it possible to get and keep a man with natural hair?  We have our opinions (which we will share in the comments section) but we want to hear from you.