natural hair lingo for my newbies!!!!

ok so your thinking about going natural (insert applauds) go girl....but you been watching youtube vids reading blogs.....and you feel like all the naturals are speaking another language.....well dont worry i got you.....going natural is already a journey itself...i know learning a new language wasnt in the plans right?...to be honest idk why we have our own lingo....but i must admit i use the terms too....well i have a very short list of terms just for my newbies (like me).....now its so many terms but imma keep it simple for now and give you guys the basics ok!


Big Chop (BC) - To cut all relaxed/chemically treated or heat damaged hair down to the new growth in order to start their natural hair journey.

Co-wash – To wash your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo, conditioner wash.

DC - Deep condition or to give your hair a deep conditioning treatment
 or mask.

Detangle – getting all of the kinks and tangles out of your hair. It’s best to detangle your hair while it is wet and full of a detangling conditioner.

Dusting – The trimming of 1/4″ of less of the ends of your hair.

Heat Damage – excessive heat styling of your hair. Heat crack’s the hair’s cuticle and withdraws moisture which leaves hair dry and brittle. If you use heat stylers way that you can tell if your hair has heat damage is when it’s wet. If there are sections that are straight do not form your natural curl pattern it may be damaged from heat.

Lengths – The objective of many naturals is to achieve length. And when you go natural and learn how to properly nurture your hair you will see tremendous growth. Many set natural hair length challenges that they aspire to. So you will see many make reference to the following:
  
  APL Arm pit length
     BSL Bra-strap length
     CL Chin length
     MBL Mid back length (my goal)
     SL shoulder length

Scrunching – a technique to help with boosting your hair’s natural curl or wave pattern. You can use the scrunching technique on wet or dry hair. Scrunching is taking sections of your hair and crumple them into your hand and work up towards your scalp. Start with underneath sections then work your way up. For longer hair you may need to flip your head over or to the side to get all sections scrunched. If you scrunch wet hair dry it by sitting under a dryer, diffuse with a blow dryer or let air dry. I like to let mine air dry. Once dry, do not touch your hair unless you are scrunching in moisturizer, oil or glosser otherwise touching your hair at this point may make it frizzy or poof out.

Shingling -  a technique of applying a curl promoting styler to sections of your hair as you stretch and elongate to boost your hair’s natural curl pattern. When your hair is soaking wet and detangled, either after shampooing and conditioning or co-washing, section hair into small sections, apply product (i just use my cream of nature leave in) from roots to the ends of your hair while stretching your hair. I use my Denman  (really its a bootleg donna) brush after applying the product to stretch. Do this throughout your entire head of hair. When done with shingling, scrunch your hair all over to add a product like an anti-frizz serum or oil and to help define and set the curls. Then dry your hair by sitting under a dryer, diffuse with a blow dryer or let it air dry. I like to let mine air dry. Once dry, do not touch your hair unless you are scrunching in moisturizer, oil or glosser otherwise touching your hair at this point may make it frizzy or poof out.

Shrinkage – when your hair draws back or shrinks causing the length to look shorter than what it actually is. For example a lot of shrinkage happens when natural hair is styled in a wash & go. When that style completely dries your curls become tight and shrinks.

Stretching – a technique used to extend your shrunken curls, showing length.

Twist & Curl (TNC) – a curly hair style where you double strand twist your hair and roll the ends.

Transitioning - In stead of chopping off all of your chemically treated hair, you let your hair grow without getting more relaxers with the intent of going natural. When I transitioned I wore protective styles. i didnt realize i was transitioning

Twist Out - To double strand twist your hair let dry, either let air dry or sit under a dryer, gently take the twists apart and style.

Wash & Go (W&G or WNG) - To wash or co-wash your hair, add a styler cream or gel by shingling in, shake and Go. Let your hair air dry and go or dry using a diffuser

ok so now you have some terms and tips good luck on your journey and don't forget to check back for move tips and terms....i hope this video gives you encouragement to just do it...i found this video inspirational

lets talk naps..

hey hey hey....whats happening ok so im suppose to make a blog every weds...but honey i dont think imma be able to do it...just being honest yah girl be real sleepy after work :(.....any ways lets get to the meat and potatoes of this blog....

so alot of you guys have hit me up expressing your interest in wanting to go natural...so im here to give a little advice and encouragement....being natural is definitely a journey and takes time and patience...ok so when you decide to do the "BC" (big chop)....understand it will take your hair sometime to do what you want it to do....if your going natural just because you think your hair will be curly...dont be disappointed if your curls dont pop the first month.....if your wanting to go natural but you dont wanna do the "TWA" you can always "TRANSITION" like i did....

ok so i have a video imma upload to youtube showing the products i use right now....ill also post a naturals basics list to help out....what i will say is my hair i growing very fast...it will be almost 3 months Aug 16th and i show my progress below....if i can help with anything feel free to just ask me....

1st month right after bc

2nd month

3rd month

Kelly Rowland HERE I AM! review

Former Destiny's Child member (just in case yall for got) Kelly Rolland  3rd studio album Here i am just came out 07/26/2011....ok so i just got done listening to kelly girls album.....hmmm now yall know she is my girl but imma be honest...the cd is not good...all the songs sound like a little girl talking about being grown...only two songs on the whole album motivation and work it man are the ish for real...the rest of the album fails to live up to the hype..


first off the album art work tricks you she is working it....im like look at kelly girl she on her grown woman sex symbol ish...im thinking im about to put the cd in and here some truth coming thru those speakers....O_o wrong i was confused the album seems to have no direction...Keep it between us #8 beat is so good your ready to here here give you some soul...but your left dissapointed again..


you only get ten songs unless you got the delux edtion walmart didnt have it....now im not tryna be hard on her im sure the album will grow on me....but this is my honest first impression of the album...Lay It On Me track #4 would of been so hot....if the dude she has rapping on the joint wasnt a lil kid (well atleast he sounds like one)....i would of loved for the song to had drake on it (maybe she couldnt afford drezzy)....she should of also did a track with trey songs and rick ross...oh and i would of loved a missy joint on it.....i could go on and on but im not....i hope you guys get her album and tell me what yall think....ill update yall once i listen to it a few more times...

1. “I’m Dat Chick”
2. “Work It Man” feat. Lil Playy
3. “Motivation” feat. Lil Wayne
4. “Lay It on Me” feat. Big Sean
5. “Feelin’ Me Right Now”
6. “Turn It Up”
7. “All of the Night” feat. Rico Love
8. “Keep It Between Us”
9. “Commander”
10. “Down for Whatever”

Deluxe Edition

11. “Heaven & Earth”
12. “Each Other”
13. “Motivation (Rebel Rock Remix)” feat. Lil Wayne
14. “Commander (Urban Remix)” feat. Nelly

Can u just say im wearing these heels damn....why you mad?

I'm wondering why does it take so much for a woman to tell another woman she looks nice? it sure doesn't take much to make a slick joke or to mug the hell out of her? we all are guilty of this now i myself i have no hang ups about complimenting any one. But i must say i will make a joke if i notice someone not looking their best. You know with the she know she wrong for that or her shoes are cute but them feet are busted. Now this may all be true but my point is why cant we say she looks nice or not say nothing at all regardless if we think she looks a mess. Exactly because we are naturally messy creatures why why why ladies? i think if we focused more on lifting each other up than trying to prove who the baddest bitch is we would be so far head of the game. You know its rare to to see a black woman doing her thing now although its plenty there just isn't enough. When a black woman is HBIC she is a bitch  and we naturally begin the hating. I honestly believe that if we didn't tear each other down so much then it would be allot more HBIC. im sure yall heard of the crab syndrome you put alot of crabs in a bucket and soon as one gets to the top they all pull him back down sound familiar? i thought it would.

again im not tryna talk down on us just asking why? i heard something funny a chick i watch on YouTube by the name of AARONE99 was like when women get dressed we don't get dressed for the men we do it for the women. she was saying how we try to out due all the women in the club or building. and i was thinking to myself how many of yall be up in the club in yall Easter best standing in one spot looking hella stuck up. i started laughing she was sooooo right yall didn't get dressed to come have a good time and let lose with yall fellow peers. yall came up in the spot to look good and to talk about all the women that don't look as good as you or so you think. mean while the chick with no fashion sense is having a ball kicking it NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YO LOOKING ASS. lmao im pretty sure you can remember her outfit from head to toe but that outfit that you was looking so fly in honey i bet you couldn't pay her a million bucks to recall yo fit. lmao i digress, all i wanna say is would it kill you to just compliment a sista when you see her in the streets? and if it will then can you keep yo mouth closed regardless of what you think about her hair,fit,shoes,nail etc? we got so many other things holding us back to have to worry about another sis!

a little testimony 1

i just had this urge to blog for those out there wanting to give up. i want to encourage you to stay strong and dont give up tuff times dont last always. i know, it sounds good right? well i just wanna share a little insight on my life. i didnt have college grads for parents like most of us my parents were young parents and high school drop outs. i grew up in what some people call a poor home but i couldn't tell looking back now yea we was poor. so statistics say i should of been either on drugs,teenage mom, jail, uneducated or dead right?

well i cant say i did anything special i can say god has truly had his hand in my life i mean he really looks out for me. i moved out of my parents at 18 didnt know anything about credit or life so yea i have made some bad choices but god has seen me thru some mess yall. i have always been a person to believe you gotta start from the ground up so i have always set little goals to achieve. i swear yall i pray for every single thing thats how i get it. i promise if i want something i pray i do the leg work and god gets it done. for example i worked at walmart wasnt making enough to support myself so i asked good to find me a better paying job. i was on my hands and knees to god every day asking please lord i need a better job. i kept working and guess what i got a job at Bank Of America. now the catch was this job was in Kansas at the time i didnt have a car but guess what a bus went right in front of it. i said god since you gave me this job imma ride the bus until you send me a car. i rode the bus to in from work rain, sleet or snow for exactly a year straight and guess what a week from the day i started i got my first car. Now someone tried to steal my car they wasnt able to i wrecked my car no car insurance and it was a hit and run guess what god replaced that car a 2002 with a 2005.

i honestly believe its soley because what god has for me is for me and cant no one take it once i claim it. so im saying to all you that want to give up please don't. keep praying and what god has for you will come. i prayed for a job god said ok tiff i got a job for you but you gotta work for it. that bus ride was 2hrs long so i spent a total of four hours on a city bus every day commuting back and fourth to work. i got a car a week form the day i started that job. then about five months later someone tried to take it but they couldn't cause god gave me that car. someone ran a stop sign and wrecked it guess what god replaced it the next day even tho i had no INSURANCE. i could go on and on how god comes thru but im sure you get my point. he does answer but you gotta be willing to put in the leg work he isnt just going to give it you.

let these basic rat ass bitches hate yea i said it RAT!

ok so whats up with all these hating ass bitches? I mean y'all just came out the closet huh really....im wondering why is it that you bitches make it a point to speak on what another person got going. to be honest with you black people are the most jealous race i know. we will hate on a person rob them and even kill them just cause they got what you dont.

Someone in boxed me on fb i will keep them anonymous but she was basically saying she is natural too but she wears weaves because she is worried about what people will say. Ok my advice fuck what these bitches gotta say. girl let em hate you gotta be you and love being you its called self esteem because it has to come from you. Its not called friends esteem, coworker esteem, the nigga around the corner esteem...its SELF esteem....esteem of yo mutha fucking self...let these basic bitches do what basic bitches do....its things about me that i dont like that i want fixed for example my teeth. but do you think imma stop smiling just cause i got gaps fuck no. yea imma get them fixed but when im ready and not cause of what someone else considers pretty...

Life is too short to not be loving your self the way god made you honey...youll spend a lifetime fixing what people dont like about you. i have learned that people will accept you when you accept your self. im not saying you shouldnt put effort into your appearance im saying dont sweat the small stuff. if you wanna wear a weave wear it but dont be covering up your hair cause you worried about the next mans thoughts. my hair is nappy its not naturally curly its wavy and even with oils my hair looks dry. this is not the idea of what good hair means in the black community. but do you think i give a rats ass honey i know im pretty and my confidence just adds to my overall the shitness yea i said it the shitness.....i know i got it going on with my naps and gaps honey i dont care who agrees.

bound by shackles

at a young age most black women have an one sided view on men and relationships which are usually told thru their mother eyes. a lot of us grow up in homes where there are no men and the mother does everything. We all witness mothers "boyfriends" but we rarely see that materialize into marriage or anything healthy.
Its this unspoken rule that it's ok to give a man every ounce of you without marriage or a commitment. We will get a home and allow a man to live with us we will take care of him have his children and this all can happen within a year of meeting this man.

We start at an early age myself included i was 18 when i moved in with my ex. My parents did not protest or seem to care and during that whole year i went thru hurt and pain with him i could not imagine and i was alone. I did not have a mother to call because in my eyes your supposed to go thru this and all relationships are hard; and after all what advice could she give me since i witness her going thru the same thing time after time clearly she did not know any better either. I isolate this to black women simply because i am a black woman and i do not have a clue on what it's like to be any other race. I'm not downing us because im living proof, that black woman are strong and we over come everything. I just wanna talk about this chain we have this cycle that we need to break.

At 18 i thought i was grown as hell looking back i was a baby. Laying up with a man really? I mean what the hell can this man do for you besides drain you. In the black community we talk about being ride or dies holding our man down. That's all good but are we not being enablers? Cause he knows if he goes to jail he got you to bail him out. or if he cant keep a job he got you to keep working. im saying what is it like to have a man from point a to b? now don't get me wrong imma hold my man down thru thick or thin. im asking if thats all you find your self doing do not you think you may have a situation where you are living a cycle?i digress the purpose of this blog was to speak on this black shadow in our race it's to many young folks in relationships they cannot handle. to many young women already drained because they gave all their love away before they were 25. now that may be a little dramatic but im pretty sure you get what im saying. i just feel like we are the only race that has to fight for love.