New Year

So as I prepare to ring in 2011, I have to wonder will I break down and get a perm?  I was introduced to coconut oil by a friend a couple of weeks ago.  Whenever I get my hair washed, blown dried and curl, it will only last a week.  By the second week my scalp is itching so bad, that I have to wash it.  As you can already tell a hair style not lasting the typical two weeks is a problem.  First it is a waste of money. Second, a lot of time and effort only to have it not look any where near as good as a salon visit.  Well needless to say the coconut oil did cut down on the itching.  The coconut oil doesn't have a smell to it, which is good. I had to put a little effort into using it the oil.  It came in a solid form, therefore I had to heat the bottle to melt it down. I used it generously twice a week, by the second application, I actually put some on my hair for shine.  The coconut oil definitely helped with my second week and now I am ready for a wash.

So as far as the new year is concerned, I am going to stick it out, I am so ready to make my transformation.  I really want to see how my natural hair curls or don't curl.  I am going to start looking at other oils to use on my hair just to experiment.  I also need a hair style for the next two months, snow has just fallen and it's not the weather for a press and curl.

A Blow Out

So I got my first blow out during my natural process. My stylist was able to really comb through and get it straight and it had a lot of bounce. When I blow dry my hair I cannot get it as straight, my roots are still puffy which makes the curling difficult.

A roller set cost me $25 and with this journey my salon visits have gone up. Now I need to get a deep condition every time I go, hand blown dried and then curled....$40. To me that is an significant increase, it is my morning coffee and blimpies sandwiches on Fridays. Since I am still on the never ending quest to loose 10 lbs, this blow out did not last!!!! I was working out at least 4 times a week, trying to do low impact so as not to sweat. A week later minus the coffee and blimpies my hair was itching like crazy and I could no longer get a a comb through.  This is the fork in the road I was desperately trying to avoid...doing my own hair.

So my next purchase is a good flat iron, deep conditioner and a hood dryer.

I am two months in

I am two months into my transition from permed hair to natural hair.  My goal is not to do the "big chop" instead transition with only a little cutting along the way. My hair is getting thick in the middle, however I still have a lot of permed hanging. I can no longer run my fingers through my mane and it itches all the time. I am guessing because it is drier, I have to work on keep it moist to avoid breakage.

A week ago I manage to wash my hair, blow dry it  to a pretty straight look.  However a week of working out in the morning has brought me to puffiness.  I don't know what to do with it at this point.  I need a good flat iron or pressing comb (which I really don't know how to press my hair with a hot comb). I also know that I don't want to keep pressing my hair every time it gets puffy.

I want to mention that I am currently using KeraCare Shampoo and conditioner. I viewed all the blogs, websites and youtube on the best product but I have yet to decide what to use. Everyone says this can be an expensive journey, I am trying to avoid spending tons of money. With enough research I hope to figure out the products I need before purchasing...we will see.