Ok so this is for the ladies, especially those of color. I recently took my braids out (after wearing them for a whopping 10 years) and dedided to relax my hair, cut it and color it. I love it. I feel free and light but man, it's a bitch to keep up. I put rollers in at night to set it for the morning. What do you gals out there do with your hair? How much time do you spend on it? As much as curling it everyday can be a pain I will never do braids again.

well i just got rid of my perm. i have a small 'fro. all i do is wash and condition, a little oil and thats it

brownsugar said:

sounds pretty simple to me. i guess i'm getting used to this new way of life. with braids i'd just put it in a pony tail and walk out the door but now, so much prep work. i'm loving my new look though!

PurpleRein said:

that would definitely be taking the easy way out. not a bad idea though.

Ask Matt he is an expert on today's hair...I am sure he will show up sometime today on this site.
[Edited 5/18/06 12:30pm]

dancerella said:

There are many attractive bald women around...i find it sensuous

PurpleRein said:

you really have to have the right shaped head to pull it off. i know i don't.

dancerella said:

For as vain as I am about my hair, I considered shaving my head once upon a time. But I have 2 scars & 3+ moles on my scalp and the shape is kinda pointy. So it woulda been a disaster.

i used to relax my hair but i decided to stop relaxing it about a year and a half ago. right now i've got a 'fro going on. afros are pretty low-maintenance: all i gotta do in the morning is wake up, put a little jojoba oil on the roots if i need to and pick it out.

i used to relax my hair...got sick of it, gave it up a year ago
have been braiding it ever since (my hair was down past my shoulders)
it was beautiful straight, but i realized that it can be just a beautiful, if not more, naturally
i've been dreadlocked for a year now, i haven't come out just yet, they're not ready for their closeup as yet, but once i do i'll be bleaching a few locs and doing different colours every so often to make things a lil unique

my hair was layered when i started braiding it, so the hair @ the back right now it almost to the middle of my back, while near the front it's a lot shorter
which is cool, i can deal with layered locs

relaxers LOOK nice, but they're NOT nice

PurpleRein said:

I used to shave my head...till I realized I looked like a cross between Uncle Fester and a ninja turtle

SammiJ said:

your hair sounds cool. so what didn't you like about relaxers? skool me as i'm new to this.

Nikster said:

damn, with that description i guess it's best taht you didn't do it.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

i wish most sista's though like this, especially my mom! JUST SAY NO TO THE CONK!!

dancerella said:

well a lot of people would say otherwise, but no matter what, after a while, you'll get lazy with the upkeep of your hair
it'll get brittly, and it'll break
sometimes its not due to laziness, sometimes its just over processed
and i didnt like that
i loved the fact that my hair was so long and all mine, but i didnt like the consequence of seeing half of it in my hair brush every morning, just to put it up in a ponytail

dancerella said:

It's not as easy as you think. You gotta shave it every day.

SammiJ said:

i hear ya. i actually didn't have mine done "bone straight" as i wanted an edgier look and it's looks more natural. i'm not really a silky straight kinda gal. the only thing is that my hair is naturally very dry. i need a damn good conditioner. i'm sure having chemicals in our hair isn't good for us but i know i needed a break from them braids. now i have a softer more feminine look.

dancerella said:[quote]

SammiJ said:

plus, lye is a really nasty chemical. Most pegnant women stop relaxing their hair because the chemicals get into their bloodstream and can effect their child.

unkemptpueblo said:

very true


dancerella, if your hair is naturally dry, try a cholesterol conditioner...its a thick creme conditioner, after u wash your hair, slab as much as u want on, and steam your hair for an hour under a plastic cap

CarrieMpls said:

pointy head!

I think my head kind of slopes inward in the back, so I'd look pretty Neanderthal-ish if I ever shaved my head.

These days my routine is pretty easy. I step out of the shower, put it up in a towel, then brush it out. I blow-dry it (to get it dry, not straight!) and then use a straightener to straighten my bangs and, if I'm going out, straighten and/or flip out the ends.

My hair is very very straight and silky - very Asian I've been told - so generally it's pretty easy to work with.

When I used to flip my hair out and sweep my bangs to the side... that took daaays. My hair doesn't hold curl very well and I have a big cowlick in the middle of my forehead that makes swept bangs quite the chore.

december 2005 vs. april 2006



it looks like a tiny difference... but it's shaved about 20 minutes off my morning!

SammiJ said:

thanks so much for the tip. i think i know of the conditioner you're talking about. i hope it helps!

Natsume said:

aw... you're so cute!

dancerella said:

thanks!

I think I will be considered cute until the day I die... even fauxie wants to take a big ol' bite out of my cheeks

brownsugar said:

Same here sista!

althom said:

brownsugar said:

Right on!

Natsume said:

You beat me to it!

And yes, I love your cheeks.

dancerella said:

Please don't take this the wrong way. I think you should wear your hair however you damn well please.

That said, I think it's sad that looking soft and feminine is equated, as far as women's hair, with being more "white". There is nothing about braids or natural hair that is unfeminine, unless your standard of beauty is set by Hollywood, where you pretty much never see a black woman who isn't processed to death.

I LOVE to see a black girl with black hair. Totally hot, both aesthetically, and in terms of what it says about her confidence and self-esteem.

SammiJ said:

Ok, when I had longer hair I used to use products from the little "black hair" section at the drugstore, because my hair is thick and coarse and benefited from the weight of those products, but the cholesterol freaks me out. I mean, vegetarian issues aside. . . it's lard! That's just what it is. I always figured it would do good things for my hair, but I could never mentally cope with the idea.