Poetry/Spoken Word: I love my hair

Here is a short poem I wrote on why I LOVE MY HAIR

I love writing poetry every now and then, and I wrote this some time ago, and decided it would be perfect for the Naptural85 giveaway contest entry on Why you love your hair!

Also check out my youtube channel for my vids!! :)

Flat Iron epic FAIL!!!

So last night I decided to co wash/deep condition my hair...It was an epic FAIL!! My hair was no where near straight!! lol I used a heat protectant and passed through each section in my hair 3 times with the flat iron, BUT still I ended up looking like I just blew out my hair :( It took me about 2hrs, and I finished at about 4am..I was too tired to try and fix ANYTHING!! so I just put 8 chunky braids in, and called it a night..Ive been doing the most with my hair lately I cant keep my hands out of it smh..so I think I'm going to utilize this VERY stretched hair and install some two strand twist as a protective style for the week...I'm also thinking about installing some yarn braids before I go to school too!!

any who here's a pic overload from last night

This is the second time I tried to straighten my hair, and it look like a blow out!! Next time Im letting a hair salon handle this bad boy!

Biotin, Vitamins, and Things

So the other day I was in walmart and happen to past the vitamin aisl, and I thought to my self "hmmm I wonder if Im getting my daily amount of nutrients a day"...nah actually I walked straight past that aisl too the hair care aisl to see what new goodies wally world had (They have a whole section now for naturals), but I was disappointed to see almost everything was out of stock. So I went back to the vitamin aisl and saw Biotin!!..I remember seeing youtubers talk about biotin and how it can promote healthier hair,skin, and nail. So I decided to give it a try! I bought the 1000 mcg, because it was the smallest pill (I hate big horse pills)..I also bought some multi vitamins as well.

So before I took the biotin I went home to do some more research on it, here's a little info I found

 "Biotin is most often thought of as the “hair growth vitamin.” It is an essential water-soluble B vitamin. Biotin has come to be known for its role in the health and beauty of Hair, Skin and Nails. It promotes healthy hair growth and protects against dryness. It also increases the elasticity of the hair's cortex, thus preventing breakage. However, biotin also has other uses. It is involved in carbon dioxide transfer and therefore essential to the metabolism of carbohydrate and fat. Biotin can be found in beans, breads, cauliflower, egg yolks, fish, kidney, legumes, liver, meat, dairy products, nuts, oatmeal, oysters, peanut... In addition to Biotin, there are other vitamins that can promote healthy hair growth such as Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamins A, C, and D, and more. " - Hairfinity

The only negitive feedback I saw about biotin was that it can cause your skin to breakout IF you do not drink plenty of water behind it. I already drink a lot of water daily so Im not too worry about that. So I will be taking these and will be posting if I see a difference in my hair, skin, and nails!

(Here's the facts on the Bottle)

Natural Hair Dictionary

Going natural will seem like A LOT when you first start especially the "lingo" we use. Alot of words we simply abbreviate to make life simple. Instead of constantly saying "Im deep conditioning with blah blah" we can simply say " I DC with blah blah". When I first went natural I would see words like DC, TWA, APL, or phrases like defining curls and transitioning, and be like ummmm what are they talking about!! lol I was lost! but quickly I started to understand the lingo and now I speak Natural very well lol (thats what my family calls our language)..anywho here are a few words and phrases that might help out a new natural

BC- Big Chop (cutting off all relaxed hair to go natural)
TWA- Tweeny Weeny Afro
APL- Arm Pit Length
BSL- Bra Strap Length
CBL- Collar Bone Length
WL- Wasit length
DC- Deep Conditioning
Poo-Shampoo

Pre-poo- Conditioning your hair before using shampoo to prevent dryness for the shampoo process
co-wash- Washing with conditioner only
Stretching- Methods that keep the roots and hair from curling up or shrinking
Blow-out- Blow Drying hair
twist out- Two strand twist the hair, then release each twist to create definition
braid-out- Braid the hair then release each braid for definition.
Transitioning- Growing out your relaxed hair to transition to natural hair
Protective Style- Style such as twist, braids, sew-in, and wigs that protect the ends of your hair, and have little to no manipulation
Finger Detangling-(self explanatory) detangling with fingers
Curly Girl Method- aka CG method..when natural use no heat, silicon, sulfates, or tools to style their hair.
Banding- tying hair ties around hair in a downward motion to keep hair stretch as it dries
Wash and Go- Washing hair and letting it air dry as is. Most natural will use a gel or styler to help hold the curls and prevent frizz while the hair dries
Product Junkie- A natural who love to buy hair products
Sealing- Applying oil, shea butter, or a moisturizer to hair to seal in moisture from water
Hair Typing- A system used to categorize hair based on textures. 1 straight hair, 2 wavy hair, 3 highly textured hair, 4 kinky/curly hair (very textured) 

ok so thats all I could come up with off the top of my head..if you have any more u like to add leave a comment below!!

Terressentials mud wash!!

 I'm not much of a product junkie but I've been stalking Terressentials Hair Wash for a min (since I saw Naptural85 review on you tube couple months ago) but never got around into buying it. FINALLY after having bad run-ins with terrible shampoo that dried my hair out, I was on the search for something that could cleanse my hair and scalp!! So I finally purchased it!! and used it for the first time tonight annnnnnndddd......Im in LOVE!!

This is my initial review of the...

Terressentials Organic Hair Wash
(lavender scent)

So before I applied the mud to my hair I detangle and pre-poo with EVOO/castor oil and a cheap conditioner in sections, and then twist each section after detangling. I then rinsed my hair and began to add the hair mud in sections to my scalp, then I took a small amount and rub it throughout my hair. I did this process to my entire head. Then let the mud sit on my head for about 10-15, and let it do its magic..

My hair with the mud in it ( I use very little because I heard Naptural85 say it was pretty potent already) 

Now I was a little worried because my hair felt a tad bit stiff, but then I look at the ingredients and it has bentonite CLAY in it, so of course the clay was hardening which was giving the stiff feeling. I rinse my hair under warm water, and that stiff feeling immediately went away..My hair felt so freaking soft I was amazed!! and was squeaky clean! My hair was so easy to part and separate while styling as well!!

Like I said this is my initial review meaning I only used it once! But u can fall in love at first sight though lol..but I plan to use this twice a month (I normally shampoo twice a month, and just co-wash the other weeks) and I'm pretty sure I wont be disappointed!! 


The terressentials site and instruction that came in the mail with my mud wash, recommend to use this as a detox treatment. Meaning the mud is meant to rid your hair and scalp from product build up from mineral oils, silicone, and oils that are found in many hair care products. But because I only use natural products I didn't worry about detoxing my hair, and just used it as a regular shampoo. 

Ingredients 
Organic aloe vera juice, bentonite clay, organic extract of organic linden flower, essential oils of organic true lavender, and organic sweet orange, organic extracts of nettle, organic chamomile, and organic shavegrass, essential oils of organic rose geranium, organic ylang ylang and organic clove bud. 
*Certified Organic 

To get more information on this product or purchase visit:

www.terressentials.com 

3 ways I protect my strands!!

Ok so me and protective styling has had a love/hate relationship since I been natural! I love the fact that my ends are protected, and I get a break from having to do my hair daily BUT I hate how most of them look, and tend to miss my hair quick!


1. Turban/Head wraps

I started getting into turbans this summer, and Im hooked! I love how easy it is to do, and how cute it looks as well! I wear my satin bonnet underneath my turban, and to make the turban I use anything! From cloth, scarves, fabric, anything! If its long enough to be a turban and has a cute pattern, it going on my head!! Ive been wearing turbans a lot this summer to keep my hair off my neck, and still have it protected and braided under my satin bonnet..check out my youtube video on 2 quick ways to style a turban!!

2. Beanies

During the winter time, I am a junkie for some beanies! I have so many in about every color. I leave my hair under a satin bonnet still braided and slap on beanie, and I normally wear my hair out in the front..Majority of  winter I'm in school, so slapping on a beanie is perfect because I wont have to worry about re-braiding each night.

3. Loose Strand twist

Loose strand twist is also a protective style I started this summer. I learned about this style through watching Alicia James on you tube. (Pretty much, loose two strand twist are done exactly like regular two strand twist EXCEPT, you begin the twist tight and then start twisting really loosely, towards the end of the twist you will start to twist tight again to make sure it doesn't unravel) She did them a few times and her twist look stunning! They were full with body and volume, and almost look like dreads. So I decided to give them a try, and LOVED them! I tried mini twist before and hated how long it took and the detangling proecess after taking them out. But with loose strand twist it only takes me about 2 hrs to install, and detangling is a breeze when I take them out. I normally leave them in for a week! Throughout the week I will spritz my twist with water, and moisturize my twist with EVOO and qhemets AOHC. 

I will be doing a video on my loose strand twist soon, so keep checking the youtube channel! until then check out the wonderful Alicia James videos on loose two strand twist below in the link 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVqYJh0nCg0

So those are the 3 protective styles I'm currently wearing. Like I said I have a love/hate relationship with protective style and always end up missing my hair. Every so often Ill put some braid extension in, but its a waste of time and money, because those sucks be out within 2 weeks smh lol



Thanks for reading!

The Dream Team!!!

The Dream Team is 3 of my favorite products I've been using since I big chopped 2 years ago! These products are my staple! I absolutely love them..When ever my hair feels dry the Dream Team fixes that quickly lol. OK so the dream team consist of Qhemets Alma Olive heavy cream, Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle rose (HSR) conditioner, and castor oil/EVOO mix! Before I use the dream team I spray my hair with water, then I apply a little bit of Aubrey HSR as a leave in, followed by the heavy cream and castor oil/EVOO mix. Those are the products I use each night when I re braid my hair for my braid outs. 

I also use the dream team to deep condition my hair! I use Aubrey HSR, the oil mix, and occasionally Greek yogurt as a deep conditioner, let it sit on my hair for about 2 hours and BAM! Soft, manageable, moisturized hair. 

I will be making videos soon, showing how I actual use each product as well

The Dream Team 

My Journey in these natural streets!!

I decided to go natural the summer of 2010..I was sick of my old relaxed hair cut, and wanted something new!! So in the mean time I got braids while I did more research on going natural..I wasn't sure if I wanted to Big chop or transition..After one month of having braids I couldn't take it any more!! I wanted to be natural so I took my braids out and decided to transition...

my try at transitioning (braid out)...I wasn't feeling it at all!!! :( 

soooo I just decided to BC!! at about 11 o'clock at night August 3rd 2010, home alone, I took some scissors and snip snip the front was gone..I waited on my sister to get home and she finished the back for me and TADA!!! I BIG CHOPPED!! 

I LOVED my BC!! I felt so confident with short hair, and it was VERY short! lol I had maybe and inch of hair on my head. It was so easy back then too. Just wake up spray my head with some water, rub a lil Shea butter/oil through it and go! (its a different story now smh) 

My family and friends loved it as well..of course they were kind of shocked when they first saw it lol I can always remember my daddy saying "So you had a Brittney spears moment huh" lol..About 3 weeks after I Big Chopped I had to head back to campus to start a new semester at school. I was a little nervous of how people would react to my barley there hair but for the most part I was confident! and by being confident and loving my hair there wasn't much people could say to upset me..I really didn't care :) 

Slowly but surely it began to grow! Some months I felt like it was growing fast and others I would question if it was at all..I will definitely say new natural PLEASE take picture and document your hair journey!! Because when I didn't feel like my hair was growing, I would look back of pics 2 months ago and be like "wow! I guess it is growing some!" So have comparison pics to keep you confident! 

I will be posting my regimen when my hair was in a twa and now soon!! 

Welcome to my BLOG!!

Hello!! and welcome to my BLOG..BIG HAIR more STARES!

So about the name of my blog and why I decided to name it this..Having natural hair will always attracts attention, because its unique and simply beautiful on women! And by being natual you get to experience BIG HAIR! Natural hair can create so much volume, and you will soon see I'm in LOVE with volume and BIG HAIR. My hair always gets attention and makes me stand out and thats what I love about...and for these reassons I decided to name my blog BIG HAIR more STARES!!

I'm so excited to start a blog and share information I have learned in these last 2 years since I've been natural!! My blog will mainly be about natural hair care, mixed with a little fashion, tips and advice for college students, and randomness!! I also have a youtube channel (SimplyRay1) that I will be linking a lot of my blog post too!....

You can also find me on:

Instagram: Naptural_ray1
twitter: Naptural_ray1
Facebook: Raven Wright