Finished reading "Curly Like Me" by Teri LaFlesh

I just finished reading Teri LaFlesh's "Curly Like Me". I got the idea of using the Denman brush from her website. Her journey was remarkable. My take away tip for regrowing my natural hair: use tons of conditioner, as a shampoo, a rinse, and a comb through. Hair conditioner is the magic elixir. She recommends Aussie Moist, the Herbal Essences line, and the Tressemme line, all of which I use. She recommends not to rinse the comb through rinse. She recommends to wash your hair maybe once every seven days. I do all of this, and will continue to do this. I'm going to forgo textlaxing too, to see how far I can get. My new growth is not that unruly. I may chronicle this go 'round, I don't know. The best advice is to just let the hair grow with the least amount of manipulation. No chemically altering treatments. She's given me the courage to stop textlaxing. We'll see. I still feel good about cutting my hair off and starting over.

I'm still getting "wiggy" with it, and will do so for awhile. I may order my 14" virgin malaysian loose curly this Friday (dipping into my Apple MacBook Pro fund no less).

I did it! I cut off all my hair (again)!

Before:

After:

I thought long and hard about cutting my hair. After the dye removing fiasco, I knew it was a matter of time. It's only hair, and thank God for lace wigs (when I want to wear them). I cut it to the new growth. 15 minutes after I cut my hair off today, I had an appointment with my eye doctor. As I walked to his office (his office is that close to my house), I felt liberated, walking through a tony town with short curly hair. I thought my boyfriend would shit bricks when he came home, but he just said "oh, you cut your hair." He wasn't surprised. What led me to this drastic move was last night, when I finally removed the new Rex virgin malaysian, I washed my hair, and as I combed it with the large shower comb, it was coming out like I was picking cotton. I've grown tired of hiding that short side (the left side). I've grown tired of being scared to comb my hair. All of that has led me to start over. I know my hair inside and out, and I betrayed it, with color fickleness. No more. From now on, back to lace wigs and textlaxing every 3-6 months. It wasn't the textlaxing that damaged my hair, it was when I used the dye remover. That was too harsh of a treatment. I should have left well enough alone. This is my punishment/liberation. Back to Megatek, Biotin, homemade oil mixtures, and wearing lace wigs. I filmed me cutting my hair, so I can put it on YouTube.

Speaking of lace wigs, I frankenlaced a wig tonight. I cut the nape off of the Indian Remy Body Wave from Lace Wig Secrets and the front off of my old virgin malaysian loose curly (frankenlace #1) and sewed it to the nape of the IRBW. It looks great. I'll take pics tomorrow, when I put it on. I'm ordering a 14" Virgin Malaysian loose curly on 12/31.... and that will be it.

What a day!

Look at this lovely hair!

My new 18" Rex Virgin Malaysian Natural Straight. First off, I swear this bad boy has about 150% density. It's so thick. There are no polyurethane strips inside the cap (love it!). I used the CreaClip on it on Monday. Just one cut, and I got these results. That thing is amazing. Just brush the hair into your hand, place the clip around the hair, cut with sharp scissors (or hair clippers is what I used), and voila! Layers! It's about due to come off, but I don't have that much Goo Gone spray, so I'll remove it next Wednesday.... wash it and put it on again. My Indian Remy Body Wave has a huge bald spot in the back from me rubbing that incessant itch (I think I'm allergice to Walker No Shine tape on my nape). I have the hair to re-ventilate, but I don't have the time. I'm going to order a virgin malaysian body wave from Rex at the end of the month. I think maybe 16" or 14"... Selma Hayak's hair in "Grownups" is gorgeous! I hope this doesn't turn into an addiction again. I just need 1 straight unit and 1 body wave/loose curly unit, and I'll be fine.

My best app pictures, as promised:

It's just a tan wigcap underneath. My usual tape layer with a layer of Vapon, then a layer of Hair Direct White Adhesive on top. Look at me trying to struggle with those Caruso's.... I love them though. I know, I know... my grids are showing.... I don't care... too much work... no one should be all up in my head like that anyway. As I always said, bleaching knots leads to shedding.

Weekly Update, Monday morning, 1:37am

I must say that my current application is the BEST app I've ever done (must post pics tomorrow/today). I'm wearing the Indian Remy Body Wave from Lace Secrets. I was so triflin' that I left it in the plastic bag soaked in Goo Gone from the last application in early October. I was too lazy to wash it. I finally washed it this past Wednesday, let it air dry overnight, and carefully put her on Thursday. I fretted about what to do with my hair, considering bulky braids from the last app (last week). I settled on wrapping my hair: I combed MegaTek through it then slathered the clear alcohol free EcoStyler gel through my hair and wrapped it. Then I put a wig cap over it, and put the self adhering bandage around my hairline. It's the second flattest app I've ever had - the first being when I shaved my head. It's so natural looking. I got compliments today. I love this wig... which leads me to say, I finally purchased the 18" Virgin Malaysian straight from Rex and it should be here on Thursday (I WON'T CUT THIS WIG!!!). Depending on how this app is doing, I may not remove it until it starts to lift, and it's still on good and tight. Very itchy nape though... I can't figure that out. I thought my nape was allergic to Walker No Shine tape, but it's so good back there, with the Vapon No Tape on top of it. The itching is unnerving. I used my Caruso Ion Steam Curlers on the hair Friday morning, and the curls were beautiful.... still don't have the hang of curling yet, but I'm getting there. I rinsed the water waves back into it today. I will take pictures when I wake up. This app is too beautiful to not show it.

Off the wig wagon!

Okay, after staring at the pitiful pictures below, and to also stop wetting my hair for the winter season, I put on the only viable wig I have left... which I hate... my fault because I cut these ridiculous bangs into it. It's all I have for right now, so I slapped it on my head. I put it on Thanksgiving Eve night, and I've been wrapping it every night. My own hair is so thick underneath, and I have this ridiculous braid bump in the front, which brings me to this blog. For the next time (next week), to keep it flat, I'm going to wrap my own hair flat before I put the ace bandage on. I forgot that I have to buy a new hair dryer because my old one broke... damn. Which brings me to my new point: finally, I'm buying a new wig on Friday. I know I talked about getting a 12" virgin malaysian for awhile, but I'm going to check out the 18" virgin brazillian (2 Ls or 1?) I want it fairly straight, and 18" is a good length for a pigtail option. I'm still on the fence with believing the origins of the hair. I'm craving the least amount of fuss at this point in my life. I'll keep you posted.... I may even take pictures of this app before it starts to clown and get ugly.

Hair Update... hanging by a thread... no pun intended!

I'm so disgusted at myself, still. All this carnage (lol) is from when I "undyed" my hair with the hair remover, then turned around (because I forgot) and textlaxed, back in September (I think). I'm so tempted to chop it all down to the length in the back, but I just trimmed the right side (bottom pics). So basically, I have a bob... kinda. The curls are nice, and I can brush and gel it up and try to keep it moving. I could start over... but I'm going to hold on to it for as long as I can. I'm still dreaming of the Rex 12" malaysian that I'm going to try to slide in next pay period. I haven't had a wig on since maybe September or October. I may have to go back to them full time for the winter months, just to keep my head warm. I'll keep you posted.

Getting things back on track!

Okay, I've noticed that this is a hair blog, and for the last month, all I've been talking about is jewelry... yes, it's my new passion, and yes, the less I touch my hair, the more it will stay on my head. So, I've been able to wear my hair in a pony puff for the last week... yes, I'm lazy. My new job hours are kicking my ass. I need a couple of days where I can just sleep. I promise to post new hair pictures.

Oh yeah, the jewelry has its on blog: Creative Magic. When I bought my ventilating supplies, I thought I had found my niche, but it's actually jewelry making. I feel like anything's possible with making jewelry, and people are actually buying it... not that I thought they wouldn't, but it's actually happening. Anyway, mosey on over there and check things out. I promise to keep the two seperated from now on, lol.

I Now Have All The Tools I Need

I am such a firm believer in research and buying the tools needed for whatever project or obsessions I'm obsessing over. Right now, obviously it's jewelry. On Tuesday, everything was finally delivered: my 3.6 volt cordless screwdriver, my Centaur Wigjig, my nylon jaw pliers, and my steel bench block. We also went to Home Depot to get a chuck adapter for my screwdriver, and a ball peen hammer. I'm so ready.

I'm a little intimidated of the Centaur Wigjig. So far, I've learned to make spirals with the Spiral Maker. Once I got the hang of it, I made these fabulous earrings:

So I've resigned myself to making my own rings if I can help it. If I'm doing a chainmaille bracelet, I'll order them premade, but I'll make my ring findings.

Obsessed with jewelry making!

The bracelets, left, an Inca Puno for my brother, and right, my first Byzantine, for my sister-in-law. The crystal/pearl earrings are for my sister, the wooden/glass beaded earrings are for my niece, and the hoop crystal earrings are for my daughter. I actually made each link, each curly cue wire, and bent each hoop. I had so much fun making these earrings. I really have a knack for jewelry making. I love the beads, I love making the rings, I love it all. I made this black and red full Persian for my friend Gina:



The orders are slowly coming in. I just sold another Rearden metal bracelet (1st version). Such a gratifying feeling when someone wants to buy your stuff.

More Earrings!

Top left - Earth. Top right - Galaxy with Swarovski dangle.

Bottom left - construction of Galaxy. Bottom right - Galaxy.

I haven't loaded these up on my Esty page yet because I need to get some gold tone Euro lever wires. I like those better than the fish hook wires because they're more secure. I'm going to price these at $20. I love making jewelry.

I finally got a 2TB external hard drive (WD Elements). I've loaded my laptop, my desktop and my music hard drive on to it. I'm ready for the MacBook Pro transitition.

I HAD to do it... don't hate me!

Before:

After:

I know I said I would wait until January 2011, but I couldn't. I had to textlax! There was no way in HELLO that I could stretch that long. The last time I did a full textlax was the disastrous time on July 27th (I did a touchup on my edges on Sept 23, for all of a minute or two). I did it correctly this time - front section, shampoo, back section, shampoo. I did not comb through the roots this time. There were very few strands in the sink (yea!), and I immediately followed up with an Aphoghee 2 Minute Reconstructor. So far, so good. My new growth was off the chain. I was starting to dread up (see second right picture above). I did love my curly new growth nape hairs (from the bad breakage area), and upon closer inspection just now, I didn't straighten them. They're just looser. Hopefully, I won't touch the creamy crack until January. That breakage scared the crap out of me.... but it was my own doing (the color remover experiment gone wrong).

I Drank the Apple Kool-aid!

I'm so excited about my new job. It's going to allow me to get my favorite "toys": a 2 terabyte external hard drive, a Jeep Wrangler (circa 1987-2000), Lasik surgery, a 12" Virgin Malaysin cut in layers, more stuff for my jewelry making (wigjigs, wire, jumprings), and new computers. In the computer area, I want to start off with a 17" MacBook Pro. As long as it can run Windows and play my existing Sims games, I'm good. I'm so excited about getting an Apple. I've researched until my eyes were crossed. I'm going to save for it, as I will with all my stuff. If we move, I'll eventually get a iMac. I drank the kool-aid!

Madonna!

I was watching FuseTV and they showed "Madonna: Innocent Lost" - with Terumi Matthews (exactly). It rekindled my love for Madonna's music. She is so badass. The list is too long. Too many favorites. I have to be honest and say that I'm not up on her new stuff. I stopped after the Music CD. I don't like trance/house/ambient music, and that's okay that she went there. Her music up until then is so badass. I let loose on YouTube and added my favorite songs to my Facebook page. So badass.

Two More Weaves Learned!

The Orbital (bracelet $20, and earrings $10) ^^

The Inca Puno weave ($80.00)

I did learned the orbital weave last weekend, and just learned the Inca Puno weave today. It was much easier than the Persian Weave. Both of these are available in my Esty store, made to order, of course. I'm loving this chainmaille thing!

I bought a pink Fender (Squire) Stratocaster yesterday. I haven't even taken it out of the case to play it. Pink! Pictures to come...

My New Version of the "Rearden Metal" Bracelet

My Esty Page

Yes, I'm wearing it, but the first one is MINE (a prototype)! These will be handmade to order, for $80.00 plus S/H. It took me five days to make the bracelet. It wore me out, considering I was starting a new job at the same time as learning a new skill (at my age). Seeing the finished product filled me with such a sense of accomplishment... completely gratifying. This is the first item on my Esty page. I still have 4 large link ($20) and 4 small link ($15) bracelets in stock on this blog (bracelet page, at the top of the blog), available for immediate shipping. Once they're gone, I'll only be making the Rearden bracelet out of niobium jump rings. I can't find that previous particular link anymore, and jump rings are immediately available, albeit a bit pricey. I wish it was Rearden Metal. Eventually, I will be a dotcom.

I'm going to learn a new weave in a couple of weeks. I want to master starting the Persian weave, which was next to impossible (FIVE HOURS). I had to really understand the pattern. It made no sense during those five hours, and then the next day, I just did what I understood it to be, and it was correct. That was a lightbulb moment of "letting go". I had faith that it would turn out, and it did. Stay tuned for more creations from Creative Magic.

Five Hours... FIVE HOURS! And all I got was this...

It took me 5 hours just to get to this point. I knew that the art of the chainmaille would be difficult to learn. It finally began to look like something around 5:45 am. I'm encouraged. I also know that with all the manpower, the new and improved "Rearden Metal Bracelets" will probably be $75.00. Price increase due to cost of the blue/green niobium jumprings (and the difficulty getting them), the blue/green niobium bracelet clasps (if I can find them), and the LABOR. Chainmaille is labor intensive. If I can't find the niobium clasps, I'm either going to make them, or I'll use copper.

I love the full persian weave. When I look at it, it reminds me of the railroad. I've been staring at other weaves, which I will do, but for now, it's the full persian for the Rearden Metal Bracelet. Back to the bench!

I Had To Do It!

I had to textlax my edges today. I warmed the relaxer (top left picture) in the microwave for 1 minute (should have done it for 30 seconds - lesson learned). I waited until the mixture cooled, then squirted it on my edges only. I left it on for no more than 3 minutes. I didn't want completely straight edges, but I didn't want the beady beads I had.

I should have taken pictures before, but I wasn't thinking. I did part my hair so you can see the beady beads in the center (and the devastating breakage on the back left side). I refuse to cut my hair. I'm going to let the breakage catch up with the rest of the hair, then when the breakage reaches my shoulders, then cut the older hair the same length. That's my plan. I think I'm going to totally hold off textlaxing the rest of my hair, until I get some significant growth in the breakage areas (I am scheduled to textlax again on Oct 15th, according to my textlax calendar). As long as I keep my edges manageable, I think I can handle the different textures, since I'm not flat ironing my hair. Just water, conditioner, and my oil mixture (to seal)... and to keep doing the Aphogee 2 Step Treatment every six weeks.