Blair's Update

You remember Blair, right? Here was her first interview with Mane and Chic way back in 2008, click here to read it.

She's back by popular demand with updates on her curly hair regimen.

On being natural…
I have been fully natural 3.5 years. I base this number from the date of my Big Chop in November 2006, which was preceded by 11 months of transitioning. In the past my hair always grew easily and retaining length was never a problem, even if I wore my hair down every day. When I went to college I fried, dyed and blow dried my hair — once I even dyed it blonde twice in one day. Eventually my hair just started falling out. I finally got it cut even at shoulder length, but my hair never retained length. A friend talked about going natural, but I was scared of my natural hair because I equated natural hair to an unkempt Afro and my personal preference was not to have big hair. As I saw her begin to transition, I decided to think seriously about it and that’s when I signed up for longhaircareforum.com and realized the different ranges of natural hair — I even realized that I could embrace whatever my hair decided to throw at me whether that be big, frizzy, kinky, curly, etc. I realize that with a relaxer I was trying to correct something that was the furthest thing from wrong. I stand out in a crowd, my hair is versatile and it's never been healthier.


Curly hair regimen...
My regimen is  simple — I just occasionally shampoo and cowash a lot. I shampoo when I feel the need — sometimes that’s once every couple of weeks or  twice a week, but it really just depends on how my hair feels. I only shampoo once, no lather AND repeat, and I use it directly on my scalp with only one quick swipe on the rest of my hair. After that, I put conditioner in my hair and use a wide-tooth comb, bottom to top, to distribute the conditioner throughout my hair. Next, I lightly rinse my hair with water, put more conditioner in my hair, put my hair in a loose bun (while squeezing out excess water) and continue with my shower. Before I step out of the shower, I squeeze residual water out of my loose bun. I co-wash and detangle every 1-3 days and my conditioner also serves as my leave-in. I deep condition maybe once or twice a year — definitely not a high priority.

Straightening regimen...
I started straightening my hair in July 2008 after about two years of no heat. I straighten every two or three months. I was addicted to the straight hair for awhile because, for me, it’s low maintenance and less time walking around waiting for my WnG to dry. But every time I straighten my hair I immediately miss my curls and feel as if I disappear into a crowd.

I straighten my hair every few months. I go to a local Ethiopian Salon for my straight look as they have low prices, use limited heat and most of the customers I’ve witnessed have very long hair. They shampoo and conditioner my hair, roller set my hair and then flat iron or curl. I get results that are amazing and I give them a big thumbs up because they can get you Dominican blow-out results without a blow dryer. After this process, I don’t mess with my hair much. I usually keep it for 1-2 weeks and sleep with a satin cap sometimes. I haven’t found a moisturizer for straight hair that I like yet. I know I need to improve my straight hair care regimen because I don’t seem to retain as much length when I straighten.

Go to hair style...
I switch up between ponytails, messy buns and wearing my hair half up/half down or just free flowing. If I wash my hair the night before and I have to be somewhere early the next day I usually end up with a ponytail or bun. If I have enough time to prepare I’ll usually wear my hair down. I usually add a little bit of style by flat twisting the front of my hair and securing with bobby pins (besides that I’m style challenged).

Favorite Products...
Conditioners: Herbal Essences Hydralicious (purple), Herbal Essences Totally Twisted, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, Suave Humectant. **I know many people are against cones in their hair products for a variety of reasons, but I’ve found less single-strand knots and have seen enhanced curl definition when I use products with cones.

Shampoo: Creme of Nature (green bottle), Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo (disclaimer: I only use Joico because it was free — I do not suggest expensive products).

Detangler: Wide-Tooth Comb and Denman Brush


Thoughts on growth aids...
Don’t rely on growth aides. Your hair grows. You may just not be retaining your length due to frequent trimming, damage, etc. So keep your scalp clean and protect your ends and if you can just eat healthy, exercise or anything that naturally promotes the health of your body and skin.

Let your hair be the boss...
I know it’s easy to jump on a bandwagon, think specialized or more expensive products are better but in many cases they aren’t. If you think you need special products it’s probably because you are trying to manage and/or train your hair to do something it doesn’t want to do. I’ve learned to embrace frizz and just let my hair live its own life.

On trimming...
(Frequent) Trims are unnecessary. I went two years without scissors touching my hair and have retained my hair. After I started using heat, I employed the Search and Destroy method and have been fine. Unless you NEED the straight across even look, you most likely never really need a professional trim every 6 weeks — I retain about .3-.5 inches a month. If I trimmed more frequently, I would never see any length. Also, I never noticed split ends until I started using heat so I make sure I use heat sparingly!

My first trim since my BC was on July 25, 2008. I had an actual cut (long layers) in November 2009. While both experiences were good, I prefer to do my own trims via the Search and Destroy Method. My hair grows pretty even and even with my Search and Destroy I never end up with see-through ends, so I don’t ever feel the need for a comprehensive trim or cut.

Favorite salon...
Almaz Diamond Salon, Arlington, VA. They are an assembly-line style salon (first come first serve) so there is no stylist trying to manage 5 heads at once. I’ve never been in the salon longer than two hours. Prices are also very low, even with long hair.