1Blessed Natural Mag

Hey everyone! I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas.  I have not been doing much cowashing, but I decided to cowash today. My hair has been dry because of the cold weather and dry heat indoors. So, I cowashed (using V05 Moisture Milk shampoo). Then, I deep conditioned and detangled my hair. As my hair grows longer, the detangling process becomes more challenging. But, it's not impossible :-)  I tried something new today... I had a jar of the Coconut Oil Conditioner (pomade) by Softee that I did not want to go to waste. I have heard that mineral oil/petrolatum are good sealants. So, I applied my KeraCare Conditioning Hairdress to damp hair and applied the Coconut Oil. Then I put my hair in medium sized twists. I will do a twist out in the morning, and let you guys see my results.

 ...my hair after washing it            I have been natural for 9 months. I have transitioned for 4 months before my big chop. During my time as a natural, I have learned a lot about my hair, and I know that the lessons will continue. Here's a list of the things that I have learned about my hair so far: 1. Simple is best: My hair does not like a lot of manipulation or products. The simpler the products/techniques, the better. Twist Outs are the best. Sometimes, I find myself going overboard with trying new styles. My hair will let me know that it has had enough by breaking. I saw a few broken off pieces. I was freaked out for a minute until I had to remind myself that it is hair lol. I remember reading an article about some breakage being normal. But, the idea is to keep your hair is healthy as possible.     It has been awhile since I have done a wash and go. I did one recently; I was shocked to find my hair in...

  Today I decided to do a flat twist updo regardless of the results lol.  I freestyled in the back. After I finished flat twisting my hair to the middle of my hair,  I connected them with bobby pins. I like to  use black hair pins instead of bobby pins, but bobby pins were the only thing available. I used the KeraKare Conditioning Hair Dress and my Shea Butter/ Olive Oil mix. I will probably keep these in for  about 2-3 days and then wear a twist-out. Hair pinned up

  I've been too tired to pineapple my hair. Last night, I moisturized my hair with Olive Oil and Shea Butter and slept with a satin bonnet on. In the morning, I parted the front of my hair and placed the clips on both sides. I bought a carton of about 8 clips for &$1.00 at one of the dollar stores.

Since I have gone natural, I have had an increasing number of gray strands on the right side of my hair. In the beginning, I thought that it was just some gray strands. But, I found that many of the full strands were inconsistent in color.  My hair would be black from the roots, and gray towards the ends. My co-worker suggested that the sun had bleached some of my hair. This seems like a reasonable explanation; it has happened to me before. But, it could also be genetic. I did some research online and found out that this could be caused by diet and stress. I also remember having changing gray to black hair when I was a freshmen in college. I was stressed out from classes ; it makes perfect sense. This is a reminder to me that hair and body are affected by more than just products that we use.  Did this ever happen to you?

I was about 4 years old when my grandmother gave her to me. She was brown skin with a round nose and two brown ponytails of yarn. She wore a blue jumper and a yellow short sleeve shirt that was outlined in red. Her sneakers stuck out from the bottom of her pants legs like headlights. She looked like me... She was me....Her name was Huggy Bean, and she was all mine!                 Even though I was 4 years old, I understood the importance of having a doll that looked just like me.  It was okay that my skin was a toasty brown color. It was okay that my hair was not straight and blonde like many of the other dolls.  It was okay that my nose was round. It was okay to look like me. I could relate to Huggy Bean, and I appreciated her.- 1BlessedNatural "Rejoice always".-1 Thessalonians 5:16

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 Place side combs (your color choice) into the sides of your hair.  Happy Saturday! I have been trying different styles with my fro. I've come up with the frohawk above. While my hair was still stretched I used two large side combs and two bobby pins. Part the front of your hair, and secure each section with a bobby pin.

  Today the lowest temperature was 37 degrees, and I am happy to say that my hair is ok! lol  My regimen of the KeraCare Hair Dress, Grape Seed Oil, and Shea Butter/Olive Oil mixture seems to be keeping my hair moisturized. My hair loves the Shea Butter and Olive oil mixture the most. I have had days when my hair was damp from the rain (after applying the Shea Butter with Olive Oil), and the end result was even softer hair.  

I have used the Pineapple Method.  to keep my hair stretched. You can click here to see instructions for the Pineapple Method for natural hair. I know, lol. I look like a little girl, but I love this method! I used the KeraCare Hair Dress and Grape Seed Oil, and my hair curled up at the ends. But it still felt dry. So, I used my normal Shea Butter/ Olive Oil mixure, and my hair started to soften up. In the morning, I will take these out and rake through my hair with the comb (to hide the parts). 

Hey my natural beauties! I decided to do the banding technique again. The last time that I did the banding technique was back in June when I had a TWA. I performed this after washing and deep conditioning my hair. I applied Organics Olive Oil Leave In Conditioner and shea butter mixed with olive oil to each damp section. I left about 1/2 inch between the end of the band and ends of my hair so that my hair could be extra bushy lol. Plus, I didn't want the bands to damage my ends while sleeping. I also made sure that the band at the base of each section was not tight. The first time I banded my hair, my bands were too tight and I couldn't sleep. in the morning... My hair was very soft!

Happy Monday everyone! I've decided to do a length check for you guys. I don't do them often because I feel like it's like the old saying that "a watch pot never boils" lol. My last length check was in August when I redid one of my micro braids.  This is my hair 9 months after my big chop. I have trimmed my hair twice since then. So, your hair may be longer or shorter (at 9 months) depending on many factors including trimming, retention, etc. At the top of my head

' My niece's mom decided to give her a style that was inspired by one shown on "Beads, Braids, and Beyond".  My niece loved her hair; she showed it to me proudly before school :-)

  This post is for all of the product junkies (like me) lol. If you love to try new natural hair products, then you may want to take a look at the Travel size section of your favorite store. I found Herbal Essences' Hello Hydration and the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Lotion at Walmart for about $1.00 each. I've also seen Pantene and Garnier Fructis in the same section at Pathmark. The best part about buying the travel sizes bottles of hair products is that you do not spend a whole lot of money. Also, if you do not like the product, you are not stuck with a big bottle to waste. The downside of buying the travel sizes of hair products is that you have a limited selection. It's a start though! - 1BlessedNatural                           

9 Months Natural - since Big Chop Hey everyone, Today makes 9 months since my big chop! Yayyy! This week, I have been wearing my hair in two cornrows (in the front) and a fro (in the back). I have been using Organic Olive Oil Leave-In Conditioner by Africa's Best and Mega Grape Seed Oil on my fro. I've been using the leave-in on my corn rows and sealing the ends with Shea Butter. Because the leave-in is water based, it has caused my afro to shrink a bit. But I don't mind.

Thank you to Naturaleza for giving me The Versatile Blogger Award! I love your blog posts as well. Everyone please check out her post! In order to accept this award, I must thank the bloggers that awarded me. Then I must: List 7 things about me Pass the Versatile Blogger Award to 15 other bloggers Here are 7 things about myself. 1. I love the Lord! He was watching out for me before I even knew His name :-) 2. I love to write. I have been writing before I could write words lol. My scribbles stood in lieu of words. 3. I am the owner of a small business named "Ruthie's Greetings" www.ruthiesgreetings.com . 4. I  was a natural the for my first 3 years of high school. 5. I used the hot comb during that time. 6. I went to a press and comb stylist who clipped my ends every 2 weeks. Yes! Every 2 weeks. When I realized that she was cutting off my growth, I visited her a little less lol.  7. "The Walking Dead" is one of my favorite tv shows (random...

  Hey everyone! Buy any Ruthie's Greetings card, and receive 1 bookmark FREE! Please visit www.ruthiesgreetings.com for purchasing!

Thanksgiving (photo courtesy of Flickr- Dave and Margie Hill/ Kleerup ( The Consortium )  Hey my blessed naturals! I hope that you've all had a good Thanksgiving holiday. I just want to take the time out to give God the glory and list the things in my life that I am thankful I am thankful for the Lord's love, a new day, a career, my life, loving family, loving people, a place to live, clothes on my back, food, water, new opportunities, strength, and a chance to make every minute better than the last ! God is good :-) Please share the things in which you are thankful. "Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you".- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

You can buy the side combs at beauty supply, grocery, and dollar stores. Please make sure that your hair is moisturized and detangled before using them in your hair. My hair had been stretched from having flat twists in my hair.   In the front, I created two rows of two strand twists, twisted them together on the right side, and secured them with a bobby pin. You can use any type of decorative pin or clip. You can also create a twist out for the bang area.

After reading Precious' article "Winter Hair Care" , I've decided to wear hats as part of of my protective style choice for the winter. Two days ago, I decided to flat twist my hair. I twisted it so that I could wear my hats; I also wanted to get an idea of how to flat twist my hair for styles. My parts are sloppy and big because I rushed, and used wide tooth comb. (I will be using a Rat Tail comb next time). But, I was still happy with my results. I am getting the hang of flat twisting on my hair. I will probably do a flat twist up do as another protective style.    I tied a satin scarf around my head to protect my hair from being damaged by the hat The finale: my hat! lol

Good morning everyone! My trim is complete. Because my hair is healthy, I did not need to trim a lot. I trimmed about 1/4 of an inch in most places, and 1/2 of an inch in the few rough areas. My hair damage was mostly at the top and back of my hair. The hair at my crown is the longest, and I wanted that to be a little bit shorter any way. I think that I may wait 6 months or more for the next trim, depending on the condition of my ends. Still learning!

We hear a lot about sulfates being bad for your hair. But, the truth is that we sometimes need to use the sulfate shampoos to remove product build up. I have a problem with dandruff, and went on the hunt for a a dandruff shampoo. Many times I would wash my hair and still have dandruff that would stay on my scalp. This would cause the conditioner to stick to the dandruff, and it would become harder to wash the conditioner out of my hair. I tried CVS brand dandruff shampoo, and it made my hair terribly dry. So,one of my friends suggested that I use Selsun Blue, and I love it! It is a medicated shampoo. It doesn't make my hair too dry. It leaves my scalp clean and dandruff free. I have learned that sulfates are not automatically my enemy lol. It matters how you handle your hair during the wash and after. I try not to be too rough with my hair during the wash process, especially when using a sulfate shampoo. I also make sure that I deep condition my hair by sitting under a ...