Being Organic...kind of

Two years after cutting my hair

         One of the best things that's happened to me since going natural with my hair, is learning about all the organic natural products that are better for your hair and for your health. Since my big chop, I've been making a conscious effort to take good care of my hair and skin and the results are amazing!! In the last post about hair my straightened hair reaches just a little past my shoulders (damn you shrinkage!! if only I could have my hair that long all the time!!!), and that's only been two years of growth! I can't believe how fast it's growing. It just seemed like yesterday that I cut all my hair off and my hair was...maybe 3 inches from my head! It's really been a journey that I am looking forward to continuing ^o^v

4 months after cutting my hair

          As for products, my hair, like most natural black hair, is VERY dry, so I have to use products that give my hair moisture...The lady that cut my hair recommended to me Jane Carter Solutions hair care products and I have to say that it's been working for me. In my regimen I use the Jane Carter Shampoo, Curl definer cream, Nourish and Shine Shea butter and the leave in conditioner. It leaves my hair pretty soft and manageable for styling. That's about all the product I put in my hair....let's see for my regimen, I usually wash my hair once a week or maybe once every two weeks depending on how busy I am. It takes pretty much a whole day to wash and style my hair, so whenever I have to wash it..I have to plan out my whole day around it. That's another thing about my hair growth. I've looked at countless YouTube videos of ladies doing the same thing I am. One of the things they have in common, though there regimes and products are different, is leaving their hair alone! Just putting your hair in protective styles and leaving it alone (that means not touching and styling it everyday!!) leads to a HUGE amount of growth for your hair. JUST LEAVE IT ALONE lol and let it grow. I know it can be boring and trust me I get frustrated too because natural hair doesn't seem like it's growing because of shrinkage but trust me, it is! You just have to leave it alone.
           My target hair length is....that place where your bra ends on your side...I guess torso length? and that length is when my hair is straightened....lord only knows how long that would be if it was shrunk and natural!
        OK! Now let's talk about skin. The end of my middle school and all of my high school career, I have had really bad acne. I was just looking at my prom pictures the other day and my acne was pretty bad!! I think it all started around the time I first got my period...but yeah after graduating from high school and going on to college, I was really determined to get my skin together!!! I have really really REALLY oily skin (it's not so oily now as back then..but it's pretty oily) At first, I tried clean and clear acne treatment and at first it did show signs that it was working but continuing it...my face really dried out and made things worse so that wasn't for me. Then my mom's friend recommended that I try Proactiv and that did work for me for a while...my skin did clear up when I was using it but after a while, I just felt that it wasn't working anymore. Maybe my face got immune to it or what I have no idea but after a year or so of using it, my face relapsed and I returned to my acne pron self again. So when I transferred to Georgetown, I was really determined to make my face clear!!!! One day when I was eating in the cafeteria....alone (T^T yes being the new girl in a school sucks because you have no friends) I called my sister and she was with her friend riding in a car somewhere....anyway that's not important! The important thing is that her friend recommended skin ID to me. At first I thought that it would be just like proactiv and only work for a little bit, but he was pretty certain about it, so I gave it a try. At first, it worked pretty well! I was amazed at the results but then continuing to use it, my face was getting really dry. I liked the way the cleanser and the acne treatment worked on my face, but the toner was just too strong and would dry out my face immediately after I put it on. So, I decided to look for another toner. At first I used a local store brand but that didn't work because it was..maybe even stronger than the skin id one..(plus it has alcohol in it that REALLY dried out my face) Then I remembered the proactiv toner, it was mild and I liked the way in felt on my face when I used it so I went back to that toner and mixed it with the skin ID cleanser and acne treatment and that's what I use today! It really worked for my skin and gave me that balance that I needed.
           However, the one thing that I think helped out the most...even though you couldn't see it right away is going natural with my hair and not continuing with perming. All those chemicals in perms and putting that in my hair every two weeks I think really did a number on my face. Although I had been getting perms since I was really young (like 6 or 7) after I started to hit puberty and I got my period, all those hormones already started to take a toll on my face and then mixed with the chemicals from perms I'm just thinking that maybe after quitting with the perms and chemicals, my face had a chance to re-balance itself. It's just a theory and I'm not sure about it but I just have a strong sense that, that was one of the causes of my acne.
       Also I have to mention that all these products I've mentioned alone doesn't grow your hair and make your face clean! You have to always pair these products with lifestyle changes to see results. Since I've been on this journey, I've changed my eating habits to eat healthier (I basically drink water and RARELY drink soda for example) I wash my hair on a regular basis that is consistent with my hair regimen and...yeah basically take care of myself! That paired with the right products can make amazing results for anyone!  
         Anyway, for all those on a hair growth journey or looking to clear up there skin, don't give up hope and be consistent! thanks for reading ^ ^