Month 4: Review

This was one of my best and worst months at the same time. Wow the hiiiighs!! and Damn, the lows!! The most recent of which was yesterday when mid day I started feelin like I’m looking mshamba. Here are the things I learned this month:

• If I leave my hair alone, it does its thing and grows, curls, DOES ITS THING
• There’s a thin line between mshambaness and funkiness
• My hair doesn’t like being forced to do stuff and can have a complete change in heart for the things it does initially agree to do. Eg. a funky fluffy looking fro in the morning turned bush fro by evening
• Fro loves, loves LOVES glycerin and avocado oil
• My hair’s really growing at different lengths, the longest being at the back, shortest being in the middle and area that always needs more work than others is my right side
• My hair, like me is stubborn
• Twist outs these days take much less time but give different results; weird straightish look
• There are many, MANY women out there who do tutorials etc. on Youtube who DON’T have the same kind of hair as me. Natural does not equal the same! Different hair does different things, reacts differently to products and looks different
• I had certain expectations of my hair, which I am sometimes pleasantly surprised when my hair doesn’t look like that expectation (eg. combed out fro) but other times secretly curse my hair for not looking like person x’s. The best way to describe my expectation is Subira but after being in Dar last month, I’ve realised I have the kinkiest hair of the three of us. But thank God, I don’t think it’s ugly
• Towels, normal towels are just fine on my hair. Tried the micro fibre towel…failed. Tried the t-shirt thing…no difference so I’m sticking to towels til further notice
• Thing I learned yesterday/today; I’ve left my hair out and about since Thursday and it’s now starting to itch so a co-wash is definitely needed
• I actually don’t like it when peeps PULL my hair. Touching lightly is one thing (with permission), but why pull it out? Do you know how long it took me to get it to look that even?!
• My shrinkage is crazy, I’m estimating 75%

This month has definitely been the most experimental so far. I did my first blow out, first braid out and first side clip. Here are all the different styles I can now rock:

1. Wash and go/ braid/ twist/ blow out on its own

Real wash and go

Mabutu braid out and finger comb

Semi blow out

     2. Side part

     3. Headband

Triple headband

Comb out after flat twists

Semi blow out

 
     4. Flower (with or without headband)

Next day hair with front braid out

Finger comb after twist out

     5. Faux hawk with headband

     6. Side clip

       7. Head wrap

     8. Flat twist and fro

     9. Beanie

I’m happy that it’s summer, that I have some sort of variety in styling, that my hair’s growing etc. I hope it continues to do so. I do get impatient, other times I think DAMN! Check out my hair. Once or twice I stopped what I was doing and thought “Shit…I ACTUALLY cut off my hair!” Overall though, it’s been a better month than month 3 🙂 Here’s to month 5!