I did the unforgivable today... I used, Petroleum! *cue natural hair police*. I was just doing some experimenting. I saw that jar of blue magic sitting under the bathroom sink and thought, why not? Naturally, my hair feels a bit greasy now, but I think with some adjustments I can incorporate it into my winter hair care semi nonexistent regimen.

I only used it to seal my hair before doing my twists. I washed my hair this morning after hiding the scissors from myself. I just did my yogurt banana mask (which I added 10capsules of fenugreek, and I'll tell you why) then washed with Dove Daily Moisture conditioner and my L'Oreal reconstructive conditioner.

Lost my train of thought. Got Dora in the background and trying to get my son to eat dinner... anyway, um I did my usual routine of twisting and rolling, but I'm bored with that and I'm starting to think the rollers are aiding in the breakage. They're the foam type; I noticed my hair gets tangled into the foam pieces. I hardly, if ever, see hair in the shower or on my shoulders. I could count the hairs in my comb if I wanted... now, before I started using fenugreek, I tried a mayo/egg conditioning mask which left my hair crunchy, dry and from there I noticed the extra hair in my comb and sink. Anyway, it could be a number of things. It is getting much cooler out too which could be causing the slight breakage, or perhaps my hair is trying to force me into a big chop. It has always strived in shorter cuts lol.

I think, in any case, this is a sign I need to start trying new styles. I'm bored with two-strand twists with the rollers. Time to upgrade. Tonite I'm gonna try flat twisting. I know it isn't a huge jump, but bantu knots just don't quite work to blend my hair. They're ok for when I'm going to pin my hair down for something important. Otherwise, I like my hair BIG and curly. That's part of the reason I'm going natural (I'll talk more about that later).. so, tonite its time to change it up.

Now, I used that much fenugreek because my mask just wasn't thickening the way i like and I absolutely hate stuff dripping down my face and neck. Its comparable to Chinese water torture, if you ask me. To compensate for using so much, I only left the mask on my hair for 30minutes or so. My ends feel more wiry, which is good in my opinion. Makes me feel like my hair is stronger than when its pillowy soft. I dunno that it is or isn't; just a mental comfort thing really.

Alright, so I'm gonna go do this thing while my son is distracted with Wall-E.. I've been checking some Youtube videos, so I think I'm ready now.

Here I go!

the great debate

I guess there comes that moment in every transitioners journey where she (and maybe he?) contemplates the "big chop".. I'm at that moment now... laying in bed pulling at these matted ends cause I was too lazy to twist my hair last night...

I chose to transition because I knew I wasn't ready for such a drastic change. i.e., cutting my hair and wearing a fro. I had no idea what kind of hair was hiding under this relaxer and if I did hate it, I could always fall back to the #creamycrack lol.

The problem comes from my impatience. I'm too impatient to transition. The detangling and different textures doesn't even bother me, I'm just tired of waiting! and rolling...

On the opposite end of that, I'm too impatient to big chop.. once its gone, its gone, and can I really wait a year or more for my hair to get this length again? Plus, the shrinkage... ugh. I like instant gratification. Hair doesn't grow instantly.

I've done well to combat my normally impulsive nature.. minus that mini chop episode a month or two ago.. right now at the top of my head, my curls are long and springy. I have no curl pattern in the back; just frizz and fuzz. I should start posting photos, huh? Haha. I don't think I can from this phone.

What to do, what to do... I really can't tell where my new growth ends, so I ought not cut it myself. I need to just wait and see how I feel in a few months. Maybe with a few more inches of growth, I'll gain some balls and just chop it.

I want to hear from people that transitioned and big chopped. How did you feel? Why did you choose that route?