1er trimestre 2014 - Challenge

On commence l'année avec de bonnes intentions ( à concretiser!!!). En fait c'est pas vraiment un défi pour moi vu que ce sont des trucs que j'ai déjà eu à un peu tester. Le plus dur pour moi je pense que ce sera etre constant et vraiment suivre ce que je fais. Le challenge évidemment se basera sur ma routine .

1. Fréquences de soins
Au lieu de faire un shampoing par mois, j'en ferais un minimum 2 fois par mois et idéalement 1 fois par semaine. Je dois m'entrainer fréquemment durant la semaine et je transpire beaucoup donc je crois que je peux me le permettre.Et comme c'est l'hivers je ferai un soin profond hydratant et adoucissant toutes les ssemaines pour plus d'hydratation.

Soin profond/hot oil treatment

2. Outils
Pas de peignes, ni de brosses. Oui les cheveux crépus peuvent etre démeler sans ceux là: j'utiliserai juste mes doigts. J'ai déjà essayé et je crois que je peux gérer. De toutes les façons, j'ai pas de coiffures sophistiquées donc c'est pas vraiment nécessaire utiliser peignes ou brosses .

3. Alimentation
Je crois que ces dernières années j'ai plus ou moins toujours eu un alimentation saine, mais pas très équilibrée je dirais parce qu'elle étaient plus protéinée. Pour ce trimestre, j'introduirai plus de fruits et légumes ( surtout les feuilles vertes ) pour faire le plein de vitamines, collagène et autres bonnes choses.

4. Autres
Pour cette période aussi j'ajoute à ma routine, le démélage aux doigts au tout début afin d'enlever une bonne quantité de cheveux morts et de défaire des noeuds. Ceci facilite et accelère la suite du processus.
Pas de chaleur. Je n'utilisais pas de chaleur direct sur mes cheveux et je continuerai comme ça.
Comme c'est l'hivers, les cheveux seront protéger de l'environnement mais aussi des accessoires: avant de mettre mon bonnet, mes cheveux seront tous sous un foulard en satin :)

On fera le point de la situation à partir du 31 mars, restez connectés

front

crown

nape area

Back

Right side

Left side

Vous avez des challenges pour cette année ou des choses que vous aimeriez faire plus régulièrement ?

1st Trimester 2014 Challenge

This is not really a challenge though, since i've been practising this for the last 2 months and i think i'll be able to handle this for an additional trimester. What i'll be really working here is consistency and follow up. The challenge is obviously base on my regimen and how i intend to take care of my locs.

1. Frequence
Because i'm working out a lot during the week ( 4xweek at the gym and some tennis ) and i need my scalp to be clean for an healthy growth, i'll be shampooing my hair at leas every other week. And since it is winter time i'll be deep conditioning every week to provide enough moisture.

Deep conditioning/ hot oil treatment

2. Tools
I won't use neither combs nor brushes during this semester. I happen to discover i don't necessarily need combs or brushes to detangle my hair, i practiced finger detangling and finger combing and i can handle it. Beside, i don't do elaborated style on my hair, so it's ok.

3. Diet
Somehow, for the past 2 years i've been on a healthier diet, a high proteinate diet since i'm trying to build muscular mass. Beside that, i'll be incorporating more fruits and vegetables ( especially green vegetables) in my diet for some more vitamins and other goodies ;)

4. Others
Another step will be added to the pre poo process : the shed hair removal and some light finger detangling. This part makes life so much easier because the rest of the process goes really faster after that.
No heat on my tresses. I've been using direct heat on my hair and i will continue to not do that for a while.
Winterize. Since it's winter time i'll be protecting my strands from the elements and from the clothings: underneath my beanie there will always be a satin scalf of my hair.

We'll be assessing the challenge on the 31st of march, stay stuned
Click for photos to the start here:http://dudegrowingnaps.blogspot.it/2013/12/challenge-janvier-mars-2014.html

Do you have any challenge or something you want to try more consistently ?

2014 : résolutions capillaires

Je n'ai pas souvent l'habitude de prendre des résolutions en début d'année mais cette fois j'essayerai. En ce qui concerne mes cheveux, 2013 a été une année de découverte, d'apprentissage et aussi de passion : le cheveu crépu est devenu un centre d'interet. Je suis content d'etre plus instruis en ce qui concerne le cheveu crépu.

2014 sera un nouveau départ. Le départ pour une aventure capillaire pour des cheveux en bonne santé. Pour cela les soins capillairres seront partie intégrale des mes activités au meme titre que les études, le sport et le reste, bref je trouverai du temps pour ça aussi. Cette année à venir sera une année qui portera plus d'attention à mes tifs. Aussi j'essayerai des routines sur de plus longue durée (3mois ) pour pouvoir définir les résultats exacts pour une pousse saine.

L'autre défi outre à avoir des cheveux en bonne santé c'est conserver sa longueur. J'essayerai de retenir le plus de longueur possible; pour cela j'essayerai de protéger au maximum mes pointes et je me servirai d'autres astuces qu'utilisent nos vloggers et bloggers favoris. Je n'ai pas d'objectif longueur précis: je ne connais pas ma moyenne de pousse et puis je veux pas transformer mon aventure en une course ou risquer de me trouver avec un sentiment de déception en fin d'année. Je sais pas encore exactement comment je ferai ça mais je travaillerai aussi sur le volume. I love it big !

Le suivi. J'ai déjà eu à essayer des trucs avant mais je ne suis pas capable de dire si cela à fonctioner ou pas. Cette fois j'essayerai de suivre mon évolution ( ou regression lol) au fur et à mesure et plus attentivement. J'observais et prendrais des notes pour savoir ce qu'il en est vraiment de ce que je fais. Evidemment je mettrai tout sur ce blog afin d'etre aidé, d'aider et pourquoi pas de motiver d'autres :)

Voici un check de mon point de départ capillaire pour l'année 2014 (photos )
http://dudegrowingnaps.blogspot.it/2013/12/2014-hair-resolutions.html

Et vous, quelles sont vos résolutions pour l'année 2014? Quel est votre état d'esprit en entrant dans l'année 2014 ?

2014 hair resolutions

When it comes to my hair, 2013 has been an a year of great learnings. Mostly in the second semester of this year, when i really started to become a Natural hair enthusiast , i learned so much about natural afro texturized hair from the textures to the care and maintenance, i'm glad to say i'm no more ignorant.

2014 will be a new start for me, packed with knowledge and tips. I'm planning on a journey to healthy hair.
For that purpose hair car will become a real staple in my life such as studies, sports and social life : i'll find time to dedicate to it. My 2014 journey will consist in proper care and consistency . I'll be also try things on longer duration ( trimester ) to be able to analyse the results and get the best for a healthy growth.

The other challenge beside the healthy growth is obviously the length retention. I'll be working on retaining length as much as possible. I'll try to have my ends protected most of the time and many other tips that other naturals use. I don't set any length goal because i don't know how fast my hair grows and because it's not a race and i don't want that type of disappointment . I don't know how i'll do that yet, but i'll also do something for the volume: I crave big hair :D

The follow up. This is something i wasn't doing before. I'll try to follow the evolution of my hair more accurately. Take note after my experiments and observations and also do measurements after regimen to see if what i do really works. Obviously everything will be uploaded here so you readers can help, be helped or even get inspired :)

These are some pictures from here i start the year. Let's the adventure started!!!!

Twist out

What are your hair resolutions for the new year ????

Going into a Natural hair journey : what to except

Stagnant length, the poursuit of volume, easy breakage, damaged hair or simply the will of changing look. Those are some of the few reasons that could drive somebody to grow naps. There are some few things that we should consider, going into a natural hair journey. We all have that idea of having "easier" hair to deal with (they will naturally grow, no need to do much on it ), stronger by itself because there is no more relaxer, and "cheaper" because it shouldn't need much maintenance and care . Well, forget about it, it's actually takes a lot to handle natural hair.

Awareness
For most of us, a natural hair journey is what brings us to know our hair, black african hair. In the relaxed days we didn't care about hair the right way, having no clue about black and how it should be handled in order to thrive ( the rights tips, the right products to use, ... ). Relaxed or natural black hair is black hair and it requires proper care. As a mystery, natural hair drive to research and doing so we learn so much and realize there is a lot to do and consider for a proper haircare. Natural hair doesn't require more than relaxed hair in order to thrive, in my opinion. The tips and methodology are the same. Well the detangling process take more time but it's worthy. At the end of the day, a glorious mane comes from a consistent hair care.

Acceptance
We often find these youtubers with gorgeous hair that make us crush, that we desire and dream about. We want our hair to respond, to react, to come out and to look like their: we want them hair! That's not what a  hair journey is about. Sometimes we should take a break of all that and take time to observe our hair, to understand it, accept it and love it the way it is, with all its features. They will not always respond to deep conditioning or styling the way we expected. Everyone's hair is Unique, depending on many factors. And we should be able to understand, accept and embrace it. That makes the journey way easier : the less frustration you have the better you feel.


Patience and Perseverance
Starting the natural hair journey comes with a lot of enthusiasm and positivity for the results to come. We see youtubers with gorgeous hair who make great style and regimen and make it look so easy and quick , and have lovely results. It can be really frustrating when we can't achieve nearly the same, when we spend hours and hours on wash days or when we try a style over and over again but can't achieve it , when we deep condition, baggy and do everything but still can't achieve soft, maneuvrable hair and see breakage. It will take sometime for every things to come together : practising you'll acquire the right techniques and processes on your head of hair and so you'll be able to work faster. It requires multiple treatments before seeing the positive results on the hair, considering all the scalp and hair have been through before you decide to take care of it the right way. Compared to other type of hair, african hair grows slower, but it definetely grows. Plus it will also take some time to really understand your own hair, what to do and when to do it. Keep trying, be consistent and patient, you'll reach your goal, hopefully.

At the beginning the natural hair journey can be a pretty rough struggle, but accepting and loving your hair the way it is, be consistent with a good hair care regimen and be patient will definetely leads you to your goal and to brighter hair days.

Cheveux crépus : Ce à quoi s'attendre

Longueur stagnante, recherche de cheveux plus "vivants" avec du volume, trop de casse et de cheveux endommagés ou simplement l'envie de changer de tete encore. Voilà certaines raisons qui peuvent pousser au retour au naturel. Il y a bien des choses dont on devrait etre conscient quand on commence une aventure capillaire nappy, parce qu'on a tous cette idée de vie plus facile, les cheveux plus sains, forts qui ne nous en demande pas trop parce que dans le états naturels ils devraient etre mieux tout seuls. Eh bien! ça ne se passent pas toujours comme ça.

La prise de conscience
Pour beaucoup d'entre nous, la décision de revenir au naturel est ce qui nous ouvre les portes sur l'univers du cheveu. Défrisés, on ne prete pas attention aux cheveux comme ça se doit : on défrise et les jours des soins c'est direct shampoing et parfois sans après shampoing ( souvent ) on peigne mal, on coiffe et le tour est joué. Le cheveu noir reste le cheveu noir, naturel ou défrisé. Le naturel qui est tout un mystère pousse à faire des recherches et là on comprend les caractéristiques du cheveu noir et ce qu'il faut faire, ce qu'il ne faut pas faire pour qu'il soit en santé et pousse. Le cheveu crépu n'est pas plus difficle à entretenir que le cheveu défrisé. Les étapes ( pre poo , shampoing, masque, après shampoing,... ) les produits ( pas de sulfates, d'alcools asséchants, pas de parabens, ecc...) et les astuces ( équilibre hydratation/protéine , satin ,réduire la chaleur,... )la différence réside dans la technique ( comment peigner, laver, ... ). A ce niveau le cheveu crépu n'est pas plus fatiguant, ou complexe. Il ne demande pas plus: on apprends à s'occuper des cheveux.

Accepter
On trouve souvent des youtubers avec des cheveux qui nous font envie, dont on reve et auxquels on s'identifient. Des fois il faudrait fermer tout ça , observer ses propres cheveux , comprendre comment il réagissent et enfin les accepter et les aimer tels qu'ils sont et pour ce qu'ils sont. On a tous des cheveux différents et ne seront jamais égaux. Ils ne répondront pas toujours à notre imagination ou à nos attentes et c'est comme ça, faut pas trop se prendre la tete.
Ah Youtube! On y voit toutes ces youtubeuses avec de splendides cheveux et qui réalisent de belles coiffures et surtout tout semble si facile et rapide au moment des soins et du coiffage. C'est frustrant quand on y arrive pas , quand on met trop de temps pour ces soins. Je tiens à signaler qu'elles viennent toutes de loin et connaissent déjà leur tete. ça demande du temps de connaitre sa tete et acquérir les bonnes méthode et séquence pour ses soins et aussi pour le coiffage. Les tuto et les méthodes qu'on essaye ne fonctionneront peut etre pas immédiatement et il faut l'accepter, ça viendra avec le temps :)

ça prendra du temps
On démarre son aventure bourré d'enthousiame et de positivité, avec la hate de super résultats: longueur, maniabilité, souplesse, brillance, volume et j'en passe. Dans tous les cas ça ne se verra pas au bout de 2 mois seulement, il faut etre patient pour pouvoir noter un changement ( tout comme il faut du temps pour noter de les dommages et que la longueur stagne ) mais aussi il faut de la constance. Constamment prendre soin de ses cheveux et de son cuir chevelu et perseverer. Il faut aussi tenir compte de l'état du cuir chevelu : si pendant des années, ce dernier a été agréssé et maltraité par les défrisages et mauvais geste, il faudrait lui laisser le temps de se rétablir tout en lui prodiguant les soins nécessaires et après il y aura une pousse meilleure et plus saine. Aussi tenir compte de tous les facteurs nécessaires pour vous conduire à la crinière de vos reves ( type de cheveux, génétique, habitudes capillaires, ... ) Le cheveu crépu poussent plus lentement que les autres cheveux, mais il pousse. Entre comment trouver la bonne routine, acquerir la bonne méthode pour sa tete, voir les premiers résultats recherchés il en passera du temps et donc de la PATIENCE et de la PERSEVERANCE. Ne vous découragez pas. Le jeu en vaut la chandelle.

Construire une routine capillaire : 3 choses à considérer

Quand on décide et commence à prendre soin de ses cheveux crépus naturels ou bien quand on retourne au naturel , on ne sait pas toujours très bien à quel saint se vouer. Entre produits, outils et techniques, c'est la galère! Au fur et à mesure qu'on fait des recherches on retient de bonnes choses et on essaye de se faire une routine capillaire. Pour ma part, je pense qu'une bonne routine capillaire est l'un des piliers d'une heureuse aventure capillaire. La question est : quelle serait la routine idéale ???
J'ai ma façon de penser sur l'argument et c'est comme celà que je m'y prends pour construire mes routines. Pour celà je tiens comptes d'un certain nombre de facteurs .

1- Les besoins de mes propres cheveux
Cela semble évident mais en fait ça ne l'est pas. On a tendance à copier les routines des youtubeuses préférées à cause de leurs bons résultats sans toutefois  tenir compte de nos propres cheveux. On devrait commencer par analyser nos propres cheveux et apprendre à les connaitre : déterminer leur état, leurs caractéristques ( type, porosité, sensibilité aux protéines,... ) et leurs besoins spécifiques ( hydratation, fortifiants, ... ) pour se rendre compte de comment agir

2- Le train de vie
Le deuxième point que je considère ensuite ce sont mes occupations. On a tous un tas de choses à faire entre e travail, les études , le sport. la vie sociale etc... et nos cheveux ont besoin de temps eux aussi. Considérant toutes nos occupations on détermine un temps pour les cheveux et à partir de cette disposition et des besoins des cheveux on peut décider quand faire ses soins comment les faire et les produits optimaux adaptés à la fréquence des soins et aux besoins des cheveux.

3- Le budget
C'est ici alors que l'acteur meurt massa! Entre produits capillaires "naturels", steamers et autres, on aimerait tout avoir et tout devrait etre parfait. Selon moi tout ça n'est pas forcément necessaire, on n'est pas obligé d'avoir l'après shampoing de chez shea moisture ( à 20.00euro pour 300ml ) pour obtenir des résultats les plus éclatants. En tenant bien compte de ses possibilités économiques on s'assurent de se constituer une routine avec des produits qu'on aurait toujours à sa portée. A la fin e plus important est de savoir utiliser les produits qu'on a ( ou qu'on peut facilement avoir )  en fonction de ses propres cheveux ( besoins et caractéristiques)  et du temps qu'on peut y passer. Après, de temps à autres on peut se concéder quelques petites  gateries ;)

Voilà comment je pense pour composer mes routines capillaires. Vos avis ? Comment vous y prenez vous ?

Build a good regimen : 3 things to consider

Like every "new" natural or someone who just decided to take care of his natural hair , the first thing that came in mind is the product to use. Then researching further we find good tips and  try to build a routine. I think a good, or a should say a suitable regimen is a prerequisite of a successful hair journey.

The big deal now is : what is the ideal hair regimen ?

I have my own thought on the topic and that's how i build my different regimen . This stape of the journey, for me, depends on various factors:

1 - Hair needs : understanding our hair

That seems to be the most ovvious one , but most of the time we tend to switch to the regimen of our favourite youtubers because of their great results. We should take a minute to pay more attention to our own hair and listen to it, that's the way to understand it, learning about its features. Here we should think about specific needs like protein or moisture and features like protein sensitivity , porosity and the hair type 

2 - Lifestyle

Once settled the hair needs and features, the next thing to consider should be the lifestyle. Our natural hair needs some dedication in order to thrive. Once you know how much time you can spend on your hair per weekly or monthly, you can create the most suitable regimen for you with the right products , the way to apply and use them on your hair . No matter how busy you are, just find some time for your hair as you do for everything else. Just remember to spend reasonable amount of time on hair .

3- Budget

The most popular product ? The lastest trends? There are so much out there . Personally i don't think all that is essential, i'm against overspending on products. According to your budget and you hair's needs choose products that suits you the best and  are within your reach . In this way you'll be able to follow your journey without thinking that natural hair is too expensive : it's all about how you deal with it.  From time to time you can offer yourself some luxury ;)

These are the three main lines that helped me to build my regimen. Obviously the more i learn about my hair the more often i change things, adding or rimoving.

How do you proceed ?

Meet my hair

During the past months i learnt a lot about African hair and specifically about my own hair. These queries actually helped me to understand my hair and to be able to built a most suitable regimen for me. For that purpose, i recommend to research for a successful hair journey.

Scalp

Fortunately i still have a healthy scalp due to the fact that it hasn't been through several chemical processes ( i relaxed only once! ). It isn't greasy and i don't think i suffer from dry sclap neither. I can say i never had dandruff for my entire life, never. I notice that i kind of have many pores and my hair is pretty dense BUT my strands are fine, my hair may appear thick but the strands are actually thin.

Hair type

My hair is definetely coily but is not coily in the same way on every area of my head. Mostly my hair is         tightly coiled with a defined curl pattern. The hair on my hairline has a less defined curl pattern meanwhile the hair of my nape area has a looser texture and is probabily the most maneuvrable area of my hair. According to the Andre Walker's hair type chart, i identified 3 hair type on my head of hair: my nape area is more a 3C type, on the hairline i have a 4B and the rest of my head is mostly 4A.
Here is a link where you can learn which hair type you are:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

Porosity

I did some porosity test and observed how my hair reacted, and i realized that my hair has low to medium porosity. In fact my hair doesn't take ages to dry when let air dried, it doesn't sink on the bottom of a glass of water at room temperature. For me the porosity of hair is really important, if not the most important thing to know about our hair in order to find the right regimen.

Other features

After many experiments i can say that my hair is protein sensitive : when i deep condition with whole eggs, when my hair dries it becomes really brittle and hard and make that crusty sound and stays in that state in the following days until i bring moisture to it.
I don't have really thick edges and i'll try to improve it.
Like everyone else, i guess, my hair isn't at the same length on every area : the nape area tends to be the longest maybe it's just because the texture is looser. The crown is one short area : at some point of my journey i wasn't taking good care of my hair, it was really matted and i was impatient and just cut it. The very front is the shorter (i still have to figure out why) , the hair there is fragile and is the area where i experience the most shedding.
My hair tends to be very very frizzy
And last but not least, my hair is black, dark black and i absolutely love it.

What are your hair's features ?

My hair story

Like every other African boy, i always wore my hair short, fading every 3 weeks until i graduated from high school ( it was compulsory for boys to wear short hair in high school). When i moved out from my parents i started to grow my hair longer, not because i desired it but only because i was to lazy to go at the barber shop: i wasn't use to that since we had our hair cut at home. So i was having a fade every 3 months or so, afraid of dirt or dandruff, but my hair and scalp were always clean once i get to the barber and i always thought: " i could have grown it longer..."


In september 2010, i move from Cameroon to Italy. I felt like 10euro was waaay too much for a haircut ( i was still doing the change in my mind: 10euro were about 6559.5 Fcfa and i used to have a nice and decent haircut at 300Fcfa) beside the winter was coming and like every other newbbie here, we were taught that hair can be helpful during the winter time and from there i start growing my hair to these days.

I absolutely had no clue on hair care at all and didn't even my mind it. I was not doing anything to my hair, first i was washing it like i do for my body. Then from a certain length i started using shampoo. I accidentally met conditioner (i went to the grocery to buy shampoo and i mistook conditioner for shampoo).
My hair was always a mess, and one day i told myself: "enough is enough! If i want to do it, i have to do it well" and i start some researches on African hair care regimen, that's how i came accross Youtube videos.

I took some "light" tips from YT, like tools to use, conditioning, deep conditioning and few other things. Hair wasn't yet and obsession, but i kind of started taking care of that even if i wasn't consistent at all. Thus, it wasn't easy to deal with my textured hair but i had made some progress in caring. I wanted longer and more maneuverable hair. So friends of mine ( sistas) convinced me to relax it promising an easier life.

In november 2011, i had my first and only relaxer. It wasn't a perfect one because i didn't let it  burn. At first i was happy with the result, my hair appeared longer, i could comb through it and do a tail easily. That worked for a while and i soon realised i wasn't satisfied with the processed hair (i've always been a fan of big and voluminous hair) but still tried to show some love to that hair more often. I went back on YT and learned so much.

Through the 2012 i wasn't able to take care of my hair, i didn't have time: i was working too much, had to study and work-out and from june i was playing tennis, no dedication to my hair. As a result i had some hard time with my transitioning hair. I gradually started to incorporate great tips as i was learning through the year 2013 and tried to handle a more regular and consistent hair care regimen.

I'm planning on a good and more consistent hair routine for the next 2 years, learn more about my hair and hope for a healthy growth :)

Here I Am

About me

Well ,before i start sharing, i think i should present myself.

I'm a young cameroonian guy, i've been leaving in Italy for a couple of years now, far away from family.

I'm student and i have to earn a living all by myself and that ain't easy at all, but i keep smiling and not let the situation take me down :)

Why a blog ?

I have never been the kind of person that takes really good care of oneself, i mean i don't really care if my hair looks good or not, if i shaved or if my skin is dry, moisturized etc...But lately, as i decided to go back to the gym ( actually as i could afford that again :p ) i decided to improve everything going into my bodybuilding journey.

I also thought it'll be a good thing to actually document my journey, so i can keep track of the evolution and progress, remember what worked good for me and what didn't. Beside, i think sharing my experience won't be only good for me but also for others who think about growing healthy natural african hair :)

In this blog, i'll be talking about what i do to grow my hair, things that i use, try, what i notice and obviously what i learned about my hair and in general about african hair. 

I hope these notes will help some others out there,

Peace and Love

M.