this is my hair journey

In honor or throwback Thursday, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at one of the stars of this blog—my hair. Many people have asked me to make a hair journal of some sort to show the progress of my life as a straight hair girl to today, and with as hectic as my life has become recently I felt like now more than ever is the perfect time for a cheesy clip show. Remember those?

 

So let's start from the very beginning (a very good place to start!) I was always "natural" in fact the word "natural" feels…unnatural to me. Regardless, to be a curly girl was the norm until I enter the world of socialization. After being teased at school and nose turned up at church for having "wild hair" my mom and I started to press it out. We did maybe one or two texturizers as a kid, but it didn't get my first real relaxer until college. AND BOY WAS THAT A DUMB IDEA….

 

Fast forward to 2008 my 2nd year in college. I volunteered to be a hair model for vidal sasson, and home girl flipped OUT when she got me as a model. Sure I went in with my hair straight, but as she washed it, and it began to curl and she began to cry. The instructor encouraged me to wear it naturally curly, but I refused. Besides what kind of hair modeling gig is a hair wash? Unfortunately, she went scissor crazy and took my shoulder length hair up to my ears. What you can't see is she also buzzed the front. I was bummed out, and I cried.

 

FORTUNATELY, It was the perfect transitioning time. I still didn't feel like curly hair "suited me" so I wore extensions, and continued to cut off my dead relaxed ends. I also started dying it, all the colors I could! (this would be 08-09)

2010 was a big year for me. I got my first apartment, and I started wearing my hair curly. But want to know the real reason? I got tired of feeling dirty and having a constant brigade of breakouts! So my only option, WASH IT. And washed it I did, and my curls started to come back (after some years of heat training) In 2011 I lived in New York and Paris for a while. It really changed me. When I went to Paris for the first time in my life did I feel beautiful and like a NORMAL PERSON. I didn't look strange to anyone, I just blended in. In fact my mom would lose me in the waves of mixed frenchies like moi. My hair was no longer a style of convenience, it was a piece of who I was.

When I got back to Chicago I started blogging BIG! And I felt like my "new hair" incorporated the new me! But as all curly girls do I started using too much heat on my hair to stretch it and dry it in Chicago's cold never-ending winter. So after it got FRIED UP, I had to start again.

 

That's when Hair Rules contacted me to model for them in Chicago, I got a consultation and a much needed cut. My curls sprung back with SUCH LIFE! It was better than I have ever imagined! Even the texture changed!

2012 had some trims, but I tried to make sure I was deep conditioning! Keeping things simple allowed my hair to grow. Overall, it was a simple year!

2013 I started to get my health back in order (if you look carefully you can see my pack on the pounds and then start to lose them over the timeline, HAHA ^^"") I started eating raw more, juicing, and my hair and skin responded well!

 

TODAY, well.... today I think I learned to let it go. There was a time where I wished my hair was perfect, big, long, mermaid-esque. And sure we all get hair envy, but I want to love this person that I am. I like my messy curls! And even though they aren't like so and so's…they are just like me.

What's your story? I would love to hear it! Plus I've been debating doing a hair video, what do you think?

Questions? ASK AWAY! If you want to get a hold of me directly you can contact me on instagram @avantblargh. (discreetly: usagiskitchen@gmail(dot)com)

its not unusual

candy striped blouse: beautiful shyt vintage 
cardigan: target
high waisted linen shorts: american apparel
collar clips: my mothers (vintage)
flatforms: UO
watch: vintage pendleton

 Remember Carlton Banks dancing to Its Not Unusual  on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? I was reminded of that when I was editing these photos and realized that I some how channeled my inner Carlton. Not so much a right winged conservative to hopes to one day be president....but maybe more of his preppy nerdy side, who likes to listen to his parents music. There's nothing wrong with getting down with some oldies and as for me classic 80s jams are always on repeat. Hall & Oates, anyone?

I always loved how the preppy was often considered the villain in 80s-90s media, like Steff on pretty in pink. But like Andy I always found them midly alluring...from big shoulders to a decadent lifestyle it all seems like a synthesized version of the French Rococo period. Still complete with pastel clothing and big hair. Maybe that's why I'm so attracted to it....

Therefore, this is my tribute to Rococo 80s prep, big hair, big shoulders, and all around saturated cheekiness. Lets all eat some cake, shall we?

But before that  I leave you with this...

Happy Friday ;)

weekenders

polka crop top: american apparel
high waist pants: american apparel
granny loafers: vintage
safari scarf: vintage
glasses: target
watch: vintage pendleton
tote: c/o  madewell

I think I'm starting to understand the prhrase "work hard, play hard" I used to think it was a bar fly's excuse to get smashed every weekend, but now I'm understanding the simple of joys of having free time. When I first finished school I found myself with an abudance of time that I feel like I pissed off watching netflix, eating, not doing anything I wanted to accomplish. Now my time off is spent doing creative things that I didn't have the motivation to do before. But more than that, I think I enjoy the simple joys of life more. When I had time to waste, I felt more depressed, now in my life I feel as though I have time to cherish.

Weekends are also an excuse for me to dress as I please. I wore this look a few weekends back and I always feel like the weekend is the best time for me to feel like me. Though I am getting more and more brave in the office. I was crazy inspired by Emma Stone's look in the latest issue of Vogue, it so cooky-70s-tomboy-Annie Hall I can't stand it! I can't wait till fall to fully dress like this. Summer is more difficult, my favorite cuts are pants and blouses, not so great in the heat! Thankfully summer has been nice to me...thus far. In the meantime, weekends are meant to play. Play with colors, patterns, glasses and hair. Weekends are meant to have fun, and fun is what I'm going to have.

Cheers to the freakin weekend....youre only two days away 

my hair recently {kinky curly vs. hair rules}

(why yes that is a cast of my face.....)


So remember when I was singing the praises to Kinky Curly? Well, those hymns have long ended because I found a NEW LOVE, that is much more enjoyable than Kinky Curly. And it's called Hair Rules.

One of my biggest dislikes of Kinky Curly was it made your hair crunchy. And I strongly disliked that feature. I even hated how you needed to buy two products to get the full effect. It weighed down my hair and made me look older. Plus I noticed my hair drying out. That could possibly be noted to being on antibiotics for a whole month, BUT I will never really know. So BUH BYE Kinky Curly, Hello...Hair Rules.

I learned about Hair Rules from my ALL TIME FAVORITE video blogger Taren916. I've been watching her videos since I decided to go natural, and she's just SO COOL. I mean she lives in Brooklyn has beautiful hair, and is just ADORABLE. Anyways, I noticed she was using a new product that made her hair looks so fab and I wanted to try something new as well. Don't get me wrong. I LOVES my Mixed Chicks, but in the harsh Chicago ultra drying winter I need something a little more....creamier....

So I ran to my local Ulta..(in a snow storm!)...and snatched up a bottle. It seemed to not work at first...but after a while I saw my hair TRANSFORM. My hair looked thicker and more natural.I also stopped combing my hair every time I shower but finger combining it instead. It looks as though my hair has grown SO FAST (I did cut it again thanks to Kinky Curly damage :/) Kinky Curly made my hair look manufactured, Hair Rules makes me look as though I wearing nothing at all. AND I LOVES IT. I'll definitely be using this through the winter and spring! The price isn't that bad if you sign up for Ulta's coupons, and you also don't have to wash as often because it holds very well.

I hope to visit their salon in my NYC trip next month to her my hair did!!!

Yay for beautiful curls. Yay for Hair Rules!!

mane and tail

*First of all, don't use mane and tail , dear lord, unless you want your hair to fall out :/

Anyway, I thought I would do a quick update and talk about one of my favorite subjects. MY HAIR. Now I know you can easily read my tips about how I maintain my hair at my interview with bglh. BUT I am always changing things up, and I just started using a new product. So thought I'd share it with you.

I'm always watching videos about natural hair, reading blogs like bglh and urban bush babes about the best way to maintain your hair. I always been a little too carefree about my curls but as the seasons change so does my hair, and after a recent mistake of dying my hair with garnier (which I've learned that almost any garnier product damages your hair) I decided to GET SERIOUS.

I cut off all my damaged ends (hence the shorter do) and started fresh! Hopefully in March I can ombre my hair again for spring. It does the ombre naturally but it takes like...YEARS and I'm too lazy to wait that long AGAIN. (plus the only time it will naturally ombre quickly is if I am in mexico (aka hot weather, salt water))

In the meantime I have been trying out new products, deep conditioning weekly, and doing whats best for my hair. The product I wanted to talk about today is Kinky Curly.

Rumor is Kinky Curly and Mixed Chicks are like the "holy grail" of natural hair/ curly girl products. I once testified to Shea Moisture, but it left my hair too greasy and weighed it down (esp in the summer) so I switched to Mixed Chicks, thanks to my dad actually. (Which he was like your mixed, try this!)

I LOOOOOOVE MIXED CHICKS leave-in:

Pros: its simple, it's a 2-1 leave in & styling product, you don't need much, its doesn't leabe your hair crunchy, and it lasts like 3 months to a bottle, its vegan! you can use a diffuser or air dry and get similar results.

Cons: its mad expensive, it doesn't work as well as the weather gets dryer. It will last possibly 2-3 days without having to rewet your hair. Plus you have to pineapple your hair to keep the look longer. It's also only available at select retailers (or online)

Since the weather has become dryer I decided to try Kinky Curly on a trip to return some Jane Carter Solutions (DONT LYKE) The Mixed chicks wasn't working as well as it did in the summer heat, and I wanted something that would last me longer without me having to RE DO my hair every to every other morning.

Pros: it lasts about 4 days without having to re wet your hair, its vegan, works with dry cold weather. Air dry or diffuse. It's available at Target.

Cons: you have to buy two products (leave in & custard), its really expensive, you have to really LATHER IT ON. Leaves your hair with that crunchy gel look on the first day.

The cons with Kinky Curly almost make me want to go back to Mixed chicks IF, mixed chicks lasted with longer. It sort of evens out because even though you use more product your applying it less frequently. And to get rid of that gel look, scrunch your hair with an oil of your choice when its COMPLETELY DRY. (I use Moroccan oil)

Like I said, I like it so far and I'll continue to use it. In the pic it's DAY 3 HAIR! Without tying it up when I sleep (gives me headaches) but sleeping on a satin pillow case.

Love the longevity, hate the price, but as a college student, to be able to wake up and go in this chicago winter...A MUST, Kinky Curly for now! ♥