Learning From My Mistakes

School is out and there's sort of a buzz...It's summa, summa, summer time!

The fam and I kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a trip to NYC. I wanted to have an easy,breezy,beautiful time-which meant no hair hassles. I donned a bun (a protective style) and wore the front of my hair like the model pictured above. It was a great look.

What I didn't realize was that my beloved Trader Joe's conditioner and my fave IC Fantasia (alcohol-free gel) both contain PROTEIN! I bunned my hair while wet, using TJ as a leave-in, and using IC Fantasia for hold. I wrapped my hair in a silk scarf every night to keep the bun in tact. I moistened with water every day and added TJ and IC Fantasia as need. I did not take the bun down and I did not comb my hair. For a week! HUGE MISTAKE!

When I got home, there was hell to pay. My hair was dry from too much protein, matted from not combing, and it shed for three days. Detangling was a nightmare and I had to DT overnight to restore the moisture balance to my hair.

Curlies, please learn from my mistakes.

1. Some Curlies are protein-sensitive. You can have too much of a good thing.

2. When bunning as a protective style, moisturize with a butter or hair cream and detangle every few days.

3. Pay attention to your hair and what it needs. My hair benefits from an occasional protein treatment, but in this case, the balance of moisture to protein was not maintained.

4. New to natural hair? Check out this thread on naturallycurly.com