Last night, the Hubby, a bunch of friends and I decided to brave the -18C weather and head to midtown Toronto for a party for one of my sister-in-law’s friends, who happens to be a party promoter. I must admit, his parties are the most fun and safe and least pretentious that I’ve been to. On Friday night, I was of two minds about checking the event out for a couple of reasons:
- I am not a big party person and I’ve never been a big party person. In my early 20s, when I first moved to Toronto, I would go out more frequently. Even though I would go out, I was never one of the regulars in the club — it just isn’t in my nature.
- It’s dayum cold in Toronto. Winter came in with a vengeance. The forecast was predicting temperatures in the minus teens. I’m not a fan of winter or cold weather, so why would I want to dress up in some cute little outfit to freeze outside a club?
- Too many young people. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 24 and under crowd… I just don’t want to party with them. I don’t care to hear Lil Wayne or Yung Joc or Dirty Money or any of them. I’m going to sound my age and say, I want to hear real music. I said it! And I’ll say it again, dammit. And, no offense, the people who make the most trouble are young people under 25. So, if I’m going to carry my almost geriatric backside to a club, I want to hang out with people who have mortgages, careers and something to lose if someone decides to wild out.
At these parties, I know the music will be good and there will be no knuckleheads. Last night’s party wasn’t held in the club district — that was a positive as well. Who wants to pay $20 for parking five blocks away from the club when it’s cold as Siberia?
Anyhow, we decided that we were going to go out — cold, frigid temperatures be damned. On Friday, I washed my hair with — you guessed it — Country Rose Soap Co.’s liquid shampoo and deep treated with Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask (review to come sometime next week). I used my Giovanni Direct Weightless Leave-In conditioner and moisturized with Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream. So, I wasn’t sure if I was going to rock the wig for back to work (sigh. Already? Didn’t I just come off for Christmas Eve?) or do something different. To be quite honest, I was tired of not working with my own hair. I mean, I know as part of this Hairlista Healthy Ends Challenge, it’s about protecting my hair more than wearing cute styles, but dang.
So, I decided to try out my accidental protective style. This time, I didn’t use any gel to set my twists. I’m hoping for 2010 — especially the winter of 2010 — I’ll use less gel in my hair. I sat down with my Denman brush (I broke my rattail comb trying to comb my hair. Sigh. I know! I know! I had no right combing my hair with a comb so fine, but I couldn’t find my Denman — it was hiding in my cabinet — and I needed to use something), put on Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix and got to work. I two-strand twisted my hair, ensuring that the twists were fine — not super fine, but smaller than usual. The movie was two hours and I had only done half of my head. The Hubby and I decided to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and about 20 minutes before the movie ended, I finished my hair.
The first thing that I noticed? My hair has grown a lot since the last time I twisted it. I couldn’t see the length with the flat twist out I did last Sunday. I knew that it had grown because I can know get into a ponypuff, but know I also have bangs! What a wonderful thing! I haven’t had bangs since I had relaxed hair back in 2007.
When the hair was almost dry, I put the twists in about 10 corkscrews/Chinee bumps and let it dry.
Saturday morning, I had some stuff to do and I decided to take down the bumps. My thinking was, if my hair is jacked, I have a few hours to salvage it and make it into something that won’t embarrass me later. It didn’t. Check it out:
I think it came off pretty well. By the end of the night — I would have taken a picture, but I was too tired and frozen when I got home to — the hair still looked good. It had lost some of the curl because of the heat at the club and wearing a hat and my hood, but I didn’t experience the relaxed hair flop.
On an aside, I must say that women who go clubbing in winter are certifiably mad. Why do I say that? The number of exposed toes and legs that I saw boggled my mind. I was wearing pants, tights, socks and boots (not my hard core winter Tims, but boots that covered every piece of my foot). I saw a woman wearing thong sandals in -18C degree weather. Are you kidding me? Really? Is it that necessary to look hot that you must freeze or pick up pneumonia getting from your car to the club line to inside the club? SMH. I don’t know, folks. Maybe I’m getting old, but the sister-in-law and I both agreed that even when we were carefree 20-somethings we knew how to dress for the weather.
Alas, back to the hair talk. I did see a number of women rocking natural hair and baldies! Yay! There was still a preponderance of weaves, but with the cold weather upon us, do you, girls. Do you and protect that hair. I also saw some styles like Chrisette Michele, Rihanna and Keri Hilson. Women are definitely having fun with their hair.
I’ll be wearing this style for the rest of the week and re-bumping each night when I moisturize. What do you guys think?
The Accidental Natural 
Love your blog…I am newly natural too…about 7.5 months ago I did the big chop…My hair does not twist well they slip out so easily so I’m a wash n go girl …It took awile to get used to the no two days will ever look the same …but other than that it’s a great process
Thanks for dropping by and commenting! I would LOVE to wear wash n gos but that was a FIASCO! I’m going to try again this summer and see what happens. I’m loving the natural journey — it’s been awesome. I’m excited to see what 2010 is going to bring 🙂
Your hair looks delicious and very healthy hydrated. I’m liking this style on you just as much as I loved the twist out (am I right with the name) that you wore at you and B’s party. Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks! I’m loving this, mainly because it’s easy to keep up. At the party I was wearing a flat twist out, which I’m still in two minds about. I love the way it looks, but my hair had some serious knots the next day. I have to refine my technique.
So, I’ve seen your braid out — what are you trying next?
I’m going to try the bantu knots and see how they turn out. I’m also thinking of buying some perm rods and those soft blue rollers. I want to try all the twist outs but thinking I need less permed ends. I’m also thinking of doing the big chop at the beginning of summer but I’m in two minds about it because I want to have some hair so I can get a ponytail going during my trial and error periods. Any thoughts on that? What have you heard or experienced with big chops?
*Sidenote* I braided my hair MYSELF and did the braid out for a party I attended on Friday evening. It came out pretty good but the look wasn’t as defined as your party. I’m guessing because I only had the braids in for 24 hrs while at your party I had them in for over a week.
As for the knots you had the next day, how can you refine the technique so that you don’t get knots? Would putting in some plaits or bantu knots before you went to bed have helped (thinking of what I do with Jas’s hair to avoid knots) If so, I’m guessing they are time consuming when you’re that tired ; a) after hosting a party and b) at that time of the night.
The big chop is a big deal ’cause once you cut it off, you’re dealing with shorter hair that’s a completely different texture. I would say, if you’re going to BC do it in the spring, so you have all summer and fall to figure it out. Don’t be scared to do it — it will be easier to deal with one texture at a time. Check out CurlyNikki.com — she’s interviewed a number of women who’ve done the big chop and their experiences with it. Their stories may help you with your decision.
Good for you — doing your hair yourself. It’s all about trial and error. Did you braid it on wet or dry hair? Wet hair, for me, holds a style a lot better than dry hair.
I’m not sure how to refine the technique. I’m definitely going to detangle a lot better and make smaller flat twists. I think I’m going to put some olive oil on my ends so they aren’t as likely to knot up. If I was planning to wear the style the following day, I would have to do something to it to keep the shape. I just tossed on my satin cap and called it a night (I didn’t get to bed until 4 am). To be fair to my hair and my technique, I do need a trim — I’ve just been too lazy to do it. Maybe on freshly trimmed hair, I’ll see something different.
The apprehension that I’m feeling towards the big chop is just what you said “not to be scared”. I have seen my hair with short permed hair but not natural hair. Plus I’m just not as brave as I was in my late teens. I have a great support system in my cheerleading hubby and most days I feel like I’m ready so we’ll see. I should have said Spring but late May to me is summer so I’ll most likely do it in April/May.
Thank you – I did it on dry hair, so I’ll try it next on wet hair.
I remember talking to you about a trim at the party. I read something since on the BGLH blog that you sent me. The blogger said that she trimmed her hair without straightening it and the trim came out very uneven because its harder to trim your hair in its natural state than when its straight. She said she cut off unnecessary hair. She said that she only trims on straight hair now. Have you trimmed your hair before without pressing/flat ironing it out? Thoughts? I got myself some olive oil this weekend just for hair 🙂
I’ve trimmed twice – once was the Major Trim of ’09. I cut a good two inches of hair off in May. It was necessary and done on straightened hair. The next time I did it was September (I think). After I twisted my hair, I trimmed about two centimetres off each twist. It worked pretty well. I’ll probably do it like that this time around because I don’t plan to straighten my hair again until April/May.
okay good to know…was wondering if hair was only trimmed when hair is straight what, about the little people who needs trims too.