Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Holiday party hair style

 It's holiday time!!  I love up-do's for the holidays.  And sparkly stuff :-)  Here is how I wore my hair for our company holiday party.
 
It was in two flat twists in front, and on one side the twist got bigger and bigger all the way around the back.  I had combed my hair out beforehand, starting from a dry, shrunken fro to give it a little volume in the big twist.  
 
   

I wore it like this for 3 days.  And I did something dumb in that time.   My girl had left a sample size packet of "Blue Magic" at my house, which I found while cleaning up.  I kept it for a while to give it back to her, then it struck me one night that it was probably $.99 and I was keeping it more as a piece of clutter then for her.  I looked at it and then, EVEN THOUGH I know my hair hates petroleum based products, I opened it and used it on my hair on day two- to "protect" it.... Oh it lay down pretty stiffly alright.  I figured it couldn't do any bad- just perhaps  no good.
 
So thennnn. I was super curious about the take down 2 days later.
  
Looks OK here, but it was sooooooo sticky and dry!  Like parched and greasy, with all my little splits running for their lives up the strands of my hair.
  
I wore it out that night pulled back kinda like this:
 
 I did a 20 min search and destroy mission on the semi-straight hair when I got home and then put a half tub of Yes to Carrots conditioning mud deep conditioner in overnight. 

I did something completly different for my hair this week to compensate for the wrong I'd done.  It includes a lot of Knot today and liquid grease lol!  Next post.

Friday, December 10, 2010

I'm here! New job and adjusting my style.

Hey all- I'm here- I'm here. Guess what though?
I got a new job!!  I'm doing web and design work and a LARGE non-profit.  I have been working there for a full week now and I love it :-)

It hassss been an adjustment however. As confident as I like to imagine I am about my outward persona, I know that in meeting the hundreds of people who work here, I'll be making a ton of first impressions in a short amount of time.  So what do I do?  Wear my hair out and big in all it's pretty glory- and thus risk distracting the unsuspecting new co-workers with a cloud of curls on a new girl named "Niambi"? Or do I pull it back and just be the designer from upstairs?

I opted to pull it back for my first two days (I started on a Wednesday) and wear it out on Friday in a full-blown wash and go.  This week I did the same thing- sort of reversing my routine. Usually I wash my hair on the weekends and wear it out on Monday and Tuesday, maybe Wednesday and then slowly put it away.  These past two weeks I have washed my hair on Thursday night and wore it out Friday and through the weekend, putting it away on Monday. 

I did get validation that I'd made the right decision.  When I wore it out last Friday, the first thing that several people said when they saw me was "OMG- Your hair"...  They said it while smiling, and I also heard "cute" and "I could never"... So indeed, it was a little distracting at first.  Though I have strong beliefs about women accepting and loving what they were blessed with, I am also aware that our hair is "different" and that stereotypes can distract people from who we really are.  It's just hair - it's not a helmet of battle, or a crown of queendom, or a kufi of curling smoke, or a hood of rebellion.  Those facts will come to light as soon as we become truly acquainted.  But sometimes... I just don't feel like pushing through those barriers.  No, I will not make my hair like YOURS to alleviate your discomfort or curiosity.  But I can make it a little smaller, and a little less "in your face".  We can wear jeans here, so it's more a business casual environment and I know I will go back to wearing my hair out once people know WHO I am.

And here is a gratuitious shot of my hair how I like to wear it: 

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