I have not taken this site down because I want this to serve as a standing resource for any hair questions that I encounter along my journey.
I have restarted my locs, working on building a family and in doing so my focus has shifted away from hair and more to surviving and thriving as a black woman in America. I am still available if you have hair questions but come visit me at BlackMaggie.com if you want to see my latest passion project.
Everything is going just fine. I’m 3 years into the re-start of my loc journey and the hang-time is real. I’m also 6 months postpartum and Operation “Protect Your Edges At All Times” is in full effect. Whether the threat is an impromptu nap, the grabbing hands of a 6-month-old baby the size of a 1-year-old or the stress of the mommytail up-do… it’s not easy. I’ve had to revisit the site myself to get my spray bottle recipes, and to take a look at my last loc journey ending and encouragement for my edges.
I’ve restarted my channel on YouTube and I’m talking about my life and sharing thoughts on matters of the world, but I want to know if you want some videos on my hair journey as well. If you subscribe and leave a comment on the channel and I’ll get started (That also means I’ll post links to the videos here).
I also see that there’s a brand using my name and I want you to be very clear, that their hair product is NOT my hair product. My results were achieved with the information that I’ve left here and I don’t know anything about what they offer outside of the name. I told you a while ago that I’d leave the site here so that you can access all my tips from the past, and I plan to keep my word.
We here at OohMyHair.com had one helluva (I love that version of the sentiment) anniversary celebration and thought that you should share in the joy that you’ve helped create.
This is a new phase of the blog, the intent is to bring you much more content via videos and some interactive posts. Nothing can fully capture how appreciative we are for his long you continue to trust your lovely curls and kinks to the advice given on this page. Enjoy the video and subscribe to the new YouTube channel!
Hidden Files.. a style I never shared with you all.
My Granny had a saying: “Every table’s got to stand on its own legs.”
I’ve found many places to apply that saying in my life since she passed and today I’m going to apply it to hair.
Not just Natural Hair.
:::crowd gasps in unison:::
There’s a misconception that there’s a no maintenance way of having one’s hair. The only way that you can have no maintenance hair is if you just simply refuse to maintain it as a principle. You just make the choice to give up completely. I don’t know where you work or what brand you represent but it’s not easy for anyone to get away with that in mainstream society.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, please pick your struggle. If you cut it all off, relax it, loc it, braid it, twist it…. there’s a routine that goes along with keeping it looking the way you want it.
Don’t waste your time convincing yourself that life is better somewhere else and enjoy the journey of where you are today. There will be days that you want to give up being natural, I think we’ve all had a “You know what… I quit” day, but just remember nobody’s holding you hostage.
This whole journey can be about self-love, health, individuality, heritage or none of those things. It’s up to you to decide what it means to you, because after all… you can’t stand on anyone else’s legs, you’ve got your own.
I hope this brought some peace to someone struggling with this path.
If you find yourself frustrated and consequently hungry just remember you can go in with a plan. It’s ok if you don’t. Some of my favorite creations were Wash Day remixes (However, I create creams). Try a few recipes at a time and come back to share! I’ll be honest the majority of my good groceries don’t make it to Wash Day so I’m really interested to read about your success.
Time after time, the Nat-life Gurus go on a witch hunt in search of the next thing to shame people about. (You know it’s true, last year it was hair color).
So now the proverbial “Big Bad Wolf” is Weave!
Are there valid concerns as to the overall health of wearing a weave?
Absolutely. As I have always expressed an improperly installed weave can be devastating to your growth journey or scalp health.
Are there some people who lose themselves in Euro-centric standards of beauty?
Every day.
But, here are the benefits of a properly installed “Weave”
1. The ability to play with texture and color without causing any permanent change to your own hair. Versatility is a wonderful thing.
2. The remedy for hand in hair syndrome. You can get your flatiron fix on the fake hair and not wake up bald. This is especially true when none of your hair is out along the edges.
3. If cared for property hair inside of a weave can retain consistent moisture, which aides in growth and health. Moisture and protection from harsh conditions (extreme heat and cold) are part of a complete balanced hair routine.
You were able to see in a previous journey gallery that fake hair doesn’t have to be harmful nor does it have to play into any stereotypes and can actually ease you into embracing your own hair along the way.
Don’t let the internet bullies define your style. If your hair is protected, that’s a Protective Style.
Have you been wondering about this? Share your story in the Comment Section below.
Things are changing here at OOHMYHAIR.COM and we want you to be the first to find out. Thank you for an amazing year and a half, we can only hope to keep touching lives, dispelling social untruth and promoting self-love in massive quantities.
That means that no matter who gives you tips, tricks or advice, it is up to you to devise the best possible hair care plan that suits you best. Nobody has to live with the decisions that you make for your personal appearance and wellness but you. It’s ok to have a one track mind when it comes to digging out information that will help you along your journey.
Even among the “experts” there is room for not just misinformation but things can be passed along that can potentially cause you harm. This is not to say that people have not gained awesome advice from simply asking people that they think would know the answer. I’m just making you aware that there are very-few absolute authorities within this industry, so be mindful of that fact if you find that something just doesn’t add up. Don’t just ask more questions, but research the independent concepts on your own.
For Example: the MSDS is available online for almost any chemical found on a label, which will possibly help fill in the gaps and help you make your own informed usage decisions.
Instead of tossing out all of your shed hair (s/n to the international readers, in America there are some people who believe in burning it so nobody can do voodoo on you…) save a bit to test some sample products on. Shed hair is useful, especially for those of you that have been asking questions about those temporary straightener products that I shall not name. Take the theories that you gather from here and other sites and find out for yourself.
Above all else, be sure that you make style, care and any other choices with self-love in the forefront. Looks like we have a theme song people. Thanks Kendrick Lamar 😉
When you’re dealing with things from nature, and you’ve got general hay fever or allergic reactions to vegetation you have to be aware of these juices and berries we use in our daily hair care plans. This is an ongoing story as I have not identified the exact source of my allergic reaction but I’ve doubled down on the all natural products this month and thought that this is something worth sharing.
First I colored my hair with Dark Black Henna. I noticed an itching in my left eye, but thought that it was just seasonal allergies. Although I’ve not had regular bouts with allergies here in Ohio, it’s happened before so I ignored it and made sure not to rub my eye to further irritate it.
Next, I attended an outdoor event int he woods. It’s my sincere expectation to have an itch or a bite when I do anything in the woods so the additional itching around my neck came as no surprise. I played dodge ball that evening took a normal shower but since my hair didn’t feel gross, I did not shampoo or co-wash.
Two days later I was in a parade in a part of town that has nothing but trees. I had a tickle in my throat but because I was representing my Sorority I refrained from spitting while in my letters and on display. Later that evening the symptoms became unbearable. I got high on Benadryl and it wasn’t until I took Laratadine that I got some lasting relief. There aren’t any Hitch looking pictures to share but I thought I’d share my story to see if anyone else had experienced this. I used the Reshma Femme brand which I love. I didn’t have this problem when I used their Dark Brown.
Two Shampoos (read Wash Days) later with Miss Jessie’s
…and all of my allergy symptoms are gone. Which leads me to believe that although I have a fresh-cut grass allergy, the culprit was on top of my head and dripping down.
Share your story if you’ve experienced the same thing OR if you know of a trick maybe a prep step to help overcome it drop a comment. The gray babies can’t stay, I’m too young for the number of sprouts that I have so I’m covering them with something. 🙂
OohMyHair 