Merely Hair

My Top 3 Hair Combs.

1. Jilibere/Wet Look Shower Combs. Awesome wide tooth combs, for combing wet hair & detangling. So good, I got two.

2. Goody Hair Pick. Excellent for lifting roots & concealing the parts for braid outs & twist outs. I find I’m even loving it to comb my hair when it’s dry.

3. Cricket Narrow Tooth Tail Silkomb. The queen comb for rollersetting, smoothing hair strands, and making clean parts.

I’ve had the shower combs & the tail comb for years, and used it on my relaxed, transitioning, and now natural hair. The pick is a few months old, but I love it just the same.

by MerelyMarie on April 8, 2011 5 Comments

Cutting Off my Relaxed Hair: A walk down Memory Mane.

I’d planned the cut for a Friday. That way, I’d have the entire weekend to play in it & try my first twist out.

My hair!!!
I was super anxious to see my hair!

Summer was beginning, and My “Big chop” Day couldn’t come any faster. I really felt like a kid on Christmas Eve…for about an entire week. LOL
I did a mini chop (cutting off 3 inches) about a week before the big cut; where Husband cut off the rest.

He did a pretty good job!

Initially, I tried to do it myself; I sectioned my hair & did the very first cut after wetting it and applying some conditioner. This was too much for me (it’d been a long work day & midnight was approaching), so I let Husband take over.

He sprayed my hair with water & snipped away whatever stayed straight.
Whenever, I tried to peek at myself in our bathroom mirror, he’d turn my head back forward.

I trusted him, but I was slightly delirious with excitement & wanted to see how it was looking after every “Shirrr” sound was made by the scissors. My head kept feeling lighter & lighter…

It was only because I cautioned him not to cut off any of my textured hair, that all of the relaxed hair was not completely removed.
For the next week or so, I had to trim away straight pieces that hung onto the ends.

The night of my big chop, I washed & conditioned my hair in the shower and it felt amazing! I also stayed up into the wee hours of the A.M. twisting my hair for my very first twist out. Somewhere in between, I looked in the mirror for a long while.

I knew, WE (my hair and I) were in for a great summer!

What was your Big Chop Experience?

by MerelyMarie on March 11, 2011 6 Comments

Preparing For the Major Cut: A walk down Memory Mane.

Beanies & beret hats.
Cute hair pins.
Staple products.
Hair scissor.
Pretty hair bands.
Large earrings.
I even considered buying makeup (i.e., foundation; but that’s another story)…

Eight months had past since my last relaxer touch up.
I researched, heavily, online about what to do.

June 2010, I had everything in place, but my feelings.

The “Should I?”, or “Shouldn’t I?” cut off all my “long” hair, was wracking my brain.
How would I look? Feminine??? I sure hoped!
What would my texture really look like, without the relaxed ends hanging on? Would I have any curls? I won’t lie. At the time, I hoped!
What kind of styles could I do with very short hair? Could I do any styles at all?

I finally decided to just put myself out of my own misery, and just do it.
Just cut it all off.

How did I know I was ready?

I couldn’t stop thinking about it!!!

• I felt more excited than nervous.
• I would anxiously twist my hair at the roots & then stop when I got to the processed hair.
• I was anxious to do a twist out.
• I was anxious to do a wash & go.
• I couldn’t wait to be able to wash/condition/style my hair in minutes, instead of hours.
• I couldn’t wait to feel the warm breeze of summer touch my scalp.
• I didn’t care anymore about length, and was actually getting excited about the idea of having very short hair…the shortest hair I’d have since birth!
• I knew that there wouldn’t be any hiding my hair (unless I wore a hat). It’d just be me & my hair throughout all the grow out stages…the Good, the Bad, & the Not so pretty! LOL
• I was prepared for great hair days.
If the not so great hair days came, I knew I’d be ready for them too.

Did you prepare for your Major Cut?
How did you know you were ready?

See the deets about my Major Cut here!

by MerelyMarie on March 5, 2011 2 Comments

The Tangle Teezer on: Dry Hair. Moisturized Hair…& Wet Hair too.

There is currently a lot of buzz online about this brush, the Tangle Teezer. After receiving the idea to review it from a dear subscriber, I tested this brush out on my hair.

I should mention that I rarely brush my hair, but if there’s one process I’d like to improve & get through faster in my hair regimen, it’s detangling!

So, I bought the Tangle Teezer, with my own moola, from Sally Beauty for $10.

It’s kinda funny: I went in the store and there were none on the shelves. I asked the cashier if they were out of Tangle Teezers. She said, “Yes.” Then, “Wait…here’s one.”, and she slowly (it was so slow, you guys) pulls a pink one out from under the counter. Though she was virtually expressionless…very nonchalant about the matter; with every passing moment, I was hoping…praying it’d be a pink one! LOL

To Really Test Drive the Tangle Teezer, First, I Tried it on Dry Hair.

No moisturizer. No water.

I sectioned my hair, having worn it in a braid out, and on the first section, I started the first brush stroke at the roots!

Didn’t work!!! LOL I think the brush moved down the length of my hair about 2cms, before coming to an abrupt halt.

I then, started at the ends.
Slowly.
I brushed through the ends of my hair; and worked my way up. I tried brushing underneath my hair with the bristles pointing upward; as well as, over my hair, with the teeth pointing downward.

Likes:

• The brush detangled the very ends of my hair, effortlessly. This is no easy feat, as the very ends of my hair are super thick. Often times, when I’m braiding my hair & I get to the ends, I can’t really braid anymore; unless I spray the three sections with water, and pull them very taut.
• The brush virtually straighten my hair; granted, my hair was already stretched out due to the braid out style it was in. Nevertheless, I can see this brush doing a wonderful job, when stretched out hair is desired.

Dislikes:

• The brush does not have a handle. Okay. That’s fine. I knew this going in, but why does it have to be so bulky. The brush is not very comfortable to hold.
• The bristles are too short. I had to make the sections quite thin/small, so the brush bristles could get through them.
• The brush snagged some of my strands out, when I wasn’t tentative (the Tangle Teezer says, “Don’t be Tentative!”). They weren’t hairs that were already shed either. They were hairs that were attached to my scalp. I heard them snap, if that makes sense.
• The brush didn’t detangle the length of my hair as easily, as it did the ends. It took some very slow, careful maneuvering, to not pull out any more hairs. After several snaps, I gave up detangling on dry hair. I think I managed to brush 3-4 sections with the Tangle Teezer, on dry hair.

Next, I Tried the Tangle Teezer on Moisturized Hair.

I misted my dry hair with water, and applied some moisturizer.
I sectioned my hair, again; and started slowly from the ends…and brushed my way up a section. Again, I tried both over & under brush strokes.

Likes:

• This worked much better, than on dry hair. The brush was better able to detangle the length, as well as the ends. It was overall, a bit smoother.

Dislikes:

• The Tangle Teezer didn’t just glide through my hair. I still had to brush slowly…carefully, to avoid snagging.

Finally, I tried the Tangle Teezer on Wet Hair.

I washed & deep conditioned my hair, then applied a leave-in conditioner, and separated into sections. Again, I started at the ends of a section & worked my way up. Over & under brush strokes were tried.

Likes:

• This was the first time, the brush glided through my hair with ease. After brushing from the ends up a couple times, I was easily able to brush from the root down. Gliiide!
• I could tell that the Tangle Teezer removed virtually every tangle.
• It smooth my strands, and encouraged them to clump together & coil up in a “defined-like” manner.
• I didn’t have to move as slowly/carefully as I did on dry & moisturized hair.

Dislikes:

• Again, the size/design of the brush. I think the entire brush is made out of plastic (correct me if I have this wrong). It has little curves around the edges for your fingers to grip, nevertheless, it felt like it was slipping. I kept having to readjust & turn the brush to fully grasp it. Not a pleasant thing when you’re brushing wet hair.
• It still took too much time! I didn’t measure how long any of this took, but it felt like forever. I finished detangling about a third of my head, when the remainder two-thirds of my hair started to dry up. The brush could not just “gliiide” through these drier sections. I started to wet them again, but got tired & a bit frustrated. I used my wide tooth comb to finish detangling.

Overall (& though the product doesn’t precisely promise this), I was hoping that the Tangle Teezer would make my detangling sessions much faster.

Alas, it did not.

After the first snag, I found myself being extra slow & precautious in anticipation of more snags & then breakage, instead of just casually brushing my hair.
Usually when I detangle, it’s with a swift certainty! LOL
It may be because it is a new tool… and I just need to use it more often. On the other hand, the Jilbere Shower Comb won me over on the first use.

I’m indifferent about the Tangle Teezer!
I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. It has its plus’s & its minus’s. One major plus, is that it is the easiest brush I have ever cleaned. All the hair, (and it wasn’t much surprisingly) came out in 1-2 motions with my fine tooth comb.

Marie’s Top 6 Reasons to Try the Tangle Teezer:

6. You usually detangle on wet hair

5. You want smoother “laid-down” looking strands

4. You want more “defined-looking” hair

3. You want to stretch out your hair

2. You want to remove every tangle from your hair

1. You are a very, very, VERY patient person when you detangle your hair

What are your thoughts on the Tangle Teezer?
With or without it, any tips for detangling faster?

Any questions, Ask Away…

by MerelyMarie on March 3, 2011 2 Comments

Hair: Products & Regimen ~ UPDATED.

For nearly a year now, if not over a year; I’ve used Jane Carter hair products.
I love most of them because they give my hair an amazing shine, without feeling like my hair is being weighed down by product, and they smell absolutely wonderful! The shampoo, conditioners, and Nourish and shine all smell so lovely; very fresh & clean!
The scalp products on the other hand, smell like oils…slightly herbal/medicinal.

Scalp Renew • I haven’t really used this pre-shampoo treatment consistently enough to give it a thumbs up, or a thumbs down. It says that it’s suppose to make your scalp feel “tingly”; which is precisely why I bought this product, because my scalp is usually dry/itchy. There is a slight tingle, as you massage it in. A very slight cooling sensation.
Is it as tingly as I’d like/expected?
No. I wanted more tingle! LOL
But, I can’t blame the product, as I have a history with eczema/dermatitis. For awhile, I had to use a prescription shampoo from my dermatologist.

Hydrating Invigorating Shampoo (SLS-FREE) • I picked this one up after trying the Jane Carter Moisture Nourishing Shampoo, which oddly enough made my hair feel stripped/dry. I much prefer this SLS-Free shampoo. It makes my hair feel clean, as well as somewhat moisturized. It also smells terrific & lathers very nicely. I like a good lather! It makes me feel like my hair is actually getting clean, if that makes sense.

Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner • Overall, decent conditioner. I use it to deep condition my hair, and it actually encourages my hair to coil up tight in a very short “defined-like” manner…no additional products necessary! Therefore, it’s excellent for my Wash & Go hair. Not so good though, when I want big, fluffy, “longer-looking” hair.
Provides good moisture. Smells amazing!!! Not very slippery though, if you comb through your hair under running water, in the shower. Seems like the product rinses out too fast. Nevertheless, after rinsing out this conditioner…Major Shine! I’ve never had a rinse out conditioner make my hair look so shiny.

Revitalizing Leave-in conditioner • Out of all the products, I go through this one most often. I use it, not only after I wash my hair, but whenever my hair starts to look dry. It comes in a spray bottle! I love “spray” leave-ins, because I hate having to rub a product between my hands and manually apply it all over my hair. Takes too much time!!! This leave-in, (again, like most of the products in this line), gives amazing shine to my hair & smells terrific.

Scalp Nourishing Serum • I was using this directly after I washed my hair, and 1-2 times throughout the week. I stopped using it a couple weeks ago, when my scalp suddenly became irritated.
Anywhoo, It comes with a little dropper applicator, so you can easily apply it to your scalp. I didn’t mind getting the serum on my hair though, as I massaged it in. The combination of oils…Major Shine & Luster for days!!! While this is not the true purpose of the product (Jane Carter also has a hair serum. I have not tried it, yet.), that is what I love most about it. Whether or not it truly “nourished” my scalp, I can’t say. Again, I have underlying scalp/skin issues. At any moment, without notice; something can irritate it.

Nourish & Shine • Like virtually everything else listed here, once more… Smells DIVINE & makes my hair SHINE, SHINE, SHINE! It can also be used on your skin, but I mainly use it to moisturize my hair during the week, after misting it with water. Not even a dime-size will do for my entire head, but occasionally I get carried away by the smell, using too much & my hair winds up feeling greasy! This jar also lasts a long time. It’s been over a year & I’m still on my first jar.

Overall, I would repurchase every bulleted product listed here, minus the scalp renew & scalp serum. I didn’t really care for them, as they were intended to use.

My scalp never really liked added oils & stuff anyway, so I’m not going to use them.
I do like a good “spa treatment massage” when I shampoo. So, I recently picked up a tiny bottle of Giovanni’s Tea Tree Shampoo. Now, there’s a TINGLE for your scalp!

Here is my Current Regimen (1-2 times a week):
~~Detangle:~~
~~• On dry hair. Sometimes I wet it first. Sometimes I wet it & apply conditioner. It all depends on how dry my hair feels and how lazy I’m feeling.~~

~~Wash:~~

• For now & prob. until my hair grows a bit longer, I have to part it in about 8 sections and braid each one before washing (looser at the scalp & tighter down the length of my hair) to avoid tangles.
• After wetting my hair, I then apply the shampoo directly to my scalp with an applicator bottle or eye dropper & massage it to a lather, and then patting the lather down into the braids. After rinsing, I take down the braids.

~~Deep Condition:~~

• I apply my conditioner to the unbraided sections. Comb through, rebraid each section, and rinse after letting the conditioner sit on my hair for about 20 mins. – 1 hour. Sometimes, I undo the braids before rinsing out the conditioner.

~~Style:~~

~~• Spray my hair with leave-in. Comb. Section. Twist or Braid. Let air dry overnight. In the A.M., I undo the twists or braids to wear my hair down out;)~~
~~Maintenance:~~
~~• As needed, I spray my hair with leave-in or moisturize; as mentioned above. Comb, rebraid or retwist, and sleep on a satin pillow case or wear a satin bonnet, nightly.~~

Hair Regimen Update (1-2 times a week):
I no longer detangle prior to shampooing.

Wash & Deep Condition:
I shampoo, and deep condition (15 min. minimum) with my hair loose (no more braids); and detangle while the conditioner is on my hair. I usually use either Jane Carter or Giovanni products.

Style:
After applying leave-in conditioner, I braid, twist, or bantu knot my hair in about 9-12 sections (sometimes, I just leave it for a wash & go…see color photos).

After it air dries, I take down my hair & fluff, using my trusty hair pick to comb at the roots & disguise any parts to wear my hair out.

Maintenance:
I moisturize with water & Nourish & Shine 1-2 times a week, and wear a satin bonnet nightly. I try my best to re-braid/twist/bantu knot my hair at night, for easy styling in the AM.

Any questions, Ask Away…

by MerelyMarie on March 2, 2011 1 Comment

It’s a Beautiful Day!

I woke up one morning & my hair looked like this…

I went out…just like this…

…and for someone who’d always fuss over “not having a hair out of place”, it sure did feel amazing, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, to finally care less.

by MerelyMarie on February 21, 2011 Leave a Comment

The Braid Out: A Mini Photoshoot.

It’s insane how short my hair looks after I wash it. Water seems to make it coil up…some conditioners seem to make it coil up even tighter, but…One braid out or twist out, and it looks like I grew a couple of inches overnight.
All of a sudden my hair hangs down just a little bit more than it stands up.

I recently gave myself a trim…my first trim since the “Major Cut” (cutting off my relaxed hair).
I trimmed off about an inch.

Since I’m growing my hair back to where it was before, I was kinda hesitant about trimming at all; but, I am so glad I let that measly inch go. After all, it had been over 7 months. It was time, and now the ends of my hair feel much smoother.

So, for this braid out, I washed & deep conditioned my hair; then made about 19 braids all over my head, just grabbing sections randomly.

Letting them air dry overnight, I unbraided them the next morning and left my hair uncovered in the shower. The steam seemed to moisturize & plump up my strands.