Get Ready! Get Ready! GET READY!!!

Ok, so I haven't posted in awhile, but I am getting ready for deployment... can't say when or where, but Obviously it's soon... I'm going to have to drop off my little cuties at my Mom and Dad's. I'm going to miss them SOOOO much, but at the same time, I am looking forward to the break and a new experience. This will be my first deployment ya'll. I'm so excited. Anyway, in other news.... I can feel my hair touching my ears!!! YAY... that means growth, in case you didn't know. ;) So, in preparing for deployment I have to seriously consolidate my hair care, health, and beauty products. I also have to keep in mind that winter is coming up and my lovely curls will need extra moisture and TLC. So, I have decided to get some shea butter (use for both hair and body), liquid black soap (again for both hair and body), and castor oil and coconut oil to seal my hair. For my co-washes and DC's I will be putting my Herbal Essences Totally Twisted and Hello Hydration on double duty (just DC under dryer for 30-45 minutes). I will also throw some baking soda into the mix whenever I feel the need, and, of course, unless told otherwise, I will use my Rx scalp oil for the next 6-8 months. I think I mentioned it before, I have seborrheic dermatitis and have to use this oil every few days to treat it, for a whole year!!! That is crazy, but oh well, I want my head healthy. I will probably only do a couple protein treatments and I will use my aphogee 2 step protein treatment for that. I haven’t decided whether or not to take my 2 minute reconstructor, but it might be a good idea. The styles I will be wearing in my hair are wigs and micro-weaves (micro braids around the perimeter of my head and clip-in weave in the middle) I don’t want to put too much stress on my edges because I am afraid they will break, so I plan on changing out the braids every 2-3 weeks, wearing the wigs in-between braids, while my edges rest. I don’t plan on styling my real hair until after deployment. It’s going to be all about keeping it moisturized and keeping it in protective styles to let it grow and be healthy. Well, let me go ya’ll, I’m tired and I have to wash out this oil, which means detangling after… BTW, does anyone know what MJB's real hair looks like? I love most of her styles, but I wanna know if this style she is wearing on the 2009 Hip Hop honors is her real hair, a wig, or a weave, because I want it!!!! Love you Mary!!! Peace and blessings, with much love always...HHG!!!
-Ms. Natural-N-Navy

SunShyne Spritzer

Hello, Hello!!!
Ok, so I got this idea to use a rose water and vegetable glycerin mix as a leave in conditioner/refresher spritzer. So, as I was doing my research on some things that might help my hair grow I came across rosemary and peppermint. They have some properties that stimulate the blood flow to the scalp. Well, as I mentioned before I have some scalp issues, and I went to the dermotologist and was diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis. It's like a rash that causes extra dry, itchy and sore skin. She gave me some oil i'm supposed to apply every other day overnight, then wash out. I don't know how long I'm supposed to do this before I see results, but my scalp is still itchy and sore after using it for about a month. So, getting back to my conditioner/spritzer.... I went to a natural food store and got some rose buds, cloves (they have mild anaesthetic and anti-bacterial properties), peppermint, rosemary, and vegetable glycerine. I also got this little tea leaf strainer. I took a little of all the herbs and rosebuds and put them in the strainer. Boiled some water and steeped the ingredients in a bowl for about an hour. After that I strained the mix and poured the liquid into a spray bottle and added the glycerine. I shook the bottle to mix everything all together and sprayed it into my hair. The only problem with this stuff is that it is brown (because of the cloves) so you gotta be careful not to get it on your clothes. But let me tell you, my hair is so SOFT!!!! I sprayed it twice in 2 days, and this is like the third or fourth day.... still soft, can't keep my hands out of my hair.... I don't know what is making my hair this soft, but I like it, and I hope it keeps working. Also, my scalp feels great, it doesn't hurt and it's not itchy. After I spritzed my hair and finger combed it through, my scalp felt all cool, (because of the peppermint maybe?) it was great! Loving this stuff and it smells Amazing...I have dubbed it SunShyne Spritzer....another bonus, my hair has a nice sheen/shine to it. Well, anyway, that's what I wanted to share. I will be sure to keep you posted on how my hair responds to it. Thanks for reading. Peace and blessings, with much love always...HHG.
-Ms. Natural-N-Navy

Let me introduce Myself.....

Hi, I'm Ms. Natural-N-Navy and I started this blog because I just recently renewed my napturality. As you might have guessed I am in the Navy, and I have been for the past 4 years. I actually came into the Navy with the hair goal of going natural. I cut my hair off really short, but I still had relaxer in the front. While in boot camp, I again cut my hair (or rather, my shipmate cut it for me) this time, all of the relaxed ends were cut off... I had my first TWA as a grown woman. I hated it.... I didn't know what to do, and my hair kept growing... my skin in Boot was horrible and it was hot, and I was not having the greatest time... duh, it was Boot Camp. Anyway, I graduated and went to school, I immediately got microbraids. I kept my hair in micros for about 8 or 9 months. I haven't had my hair in micros since about March of 2006. I figured out that my head was too sensitive to get them done (I got terrible headaches/migraines during the braiding and most of the time after) During this time I got pregnant and I just "dealt" with my hair because I still didn't know how to take care of it, and I was in a part of California where it seemed NO ONE knew how to care for Natural Hair. I turned to weaves after my son was born and had, of course, a bad experience with one, where my hair was left extremely thin at the edges and uneven in the back. I got one last weave before I moved to VA. Then, I turned to salons and their hot combs, flat irons, and silk wraps (love silk wraps=D), Let me tell you how the first time my hair was pressed at the salon (one in CA, not VA) the man scorched my hair. I smelled burned hair whenever I washed it for months after, and I am not even exaggerating. I did the pressing thing for awhile until I gave up... shortly before finding out I was pregnant with my second child, I went and got a wave nouveau. I got 2 more, before it didn’t take anymore (hormones) so, bringing you to now…. I suffered hair loss, severe shedding and breakage. My poor hair condition was due to so many different factors… work and emotional stress, my hormones being so out of whack from two pregnancies, perms, poor diet, poor hair care, etc. I moved to Maine, I had less stress, but still a poor diet, and poor hair care… even less options for My hair here…LOL. So I started to do research, and decided, once again, to go natural. I “transitioned” for about 5 months before I got my BC on 21 Aug 2009. I say “transitioned” because I simply stopped getting chemical services without any clear intentions of reinstating my natural self. So, why create a blog? Because, in my research, I did not find any blogs or vlogs that chronicled a woman who was natural in the military. Now, I may have overlooked, and I did come across people who had commented on message boards, but most were in the military in the past…. No, all of them were. None were current military members, so I felt it was needed. Now, I’m no cosmetologist, I don’t even really do hair, except my own. This blog is simply a journal of my renewed dedication to my hair. I will tell you how I care for it, what products I try and my progress. My hair texture is very coarse, kind of wiry. My curl pattern is 4a/4b. As of my BC on 21Aug, my hair is about 3” to 4” long in most places, and my edges (front and nape) are about 2 1/2” long. I co-wash my hair about every other day, except when I am doing a deep conditioner or Protein treatment. I will post my regimen a little later, along with products I currently use and my PJ wish list. My hair goals are 1)to get my scalp and hair healthy 2) to grow my hair back in the places it is thinning 3) to grow my hair longer, thicker and stronger than ever before and 4) to ultimately achieve APL hair. I will also post some of my favorite links and a glossary of sorts for the abbreviations that I use (for those of you new to the natural lingo) I am still somewhat of a novice, seeing as how I am very recently an INFORMED natural myself=) Please post any comments or questions you may have, and I will be most happy to answer what I can. Please, of course (I know I shouldn’t have to mention this, but….), remember the golden rule… no, not he who has the gold makes the rules, but the one we were taught in school….. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Life is too short to waste time on negativity. Peace and blessings, with much love always…. HHG.
-Ms. Natural-N-Navy