ABOUT THE BOOK
Has the quest to care for your natural
hair left you feeling lost at sea like Wilson, the volleyball friend of Tom
Hank’s character in the movie Cast Away?
You’re not alone.
I know the feeling, too.
And I'm quite candid about it in my new book, MOMMIE STRAIGHTEST.
The title of the book was inspired in part by the iconic 1981 film Mommie Dearest, which you may recall chronicles the callous, controlling ways of Hollywood actress Joan Crawford.
She hated wire hangers.
I, on the other hand, hated my curls.
And, frankly, I was kind of a b!tch about it.
I know the feeling, too.
And I'm quite candid about it in my new book, MOMMIE STRAIGHTEST.
The title of the book was inspired in part by the iconic 1981 film Mommie Dearest, which you may recall chronicles the callous, controlling ways of Hollywood actress Joan Crawford.
She hated wire hangers.
I, on the other hand, hated my curls.
And, frankly, I was kind of a b!tch about it.
To be clear, I find nothing wrong with straight hair. I still love straight hair. It’s beautiful.
But it’s not cool when the pursuit of it impacts your quality of life—and not for the better.
After spending the majority of my 39 years trying desperately to make my curly hair something it wasn’t, my unsuccessful quest ended rather unexpectedly when on my daughter’s second birthday I realized I was setting her up to go down the same treacherous path of hating–and subsequently abusing–her own hair.
But it’s not cool when the pursuit of it impacts your quality of life—and not for the better.
After spending the majority of my 39 years trying desperately to make my curly hair something it wasn’t, my unsuccessful quest ended rather unexpectedly when on my daughter’s second birthday I realized I was setting her up to go down the same treacherous path of hating–and subsequently abusing–her own hair.
So I did two things: I immediately stopped straightening my hair and embarked on a journey to love my natural curls. And then I documented everything that happened in hopes of
sparing others at least some of the frustration I have painfully endured
throughout the years.
I divulge everything–including the number one thing I've learned since wearing my hair in its natural state (hint: no one prepared me for it), the things and products I absolutely cannot live without, and I also share my and my daughter’s complete hair care regimens.
I went from this:
To this:
To this, which was, sadly, my VERY first "wash 'n go" (cue the tears in my bathroom):
To, finally, this, which is all 100% healthy, curly hair. (All the damaged hair in the above photo had been slowly chopped off over a 17-month period):
To, finally, this, which is all 100% healthy, curly hair. (All the damaged hair in the above photo had been slowly chopped off over a 17-month period):
Regardless of your ethnicity, this book
is for you.
If you have straight hair or curly hair,
this book is for you.
And if you have ever wanted desperately
to change something about yourself that makes you unique, then this book is for you.
Click HERE to discover how this Mommie Straightest
embraced her inner (and outer) Curly Girl!
Mommie Straightest Contents
A note of gratitude from the author
Chapter 1: In the beginning
Chapter 2: I like relaxers but I cannot lye
Chapter 3: When you sauté your hair in olive oil
Chapter 4: The return of the creamy crack
Chapter 5: She’s come undone . . . again
Chapter 6: Them’s the breaks
Chapter 7: Dominicans do it better
Chapter 8: Sweat, Savasana, and sorrow
Chapter 9: “Hello, Lover! I’ve missed you.”
Chapter 10: If at first you don’t succeed . . .
Chapter 11: Like mother, like daughter
Chapter 12: Smell the burn
Chapter 13: The day that changed everything
Chapter 14: WTF happened to my curls?!?
Chapter 15: Looking for a black cat in the dark
Chapter 16: Getting to the root of the problem
Chapter 17: When the angels smiled and the cherubs laughed
Chapter 18: My go-to products and my complete regimen
Chapter 19: Baby love: Kennedy’s complete regimen
Chapter 20: Silicones are evil, Pineapples are everything, and other myths
Chapter 21: I can’t live without you
Chapter 22:
Chapter 23: My life in (more) hair pics
Chapter 24:
OMG - you have some good hair! As a peach girl with super short hair that I am forever trying to get some texture into, I am fascinated with people who have the patience to let their hair grow out like that. PS, I like the pic where your hair is about to be blown dry and it is up on one side and curly on the other. I love the curls.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks, Susan!! Thanks a lot. Boy, my hair and I have not always seen eye-to-eye -- that's for sure. It took me a while to learn what to do and what not to do. I should embrace my curls more, but, 'eh, I can't help it. I love me a good blow-out. Thank you for posting. I'll be checking your blog out regularly...
DeleteCan we say...JEALOUS!!!! I haven't relaxed my hair in a few years and I wear it in it's natural state. I tried doing the whole blow drying and flat iron but only cause damage to my hair.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm always getting scissor happy and cutting it because I get tired of dealing with it, but looking at your hair makes me want to grow it out!
Thanks, Louida...although, trust me, you wouldn't be jealous of the time it takes to give myself a blowout! LOL It's a straight up job and a half. I wish I could get paid for it somehow...While I've got the products and the method down to a science, I've got a lot of hair, so there's really no way to cut any corners in the time department.
DeleteGorgeous hair! I'm natural, but with a 3 month, I rarely have time to straighten my hair anymore. I'll have to try out your technique!
ReplyDeleteTenns @ New Mama Diaries
Yes, Tenns! Try it and let me know how it goes! Although the process takes *forever* because I have a ton of hair, a good blowout is a good mood booster for me...I don't have a lot of time, either, what with a 4-month-old and busy-body two-year-old, but when I do give myself a blowout, my hair will remain straight between washes...I have it "trained". LOL
DeleteYour hair is gorgeous, in its curly state and straightened. And it looks JUST like you had a Dominican blowout! I have to get my hands on that shampoo you listed in your regimen. Sulfate-free and $4? I've got to try that!
ReplyDeleteYes! Get it. (And tell me what you think after you've used it.) I used to use Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Shampoo by AUBREY, which I bought on Amazon -- that is a superb sulfate-free shampoo, too. But this new one from Walgreens is nearly half the price of the AUBREY one -- and Walgreens is close by, so I don't have to pay shipping. I will never use a shampoo with sulfates in it ever again. Thank you for your kind words about my hair. (Lord KNOWS I love me a Dominican blowout!!!! <3
ReplyDeleteWow, beautiful! Somedays, I have almost as many steps thanks to my frizzy weird hair. Somedays it is nice, others it just is, well I don't know.
ReplyDeleteHey! I just left your FB page...ain't that the truth? Some days, my hair just "is", too. Ginger, I'm telling you, I feel like I'm on top of the world after a brand-new blow-out. (Shallow, I know; there's no shame in my game.) But my hair looks horrible today; hence the dirty ponytail and Yankees cap. Oh well, my hair can't be cover-ready everyday. lol
DeleteWe must be kindred spirits. I did a hair blog today. Your hair is gorgeous. Keep doing what you do, it works for you. What's with mom's doing hair on Sundays? That's when mine was done and when I did my girls.
ReplyDeleteHi! And thank you for your kind words! And, what do you know: Today is Sunday and I'm thinking about doing *my* hair tonight after I put the kids to bed. I really don't feel like it, but it's a chore that needs to be done. :-/
DeleteThank you for commenting, and I hope you visit again!
Courtney, Your have is gorgeous! You totally know the importance of using the right products...it's all about the products!
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you! Like I mention above, it sure as heck wasn't easy, learning to navigate my hair and find the way, but, like I said, I'll go to the end of the earth for good hair! lol
DeleteThank you for commenting.
Courtneyyyyy! Thank you so much for posting your hair regimen! As the mother of 3 girls with all different textures, I'm always looking for something to tame our manes. I'm a former product junkie although I relapse every now and then. LOL I'm definitely going to try the products you use, since they're economical. I'm sure they'll work on one of us. ;)
ReplyDeleteNo problem at all! I'm glad I could be of some help. And thank YOU so much for commenting and stopping by!
DeleteI'm actually going to get around to posting my kids' hair care regimen, which is FAR easier than my own. Stay tuned for that, too, as I've been lucky enough to figure out an awesome, easy system that works for them, too.
Rock on! Can't wait!
DeleteGood Morning, CC! I've got it scheduled for April. I hope you check it out! It's going to be cute! :-)
DeleteThank you, again, for stopping by and commenting. :-)
Hey, CC! I just posted my kid's hair care regimen on the home page!
DeleteI had to stop over and see what you are doing in your hair regimen. I actually have a very similar routine. I did something similar when I used to wear my hair out as far as the straightening part, too. I started covering my hair though so I'm anticipating that it will probably grow a ton since I no longer really straighten it with the heat anymore. Hubby loves my hair straight though so I may have to do that just for him one of these days very soon. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Brittnei! And thank you for visiting...
DeleteI am addicted to straightening my hair. There. I admit it. lol Fortunately, though, I have found that the system I use is super compatible with my hair type, and my hair is the healthiest it has ever been. (I don't get trims nearly as often as I should -- in fact I do it myself! But my hair grows like a weed and accumulates length very quickly...
That said, the down side to having hair this long -- and this much of it -- is that it takes me FOREVER to administer a blow-out -- even though I have my system down to a science.
Sigh. The things I put up with for my hair. lol
Thanks so much for taking the time to comments. :-)
Yay! I'm not the only one with tons of hair. Why do I always feel like apologizing when I get my hair done at the salon? It's not that I did it on purpose! Lately, I've been straightening my hair, I don't mind the time it takes since it's so easy to maintain afterwards, but my poor daughter... She has the most beautiful ringlets but the girls in school (read 4 year old preschoolers) are telling her that she has to have it straight. I feel bad for having mine straight, and I told her that hers is the most beautiful hair ever, and if I could, I would switch with her in a heartbeat. Oh, and that the rest of the girls are going to be so jealous when they grow up :-)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what I do to when I straighten my hair, so it doesn't feel like it takes me forever, is to do it while I watch tv when my husband and daughter are napping (weekends), or once they are gone to sleep at night. It doesn't feel like a chore.
OMG! I SO empathize with the curly-or-straight quandary when it comes to our young girls...while Kennedy is only 10 months now, I often wonder what I will say to her when she questions why I insist on wearing my hair straight -- and I've chosen to keep her hair curly. (She, too, has the most beautiful ringlets.) I simply don't want to seem hypocritical, you know?
DeleteAnd I have been conducting my salon-grade blowouts while everyone's in bed -- when you have two kids under the age of three, it's the ONLY time I can do it unencumbered. Otherwise, they're hanging off me like appendages and a three-hour job turns into FOR-EV-ER.
And, still, I NEVER look forward to doing it. (I reckon blowing out thick, curly, lumbar-length hair like mine will always be considered a chore...) :-/ But one that is so worth the results!!
I'm #Addicted.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to comment.
xo
Thanks for sharing this. I am always looking for tips and ideas for my curly haired girlies.
ReplyDeleteHi, Tiffany! You're welcome! I hope you find this helpful...feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any more questions...
Deletexo
I absolutely love Kinky Curly Conditioner. Thanks for sharing. I just found your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jennifer! Thank you...and welcome! Yes, I do concede to being addicted to this conditioner. I went through a (very brief) phase a short while ago in which I began to question its abilities and went astray, trying a competitor...
DeleteNope. I went RIGHT back to Knot Today.
LOVE this stuff.
xo