How Wanakee And Protective Styling Changed The Way I Viewed Hair Care

Hey youtubers, okay, so I'm just gon na jump right in and get started. It'S I know time is of the essence. This video is just gon na, be the tip of the iceberg. In regard to information, I want to share with you. Many of you have asked how my hair has grown so long with me, cutting it off and then able to grow it back again. Well, I owe all of that to a beautiful lady by the name of Waunakee as you'll see in many of the pictures that follow I'll. Take you through a quick history of my transition and how I got to the point I am now with my haircare. I owe all of that to Miss Waunakee. She is the innovator of what is known as protective styling, I'm gon na post some links to her web archives of the system wearing her hair up and it's many puffs tiles or updos as possible, whether it be a bun, a chignon braids twist French rolls anything To keep those ends tucked in so that they're not exposed to the air. I was unable to find a lot of pictures of her out here on the internet with updos, but here are few of mine just for viewing purposes. She states in her a practical guide that wearing the hair in an up style with the ends, tucked away and out of sight, is considered a protective style, so that just basically means moisturize those ends and put them away. Moisturize put them away, can't stress that enough. Some of my pictures are out of sequins, but you get the general point, so I decided to start my transition in the year 2000. I'M here I'm in the next picture at well in the next picture. You'Ll see after this, I'm with the infamous Halle Berry cut. I decided that I wasn't gon na cut my hair anymore. I want to grow it out, so I started researching books and on the internet for information um, any information I could find they regard to hair care and that's when I found one icky and I'm so hope, I'm pronouncing her name right within a year of using One of keys techniques I was to shoulder-length and my hair continue to grow using her protective styling method and my hair made it past shoulder length for the first time in my life, and I was also transitioning at the time. So my hair was not only retaining length, but it was deadly. You know becoming more more healthy and the new growth. So I was really excited at this point and I got really really revved up about it. I mean the next picture. You'Re gon na see where I got micro braids. I do not suggest micro braids. These were the last set I ever wore in my hair. This was in January of 2002 right before about five months before I did my big chop, but we'll talk about that later. In the video, so I found Waunakee in June of 2001 and I started transitioning 2000 in October 2001, but I didn't stop there. I still applied wannabes techniques of making sure my ends were up and tucked away. The reason I wanted to grow my hair out was because I wanted to know why so many black women were having problems with growing our hair long or should I say us with afro textured hair, because we all know that as black people, we can have straight Hair to kinky hair, it doesn't matter so I was like wow when I saw Waunakee. I saw this beautiful woman with this long beautiful hair and she was black and she had a relaxer. So I was like wait a minute, a black woman with hair like this. So, in my ignorance, of course, I just know was a weave, I know his extensions or we until I started reading her practical and emotional guides to hair. I'Ve have a pretty open mind when it comes to hearing something that makes sense, regardless of what the naysayers say. So I read her information and it made so much sense and I was like you know what I'm gon na apply this and I'm gon na see what happens. You know you never know until you try. The emotional guide to hair by Waunakee helps you develop a different way of looking at your hair, having a positive attitude about it, and then the practical guide gives you basic techniques such as keeping your hands, trimmed, moisturizing them and then them away. There are some things I tweaked in my routine, such as the trimming, as I didn't shrimp, as often as Waunakee suggested, but to eat your own. You know some people's hair needs more trimming than others, but when you're keeping those ends tucked in and you're wearing your hair up all the time honestly, your ends do not take a beating, they are pretty much, even even if you take them down after a month. You know if you wear your hair and updos for months and then you take it down. Your ends are still pretty even and smooth. So that's why I didn't have to trim as much because I wore my hair up. Most of the time to my understanding, Waunakee was the president of the company that you'll see on the web. Links on WWE, Waunakee, calm it'll still take you to the hair, o hair oil, calm website and the verificar flex products. But once again, this is not about the products. I believe the company is now under the name of Beverly Johnson. Again, I'm not sure - and this is not about the products I'm gon na - keep stressing that I never tried the product. Sorry Waunakee, but I can't give any recommendations for something: I've never tried. I use my own moisturizing, shampoo and conditioner. I used a good moisturizer and I seal the moisture into those ends with some type of oil or grease, and it works want to use texting techniques. Work for all hair, whether it's straight or kinky, whether it's blonde or black hair, is hair period. It'S all made of the same material and it's fragile, especially when it's dry and 90 % of the time my hair was up in braids or twists or some kind of bun, while it was in braids or twists. Am i still moisturized and oiled my ends daily and I put them back up wan na keys system of protecting those ends. Works you guys it works. I actually started liking wearing my hair up. I rarely wear it down to this day. You know it's here. These years later - and I still rarely wear my hair down again as you read her guys - you'll truly be enlightened Waunakee States and the guys that air is the number one Robbo the moisture out of our hair and she couldn't be more right because keeping those ends. Unexposed is the number one way to your hair length. This woman has done her research through years of being in the modeling industry. So she knows what she's talking about. I have to give credit to Elle hdf member Legend for posting wan na Kings brochure listed in the sidebar in PDF form for those who want to see pictures of her hair short as well as long with more information on hair care. It just goes kind of more in depth about it. I give all props to Waunakee for our hard work and dedication and determination in regard to black women and our hair struggles. I truly believe in giving credit where credit is due, I'm not gon na quote the whole guy, just read it for yourself print it out. That'S what I did. I hope this helps you all. I know these videos can be kind of hard to watch them. Someone is rambling, but I truly hope you get something out of it. You want to know what I did well there. It is these next pictures, you're gon na see, are of my transition. This was my transitioning hair. Wet to my relaxed ends are hanging off the ends about two or three inches of natural new growth. I cut a little piece in the top in this picture so that I could see what my natural hair was gon na look like I mean. After all, I had not seen my natural hair since I was 13, and this was 11 years later. This was when I was 24 on the next picture. My hair was dry and I was still transitioning. I also got highlights at the time because I knew those highlights were all gon na be cut out, so I wasn't concerned about the damage to my relaxed hair. I got the highlights when I got it Flatiron, so it did get a little bit on the tips of my natural hair, but it was a really cool effect. Once I did my big chop, this is my hair flat-ironed. I mainly wore it like this. Throughout my transition, I got those inches cut off the bottom. To give me a blunt cut, which really helped with my transition, because I didn't have to deal with detangling all those relaxed scraggly ends. As you can see, my new growth up in the top. My hair is very thick here, but this hair was about to be cut off in the next few weeks. I think, after this picture is when I did my big chop and the next picture you'll see that's what my hair hit the floor and I couldn't have been more excited about it. I loved my natural hair cut. I went down to about 3 inches and in the next picture I'm you'll see my hair from 2002 to 2006, where it grown almost to my waist, I'm using olive wan na keys technique still wearing the hair up still wearing getting twist braids any kind of updo. I could think of the next beauty of the next shop. Sorry is a closer up shot of my big chop, I'm some of you have seen this on my previous videos and the next picture was my first set of twists and I wore my hair and twist most of the time when my hair was this length. I didn't really try to do anything else besides twist, and then I would do an occasional twist out and it was a really pretty effect. This next picture is 2003, with my twist, as you can see, they're a little bit longer, but they're still pretty shrunken, which is what what's then lead me to my next point about why I decided to relax my hair. This picture was from 2006 shrinkage. Basically is what prompted me to relax my hair. Now shrinkage can be a great thing, but in my case, throughout my haircare journey, I wanted to wear my hair and more updos and up styles and, as you can see, my shrinkage is something serious. I don't know how many people have shrinkage like mine, but my coils curls kinks, whatever you want to call them, they shrink up to my shoulders and for someone to have hair. That'S almost back to waist-length, hair shrinking up to your shoulders is not a pretty sight, especially when you are trying to detangle those bad boys. This is my my pony puff just last year before I relaxed my hair. This was my hair, also in 2008, as you can see, it shrinks up past my shoulders. Like I said, I love the the prettiness of it. If prettiness is even a word - but you know, shrinkage like this is is something fierce and it's really really really healthy and that's why it shrinks so much the elasticity of it is really really good. So I can't knock the help of my hair, but I just wanted other things at this point in my haircare journey, so I decided to go ahead and relax. My hair, this next picture you'll see was the end of 2007, where my hair was growing out on the left and in May 2008, where it was continuously growing out on the right. This is my hair just a couple of months ago, where I just taken it out of a bun and I clipped my ends on the next picture is August 2009, where I had given myself a light trim. I do have layers. I don't have a blunt cut. The next picture, you're gon na see, is a picture of my twist in 2008, when I was still natural and the next picture after that is picture in 2008 about five months after this picture, where I did some blown out twist. So I was becoming more and more wanting to see my legs wear my hair down. Wear it out more and my shrinkage just wouldn't allow that to happen. I'Ve done every style Under the Sun and the relaxer was the the best way to go for me. Believe you me I'll go natural again in the future, but just for now my haircare. This is where I want to be. The next picture. You'Ll see is my hair in January of 2009 and the next picture after that you'll see my hair, which was last month marked OPSEC. You see last month, August 2009 and I give myself a trim there, as you saw in one of the previous pictures. This is my relaxed hair. Now it's more texturized, but it still is relaxed. I want to stress that, and the last picture, I'm sorry the next picture. You'Ll see is my hair straightened a few days back and I tried to get a better shot of it. It'S hard taking pictures of your hair you're yourself in the bathroom, but overall you know I'm as satisfied with my hair journey. I hope this helps you guys. This was my hair from 2007 on the left and now 2009 on the right. So I hope this helps you guys. It certainly helped me out so just make sure to visit blog dot. Black hair talk live on Wednesday night October 7, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We are going to get to hear Waunakee live and I can't wait so I hope this helps someone if only one person. I wish you all continued successes in your haircare journeys and I hope you all have a great night bye, guys.