Cannon Beach, Straws and Hair Obsessions

We are preparing to go to Cannon Beach, Or this weekend. The last time we went there was last year, in April, several weeks before Gabe was born. We called it our "babymoon". CB is only an hour and a half from where we live, so it will be a shorter drive than when we went to Yachats.

Primarily, we are going to the beach to observe the annual Sandcastle Contest that is held there every June. Should be fun. Not sure how the weather is going to be. I checked and it's supposed to be in the high 60s. Hope there is no rain! We'll take lots of pics and post them here.


Also, I taught Gabriel how to drink from a straw. When we first got this sippy cup several weeks ago, he didn't seem to know what to do with it! But yesterday, I offered it to him again with some juice/water mix and he just did it. So I guess I didn't really teach him, per se, I guess it was good timing!


For the last several weeks, I have been totally obsessed with my hair. I do my hair myself and I'm down to 2 hours in twisting time, and about an hour to dry the roots under a capped dryer, then the rest of the day for the actual locks to dry. That's the best I can hope for, but I'm getting tired of it. Not only am I getting tired of doing my dreadlocks, I am tired of having them on my head.

Back when I started locking in 2004, I was tired of combing my hair so I figured I'll just stop, hehe. That's essentially what locking is, not combing your hair anytime in the near future. However, now I am at the point where I miss combing my hair. And I miss the ease of a short style.

So I have made the decision to say good-bye to my locks. The next time I wash my hair, I am going to cut the locked parts off and start fresh. I've asked my mother to do the deed for me when she and William come for a visit in early August. I don't think she likes the idea of me cutting them, but she is willing to cut them.

But before the big cut, I needed to refresh myself on how to care for my hair without dreadlocks. I haven't had my hair straightened since 1999. Before locking, the only time I did my own hair was a brief time in 2002; before and after that, I went to salons that specialized in natural hair care.

But as I researched, I realized that I, and possibly my hair stylists, weren't really taking care of my hair very well. My hair is thick, course and gets tangled easily; I think I have a mostly 4A hair type with like one patch of 3C in the back of my head. When I did my own hair, I washed it and sprayed it liberally with detangler, while combing it out, and then two-strand twisted it. I see now that the detangler was way to wimpy because it hurt to comb.

My stylists did one better; my hair got washed, but she twisted my hair with a gel that was mostly coconut oil, which gave it some much needed moisture. That was the only time my hair got any moisture (besides the water from the wash) and it probably was not enough for my hair. It still hurt to comb.

What was missing from my routines was a really, really, really good moisturizing session.

Basically, figuring out the right amount of moisture is the difference between hair like mine feeling soft, having sheen and easy combing or it feeling like a Brilo pad and crying while combing. I know now that if my hair feels even remotely like a Brilo pad, I am doing something wrong. Very wrong.

So here is what I think I need to do every 7-10 days:

1. Wash my hair once with a sulfate-free shampoo
2. Do a second wash with a light conditioner (co-washing)
3. Do a Deep condition
4. Use a thick, residue-free leave-in condition to comb and detangle my hair.
5. Let it air dry
6. Protein conditioner every few months
7. Daily moisturizer (jojoba or coconut oil mixed with water maybe?)

Ha! We'll see how it goes. I'll post my first dreadlock-free pic when the time comes!