The Perpetual Protective Pony: A Sleepy Summer Style

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The best protection any woman can have… is courage.” ~Elizabeth Cady Stanton

My curly mane in a perpetual ponytail!

For the past few months, I have been basking in the yummy warmth that summer presents. You could easily find me stretched out (in a quiet, bug free zone!), with my arms and legs extended wide. When my eyes are closed, a simple smile spreads across my face in the utter delight that the good Lord has given me light … literally!

I lay there lingering while the sun’s rays penetrate my bones. I feel my toes, legs, arms, and face grow warm. I freely surrender to the sun, and listen closely to the sound of my body inhaling and exhaling.

I thank God, the father, son, holy spirit, Allah, universe, and all for the summer and these utter sweet moments. To put it simply, I. Love. Summer.

However, somewhere in all that basking and sun worshiping, I lost my mojo! Yes, I went through a hair funk from May through June. I just couldn’t lift a finger to do another twist, rake and smooth another product through my hair, or experiment with more than a handful of products. Sorry, I know I slow rolled and let you down (hangs head in shame). You see, I just went through an easy, breezy period where I was beyond wash and go’s. I wanted to pull it back into a pony, braid the length, smooth the hairline with gel, and go-go-gadget! Aaaand that’s just what I did.

When I initially made the switch, I had a lot of people taking double takes. My own mother even asked (somewhat sadly), “Where’d all the hair go?” Now if you’re familiar with natural hair, you’ll know that it shrinks and reduces volume in its curly state. That’s what happened to me. When I turned around, I revealed my braid … and relieved my mother’s worries.

While snatching and gelling my hair into a pony, it encouraged me to explore the wonderful world of makeup, since the focus was already on me serving face. I enjoyed it, but I have to admit, come July, I wanted my curls back. I returned to wash and go’s, and recently, I’ve been sporting braid-outs.

I really do believe that the time I spent wearing my hair in a ponytail really helped my hair, namely because it is a protective style. It kept my hair and ends protected since they were neatly tucked into a braid and secured from friction and tugging. By the time I was ready to release the kraken, my curly mane was all sorts of popping and curling thanks to aloe vera gel (AVG).

To recap, here’s a quick and dirty breakdown of my summer routine, thus far. Oh, and by the way … drum roll! I think I may have reached waist length! Okay, okay, a few strands are hitting my waist, but the majority is at under boob length. I know you can’t tell by these pics. Ah, natural hair! When the weather cools, I’ll straighten it and share my length check to give you an accurate account. Here’s my routine so far:

May and June = braided ponytail with As I Am leave-in conditioner and hair slicked down with aloe vera gel
July = wash and go with aloe vera gel (I gave Eco Styler Gel a pause since AVG was working so well with As I Am)
August = braid-outs with As I Am’s Twist Defining Cream. Review to come!