Please welcome Inesa of 4CNaturalHair who was kind enough to share her tips for shampooing and maintaining kinky twists!

Haaaaaay! I am just loving these Kinky twists. I thought that I already knew how to wash and care for my kinky hair in this protective style, but after doing a little research, I was wrong.

Me, My Hair and I
I am not your expectations
Leisa V. Johnson

Listening to Indie Arie sing I Am Not My Hair is the most accurate testament to my 50 year hair struggle that could ever possibly exist. From the first time I heard the song, the words and images seemed so familiar that I could have sworn Indie crept into the recesses of my psyche to reveal all the anxiety, discontent, and insecurities I have felt about my hair over the years.

Good hair means curls and waves; Bad hair means you look like a slave

As I was growing up my hair was jet black, extremely thick, and average length. But there was one problem: it was considered “bad hair” by the general populace of Black folk. When “pressed and curled” (a process that involved extreme heat, smoke inhalation, and numerous unpleasant encounters with a hot iron comb and my ears and scalp) my hair would look quite nice so said the general populace of Black folk. But several external factors: perspiration, morning dew, rain, or humidity could turn that glistening press and curl into a 3 inch tightly packed afro in 2.3 seconds. I shudder to recall the number of middle and high school dances where I went in with one hair style and came out distressed and embarrassed with a tiny little fro that found its way to my head with each of the night’s dance moves.

 “Thirteen I got a relaxer; I was the source of so much laughter”

“Girl what happened to your hair?” was the reigning cry at the end of each dance as I scuttled out of the gym into the light of minor yet penetrating humiliation. Funny now; not so funny then. It was remnants from such experiences and the sheer desire NOT to be laughed at or picked on that caused me to mutilate and assault my hair over the next 30+ years. Hot combs, lye relaxers, no-lye relaxers, back to lye relaxers because “Your hair is too coarse”, curling irons, plastic curlers, foam rollers, blow dryers, jehrri curls and not to mention an array of miracle inducing hair products that promised to make your hair shiny, manageable, straight and silky. I have to believe that if I had the money wasted on the artillery of assault weapons that I have purchased over the years, the Jeep that my son so desperately wants would be sitting in the driveway of our mortgage free two story split level 250 square foot home as we speak.

At the turn of the century; It’s time for us to redefine who we be

Old school ignorance has played a long and lasting role in defining how we see ourselves and our beauty. About three years ago I was totally shocked by one of my beloved Black male students. Michael had numerous encounters with school administration, the suspension process, and the law. And now he stood in front of me with pants sagging and underwear showing defiantly proclaiming, “I wish my prom date would call herself going to prom with me with braids in her hair. She better go get that stuff straightened out.” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Are you serious?” I retorted. “You mean in this day and age you still feel that a woman has to have straight hair to be attractive or deemed an acceptable prom date?” I pointed out classic African American women such as Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys (before the crossover), and Angela Bassett who have eloquently rocked braids, beauty, and class but all of my examples, explanation, and elaboration couldn’t outweigh his Grandmother’s misguided attempts to define class and beauty by the measuring stick of another race. (I couldn’t help but wonder did she put the same emphasis on lessons about honor, integrity and discipline?)

My parents didn’t made big issue over things like hair texture and skin color and I thank them for that. Even though the side effects of a time period when everything Black was measured against everything White still loomed in their distance. My mother never lamented my hair nor did she ever encourage me to perm my hair, but the wearing of natural unpressed hair and or braids was totally unprofessional and crude in her way of thinking. My father never commented on my hair but one couldn’t help but to observe that the majority of the women my dad found attractive had “good hair”.

Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity? I am expressing my creativity…

So now, how do I feel about my hair in 2011. I can honestly say that I have never hated my hair nor genuinely coveted my neighbor’s hair. I love my hair. I just wish everybody else felt the same. For a while during my journey I would perm my hair between braids and twists. During the straight hair times my main stream co-workers would rave about how they loved my hair. “Oh I just love your hair like this. It’s nice the other way too but I love it like this.” Uuuummm???? Oh well, moving on. I totally reject such terms as nappy, kinky, ghetto, and coarse in reference to my God given mane. (Coarse in terms of ??????? Yeah, right!) These words exude so much negative connotation that I cannot in good conscious bring myself to use them to describe what is my crown and glory. My hair is MY hair. At present it is 80% grey with its natural texture braided in micro braids comingled with synthetic store bought hair. I call it an Ethnic mix and I make no apologies for any of it. When the feeling hits, I change from micros to two strand twists. Right now that’s just how I roll. And as I travel this journey of self- acceptance I will probably ditch the store bought hair, eagerly await the other 20% grey and just let it do what it do knowing all the while that my hair is beautiful!

You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get it on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If its not what’s on your head
Its what’s underneath and say HEY..

I am a soul that lives within

Incredible article Leisa!  If you are inspired by Leisa’s story and would like to tell your own, please email me at

diego2memphis@hotmail.com. Thanks! ~ LV