1-Month Castor Oil Check-In

Hey All!

Yesterday marked one month of the Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge Part 10.

Sunshyne posted a discussion for participants to upload their results for the first month so I am doing the same here on my blog :)

I missed out on one week of application so this is actually more of a 3 week update. Nonetheless I have received noticeable growth.

At the beginning of this challenge I had a major issue with itchiness on my scalp but from further applications the itchiness has subsided dramatically. I have incorporated more cowashes as needed to combat buildup and prevent irritation.
My hair of course is also softer and much more manageable. When I wash my hair I pre-poo with the castor oil mix and do a hot oil treatment.

For this upcoming month I am going to do the inversion method and Greenhouse Effect to help stimulate growth as well.

Curly Girl Method

I have unintentionally been following the Curly Girl Method to some degree.

This link will provide details about the method and the benefits for all of my fellow naturalistas. I do believe some of the method can be applied to relaxed and texlaxed listas as well.

Essentially the method is simply removing shampoo from your regimen and you only cleanse your hair with conditioner. The conditioner of course has to be sulfate free and silicone free. Products containing these ingredients typically only gives hair a fake sheen but the products aren't actually cleansing the hair or penetrating the hair shaft. This leads to buildup which can lead to breakage.

The only conditioner I have been using on my hair is the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Conditioner. While the styling products from this line are a complete tragedy on my hair, this conditioner does the trick for cleansing and moisturizing my hair.
For my cheapie cowashing conditioner I use Tresseme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner Aloe Vera and Avocado. This is sulfate free and much cheaper than the Shea Moisture conditioner. It offers great slip on my hair and the price you pay for the size of the bottle is great as well.

The method also encourages everyone to follow the L-O-C method (Liquid, Oil, Cream). This is the general order of how to moisturize your hair in order to achieve long-lasting moisture on your hair. It doesn't have to be done in this order but it is ideal. I use the L-O-C method when I moisturize my hair and it is WONDERFUL! Typically when my hair is dripping wet out of the shower I apply my oil so I've already knocked out the L-O. Then I section and detangle my hair and apply my whipped shea butter mix as my C. Some people use a store product for their cream and that is fine as well.

Following the Curly Girl Method has helped me lock moisture in my hair for longer periods of time and I don't have to re-moisturize as frequently.

What's Next... 
I was approached by an It Works distributor about trying out their Hair, Skin, and Nail vitamins. I am always apprehensive about changing things in my regimen when my current vitamins and products are working. We talked back and forth for about a month and this gave me time to do my own research of the company and the product as well. I watched countless YouTube videos to see what others had to say about the vitamins and decided to take the plunge. 
DISCLOSURE: I AM PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT WITH MY OWN MONEY! 
I will be testing the product for 3 consecutive months because usually that's about the time it takes to see if a product in fact makes a difference on my hair, skin, and nails. Once I receive the vitamins I will be doing an initial review on my YouTube channel as well as write an blog post covering essential details. 


Thank you for reading and catch you guys next time!
AR 

5 Months Natural + Whipped Shea Butter + Castor Oil Challenge

Here we are!

I have been natural for 5 months now and this has been a great learning experience.

For starters my hair is definitely growing which is a plus because I know some people who went natural and their hair hit a wall so to speak.

I've learned that some products that my hair liked during my relaxed/transitioning days are no longer good on my hair. For example my hair used to love Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter, most Shea Moisture styling products, and the Olive Oil Gel.
The Elasta  QP product leaves my hair extremely dry after a day of use and gives my hair a dull look. Almost all of the Shea Moisture products now only coats my hair and leaves this filmy residue on the top of my hair. This left my hair hard and dry. The Olive Oil Gel flakes really bad so I only use it along my edges when I do my twist outs and puffs.

So what does my hair like? CONDITIONER! That's right. My hair flourishes when conditioner and water hit it. While I have not purchased any new conditioners the one's that I have used on a regular basis consist of Aussie Moist Conditioner, Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine, and Giovanni Tea Tree Conditioner. I have also used the Organix Biotin & Collagen Conditioner sparingly as I do not want extremely thick hair right now.
The only moisturizer that is working for my hair right now is my whipped shea butter recipe. It consists of 16oz raw shea butter, 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and castor oil. Very simple to make and it will last me a long time. It made my braidout last longer and acted like a gel for twists. It provides a great amount of shine and my curls look more elongated. So I will not be purchasing any store brought moisturizers for a long time.

While I haven't purchased any new hair products as of yet I plan to try new ones out once all of my current hair products are used up. (My attempt to tame the product junkie inside lol)

I am now able to wear puffs and even pull off a bang look with ease now. While I love seeing my curls I do plan to start wearing a protective styles for the months of October through March due to weather changes. I am currently looking for a wig to wear and of course I will be wearing braids as a long term protective style.

Hairlista's Castor Challenge Part 10 has not been a consistent part of my regimen since I started because I've been traveling a lot but I have picked back up on it and will be following the routine the remainder of the challenge.

So cheers to 5-months! Excited for what the next few months have to hold.

Length Check with Pictures

Hey guys!

I am SO excited for this post because I shocked myself during my last length check.

I am a little over 4 months natural as of September 3rd. In this short amount of time I have seen my hair do some rather extraordinary things in terms of growth. When I first big chopped I could barely do two-strand twists without them unraveling and now I am knocking out twist-outs left and right.

I can style my hair much better now because it's getting long enough to the point that it doesn't look crazy :)

Pics...

       

So as you can see from previous posts my hair is doing great. But if you still don't see it how about side-by-side comparisons? :) This growth spurt spans from the beginning of August until a few days ago.

Everyone has been asking me "What are you doing!?" And honestly I haven't done much of anything. I currently wash my hair about once a week and just have it in twist and then wear a twist out. Then it's back to wash day, twist, twist out.

What's Next...
For the next 3 months I am going to participate in the Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge Part 10. I will be in the Extreme Group where I will be applying my castor oil mix every other day with a scalp massage. I am using the Home Health 100% Castor Oil mixed with Vitamin E oil. I purchased a 32oz bottle because it was cheaper than purchasing an 8oz bottle.

The Challenge is run from September 19th- December 19th.

I hope you all will join in! The link is above for more information.

Thanks for reading!
AR

Update: Wash Day, Castor Oil Challenge, Stretching

Hey Ladies!

I washed my hair and deep conditioned my hair today. I sat under my steamer for 25 minutes and my hair felt luxurious!!

I air dried using the scarf method which helped keep my edges flat.

My hair is very thick during this stretch so finding ways to keep my hair in line is crucial.

I am going to continue with the castor oil challenge seeing that the past couple of weeks have been going ok. I think it has aided in the thickness as well.

I have decided to go on my second 6-month stretch! :)

I will be relaxing on DECEMBER 28th, 2013 at the conclusion of the castor oil challenge.

Stay tuned for updates on my stretch and I will check in periodically as the weeks go on as I did on my last 6-month stretch.

Any additional tips would be great for this stretch!
Thanks for your support!

Week 1: Castor Oil Challenge

My first week with Jamaican Black Castor Oil Challenge has been a great one. Showing some pros and cons but nothing that I cannot change while I am aware of it.

Pros:
- My hair has an increase in the amount of moisture it is retaining. Thus leaving my hair extremely soft.
- So far I have not seen any excess shedding which is amazing considering some of the horror stories I've read about castor oil users.

Cons:
- ITCHY SCALP! OMG! My scalp felt like it was on fire last week! So I caved and did a wash today. (What a relief!)

I can easily combat the itchiness by increasing my wash days during the week.

I did like the way my hair felt when I washed it. Almost as if though I had been deep conditioning my hair all week and it felt great.

I have not diluted the oil so I am using it straight from the bottle with nothing added.

Feeling very excited for December!

*Check out the other ladies reviews over the past week as well*

Hairlista Week 1 Check-Ins

Happy Hair Growing!

Heat Pass, Trim, & Castor Oil Challenge!

Hello Ladies,

I recently used a heat pass on my 13 weeks post hair and during that pass I also did a very light dust/trim. My ends look a lot better and feel healthier as well.

I am planning to participate in the Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge Part 8 that begins September 28th!  The challenge runs until December 28th so this is a great time to go on a stretch or to take time and really be strict with yourself in terms of your regimen.

Few details can be found here: Castor Oil Challenge Part 8, Sunshyne plans to post more details later so  be on the lookout for those as well.

Feel free to join the group here for support, questions, and inspiration: JOIN IN

I am looking forward to the results and may even be tempted to embark on another 6-month stretch *wink wink* :)

So stay tuned ladies and I hope to see you all in the group!

Happy Hair Growing!

My Almost Setback -_-

Ok guys...

At some point I was experiencing severe breakage. There were long pieces and short pieces coming out of my hair whenever I barely touched it. I was so scared because it was almost like my hair was falling out! There were 1-4 strands every time! I didn't know what had caused it aside from the fact that I was actually taking time to moisturize and seal my hair on a more regular basis compared to the every 1-3 days that I used to do.

I was so frantic and got on Hairlista, YouTube, and Google looking for any information I could find about breakage and the more I looked and listened I assessed my hair. It was mushy and gummy so I knew exactly what was going on...MOISTURE OVERLOAD!

I immediately hopped in the shower and did a protein treatment and that helped my breakage almost instantaneously. For fear of more breakage, I wore my hair in plats with a beanie and gave my hair a serious break from manipulation. Once I finally took it down to allow my hair to breathe a little I had a BEAUTIFUL braid out!

I had an "almost" setback but I caught it in time before any real damage could be done! The lesson I learned was simply to listen to what my hair needs. And she and I have been really talking these days :)

Hairlista provides a great article about breakage and ways to pinpoint what is going on with your hair. Check it out!

http://www.hairlista.com/forum/topics/moisture-protein-balance

Long-Term Protective Style: BOX BRAIDS

Yesterday I got some box braids put in and LOVE the results! Protective styles protect your ends and allow you to give your hair a rest. My braids are about medium sized which is perfect for me because I hate taking braids down. I can also apply my growth aides with ease.

I plan to leave them in for the duration of the Hairlista Summer challenge which is about 2 1/2 months. I may take my edges down and redo them so that the braids can last longer.

My regimen for the braids are in the previous post :)

Co-wash Day

Did an unexpected co-wash today.


This summer heat has my hair feeling dry and my scalp was itchy so a quick relief was a co-wash.


I deep conditioned on dry hair and then rinsed and applied my Eden's Body Works Jojoba Monoi Conditioner.


I have my hair in 6 bantu knots that I plan to just wear in a bun tomorrow and Tuesday.


I plan to do a heavy protein treatment on Tuesday evening with a moisturizing wash to prep my hair for box braids that I plan to get installed on Thursday.


I also have been exercising and drinking tons of water! :)


There is a challenge on Hairlista that begins June 1st so that's perfect timing for everything.


The only change I will be making is my growth aide. I will use Gro Aut Oil and Hair Trigger Growth Elixir. (HTGE)


The only vitamins I'm taking now are Biotin, MSM, GNS Hair Skin and Nails, and Garlic Supplements.


I am still using the summer heat to my advantage and praying for some great results over the next few months!!


UPDATES coming soon!

Hair Care Forums

These are the sites that I am currently on with great tips and resources on hair care!


http://k-i-s-s.biz/


http://www.hairlista.com/


KISS charges a fee for sign-up which at the time that I joined was not the case but due to high traffic and site upkeep the owner had to start charging.


Hairlista is FREE! (Just joined today)


Both sites have wonderful woman from all over sharing their successes, failures, advice, experience, etc with each other with same goal in mind...HEALTHY LONG HAIR!


Hope to see you on there!