6-Months Down!

Woot Woot!

Yesterday marked 6-months since I big chopped!

Time flies when you're having fun! I am writing this quick post to capture what has occured over the last 6 months in terms of growth! Previous posts go into detail about products, regimen, etc.

 

The picture on the left was my big chop twists and now I've almost doubled my length! (Turn up lol)

Excited to see what the next 6-months will hold.

Thanks for reading!

AR

Free At Last!!

Hello all!

The day finally came! I took out my Senegalese Twist after having them installed for 14 weeks! That is a huge stretch for me considering I usually leave my braids in for 6-8 weeks at a time.

I have TONS of growth from leaving my hair braided up. I am going to finish cutting off the texlaxed/relaxed ends of my hair to get the full effect of my curls. That is the most exciting part for me.

I have not dedicated a day to pamper my hair yet considering I am working multiple jobs and currently house shopping.

Looking at my schedule I will probably prep my hair for washing on Sunday evening. This will be a 2 day pre-poo with an EVOO and coconut oil mix. I will leave this on my hair under  a saran wrap until Tuesday.

Tuesday I will apply a cheapie conditioner to my hair and let is sit for 30 minutes and follow with a cleansing shampoo. After the cleansing shampoo I will deep condition with a very thick and rich moisturizing conditioner mix (haven't decided on what it will be). I'll do an oil rinse using EVOO and then detangle and trim my ends.

I'll definitely have to keep my spray bottle handy so that I can spritz my hair prior to twisting it up.

I haven't decided if I want to get braids right off or if I want to wait until next month to get it rebraided.

I'm just winging it for right now. What I do know is I will be getting Kinky Twist this time around!

Stay tuned for pictures!

AR

I'm back!

It has literally been 4 months since my last post and in that 4 months a lot has changed with my hair.

I cut my hair back to NL in February and I am currently grazing SL.

Cut to Neck Length: February 2014

Cut to Neck Length: February 2014

I cut my hair because after my experience with the Dominican Blowout, I experienced extreme breakage and hair loss. (Lesson learned)
Following that experience, I decided to cut my hair and start over to rid my ends of the damage.

I am still using the same healthy hair practices that allowed me to retain my length and have been protective styling 99% of the time.

I am currently 10 weeks post relaxer and I have TONS of new growth but I have been taking time to properly deep condition my hair 1-2 times per week and keep my scalp oiled. My ends are doing fine being that I have kept them tucked away wearing two french braids styled in a way that gives a "crown-like" look.

I have been drinking Bamboo Leaf Tea 1-2 times daily for the past month and half and have seen tremendous results in the strength and length of my nails as well as my hair. It is easy for me to drink the tea because I am already a very big tea drinker.

I have been considering taking another multivitamin but after some thought I am still not sure. My biotin and MSM have been doing me good and I think overall my hair is responding to the care that I am giving it.

My goals right now:

• Maintain my ends
• Consistently deep condition
• Be attentive to new growth

My hair length goal has changed seeing that I reached my last goal. I want to reach Mid Back Length!

Random Length Check

A few days ago after a cowash I stretched my hair to see where it was. Keep in mind I am 22 weeks post relaxer and I still have 4 weeks left to go.

I am about 1-2 inches from Grazing BSL!! I will consider myself full BSL once my hair hits the bottom of my bra. This is a very exciting realization because I know that everything that I have done up until this point has been working. I have been retaining my length!

I then snapped a picture from last year fairly close to the start of my hair journey and was even more elated at the results that I am receiving...

So basically in a year I went from SL to BSL which is remarkable for me considering this is probably the longest my hair has ever been in my adult life :)

This just motivates me to keep pushing myself because even through all of the doubts about the whole point in washing, cowashing, deep conditioning, moisturizing and sealing my hair I know something is working and I am going to stick to it!

Most people blog and post videos when their hair is already long. I started from the bottom and I'm coming up so I appreciate everyone who is watching and reading along my journey :)

1 Year Hair Anniversary!

Today is marks one year that I have been on my hair journey!

Looking back over the year I have made such great progress and can't believe how far I've come.

I started my hair journey at neck length. After having my hair basically chopped off at the salon I knew it was time to take my hair into my own hands literally.

I found Hairlista, KISS, and YouTube! I spent countless hours researching ways to grow my hair on my own and learned so much from great women on the same journey to healthy hair growth.

I found a regimen that worked for me and what I found to work best for me overall from ALL the products, theories, and growth aides was CONSISTENCY! Being consistent with my regimen provided with me with the greatest results.

Since I am on a no heat challenge I didn't straighten my hair to see the actual results. This picture was taken February 2013. I have gained another inch since this picture. And I am about 2-3 inches away from BSL.

What I found to work:

• consistency
• protective styling
• low manipulation
• moisture

As I move forward into my hair journey I plan to keep my regimen very simple and continue to listen to my hair.

Cheating on My Hair: Long-Term Protective Styles

So I have been in these box braids for almost 4 weeks (Tuesday).

And what I have come to learn about long-term protective styles is the fact that I miss MY hair.

I miss the washing, deep conditioning, and all around TLC that I give my hair. With that I have decided to take the braids out and get back to the basics of MY hair.

I think wigs are the all around best option for me so I will do some research and get wig closet stocked so that I can add some versatility to my hair without any full time commitment.

I feel like I'm cheating on my hair with these braids lol.

If any of you are on a healthy hair journey you can relate to this love-hate relationship with long-term protective styles! :)

And with that I am....

12 weeks down...14 weeks to go!!! 

Hair Care & College: A Healthy Balance

Hello Everyone!

I am currently inbetween classes and I just realized something about my hair.

I have not washed, cowashed, moisturized, sealed, applied a growth aid, or combed my hair in almost ONE week...sounds crazy right?

Well in all actuality for me it's not.

Last Saturday I washed my hair and on that Sunday I moisturized and sealed with extra virgin olive oil. I had my hair braided up in my usual granny plats and on Tuesday I wore a braidout.

During the week my schedule got rather hectic between work and class so somehow I managed to miss out on my usual hair routine but to my surprise I've been doing just fine.

I do wear a silk bonnet at night so I monitored my hair for any dryness or breakage. (NONE) and just bunned my braidout as protective style.

I've noticed that I have not been manipulating my hair as much which to me will serve as a wonderful thing at the end of this stretch.

I have found that maybe a once a week TLC session may be just what my hair needs and I pray that it continues to work out. So I will continue to rock this braidout/bun and do another wash on this coming Saturday and start the process all over again.

And a side note: EVOO is AMAZING! My hair still feels great after not applying any other oils or products to my hair.

I guess going back to the basics of my regimen are really turning out to be great.

Simply put...don't feel like you have to choose between your hair and school (or anything else for that matter). KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES IN LINE!

Make changes...try new things...and it will all come together in the end.

Current Regimen

I am following a rather flexible regimen but I am making sure to incorporate all the things my hair needs

I've dumbed it down to the point that I am only messing with my hair when I absolutely have to.

Sunday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Co-wash Day

Deep condition on wash way
Light or Heavy Protein treatment on Co-wash day

Always air dry.

Apply my Liquid Gold Sulfur Based Growth Oil every other day and do a scalp massage.

Moisturize with my whipped shea butter and seal with coconut oil.

Only finger comb until wash days.

UPDATES!!

HEY GUYS!

Unfortunately I had some problems trying to upload the video I did with all my changes and updates so I am having to make a post with the information. I would post all of them here but that would be overwhelming to read. So I will make individual ones so people can read the ones that interest them without having to read a book. Here's what you can look forward to:


- Current Length
- Liquid Gold Sulfur Based Growth Oil
- Blowing Out Roots
- My Almost Setback (Moisture Overload & Breakage)
- Whipped Shea Butter
- Current Regimen

I MADE FULL SL!!!

I asked one of my fellow Listas if this was considered Full SL and they said YES!!

So my summer goal is to reach Grazing APL!

 

The picture on the RIGHT was Full NL and the picture on the LEFT is my current length of Full SL! :)

Co-Wash Day

I co-washed last night using the Tresemme Split Remedy and my Eden Body Works Peppermint  & Tea Tree Conditioner.

I air- dried with the Tresemme Split Remedy Leave-In Treatment and when my hair was 80-85% dry I applied coconut oil throughout my hair and  put it in a bun.

The Tresemme Split Remedy claims to reduce split ends up to 80% after 3 washes and since I do have split ends I want to do what I can to combat them and hopefully stop breakage. So I will be co-washing with this along with another conditioner of my choice once a week.

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!

Protective Style Challenge

I am putting myself on a protective style challenge for the remainder of this month and see how much length I can retain. I will only be washing on Tuesdays and Saturdays from now on and applying my JBCO every other day. I will moisturize and seal as needed. There will be no manipulation during the week aside from making sure my hair looks presentable.

I will use plats, half wigs, and buns (minimal). I want to stay away from braided weaves as much as possible but a sew-in may be a possibility later in the summer.

I did a much needed cleansing wash, protein treatment, and moisturizing deep condition tonight to get my hair ready for the week. 

Below are pictures of the protective style I will be using. It has braids all over and the ends are bobby pinned. It looks crazy but with a hat its not half bad lol.

I am under a few challenges but they have actually become my normal routine so it just works!

Final Product

Product Review

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Atlanta Natural Hair Show. 
I purchased the Eden Body Works Jojoba Monoi Collection for $20!!


This included:
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Deep Conditioner
- Hair Milk
- Hair Oil


Yesterday night I did my wash and deep condition using only this line and I absolutely LOVED it! My hair felt extremely soft and clean! 


My plan is to use this line until it is all gone and if I see good results I will repurchase. 


I know you guys are thinking "JEEZ you change products a lot!" The thing is I have to find what works for MY hair and the only way I will find out is through trial and error. I will use the Follicure line twice a month and the remaining wash days I will use the Eden collection. 


I will post a picture of all the products that I will actually use the next 3-6 months depending on how long I decide to stretch this time.

For those people looking for a great nourishing and moisturizing line Eden Body Works is definitely the best place to start. Unfortunately the online prices are a lot higher compared to the deal that I got from the Hair Show but it is worth it!

Also I did a protein treatment using the Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise. This treatment left my hair feeling soft AND strong at the same time. It felt different compared to my other hair mayonnaise. This is another staple in my regimen. I will still use my Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor once a month but this will a bi-weekly treatment for me until further notice.

Wash Day Results & Updates

I washed and deep conditioned my hair on Friday. Today is Sunday. I will walk through what I did exactly and the results from Friday through Sunday.


Friday

• Separated my hair into 4 sections because I only wash my hair in 4 sections to avoid tangling during manipulation and washing.
• Detangled using my water and conditioner mix.
• Washed my hair using the conditioner mix I made.
• Towel dried my hair then applied my deep conditioner.
• Applied heat for 30 minutes.
• Rinsed hair using luke-warm/cool water.
• Applied leave-in conditioner.
• Air dried until 85-90% dry.
• Spritzed hair with Aphogee Keratin Restructerizer
• Applied coconut throughout hair.
• Put hair in two loose ponytails and tucked ends under (secured with a bobby pin)
• Tied hair down with a silk bonnet.

Saturday

• Left hair alone all day
• At night I took down one of the pigtails.
• Applied growth aid
• Moisturized and sealed hair
• Pinned hair back up
• Did the same for the opposite side

After doing this to my hair my ends felt really soft and my hair looked really shiny. My new growth was a lot more manageable and I could comb through it a lot better. I discovered that my hair loves coconut oil! It's not too heavy and it's not too light!

Tomorrow is my regular wash day so tonight I plan to prepoo/ do the greenhouse effect overnight. (I may post a video of how I do this later)

Keep watching for more updates!

Hair Journey: Take 2

*My last trim was April 9, 2012*

*I am currently 8 1/2 weeks post relaxer*

Restarting My Hair Journey

Hello!!!

Today is April 8, 2012. I am restarting my hair journey because I am not afraid to say that I gave up on the first go around.

I am making some changes starting today and look forward to seeing my progress.

1. From now on I will be TEXLAXING only.
2. NO MORE TRIMS!
3. I will be drinking only water for the next 6 months.
4. Eat 1 fruit and a salad daily.
5. Take vitamins daily (Biotin, Nioxin, Garlic Supplements)
6. Stop purchasing hair products until I use the ones I have.
7. Focus on my ends and length retention.
8. ULTIMATE GOAL: BSL 


Along with these changes I am going to continue to wash, co-wash, deep condition, and do protein treatments as needed.

I will post starting pictures soon!

Please watch and support.

ASR