Caramel Treatment Recipe and Review

As many of you know I have been having the time of my life dealing with my new growth.

Knots...tangles...dryness...the list could go on.

No matter how much I deep conditioned and moisturized and sealed my hair it didn't seem to help.

So I went online and researched different tips, recipes, or ideas to soften my hair.

I came across a recipe called the Caramel Treatment that helps to soften and stretch "kinky" hair. My assumption is that is a treatment that is famous amongst women with African American hair textures.

The ingredients are fairly inexpensive and was easy to prep.

The directions can be found at this link.

I followed the recipe and directions from start to finish.

I let it sit on my hair for  1 hour and 20 minutes exactly without added heat. The only thing I hated was the smell. It was not a pleasant smell but something that I could get over.

I washed my hair using the Organix Moroccan Argan Creme Shampoo and followed with their conditioner. I let that sit on my hair for 10 minutes and rinsed with cool water.

I applied my leave-in and grapeseed oil.

To my surprise I had great slip and my hair was actually manageable to the point that I could put it in a bun!!! I seriously have not been able to bun my hair since the beginning of my stretch because I hate fighting with my hair trying to fully detangle it. I found that though my hair is still very thick it is much softer and the curl pattern is slightly looser but the texture is very noticeable.

The website says that this treatment should only be done once a month and from these results it will be in my regimen for good!

If anyone has issues with the manageability of their hair or new growth this is definite must! You have nothing to lose and they don't call it a hair "journey" for no reason :)

Week 17 of 26 Week Stretch

I hit my 17 week mark on Sunday and I must say this experience is hair changing lol.

My hair is SO thick and it has become more and more of a challenge to wash my hair. No matter how many sections I wash in I find that my new growth is extremely challenging to work with.

I know this is a trial and error situation but it is very scary at the same time because when you're on a stretch you want to reap the benefits not the setbacks.

I noticed an increased amount of shedding but that could due to the fact that I wear a braid out for 2-3 days without any manipulation aside from fluffing. So I haven't completely freaked out yet. I don't wear buns because of the thickness of my hair and they start to look crazy. So I am still playing around with other protective styles until I can find something that really works. I am considering rocking my wigs for the remainder of the stretch but that is still sketchy.

I am tempted to straighten my hair and trim my ends now but I want to do that once I have finished my stretch but I know my ends are hollering and it is imperative that I keep them protected.

Breakage hasn't been terrible but it's certainly more than I am used to and I want to fix it now rather than later.

I have updated my regimen which will be in detail in a different post. Products are pretty much the same but I have fallen in love with grapeseed oil!

Stay tuned for more updates on my blog and on my YouTube channel.

17 weeks down...9 more to go!!!

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.

Pro-150 Hair Steamer: Initial Review

HEY GUYS!!

I am SO very excited about my most recent purchase.

I ordered a hair steamer from eBay and am very pleased thus far with what I have received.

I ordered the steamer on March 31st and I received it April 5th. (Roughly a week to arrive to my location.)

I ordered from divinepro who is a seller with a 99.8% customer satisfaction review.

When I purchased the steamer it was $84.99 with free shipping. Now the price has increased to $94.99 with free shipping. I'm guessing that the popularity has caused a rise in the price. However, in my opinion the price is still good compared to other hair steamers.

The assembly was very easy. You will need a pliers but other that it is basic snap-snap assembly. It took about 5 minutes to warm up and start producing steam. Another plus is that I can use tap water so I don't have to find distilled water for it.

Overall I am very happy and will do a more detailed review once I actually use it.

The link is above if you want to check out the steamer and other products this seller sells.

I will also being doing a video for the steamer on my YouTube channel. If you haven't already taken a peak over there this is the link. SUBSCRIBE!!  My YouTube Channel

Product Haul and Reviews

I went on a product haul as a little treat for myself last week :) It didn't help that I had a 15% off coupon for Sally's which gets me every time.

Since I have fallen madly in love with Silk Elements Silken Child I went ahead and purchased their entire line. This included shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and moisturizer. So far I have used all of them and my hair loves it!

I also picked up a product that I had been eyeing for a very long time and have heard rave reviews about. The As I Am Coconut Cowash Cleansing Conditioner. It smells really good and the consistency is great. It was great when I used it and I will definitely repurchase in the future.

I also picked up a new detangling comb that I wanted to try out as well and hope it helps when I start to get a lot of new growth combing in.

Wash Day 3-27-13 + Castor Oil Challenge

Today I did a cowash using my ORS Replenishing Conditioner. I felt that my hair needed some protein in it and surely enough my hair feels LOVELY! I didn't follow up with a moisturizing conditioner like I usually do because I wanted my hair to take the protein in.

I detangled my hair in 4 sections and applied my castor oil mix to my scalp. Which brings me to my next personal challenge for the remaining 3 months of my stretch.

I am doing a personal Castor Oil Challenge from March 27-June 19th.

My mix is similar to my EVOO Mix

Castor Oil Mix

4oz Castor Oil

25 drops Lavender Oil (for scent)

25 drops Eucalyptus

I was unable to take starting photos but the closest length I had was from a photo I took the day before my box braids got installed and the day I last flat ironed my hair in December.

My regimen will only change slightly.

• Wash 1x/week (Deep Condition)
• Cowash 1x/week
• Air Dry
• Apply castor mix only on wash/cowash days.
• The only exception is during the week that I am doing the EVOO inversion method.

I am going to protective style 100% of the time now until my relaxer!

So excited for this challenge and if anyone wants to join me feel free to comment below so I can check in with you :)

Halfway Mark of My Stretch!

Hello All!!!

Today I am 13 weeks post! That's right I have officially made it halfway through my 6-Month stretch.

I still have not used heat on my hair and with that I can feel the thickness and fullness of my hair.

The two things that are key that I mention ALL the time is moisture and low manipulation. I really try to keep my regimen simple.

For the past 13 weeks I've followed this regimen.

• Wash 1x/week
• Cowash 1x/week
• Deep Condition after each wash
• Air dry
• Oil scalp with EVOO mix (Inversion method 1week/month)
• Protective style 90% 
• Low manipulation style 10% 
• Moisturize and seal every other day

It has been working. I plan to only change a few things. I plan to adjust the number of washes I do per week and minimize it to once a week alternating between washes and cowashes each week. I also plan to increase the days I moisturize and seal to almost daily. I plan to protective style 100% of the time to really protect my ends. These changes will ensure that my remaining 13 weeks will be the best!

Hooray!

13 weeks down...13 weeks to go!!!