Staples

I've been trying some new products over the past month or 2, but I've decided to stop experimenting. My hair was doing well with my staples, so why would I change products? I don't know, maybe I was bored. Last week, I did have a good roller set result, but I didn't like how tangled and hard my hair was when it was wet. My hair also got hard and felt like there was a film on it only 2 or 3 days after I washed it. I'm not sure if it was the amla oil, the rinse, the Infusium leave-in, or a combination of the three products. For this past weekend's wash, I decided to go back to my true blue products. My hair didn't look as silky, but it felt (and still feels) great. I also think it looks a lot thicker and healthier this week.

My staples for wash days:

• Pre-poo: Organix Coconut or Vanilla Conditioner
• Shampoo: Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo OR Creme of Nature (green label)
• Conditioner: V05 Moisture Milk
• Deep Conditioner: ORS Replenishing Conditioner
• Leave-In Conditioner: Giovanni Direct

I'm going to be sad when my green label Creme of Nature shampoo runs out. I know many people think that it's not discontinued and that it's in new packaging, but the ingredients are different. The Giovanni Direct Leave-In is also a different formula. I hated it at first, but this weekend, I diluted it with water in a pump bottle and it felt like my old stuff. As always, I would like to try new products, but I need to work on getting my hair long, and using up the products I already have.

I'm 9 weeks post relaxer today. I'm going to a family event this weekend and away for work next week, but I will not relax. My edges are a little kinky (it's all new growth since I lost a lot during my postpartum shedding). It's fine though. I want to make it to at least 11 weeks this time before getting a relaxer. My hair looks fine, other than my edges, but it doesn't bother me too much. I cover most of it with my hair, and I could use some gel or something if it really gets bad.

Best Rollerset

Last night I achieved the best roller set I've ever done. The only thing I did differently was that I pre-poo'd with amla oil. I actually mixed the amla oil with some garlic powder for shedding and a little evoo. Since my last garlic pre-poo resulted in drier hair, I thought I'd mix the garlic powder with oil instead of conditioner. I tried amla oil 2 years ago, with not-so-good results. My hair was in pretty bad shape though, so since I still had the amla, I decided to give it a try. I deep conditioned with Pantene Relaxed and Natural Breakage Defense Deep Conditioning Mask. It usually gives me a lot of "slip" but not yesterday. I noticed immediately that my hair was a little hard to de-tangle with a wide-tooth comb. After I sat under the dryer for 20 minutes, I rinsed it out and did a quick conditioning rinse with Pantene Relaxed and Natural Intensive Moisturizing Conditioner. I have to say, I was a little worried that my hair wasn't as easy to comb as it usually is. I proceeded to roller set. I decided not to use the extra thin rat tail comb I usually set with, because I didn't want to lose any hair. When my hair was dry, I noticed how shiny my hair was as I took the rollers out. When I combed my hair out, I could NOT believe how soft and bouncy my hair was! I really have never had such a good set, even when I professional did it. I'll have to research amla a little more and see if I can make the conditioning experience a little better. I did only pre-poo for about 45 minutes, so maybe I need to leave the oil in longer? I have also been battling a cold for the past 2 weeks, which shows in my hair, making it drier than usual. Here is how my hair looked after taking out the rollers:

I've also been smoothing my hair on the roller as I roll for the past couple of weeks, which has made my hair a lot smoother.

April 2010 Updates

I decided to give the garlic another try this weekend. I was reading how Traycee puts the powder from her garlic pills in a pre-poo to cut down on shedding, so I added some garlic powder from my spice cabinet to some conditioner as a pre-poo. I applied it to my scalp and new growth and left it in overnight. When I washed it out, I immediately noticed less hair in the drain. I also didn't have as much in the comb when I set my hair. So it just about stopped the shedding, but it also made my hair a little drier than usual. As I watched tv last night, I remembered that I usually change my regimen and products once I'm 6 weeks post relaxer. 7 weeks have gone by since my last relaxer and I hardly noticed! So I moisturized my roots and ends with B&B Moisturizer with Castor Oil, and my hair literally drank it up. Within seconds, my hair was moist and shiny.

Another reason my hair felt drier may have been the fact that I haven't put a rinse in my hair for a while. The rinses, especially the dark brown and black ones, moisturize and condition my hair so well. I'm thinking about trying henna, so I want to make sure that I get most of the color out before I henna my hair.

Also, my rollerset came out really nice this week, which I attribute to doing more smoothing on the roller as I rolled my hair. It took longer to set, but the results were worth it.

Now that I'm between shoulder and armpit length, I will start trying braidouts in the next few weeks. Since I started my healthy hair journey, I've always thought my hair was too short. Now I have no excuses to try it.