Work Out Hair

I am so happy to get a relaxer this week. Between the heat and my working out 3-4 times a week, my hair is not behaving! I really think that 10 weeks is my limit now. I would like to go longer, but I'm already experiencing more shedding than usual.

I'm so proud of myself for keeping up with my exercise. It's only my 4th week at the gym, and I can already see and feel results. I'm going to try to hold off weighing myself for another week or two, but I do feel lighter on my feet, and I feel like I have more energy. I actually got up this morning and cleaned my bathroom and cooked dinner before getting me and my son dressed and heading out to work. That in and of itself is a miracle. I don't think I did that before I had a baby!

Taking care of my hair during the week after working out has not been as difficult as I thought. I really don't have any desire or time to co-wash my hair after every workout, so I'm aiming to co-wash my hair only once during the week and once on the weekend. I never sweated this much at the gym, so I think I'm getting in really good workouts (Zumba is the bomb!). I put a headband around my edges to keep them down and put the rest of my hair up into a loose bun on the top of my head. After my workout, I leave my hair as is for a while until I know it's dry, and then I take it down, moisturize and seal. I've actually been able to keep most of the curls this way too. After last week's positive braidout experience, I am determined to make my braidouts and bantu knot outs pretty enough to rock on a weekly basis. I'm looking forward to my workout routine to not only help my body and mental health, but my hair health as well.

Braidout - Day 2

This was the second day of my braidout. I liked it a lot better on day 2. I was pleasantly surprised at how moist it stayed. I just oiled my new growth and ends. Overnight, I tucked the ends under with a clip and put a satin scarf on.

The next time I do a braidout, I will use a little serum to try to get more defined waves. I will also try it using the satin method because I want my ends to look just as thick as the other parts of my hair.

First Braidout of the Summer

I found the courage to try another braidout last night. This is probably only my 3rd braidout ever. It actually didn't take much courage- between the weather being rainy all week, my 3 days of working out and being almost 10 weeks, I needed to do something to my hair and I didn't feel like setting it.

I co-washed my hair with Mane 'n Tail conditioner and a little V05 Moisture Milks. I let it air dry for about an hour, added some Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship leave-in and grapeseed oil, and braided my hair in 2 cornrows on each side. I curled the braids with 2 satin rollers. I also used EcoStyler gel to lay my edges down.

I like how it came out. I was mainly worried about keeping it moist, but it feels pretty good. I really like how the waives blend in with my new growth. Next time I will let it dry a little more before I braid, because this morning, a couple of places were still damp, making it more frizzy than I wanted. I also want to try 3 cornrows instead of 2 so that the middle of my hair gets more body. The waves have already loosened up since I took this picture first thing this morning, so I'm hoping it will look longer and fuller as the day goes on. Not sure what I'm going to do with my hair tonight or tomorrow, but I'm feeling a little more confident about braidouts.

Best Pre-Poo Ever

I've been using this grapeseed oil to seal for years, but just pre-poo'd with it for the first time last night. This morning I thought I might have overdone it, since oil was behind my ear, and all over the back of my neck. However, as I shampooed my hair, I could feel the benefits. My hair has never felt so soft during the shampoo process. After I added my conditioner, my comb literally glided through my strands. A huge difference from my last shampoo where the Amla Oil made my hair so tangled! I also added a little jojoba oil to my leave-in before I set my hair.

Sometimes I think my hair hates oil, but I think it's how I apply the oil. I had a stylist years ago who only applied oil to my hair when it was wet. I think this is probably best for me. It's like the oil gets soaked in during the pre-poo and/or setting process.

Next day update:
At 9 weeks post relaxer, I'm extremely pleased with my wash day yesterday. My hair was extremely manageable, which made the roller setting process really quick. I flat ironed my roots in the front after I took the rollers out, and put in some flexirods over night. This morning, my hair was still moist, without having to put anything on it since my leave in conditioner before I set it.



I'm still going to get a relaxer next week. It's hot and humid, I've been working out almost every day, and I have an important event to attend during the holiday weekend.

Amla Oil: My Love/Hate Relationship

Every time I use amla oil, I have mixed feelings. Every so often, I use it as a pre-poo. When I put it in my hair, it feels great. After I wash and condition my hair and start to de-tangle, I wonder what the heck I was thinking when I decided to pre-poo with amla oil. I left the oil in my hair for about a day and shampooed and conditioned my hair last night. Even after putting more than the usual amount of leave-in conditioner, my hair was so tangled! I lost so much hair as I detangled. However, after my hair was dry and styled, it looked beautiful- shiny, soft and moist. I'm just not sure if the results are worth all the hair loss. I still have over half a bottle left, and I've had it for over 3 years. I may just have to toss it, because my blood pressure shot up when I saw all of that hair in the comb!

Slackin'

My hair has been a little dry lately. I know why too- I've been slacking on the pre-poos! I used to do them overnight, but now I only do it for an hour or so before I wash my hair. I got a rollerset at a Dominican salon this weekend, and even though I put in some conditioner before I left the house, she still wanted me to sit under the dryer with oil in my hair before she washed it. I promise to do better.


Finally, a recent pic: