Better Day

After my discouraging hair day yesterday, I sought help of my girl, L, who has been natural for about 5 years.  I am so appreciate of her help.  She thinks that I'm washing the moisture out of my hair and suggested trying to go the rest of the week without co-washing.  She also told me to try whipped shea butter.

I decided to wash my hair again- just to make sure I was starting with a clean slate.  When I was relaxed, an egg protein treatment usually gave me brand new hair, so I did it last night.  This was the first time since my big chop that I did an egg treatment.  I used Creme of Nature Argan Oil shampoo once and did an apple cider vinegar rinse.  I deep conditioned for about 30 minutes with Giovanni 50:50 Balancing Calming Conditioner, and rinsed.  I made some whipped shea butter with jojoba and almond oils, and added a little aloe vera gel.  I applied some Cantu leave in conditioner, and some of the shea butter mix, and flat twisted my hair. I wasn't going to leave it twisted, I was just trying to make sure I got product on every strand.  Then I decided to leave the twists on over night because I noticed that my roots looked more moisturized than usual.  I slept with a satin scarf (I usually just sleep on a satin pillowcase).  When I woke up today and took my twists out, my hair was really shiny and a lot more moisturized than yesterday! My twists weren't as defined as I wanted, but I know I need to work on my twisting skills.  The flat twists instead of individual twists really helped my roots to not look too puffy.

The apple cider vinegar rinse really helped. I think I had some buildup that needed to be removed.  The shea butter made a big difference too.  I was worried that it would be too heavy for my hair, but I guess my hair drank it up.

My hair isn't at the moisture level I want it to be, but it's sooo much better. I know we're supposed to moisturize and seal, but I think I put it out of my mind since I've been having such bad luck with oils lately.  Hopefully I can make it not washing my hair for the rest of the week. Following my girl's advice, my plan is to lightly spritz my hair with water before bed and add a small amount of my whipped shea butter mix. I'll decide at night whether to re-twist or not. In the morning, I'll just add oil in the morning for shine and finger comb to slightly lift the smashed hair.

I Love My Natural Hair. I Love My Natural Hair.

I really don't love it right now, but I'm trying to talk myself into it!

I did a twist out last week.  The weather cooled down, and I felt like I was catching a cold, so I decided not to swim for the week.  I figured it was the perfect time to try a twistout.  I still haven't mastered flat twists, so I decided to do individual twists.

I co-washed, and used Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in mixed with some aloe vera juice and oil.  I twisted each section with a little Ecostyler gel on each section.  I pinned most of the twists down, to keep them twisted and to stretch them out some.  When I woke up, my hair was completely dry.  I took out the twists with some coconut oil on my hands.  Most of my twists, especially in the front were very well defined. Some parts of the back looked frizzy to me.  The next night, I re-twisted just a few areas in the back and on the sides.

This is not a great picture...I liked that my hair was stretched out, but I don't love the results.  I think I need to use different products to twist, because my hair didn't look as moist and shiny as I had hoped.  Next time I'll use something other than coconut oil to take the twists out.

I tried another twistout last night, using Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in and grapeseed oil (no gel).  I had bigger twists this time.  I like how the ends of my hair came out, but did not like how puffy and dry my roots looked and felt.  I ended up co-washing and wearing my usual wash and go afro.

I don't think the gel is helping my hair stay moisturized. Maybe it's due to the weather not being as humid and warm.  I also don't think coconut oil is working for me.  Actually, most oils seem to only coat my hair at this point.  I don't even get any shine from them.

I'm feeling discouraged.  I can't seem to keep my hair moisturized, especially at the roots.  My hair strands are fine, so it's hard to get the roots to clump together like I want them to.  I'm not giving up, I just need to figure this out....

Product Review: Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Purification Hair Masque

I bought and tried this masque about a week and half ago.  It was about $13 at the drugstore.

Product Description
Detoxify, condition and soothe hair and scalp with gentle Kaolin clay, herbal extracts, botanical enzymes and essential vitamins. Our intense treatment relieves dry, itchy scalp, removes product buildup and preserves hair by sealing in natural moisture. Treats dandruff, eczema & psoriasis.

*Plantain enzyme: Helps to alleviate itchiness and irritation * Tea tree: Removes buildup for enhanced shine and volume *Willow bark extract: Exfoliates and detoxifies hair and scalp *Ethically traded ingredients, sustainably produced *No parabens, phthalates, paraffin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, PABA, synthetic color, DEA, animal ingredients or sulfates *Cruelty free, no animal testing *Sulfate free, color safe, organic

Ingredients
Deionized Water , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Mangfera Indica Seed Butter (Mango) , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , African Black Soap Extract , Sea Salt , Cetyl Esters , Kaolin Clay , Grapeseed Oil , Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba) , Behentrimonium Chloride (Conditioner) , Salicylic Acid , Salix Alba (Willow Bark) Extract , Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil (Neem) , Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil , Sorbitol Esters , Aloe Vera Leaf Juice , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Rosemary Extract , Salvia Officinalis Extract (Sage) , Plantain Extract

Directions
Apply generously to dampened hair, leaving on 5-30 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Shake well, natural ingredients tend to settle.

My Experience
 Before I used it, I read some online reviews. I decided to use it as a pre-poo treatment.  My hair was a little damp from working out when I applied it.  The texture is creamy, but not too heavy.  The smell is pleasant, not overbearing at all.  I left it in for a little over 30 minutes.  I didn't even try to de-tange with it, but my hair doesn't get too tangled anyway.  I washed my hair using very diluted shampoo, applied a rinse out conditioner for a few minutes, and air dried.  I'm glad I used it as a pre-poo and used some shampoo, because it's grainy and hard to get out.  I think it's more sandy than henna!

I actually didn't notice a difference at all using this product. Even days later, I couldn't tell I used anything different.  I may try to use this once more, but I probably will not purchase it again.

I don't have a dry, itchy scalp so I shouldn't have even bought this.  CVS had a sale on Shea Moisture products.  They didn't have the products I wanted, but I felt like I should get something.