DIY Moisturizer

I'm still in the kinky twists, and I'm really loving them. I like having a nice hairstyle every day that I don't have to do much too.  It's perfect for the summer.  I've had them in for a little over 8 weeks, and although they still look good, I'm taking them out this week.  I don't want my hair to tangle or get matted. I think I'll get them put back in so I can let my hair grow over the summer without much manipulation.

I took one twist out today and I was extremely happy about how moist my hair is!  I'm thinking that I will have to create a whole new hair regimen.  Maybe my hair is getting back to normal from being so dry for the past year.  I think consistent swimming last year and the henna treatments really dried my hair out, so I'm hoping that my hair is on the road to recovery.

So how did I get this moist hair? It's so simple.  In the past 8 weeks, I've only washed my scalp twice.  Every morning I spray my scalp and roots with a mixture of water, jojoba oil, castor oil and Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner.  I never measure, but it's about 3 parts water, 1 part conditioner and .5 parts oil.  My scalp hasn't itched at all.  Even my edges are doing well, and I haven't done much but brush them down a little.  I haven't been sleeping with a satin scarf because it's too hot, and it's uncomfortable with all of these twists.  I do sleep on a satin pillowcase, though.

I'm hoping that when I do go back to wearing my hair out, my hair will respond just as well to the spray!

Kinky Twists

I got kinky twists a few weeks ago and have been enjoying the break from doing my hair.  I felt like my hair was consuming my thoughts and energy, so I needed to take a little break.  I'm not a big fan of putting artificial hair in my hair, but I'm really enjoying this style.

I went to an African hair braiding shop my girlfriend referred me to.  They were really nice and professional. I was glad that they had the hair there and gave me advice on the color and size of my twists.  The main woman twisting my hair (most of the time, two women worked on me) was nice enough to ask me if I wanted her to do my edges and when she did, had me hold the root so that she didn't pull my hair as she twisted.  She braided the roots, and twisted the rest.  It took about 4 hours, but I'm sure it would have taken longer if there was only one person doing my hair.  Whenever I've had my hair braided in the past, I experienced a bad headache for the first couple of days. This time, no pain!  I was so happy the twists weren't too tight.  I'm too old for that, hahaha!

For maintenance, I spray my roots every morning with a mixture of water, oil, and conditioner.  So far, my scalp hasn't itched or flaked, and my natural hair feels moist and soft.  I applied a semi permanent color to my edges last weekend to cover up the grays, and it was pretty easy and fast.

My goal is to keep them in for 6-8 weeks.  I hope that I'll have a better attitude and improved regimen then.  If not, I'll just get it done again and keep them in through the summer.

Consistent Results

One of my challenges with natural hair is consistency.  Sometimes I think I'm doing the exact same thing to my hair, and the results are completely different.  I don't remember having that challenge with relaxed hair!

However, I am learning how to get consistent results.  I try to deep condition every week with heat.  I am paying more attention to the weather since the humidity levels can affect my hair.  I am also more aware of how much product I use.  For example, I thought my hair hated Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, but now I think I was just using too much.  Now I use less than a dime sized amount to get moisturized and (somewhat) well-behaved hair.

The journey continues...

I'm also learning to embrace the frizz...and accepting that my hair doesn't do what everyone else's does.

Check out this frizz forecast to check the humidity in your area and plan your hair style!

March 2013 Update

I really feel like I'm turning the corner with my hair and things are getting much better!  The past 6 months have been challenging, mostly due to a lack of moisture.  I now know how to keep my hair moist, and I'm starting to enjoy the styles too.

A couple of weeks ago I was so frustrated with my hair.  I tried to get it braided, but the braiding shop was booked. I then tried to make an appointment at the salon to get it flat ironed, but I got nervous because I don't trust anyone in my hair at this point.  So I decided to straighten it myself. I hadn't straightened my hair once since my big chop in June.  I knew it could mess up my curl pattern, but I felt so bad about my hair that I had to try something.  My hair is kinky, but I have no definite curl pattern.  If anything, it would loosen my curls/kinks, which isn't a bad thing.  Even though my hair is pretty soft, it shrinks up about 95%.

Here are the results of my flat iron:

I didn't blow dry it, I just air dried in twists and then flat ironed.  I HATED the heat protectant I used (Tresemme).  It made my hair feel hard and dry and tangled.  I was shocked how easy it was to flat iron my hair.  I set my flat iron to 265 degrees and only had to go over my hair once in most areas.  However, ,my ends were so bad that they wouldn't even get straight and curl. So I trimmed about 1/4 of an inch. The next day I bought some Jane Carter Nourish and Shine and that really moisturized and softened my hair. I can't believe I'm just trying this. It's really good, even at the high price.

I didn't love it, but I liked it, and I got a boost of confidence seeing my growth.  I wore it straight for about a week, and either used satin rollers or tied the sides down at night. For my next wash, I was excited to see if the trim I gave myself would make my twistouts look better, and it did!

After washing and conditioning, I used the tension method to stretch my hair out a little. This made it sooo much easier to apply and distribute product.  When I took my twists out the next day, my curls weren't that defined, but I didn't use any gel or holding product, so I expected that.  I was just happy my hair was moist and looked cute.  I decided (out of boredom) to put 4 cornrows on one side.  A couple of days later, I re-twisted with a little gel on the ends, and my hair looked so much better.  

I don't want to flat iron my hair too much if I can help it, but it's a nice change every month or two.

Moist!

My hair has stayed moisturized for 3 weeks straight. It's like a miracle!  I've been doing a few things to keep my hair moist:

1. I colored my hair with semi-permanent color
I've always thought that my naked hair was a dull brown and prone to dryness.  I thought henna would help, but it really hasn't helped with sheen or moisture retention.  Since my allergic reaction to the black color I had put in last year, I've been very wary of color.  However, I remembered how a semi-permanent color always gave life, shine and moisture to my hair. A few weeks ago, I applied Adore semi-permanent color in Dark Red Brown.  I noticed a difference in moisture and shine as soon as I applied it!  My hair looks thicker, and seems to absorb products better.

2. I've been deep conditioning with heat
I mentioned this in a post last month.  Consistently sitting under the dryer for at least 30 minutes with my deep conditioner has worked wonders.  

3. I've been doing a final conditioner rinse with Trader Joe's Nourish and Spa Conditioner, and leave a little of it in my hair
I bought this product a couple of months ago. It gives moisture and slip and makes my hair so easy to de-tangle.  I don't even use a comb these days.  Leave-in conditioners don't seem to have any effect, so I decided to leave some regular conditioner in after I rinse.  This has really increased my moisture level.  Usually, my hair dries up and dries out within 10 minutes after adding a leave-in.  I feel the effect of leaving some conditioner in even after my twists dry.

4. I sit under the dryer with my twists

I decided to do this just to open up my cuticles more to let the products absorb more.  Even if I only sit under the dryer for 10-20 minutes, my hair retains so much moisture and is much shinier when I take the twists out.  Lately I've been flat twisting since it takes less time, and this has really been working for me.

5. I moisturize and seal at least once a day  

Thick moisturizers haven't done much for my hair, so now I'm using a more watery moisturizer.  Africa's Best Kids Organics Shea Butter Detangling Moisturizing Hair Lotion has been my moisturizer of choice. I then seal with castor oil.  I had been doing all of this research on low porosity hair, but every rule does not apply to every head.  My hair doesn't like heavy moisturizers, but it does like castor oil, which is heavier than most oils. 

I have been washing my hair once a week, but I may need to go to twice a week.  By the 5th or 6th day, my hair is still moist, but doesn't behave the way I want it to.

Other than the semi-permanent color, I haven't bought any hair products for almost a month and a half.  Go me! 

Semi-Permanent

Since my allergic reaction to the black color I had put in last year, I've been very wary of color.  Henna hasn't helped me in terms of moisture.  I remembered how a semi-permanent color always gave life, shine and moisture to my hair. I am in desperate need of all three, so I decided to go with an Adore Plus Extra Conditioning color in Dark Red Brown.  (I'm on my own no-buy challenge, but I thought I could make an exception!)  I noticed a difference in moisture and shine as soon as I applied it! Even though the directs say you don't need to use heat, I sat under the dryer for about 25 minutes, just to make sure my hair absorbed it and it would cover my grays. I reviewed the Adore in black almost 5 years ago here.  I really like how this gave my hair some weight and seems to allow other products to work better.

I'm not sure why this works for me, since there are some ingredients like silicone and aloe vera juice that usually don't agree with my low porosity hair, but it does work.  It didn't completely cover my grays- they're still a little orange from the henna, but my hair is much improved.  Also, it probably won't last more than 2-3 washes, but I'm okay with that.  It's very affordable, and since it feels like a conditioner, I don't mind applying it often.

One Year Since Last Relaxer

My last relaxer was on 2/4/12.  I totally forgot yesterday that it was the anniversary of my last relaxer!  The time went by a lot faster than I thought it would.

My natural journey has been really interesting.  I've been frustrated, surprised, proud, and a lot of other emotions over the past year.  I do not regret going natural at all.  I feel like I'm just now realizing what my hair likes and doesn't like.  This truly has been a journey, and I'm looking forward to the next year!

Again, thank you to everyone for the tips and encouragement.