First Braid Out in Years!

As my hair gets longer, the less time I want to spend on it. I do a lot of exercising, and I just want to be easy and free this summer. Since I went back to relaxed hair, I have been washing, conditioning and roller setting my hair weekly. Because I'm pretty active, the curls only last a couple of days. I'm looking for easy styles this summer that will keep my hair healthy. I decided to try a braid out on my relaxed hair. I hadn't done a braid out in years!

I shampooed with Cream of Nature Argan Oil from Morocco Moisture & Shine Shampoo, deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Treatment Masque and used Curls Cashmere & Caviar Hair Silk as my leave in. I don't use any of these products on a regular basis, but I wanted as much moisture as possible. I already had them at home, so I gave them a try. I really liked the Curls Cashmere & Caviar leave in- I noticed immediately how much it moisturized my hair. I let my hair air dry loose with a satin scarf around my edges. When my hair was almost completly dry, I created 8 braids using Curls Twist n Shout Cream and avocado oil. I rolled the ends with small perm rods and went to bed.

I was a little nervous to see the result the next morning. I worked out with a scarf around my edges, took a shower, and then took my braids out. I was pleasantly surprised with the results! My hair had great definition, felt moisturized, and looked really full.

This might have not been the best day for me to rock a braid out, because it was SO humid and a little rainy! On top of the humidity, I took a pretty intense yoga class and taught a yoga class. By the end of the day, I had some straight strands. My plan was to put my hair up in 2 pineapples for the night, but because of the humidity, I re-braided my hair.

If I can keep a nice braid out for 4-5 days, I think this will be a good summer style for me!

Please give me any tips on how to master my braid out!

Haircut & Wash N Go by Jaded Tresses

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a natural hair workshop through my local natural hair meetup group.  The event was this past Saturday, and I was sick with a head cold. I felt so tired and sick and didn't want to go, but as I was laying in bed, I looked up the presenters online, and I saw that one of the presenters was a natural hair stylist from New Jersey/Brooklyn and she was giving a wash n go workshop. I was skeptical about doing a wash n go on this head, but being that she was from out of state, I wanted to see what she had to say.  I've been thinking about going to NYC to get a professional cut and style, so I thought this would help me decide for sure.  Plus, I had already paid for the workshop!! So I got my sick butt up and went to the event at a restaurant about twenty minutes from my home.

The first half of the workshop was a mixing demo with Candace Kelley of Curl Prep.  She showed us how to make a shea butter (I need to get some REAL shea butter!) and a protein conditioner.  Then, the famous Tameeka aka Jaded Tresses aka the "Curl Whisperer" talked about how anyone can do a wash n go. I was still skeptical, but she took a woman from the audience with 4c hair and did it! She showed us exactly what she did and what products she used. She did the wash n go on very wet hair and used the Sweet Buttah she and Candace promote, and an EcoStyler mix (ecostyler, water, & oil). Then she ran the product through the hair. I still wasn't sure it would work on me, though.

Tameeka was also taking appointments the next day at a local salon, so I book an appointment to get a much needed trim.  She washed and conditioned my hair, and then cut my hair while it was wet.  The then re-wet it and shingled my hair for a wash and go.  I saw my hair curl and clump like never before!  Of course it shrunk a lot as it dried, but at least I had curls.  She told me that I don't have the chronic dry hair I thought I have.  She actually told me that I have a nice head of dense, thick hair.  I really enjoyed Tameeka doing my hair. This was my first time as a natural going to the salon (not including the times I got my hair straightened), and it was a great experience. I was treated with respect, Tameeka took me in a timely manner, she gave me a great scalp massage, and we had a fun and interesting conversation- about hair and other things!  She said she might come back to Boston in November, so I might see her again for some color.

That first night I just put a bonnet on and went to bed. In the morning, I rubbed some of the Sweet Buttah on my hands, fluffed, and went out the door. The next night, I put my hair in about 8 ponytails just to stretch it some, and I still had a cute, curly afro! Tameeka said that I'd probably want to do a twistout by day 4 or 5, but that's cool- at least I don't have to twist every night. My hair finally has shape, I don't have to spend 20-30 minutes a night on it, and it looks cute!

This was my hair on day 3:

And then on day 4 after twisting it the night before using just the Sweet Buttah:

I actually like the wash and go look, so the next time I wash it, I'm going to try and go 4-5 days with the wash n go.  I feel like my experience was just the blessing I needed. I was actually thinking about doing the big chop again and just starting over.  I was frustrated with twisting it every night, not having a shape, and thinking that my hair was dry and unhealthy.  Hallelujah!! 

New Year, Better Hair

Happy 2014!

I had a great Christmas and New Year, and a long, much needed break.  Since I didn't have to go to work for a couple of weeks, I got a little lazy about twisting my hair every night.  This was a good thing, because I got to be creative with styling and trying new products.  I do still need to re-twist every night though, because my hair frizzes a lot, even if I put my hair into a bunch of ponytails at night like I used to.  I'm going to stick with my twist/bantu knot out for a little while longer until my hair grows some more.  My twistouts have been less than stellar, mostly because I can't keep the ends curly, and I want my hair to fall down a little more instead of sticking out!

I also stopped blow drying my hair before twisting.  It's not as necessary as I thought it was to achieve a good bantu knot out, and I was losing so much hair in the process (breakage and shedding).  Also, my hair is so much more moist and "springy" when I don't blow dry.

I'm still using most of the same products, but I've incorporated protein and castor oil into my regimen again. I've been using Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor every week or two, and it really has helped cut down on the shedding (I am a heavy shedder!).  The castor oil helps control frizz, keeps my hair moisturized longer, and creates more defined twistouts.  It's definitely a winter staple.  I always think that the heavier products weigh my hair down, but they've been pretty good lately- probably because it's winter, and the air is so cold and dry.

The most exciting thing was that I was able to pull my hair into my first puff!  I'm not able to pull it all into a ponytail, but I can use a headband or a scarf to pull up the sides, front and back.

Since I've been on such a good roll lately with my hair and it's moisture level, I had been afraid to try anything different.  But, I'm glad I did, because now I know not to be afraid of heavier conditioners and moisturizers and oils like castor oil and coconut.

November 2012 Update: Twistouts

I'm starting to really enjoy my hair.  Keeping it moist (finally!) has made a big difference.  I've been washing (mostly with shampoo) every Sunday, twisting, letting the twists out Monday morning, and rocking a twistout for the week.  I'm going to do it again this weekend, but I'm going to try to keep the twistout for over a week.  I actually think the older my twistout gets, the better I like it.  Every day, I separate the twists a little more, so by day 6, I really like how my hair looks.  Here's what I've been doing on non-henna/non-egg protein treatment weeks:

* Saturday night, I apply oil or conditioner and keep it in over night.  I realized that I don't like deep conditioning- I don't have the time or the patience for it, so doing it on dry hair over night before I wash makes me feel like I'm doing something just as good!

*In the morning, I shampoo or co-wash my hair (Creme of Nature Argan Oil Shampoo, black soap, or Tresemme Naturals Conditioner). While in the shower, I de-tangle with a lot of conditioner and a shower comb.

*I apply leave-in conditioner while my hair is damp (I've been switching between Hawaiian Silky 14-in-1 and Cantu Shea Butter).

*I add castor or grapessed oil, then moisturizer (ORS), then a little gel (Ecostyler).  Then I twist it.  I pin the roots of the twists down with bobby pins.

*For the rest of the day, I wear a scarf under a hat and go about my business. The next day, when I take out the twists, my hair looks like this:

I'm still shocked about how moist my hair has been!  The gel has really helped to define my twists, but still keeps my hair soft.  This photo is from separating each twist once. I usually separate one more time for the first day, but this week, I wanted a tighter curl for the first couple of days.  I start twisting in the front, so I'm usually tired by the time I reach the back.  This last week, I did individual twists in the front and flat twists in the back.  Because I did this, and because my hair is longer in the back, my hair looked much longer in the back than in the front.  It evened out by the second day or so, but I'm going to try to do the individual twists all over.

At night, I put my hair into about 8 ponytail puffs to keep it from getting flat.  In the morning I add a little oil, fluff and go. Each day, I separate some of the twists more. By Thursday or Friday, my hair looks like this:

I've been using mostly castor oil.  It's been great now that the weather is so cold and dry.  I apply the oil with a color applicator bottle, and when I massage it and untwist more, the oil reaches the length of my hair strands.  I could still separate the twists more, which I'll probably do over the next day or two.  I want to experiment with all of the curling creams I've bought over the past 5 months, but what I'm doing now has been working so well that I'm afraid to try!  I also want to try bigger twists, but it's been hard to keep them twisted when I use larger chunks of hair.  Maybe in a couple of months....

One Month Post Big Chop

It's been one month and 10 days since my big chop. Every week gets better, and I've learned a few things about my hair.  For example, I don't think I have fine or low porosity hair.  Could it have been the relaxer???

I co-wash every day, with either Aussie Moist or V05 Moisture Milks.  For the past two weeks I have used Hawaiian Silky Miracle Worker 14 in 1 as my leave-in, and it really keeps my hair moist.  Moisture is my number one goal.  My hair is naturally dry, but I've also been working out and swimming regularly- sometimes in the sun- so I need to keep my hair as moist as possible.  My scalp is doing great.  It took about 2 months for it to get back to normal after my allergic reaction.  I haven't done a henna gloss in about 3 weeks, but I will do one in the next few days.  I would love to color my hair lighter, but I want to wait until I am confident about keeping it moist and healthy.

My edges are doing great too.  For the first time, they lay down with just a little gel- no scarf! They're the same texture as the rest of my hair, too.  I think the relaxer was always breaking my edges, so they were never healthy or an even length to be manageable.

This week was the first time I noticed a little curl pattern and some growth! I still use some gel and a brush to define my curls every morning, but I don't use as much gel, and I don't brush as much.

I still don't love my hair, but I am enjoying having short, low maintenance hair during the summer.  It's much cooler, and it's been fun experimenting with jewelry and make-up!  I don't miss having a relaxer at all.  My man always tells me that it's not the hair, it's my confidence, so walking straighter, smiling more, and showing the world that I feel good about myself has been good for me.  I've gotten a lot of compliments- not just about my hair, but my skin, my eyes and my overall appearance!

Curls!

2 weeks post big chop.  Still no curls.  However, I did find a video that helps me define my curls in less than 10 minutes:

I am so thankful for finding this video.  I guess hours of looking at youtube videos has paid off!  I'm on my third day of doing this, and I still really like it.

I also started using Aussie Moist conditioner to co-wash, which is great.  I didn't like it on my relaxed hair, but it really moisturizes my natural hair.  I went to the beach on Saturday, and with the hot sun on top of my already dry hair, my kinks were CRISPY.  That night, I shampoo'd, henna'd, and deep conditioned overnight with ORS Replenishing (not sure if I like it on my natural hair- maybe I need to stay away from protein).  The next day I used the brush to define my curls and I was in shock how fast the curls came!  I used leave-in, Shea Moisture Curling Smoothie, and Eco Styler gel.  My hair was still not as moist as I wanted it, but I loved the curls.  The next day, I used Aussie Moist to co-wash, skipped the leave-in, and just applied castor oil and Eco Styler Gel with olive oil.  Loved it.  My hair stayed moist all day- a first since my big chop!  I went out with a couple of friends, and they gave me so many compliments on my hair.

Since starting my hair journey, I have always been on the fence about leave-in conditioners. Unless I use the Kimmaytube method with oil and aloe vera juice, I've never really seen a difference.  Lately, I've felt like the leave-ins I've been using have been making my hair feel harder and drier, not softer and moist.

I also realized that I have heat damage!  Right on top in the front- the most visible place to have it! I'm just going to keep scrunching it up with gel to mask it.

First Twist Out on TWA

Since I haven't found my curls yet (hey, maybe I'll never have defined curls), I decided to do a twist out.  The day before that, I co-washed, and left some of the VO5 conditioner in my hair.  It looked like my hair was curly!  However, when I woke up, I looked like Florida Evans, lol.  I co-washed again that night, left some of the conditioner in my hair, applied some oil, and used Taliah Waajid Curly Curly Curl Cream to do 6 flat twists from front to back.  It still takes me a long time to do flat twists.  I'm so used to cornrows (3 strands), that flat twists seem weird for me to do.  In the morning, I rubbed some coconut oil on my hands and took the strands out.

I definitely liked this better than the "hairstyle" I had the day before.  Even though I tried to get rid of all of the relaxed ends, I still had some spiky ends popping up.  The next time I do it, I won't do twists all the way back.  The middle was not as defined, so I think I need to start new twists in the middle of my head.  That night, I slept with a satin bonnet on.  When I woke up, I applied a little shea butter/coconut oil, sprayed with a little water, fluffed and went to work.  I'll be happy if it lasts me 3 days!


I've been buying all of these products, but I'm going to slow down.  It hasn't even been 2 weeks since my big chop and I want to get my hair used to being in it's natural state! Just because I don't like how a product works now doesn't mean I won't like it in 2/6/8/12 weeks.  I'm going to stay with a product for a week before I try another.  I was using the clear Ecostyler gel, and I finally got the one with olive oil.  It seems a lot more moisturizing.  I did a few coils on dry hair last night, and I loved how moist and smooth my hair was this morning.  

Rod Set

I decided to try a rod set yesterday. I don't think I've ever tried this before.  I wanted to see how my hair would look short and curly, and to try a style I hope will last more than 2 days.  After I washed it, I set it with diluted Lottabody with a little Ecostyler gel on the ends, and I used small flexirods and perm rods. This morning when I took the rollers out, I separated them with coconut oily fingers, and slicked down my edges with Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect Edges.

Honestly, I didn't like it at first, but as the day goes on, I like it a little more.  After I took the first picture, I pinned the sides up a little.  I hadn't used Lottabody in a while, and I really like how shiny and bouncy my curls are.  I'm interested to see the curls in the next day or two. I'm afraid to separate the back too much, because I don't want it to get frizzy.  I don't know..I guess I have to get used to it.  I definitely know how I would do it differently in terms of roller placement, but I know it could have been a lot worse!

The other thing I did differently this wash was adding honey to my deep conditioner.  I never had good results the few times I've done this, but this time was different (maybe it was winter when I tried it before?).  My hair is so moist, and my new growth feels so soft (a first).  I'm definitely going to continue do this.  

Fried.

I washed my hair Saturday.  I actually enjoyed the experience, mostly because I didn't lose a lot of hair de-tangling, and I really liked how my new growth felt.  While it was wet.  I was invited to a day party, so I felt like I had to do something, so I let it air dry and then attempted to blow dry and flat iron it.  FAIL.  Why did I even do it to myself???  There was so much hair on the sink, and although my hair was straight, there really wasn't any body or life to it.  I was able to go to the event looking decent, but...the next day my hair looked ridiculous, even though I wrapped it.  Yesterday I wet the ends with a water/aloe vera mixture to try to give it some life.  When it dried, I applied moisturizer and oil and did a few bantu knots.  This morning it looked pretty, but it's misty outside and my hair was straight again before I even got to work.  Ugh.

I know that really should not be putting heat in my hair like that.    I probably would have been better off trying to pull it into a bun.  The only thing is that my edges get so fuzzy because I still haven't learned to tame them.  I'm not sure I ever will.

Back to my liking how my new growth felt when it was wet.  Maybe I just need to find the right product to keep it moisturized.  As always, I appreciate any suggestions.

Protein & Pin Curl Magic

About a week and a half ago I got my hair done. I went to a Cape Verdean salon that uses the Dominican technique.  I've been there before and had great results, but I was NOT happy this visit.  I should have waited for the salon owner to do my hair as usual, but I thought that since I had a fresh relaxer that anyone could do my hair.  There are a bunch of young girls working in there, who probably never went to beauty school, and treat everyone's hair the same (even though all of the customers have a very diverse range of hair textures and lengths).  The girl who did my hair washed my hair way too hard.  I do NOT like getting my scalp scratched.  I could write a whole post just about this, but I'll save it for another day.  She shampooed my hair like 4 or 5 times, which is way too much for me, and then had the nerve to try to scratch my scalp with a rat tail comb.  Why would she do that?!  I don't have a flaky scalp, so I don't understand  She was pretty gentle de-tangling and or roller setting, but I felt like she blow dried the heck out of my hair.  I only asked her to blow dry the roots, and I'm not sure if my roots even needed it.  My hair was very straight, but too straight for my taste. I left feeling like my hair was over-manipulated and that it looked thin.  I won't be going back unless the owner does my hair.  I think she knew I had an attitude, but probably thought I was just tender headed, since I kept telling her not to scratch my scalp and to be easy with the blow drier!  Now I'm thinking I shouldn't get my hair done every 2-3 weeks. I really don't trust anyone in my hair at this point.

Since my hair had been so manipulated, I tried to keep the style for two weeks, but I broke down last night and washed my hair.  I had been wearing it up in a bun since I got it done, because I thought it looked too thin to wear down.  But when I took my bun out last night, I had some shedding and even a little breakage, and I felt like I needed to try to correct it as soon as possible.  I decided to use an egg mixed with oil as my protein treatment.  I used two eggs with olive, jojoba and almond oil.  I planned on leaving it in my hair for 15 minutes, but by the time I did what I had to do around the house, it ended up being about 40.  I noticed that the egg/oil mix took a lot of my black rinse out, which was fine.  I shampooed with Elasta QP Creme Moisturizing Shampoo, and deep conditioned with Aubrey Organics GPB.

I broke my promise to myself and roller set my hair.  It was already almost 9pm by the time I rinsed out my conditioner, so I knew my hair wouldn't air dry before I went to bed.  I used my new Matrix Biolage leave-in tonic to set my hair.  When I took my rollers out, I noticed how moisturized my hair felt and it looked thicker than it has in months.  I needed protein!  I haven't been using much protein lately, because I thought the henna had been acting like a protein for me. It wasn't.  I wish that I didn't realize this sooner.  I'm hoping regular use of protein products for a little while will help bring my hair back to health.  I just need to research the different kinds of protein, since some products with protein don't work at all for me.

I pin curled my hair in 8-10 pin curls.  Here is how I looked this morning:

I really like how it came out.  I've been too lazy to pin curl my hair at night, but I'm going to start doing it more often.  I've gotten a lot of compliments on my hair today.  I also consider this somewhat of a protective style, since my curls are tight enough to stay off my clothes.  My curls fell a little during the day, but not enough to rub against my sweater!

No Home Rollersets

My focus is to get my hair thicker. I am really not happy with how thin I think it is.  I hate see-through hair!  The black rinse definitely helps, but I have to do a lot more to reach my goal of thicker hair.

I have decided not to roller set my hair anymore.  It's a lot of manipulation and I think I roll too tight, which has caused too many broken hairs when I take the rollers out.  I will only get roller sets at the salon from now on.  I've lost a little confidence in doing my own hair. I get so much less breakage, shedding and dryness when I get my hair done at the salon.  Maybe I'm using the wrong tools.  I'll work on that later, but for now, I'm looking forward to being pampered every 2-3 weeks.  I'm going to air dry when I wash my own hair. I have air dried my hair the past two times I washed it, and it's been pretty good.  After my bad air drying experiences last year, I've realized that I can't just leave my hair out to air dry. I've been putting my hair in one loose braid and tying the edges down with a scarf.  During the day, I've been keeping it in bun. I moisturize and seal at least once a day.  My hair has stayed moist and smooth.  I've actually gotten a lot of compliments.  Unless I go to the salon for a roller set, I'll be wearing my hair up indefinitely.

I've been trying new conditioners and moisturizers, but I need to stick with the same products for a while. I really believe that consistency with moisturizing products is the key for me, not necessarily the specific products.

So that's it. I'm keeping it simple and consistent.  I haven't taken any pictures lately, mostly because I'm not happy with how my hair looks.  I know I'm my worst critic, and that my hair probably doesn't look that bad.  I also know that I should be taking pictures so that I can see my progress in the coming weeks.  They're coming!

January 2012 Update

Since I got my hair done this past weekend, I've been trying to keep things simple:

* Moisturize and seal with ORS Hair Lotion and coconut oil every other night
* On the nights I don't moisturize and seal, I put coconut oil on my ends
* Wrap my hair every night, but change the direction of the wrap every other day so I still have body and no breakage
* Apply a drop of Keala oil to my hair before I take the wrap down in the morning

I am happily surprised that my hair looks and feels so good at 9 weeks.  I haven't had any breakage and not too much shedding, which is so rare for me at this point.  I plan to get a relaxer at 10 weeks.  I'll wash my hair this weekend, and will probably put in a black rinse, but I have no idea how I'll wear my hair until my relaxer...maybe set it?  Or air dry, then blow out the roots a little and wear a bun for a week.

Although I would love to be able to style my own hair all of the time, I have liked my hair all week for the first time in months.  Not worrying about how my hair looks has made the other things in my life easier.  So, I will try to get my hair done every 2 weeks or so for a while, at least until my hair is back at the health level I want it to be.

Besides moisturizing and sealing on a consistent basis, I have also started taking vitamins again.  Even though I eat well, I'm probably a little Vitamin D deficient.  Vitamin D is essential for strong and healthy hair, and makes our hair able to absorb much needed nutrients for growth. People of color, especially in the northeast and other cold climates, often have a Vitamin D deficiency.  That coupled with the fact that I haven't been eating or drinking a lot of dairy in the past 6 months, AND that I haven't followed my doctor's order to start taking Vitamin D last spring- I probably need some kind of supplement.  Hopefully, I see some good results.

My bun from last week

I'll try to post some more pics soon.  I've been so bad at taking pictures lately!

My Personal Roller Setting Challenge

I'm inspired by Ebony's roller setting challenge.  However, I try not to officially join challenges, because they make me put more pressure on myself than I already do, and usually I can't stick to them for the entire time of the challenge.

Rollersetting is my style of choice after a wash, but my sets haven't been coming out as good as they used to.  I've been racking my brain to figure out why.  I know I have changed products, but I also think that my hair has changed in the past couple of years.  Ebony has done a lot of researching on rollersetting, and I've gotten some great tips from her.

The other day, I pre-poo'd with vatika oil.  I used to worship this when I first started my hair journey, and I can't quite remember why I stopped.  I would have loved to keep it in overnight, but since I had to work the next morning, I put on a plastic cap and left it on for a couple of hours while I worked out, cooked dinner and got my baby ready for bed.  After he was asleep, I washed with Hair One cleansing conditioner.  I decided to try a clear rinse to give me some more shine. I think the henna, along with the weather, has made my hair dry, so I needed a little boost.  I left the clear rinse in my hair for about 20 minutes, rinsed it out, and applied Aubrey Organics White Camellia to my hair for a few minutes and rinsed.  I used a dime-sized amount of Salerm 21 as my leave in and set my hair with Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum.  I used to love this serum for setting, but when I ran out, I bought the Sally's generic version which did not yield the same results for me.  I recently bought the PM serum with a coupon I got in the mail.

When I set my hair, I used smaller rollers than I usually do.  I was trying to get more body, and I wanted my hair to hold onto the curl longer.  I also rolled my hair differently.  I usually do the mohawk method, but this time, I placed the rollers in different places in my head.  I figured this way I wouldn't have parts where I don't want them, and that I could put in more rollers than I usually do.  It took me a little longer to get all of the rollers in, but that's okay.  After about 90 minutes, my hair was dry.  I did the Saran Wrap wrap under the dryer for 15 minutes, flat ironed my roots, put on a scarf, and went to bed.  The next morning, my hair was....okay.  The good thing is that although it was still dry, my hair was not as dry as it has been in the past month.  Also, after sleeping on it cross-wrapped for two nights, my hair looks and feels much better.

Here are my takeaways from this last setting experience:

1. I need a new dryer.  I'm sick of sitting under the dryer for an hour and a half, but most importantly, I think if I had a better quality dryer, my sets would come out better and smoother.  I'm currently using a Gold N Hot Jumbo Soft-Bonnet Hair Dryer.  I loved this when my hair was short.  My hair would dry fast, and I didn't have to worry about sitting uncomfortably, or not hearing what was going on around me.  Now that my hair is longer, it's just not working for me.

2. I'm just about 8 weeks post relaxer.  Post a relaxer that was purposely a little under processed so that my hair could gain some strength.  My roots are thick.  My hair is not going to do what I want.  I will have more dryness.  Every time I get frustrated with my hair, I have to remind myself of this.  I just want to make it 2 more weeks to the 10 week point before I relax again.

3. I don't know how to wrap my hair.  Why do I even keep trying?  Unless I have a fresh relaxer, my wraps come out jacked up on one side.  Always.

4.  I need to pre-poo with vatika oil every wash.  I think this will help me get more moisture.  I may continue to do the clear rinses.  I'm not sure if it helped my shine, but it did help my hair feel heavier, and I want heavy and moist hair!

Castor Oil Overdose?

My hair has been responding extremely well to castor oil lately. I think it's due to the season change- my hair seems to like this oil better in the cooler months. It has helped to keep my hair from getting too dry, and it has made my strands look thicker. I think I overdid it last week, though. Actually, I think I didn't wash it out enough. I applied a good amount of castor oil to my scalp a day before my wash day. I used diluted shampoo to clean my scalp, and I probably should have used straight shampoo. I proceeded to deep condition (using conditioner with a drop of castor oil in it!) and rollerset my hair. Although my hair looked good (=thick), it didn't feel good. It was really weighed down and felt like there was film of oil on it. On top of that, my scalp was flaky and a little itchy. At first, I thought I could keep it like that for a few days, but moisturizer and serum weren't doing anything but causing more buildup, and I didn't want my scalp to be clogged, so I shampooed again. I used a moisturizing shampoo along with some Hair One cleansing conditioner. When I finished, my hair felt great and was so easy to detangle. I airdried with a scarf and my ends clipped up. When I woke up, my hair was smooth and moist. My ends were a little dry, but I'm still working on this airdrying thing.

What I learned from this experience is that I can continue to use castor oil, I just need to use shampoo when I wash. I was afraid that the shampoo would remove all of the effects of the castor oil, but that's not true. Even though I don't like too much manipulation, my hair really does like being washed or co-washed more than once a week. I also learned that me and airdrying might be able to get along after all! I'm going to try to shampoo my hair once a week, and co-wash once a week. I'll airdry at least one of these washes and see what happens. I'm really trying to bun the majority of time this fall/winter, so maybe this will help.

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.

May 2011 Update

For a refreshing change, I'm actually loving my hair these days. I got a relaxer about 3 weeks ago, and I'm really enjoying the length and health of my hair. I always complain that my hair is so thin, but it really isn't as thin as I thought. It is very fine, but it's not thin. I think I was using the wrong products and methods when I rollerset. I roll my hair too tight, and I'm sure this is the reason I have so many hairs on the floor when I comb out my set. So, I'm taking a little break from rollersetting. I'm also going to stop complaining about how thin/fine it is. It's not fine because it's not healthy. It's hereditary and I'm going to get over it.

My stylist thinks I should just air dry and flatiron it for a while. She does that to her daughter's hair, and her hair is at her waist. She has never gotten a roller set! For my first wash after my relaxer, I added my leave-ins and combed my hair down. I sat under the dryer for about 15 minutes. I attempted to blow dry, but I don't know how effective it was since I really don't know how to blow dry well. I used Chi Silk Infusion as my heat protectant and flatironed my hair. It came out so nice! It was bouncy, moist and shiny. And it looked thick! I honestly didn't know how to act for a week with my hair swinging like that. While I dried, I tied my edges down with a scarf, which also made a big difference in how slick my hair looked!

I don't want to give up rollersetting entirely, as I like the body I get and it is less manipulation on my hair. This past weekend, I got a rollerset at a Dominican salon. The woman who did my hair barely spoke English, so I don't know what products she used. I will say that whatever she used smelled heavenly. She really rubbed in the conditioner, and she set my hair in like, 2 minutes. Okay, not 2 minutes, but a lot faster than I do. She blew out my roots and the blow dryer was hot as hell, but the end result was worth it. I'm hoping I can get a rollerset done every 2 weeks and wash and flatiron my hair in between. When it gets too hot for me to sit under the dryer, I'll experiment with bantu knots and braidouts. I'll probably wear my hair up in a bun when it's hot anyway.

I also haven't needed too much moisturizer. I just spray some oil sheen on my hair while it's wrapped and maybe put some castor oil on my ends, and I'm good to go. I'm really trying to get most of my moisture from the conditioners, so I don't have to deal with moisturizers that don't do much but weigh my hair down.

I finally got a camera, so I'll post pictures soon.

Airdry/Braidout

Last night I decided to try to airdry again. I co-washed with V05 Moisture Milks, used the t-shirt method to dry my hair a little, applied Giovanni Direct Leave-In and some grapeseed and castor oil to my roots and ends. I put my hair in 2 braids and used a satin roller on each end.

Today when I woke up, I applied a little more castor oil to my hands while I took the braids out. This was much better, but still not where I want to be. The part of my hair that was braided came out pretty good, but the rest of my hair was still frizzy.

I'll try again next week. Back to the drawing board....

Airdrying - #FAIL

I air dried my hair this weekend and the results were not good. I shampoo'd and deep conditioned. After I applied my leave-ins, I put a satin scarf around my edges and let it air dry. My hair was a dry, frizzy mess. It started out okay, but in retrospect, I should have applied a little oil before it was completely dry, and maybe put it up in a clip or bun or something. I know a lot of women put their hair in 2 braids, but I decided not to do that because I didn't want the braidout look.

I even flat ironed it a little the next day, but it was still stiff. So I co-washed and roller set it the next day. The good thing that came out of this was that I saw how much I'm in need of a trim. I truly believe that with a good trim comes easier styling.

I'm going to keep trying!

Pincurl Week

This week I decided to pin curl my hair every night. This isn't that new, but I tried a different method of pin curling every night.

I washed and conditioned my hair on Sunday. Sunday night, I did 7 pin curls (2 on each side, and 3 in the back). This is how my hair came out on Monday:

My hair looks really short here, but I loved it because my hair didn't touch my shoulders. It was rainy and windy on Monday, so I kept the pincurls in with my scarf on, put a hat on my head, and took the pincurls out when I got to work. I feel like this is a protective style because my ends weren't exposed and didn't rub against my shirt.

Monday night, I did 3 pin curls- on on each side and one in the back. Here is how I looked on Tuesday:
The curls were looser, so my hair looks longer, but it's still curly. I got a lot of compliments this day. It was still rainy and windy, so before I left the house, I put my hair in a bun at my nape and put a hat (with a satin lining) on.

Tuesday night, I did only 2 pin curls- one on each side. This is how I looked on Wednesday:
I liked this, because it looked wavy. The only thing I didn't like was that the back of my hair looked a little thin since it had been up to the sides.

Wednesday night I just did one tight bun in the back. Here is how I looked on Thursday:I think this was my favorite look because my hair looked so full and thick. Too bad it was my day off and I didn't have anywhere to go, lol!

Thursday night, I fell asleep on the couch, woke up around one and barely had enough energy to change my clothes, so I just moisturized and put my hair in a loose bun on top of my head. Here is how my hair came out on Friday:

This almost looks like I wrapped it. My hair is a little dirty and weighed down with moisturizer and oil, so even if I did more than a bun the night before, I believe I would have had similar results.

The only products I used was Kids' Organics Shea Butter Hair Lotion (which I'll review soon) and cocounut oil. I liked my hair every day this week, which is the best thing. My hair stayed moisturized and curled, even in bad weather conditions. It's nice to have such versatility without using any heat.