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:

Quick Update

I've been a little busy lately, but here's a quick update:

I did a protein treatment with DuoTex last night. Not sure if I see much difference, but I know I needed a protein treatment since I've been using a flat iron.

I've used a flat iron the past couple of washes, but I went back to the roller set last night. Yes, it's time consuming, but my hair really doesn't like direct heat. Plus, either I don't have a good flat iron, or I don't know how to use it correctly, because my a hair doesn't come out that flat. Plus, I had frizzy ends, which I HATE.

I'm giving up the black rinse. Again. It doesn't last, and my platinum hair becomes blue after a couple of washes. I used a reddish brown last night. I don't see any red, but that's okay. As long as there's no silver or blue!

I'm loving flexirods right now! My hair needs to stay curly the majority of the time.

I still don't use much moisturizer. Just a little oil sheen and some oil on my ends. The Kenra conditioner keeps my hair moist for days.

Still haven't decided what I'm doing with my hair this summer when it's really hot. Maybe air drying and flexirods?

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.

Length Goal Reached!

I have been wearing my hair straight this week, and I noticed yesterday that I'm full arm pit length. I still want my ends (and the rest of my hair) to be a little thicker and fuller, but I'm really excited that I have reached my length goal.

I've been on my hair journey for 3 years. I have experienced setbacks, cut my hair to a tapered cut, and shed a tremendous amount postpartum. However, these issues have forced me to deal with the problems, and find solutions. I have learned what my hair does and does not like. I'm still learning, as I work towards my goal of more thick and moist hair.

It would be great to reach bra strap length, as I think I'm only an inch or 2 away, but my focus now is working on the health of my hair. I don't want my hair much longer than bra strap, as this is the longest my hair has ever been, and it is sometimes challenging to style.