Postpartum Shedding

I had my baby just about 3 months ago, and for the past week I've been experiencing a lot of shedding. My hair doesn't look or feel thin, it's just all that hair in my comb, on my floor and even on my baby is freaking me out a little. I know I need a protein treatment, even though this shedding is hormonal and is caused by things inside of my body. The air is cold & dry and I haven't done a good protein treatment in a while. I went to the beauty supply store today to get some Aphogee 2 step, but they were out. This is a good thing in a way, because I'm afraid to use that hard stuff. I think I will try the mayonnaise again and see how that works.

Ponytail

For some reason, my boyfriend loves it when I wear a ponytail. He was so excited yesterday that I wore a ponytail and that it's so long. I like when he's this easy to please! I pinned it up in a bun, but it fell out.

This isn't my favorite style, because I've always thought that the ponytail holders were bad for your hair (even though I'm using the "good" kind here). I also think wearing all of my hair back like this makes my forehead look big. But, I am happy that my ponytail is this long and looks so full!

Buns

I've decided to wear my hair in buns this winter. The weather is so cold and dry, I don't want my ends to rub against my sweaters, and my baby has been pulling my hair. I have some accessories, but I definitely need to buy more. I've also been looking at some youtube videos for bun ideas. Photos to come...

Even though it's been almost 3 weeks since my relaxer, here is an updated picture. I've been wearing my hair curly, and this is th efirst time it's been somewhat straight:

December 2009 Relaxer

I got a relaxer a few days ago after going 12 weeks. I don't have a photo because I got it curled, so I'll post a picture when it's straight. My salon experience was really good. I didn't get anything different, but the relaxer didn't burn at all, which is rare for me. Also, my hair didn't shed at all, which is great, considering I just had a baby. My stylist was really impressed with my hair. The way she talks to me about hair has changed to, because I guess she can see I'm serious about taking care of it. She gave me some tips on how to style my hair, and even gave me short tutorial on braidouts. She told me that I should try it now that my hair is longer.

I'm going to try to keep going 12 weeks between relaxer. My hair is so much healthier this way, and I like seeing how much it's grown after so long. I also save money and time. I calculated that by getting a relaxer every 12 weeks instead of 6 saves me $425 and I go to the salon only 4 times a year instead of 9.

12 Weeks Post Relaxer

It's hard to believe that less than 2 years ago, I was getting a relaxer every 6 weeks, and now I'm at 12! I NEVER thought I could go this long without a touch-up, but with the right products and maintenance, I've done it. I actually feel like I could go one or two more weeks, but I won't push it.

No secret, but the key for me is weekly deep conditioning, and keeping my hair (especially my ends) moisturized.

I know I haven't made it to APL yet, but I'm excited to see how much my hair has grown after my relaxer this week.

Product Review: KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner

I don't know why it took me so long to buy this conditioner. I wanted to try something different from the ORS Replenishing, and the Humecto was 20% off at the beauty store. I use other KeraCare products, so I might as well try this. I've always heard such good things about it.

Product Description
KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner helps correct and prevent moistureloss due to exposure to chemicals and thermal styling appliances. • Penetratesdeep within the hairshaft to hydrate and humectify hair. • Decreases interfiberfriction between hair strands to prevent hair breakage. • Improves thesurface porosity of hair resulting in a softer hair texture. • Enriched with a fragrance that relaxes and soothes the senses.

Benefits
• Superior moisturizing results to help prevent dull, brittle, breaking hair and split ends.
• Superior detangling for easy wet and dry combing.
• Hair becomes more manageable.
• Protects hair from drying effects of thermal appliances.
• Adds exceptional body and shine.
• Eliminates static charge.

Directions: Apply generously to freshly shampooed hair. Comb through and cover hair with plastic cap. Leave on hair for 15-20 minutes. Rinse and style.

Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Copolyo, Isostearate, Polyquaternium-32 and Mineral Oil, Quaternium - 80, Panthenol, Dimethicone, Extracts of: (Nettle, Pine, Burdock, Chamonile, Marigold, Tosemary, Ivey, Arnica, Line, Corn Flower, Wild Chamonile, St. John's Wort, Water-cress, and Garlic) Perfume, Methylparaben, Propyparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazonlinone.

My Experience
I co-washed my hair, put in a dark brown rinse, and then applied the Humecto. I would usually sit under the dryer for 20 minutes or so, but with a newborn in the house, I can't always do it. So, I just left it in overnight and rinsed it out in the morning. I applied leave-in conditioner, and rollerset my hair.

My hair was shiny, bouncy and felt healthy. I got a lot of compliments from my family on Thanksgiving. My new growth is really soft, which says a lot since I'm almost 11 weeks post relaxer. I will definitely incorporate this into my regimen. I can't wait to see what it does to my freshly relaxed hair!

Childbirth Hair

I haven't blogged here for a while because I gave birth about 2 weeks ago. So the 2 weeks before I had my baby, hair was one of the last things on my mind. I've washed my hair only once since the baby. I've been keeping it moisturized and wrapped in a silk scarf, but I haven't really been styling it much. A few days ago, I started pincurling it, and I've actually gotten a couple of compliments from some of my friends!

My hairstylist told me that less than 10% of women who have babies lose the hair they grew during pregnancy, so I feel hopeful. I just need to keep up with my regimen. Since my hair is shoulder length now, I plan on wearing a lot of protective updo styles during the cold weather months so that my ends don't rub against my shirts and sweaters. I do need to buy some accessories though!

I know I've written ad nauseum about getting the black rinse out of my hair, but I'm thinking about going black again. It just makes my hair look so thick and shiny. Plus it covers my platinum hair so much better than the browns and reds I've been using. I'm going to try a vert dark brown first before using the drastic black and see how that works.