Hi Friends,
Happy holiday's everyone!!! As you can tell from the title, I GOT ENGAGED last night!!!! I am so over the moon and feel like the LUCKIEST girl in the world. Naturally there is a hair component to this story, lol.
So my fiance (can't believe I'm saying that) and my family planned an amazing proposal and engagement party. As you guys know, I got my hair relaxed 3 weeks ago, and I haven't done much to it since then. I've just been wearing it out and straight down. Earlier this week my older sister asked me about getting my hair done, but I said I didn't think I could fit it into my schedule. I ended up wearing my hair in a pony tail while my BF and I ran errands earlier in the day. That night I knew we were going to dinner and I planned to wear my hair in a pony tail, but my BF suggested that I wear my hair down to show off my hard work (he's so sweet). I put some bantu knots in my hair in order to try to get soft waves, but that didn't work so well since I had too much oil from M&S'ing over the last 3 weeks. I still wore it out since my BF requested it and just tried to make the best of it.
By the time we got to the engagement party, my hair looked less than desirable, but it didn't matter because I was soooo happy!!!! In hindsight I definitely wish I would have gotten my hair done, but it's all good. We haven't set a date as we're still basking in engagement land, but I already know how I want to wear my hair for wedding day. I'll show you guys once I finalize the details.
Happy holidays and new year to you all!
12.22.2013
12.02.2013
Relaxer Results
Hi Friends! It has been a while, but I'm still around...lurking and keeping track of everyone's wonderful hair journey.
As you all know, I've had my hair braided for the last 8 weeks. It was great to have braids because I was able to be lazy with my hair (in terms of styling) and still look presentable :-). I'll definitely miss my braids as I jump back into wigging in order to protect my hair through the winter.
Overall, I had a decent relaxer experience. No breakage issues, or any other matters that would require me to adjust my routine. I can confidently say (while knocking on wood, lol) that I've mastered my hair routine, products, etc. and have no intentions of changing unless something stops working. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" It's such a good feeling to know that I know my hair, what works well, what doesn't, and that if I treat it right, it will grow.
On to the fun stuff...below are a few length check shots. I always get my hair trimmed with each relaxer - I am a stickler for health over length and love the feeling of well kept ends. I retained a little more than an inch since my last relaxer, which I think is primarily because I've been working out HARD. I exercise daily, but decided to take the summer off. I definitely saw the difference in my growth rate and barely got an inch over the summer. Fortunately I'm back to my routine and my hair is thanking me for it. The one thing I will note is that my hair/ ends looks a bit thin in these shots. I think it's because of how my hair grows. I talked about this in an earlier post, but basically every other relaxer, my hair looks full/ normal. I think my sides grow slower than my back, so until my sides get a little closer to the length of the back, my hair looks thin.
I'm going to keep an eye on it to be sure. Until next time!
As you all know, I've had my hair braided for the last 8 weeks. It was great to have braids because I was able to be lazy with my hair (in terms of styling) and still look presentable :-). I'll definitely miss my braids as I jump back into wigging in order to protect my hair through the winter.
Overall, I had a decent relaxer experience. No breakage issues, or any other matters that would require me to adjust my routine. I can confidently say (while knocking on wood, lol) that I've mastered my hair routine, products, etc. and have no intentions of changing unless something stops working. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" It's such a good feeling to know that I know my hair, what works well, what doesn't, and that if I treat it right, it will grow.
On to the fun stuff...below are a few length check shots. I always get my hair trimmed with each relaxer - I am a stickler for health over length and love the feeling of well kept ends. I retained a little more than an inch since my last relaxer, which I think is primarily because I've been working out HARD. I exercise daily, but decided to take the summer off. I definitely saw the difference in my growth rate and barely got an inch over the summer. Fortunately I'm back to my routine and my hair is thanking me for it. The one thing I will note is that my hair/ ends looks a bit thin in these shots. I think it's because of how my hair grows. I talked about this in an earlier post, but basically every other relaxer, my hair looks full/ normal. I think my sides grow slower than my back, so until my sides get a little closer to the length of the back, my hair looks thin.
I'm going to keep an eye on it to be sure. Until next time!
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| Left: 8.13 (~line 3); Right: 12.13 (line 4) |
9.30.2013
Back to Braids
I made a rash decision about 3 weeks ago to get my hair braided again. I relaxed at the end of August and planned to start exercising again, 2 weeks after my relaxer. Well I stuck to the plan and after one week decided that I didn't have it in me to go back into my wig, which is my normal routine when exercising.
I wore my hair in a braid and curl, which always started out cute, but would look a bit wild and crazy by the end of the week after exercising for 6 days and sweating heavily. After the first week of this, I made an appointment to get box braids. The month of October is going to be really crazy for me with traveling, working, and a few other events, so my hair is the LAST thing I want to be bothered with.
Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm over wearing wigs. That's not to say that I'll never wear one again, but I think taking the 3 month break over the summer to actually enjoy my hair made me not want to "hide" my hair again. This has created quite the dilemma because I probably won't get braids again after this (side note: just when I was about to get my braids done, I decided I am too old to have braids and will not be getting them done anymore), but I don't want to wear a wig. What will my protective style be?
Fortunately I'm planning to keep my braids for 8 weeks, so I have some time to devise a plan. I believe I'll go back to wearing a wig, but it sure has been nice not to wear one.
Aside from buns, what other protective styles do you guys wear? I'm all about keeping my ends hidden.
8.26.2013
Relaxer Results
Hi friends! I apologize because I have not done a good job
of posting over the summer. In my last relaxer update, I mentioned that my goal
was to wear my hair out over the summer in order to “enjoy” it a bit more and
give myself, and close family and friends a break from my wigs. I had planned
to post my hairstyles, but only shared the details of my curlformers.
Fortunately, I did stick to the plan of wearing my hair out
for the summer, which I’m SOO proud of myself for! After I did the curlformers,
I did bantu knots a few times, followed by twist and curls, followed by braid
and curls. My favorite styles were the curlformers and braid and curl. It’s
funny because the braid and curl was a HUGE hit with everyone! Literally – it
was to the point where complete strangers (ex: middle aged white man) would
approach me to compliment my hair and/ or ask how I achieved the style. It was
also interesting because everyone commented on the length of my hair, stating
that if my hair was shoulder length, or a little beyond with the curls, then it
must really be “long.” I’m sure you all
can relate in that when you’re on a hair journey, you often don’t think your
hair is that long considering the
many women who have MBL, and longer hair. However, I’m now a little past APL,
and am finally starting to feel like my hair is long!
I got my hair texturized on Saturday at 12 weeks, and it was
business as usual (texturizer + trim)! At one point when I was roughly 6 weeks
post, I thought I was experiencing more breakage than normal. I kept an eye on
my hair and stopped using JBCO (Jamaican black castor oil) and eventually gave
up EVCO (extra virgin coconut oil). Fortunately, I didn’t actually have any
unusual breakage (based on my stylist’s assessment), so either eliminating the
oils did the trick, or I was being overly sensitive.
One last note – I exercise daily, with the exception of the
first two weeks post relaxer (I need to get my money’s worth out of my straight
hair, lol), but this summer I ended up taking the entire 12 weeks off from
exercising and I decided to track the
impact on my hair. I noticed that although I’m close to line #3 on
my shirt, my hair should actually be at or slightly past #3 based on
my normal growth rate. So overall, working out makes a difference for my hair
growth! Fortunately party time is over, so I’ll be back to Insanity, and wigs
in two weeks J.
I’m really happy with my hair health and feel like I’m seeing
length progress. If all things remain consistent I believe I’ll hit my next
goal of BSL, between lines #4 and #5, by my 3 year hairversary in March 2014. I’m
hoping to reach my final length goal of MBL, line #7, by next year this time
(September 2014). Until next time…
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| Left: 8.2013 (~line 3) ; Right: 6.2013 (line 2) |
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| Left: 8.2013 (~line 3); Right: 9.2012 (~ 1 year ago) |
6.25.2013
Hairstyle #1: Curlformers
Hi Friends! I hope everyone is well.
The last time we spoke, I professed that my next hair journey goal was to wear my hair out for the entire summer (i.e. until my next relaxer at the end of August) and to experiment with different styles. Well I've been eyeing curlformers since seeing gorgeous heads of curls on youtube such as Naptural85. I waited until Sally's had a 25% off sale and ordered two packs of extra long, extra wide. I planned to try them while my relaxer was still relatively fresh so that I wouldn't have to battle with getting my thicker, harder to manager hair through the tubes. Welp, I loved the results (and still do), but DOUBT I will be trying these again.
Since I rarely wear my hair out and don't really do anything to it from a styling perspective, I felt the curlformers were much too taxing on my hair. I was pretty good with putting them in since I had watched so many youtube videos on the technique beforehand, but there were a few times when my hair got stuck going through the tube and I had to yank it out, as well as a time or two when I felt like I was ripping my hair out (even though there were no signs that I actually was). When I took the curlformers out, I lost quite a bit of hair (in my opinion, even though it may not seem like much) and that didn't make happy. I used ~72 because I had to put them in small sections in order to prevent trauma to my hair. It took me 2 hours to put them in, I "slept" in them to ensure my hair was dry when I took them out, and it took me about 30 minutes to remove them.
All in all, I'm proud of myself for sticking to my plan of "enjoying" my hair and experimenting with new styles, but I'm traumatized by curlformers. Next, I may try a bantu knot, or go back to my very first style when I first started my hair journey, a twist n curl. Below are a few pics:
The last time we spoke, I professed that my next hair journey goal was to wear my hair out for the entire summer (i.e. until my next relaxer at the end of August) and to experiment with different styles. Well I've been eyeing curlformers since seeing gorgeous heads of curls on youtube such as Naptural85. I waited until Sally's had a 25% off sale and ordered two packs of extra long, extra wide. I planned to try them while my relaxer was still relatively fresh so that I wouldn't have to battle with getting my thicker, harder to manager hair through the tubes. Welp, I loved the results (and still do), but DOUBT I will be trying these again.
Since I rarely wear my hair out and don't really do anything to it from a styling perspective, I felt the curlformers were much too taxing on my hair. I was pretty good with putting them in since I had watched so many youtube videos on the technique beforehand, but there were a few times when my hair got stuck going through the tube and I had to yank it out, as well as a time or two when I felt like I was ripping my hair out (even though there were no signs that I actually was). When I took the curlformers out, I lost quite a bit of hair (in my opinion, even though it may not seem like much) and that didn't make happy. I used ~72 because I had to put them in small sections in order to prevent trauma to my hair. It took me 2 hours to put them in, I "slept" in them to ensure my hair was dry when I took them out, and it took me about 30 minutes to remove them.
All in all, I'm proud of myself for sticking to my plan of "enjoying" my hair and experimenting with new styles, but I'm traumatized by curlformers. Next, I may try a bantu knot, or go back to my very first style when I first started my hair journey, a twist n curl. Below are a few pics:
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| Bottom middle: hair lost during take-out |
6.04.2013
Relaxer Results
Hi Friends! I hope everyone is well and staying cool during this heat wave (I'm in Philadelphia).
I texturized at 14 weeks over the weekend and had a pretty uneventful experience, which is a good thing. I hope I don't jinx myself, but I think I've finally mastered the best way to care for my hair leading up to my texturizer to ensure that it's a good experience. I was especially nervous this time because I took my braids out last week and texturized 2 weeks later than my normal 12 week period. I didn't have amazing growth results (not that I normally do), but in tracking my results through pictures, I've noticed that every other texturizer I see length progress in the back, and the alternating texturizers show length progress on the sides. What I mean is when I compare these results to March, the back of my hair is touching line #2, which is just about where it was in March. But now the sides are longer and closer to lines #1 & 2. Basically it looks like my hair grows in a U shape. I'm not sure if it's because it was cut like this at one point and now my stylist maintains the shape, or if it's natural. Makes me no difference either way, just an observation. I had my normal trim as well and am satisfied with my hair!
You may remember me mentioning this before, but since I've worn wigs 99% of the time over the last year plus, I've decided to try to wear my hair out this summer. I told myself that after my June relaxer, I would wear my hair out (i.e. no wigs) until my September relaxer. This is a HUGE deal for me. For my new readers, the main reason why I wear wigs is because I work out daily in the AM, sweat heavily, and have to go to work. With that, I have yet to find a style that allows me to look presentable while maintaining my active lifestyle.
In the beginning of my hair journey (in the summer of 2011), I wore my hair out before I discovered wigs, but I just don't know how things will be now. Nonetheless, I think wearing wigs has made me lazy and a bit scared that once I stop wearing them, I won't retain length as well, which is probably not true. While I haven't tried it yet, I feel like most women on hair journey's have been successful using primarily buns, and other protective styles to retain length. If they can do it, why can't I?
So wish me luck ladies. I'm going to try to post pictures weekly to help keep me accountable. Until next time!
I texturized at 14 weeks over the weekend and had a pretty uneventful experience, which is a good thing. I hope I don't jinx myself, but I think I've finally mastered the best way to care for my hair leading up to my texturizer to ensure that it's a good experience. I was especially nervous this time because I took my braids out last week and texturized 2 weeks later than my normal 12 week period. I didn't have amazing growth results (not that I normally do), but in tracking my results through pictures, I've noticed that every other texturizer I see length progress in the back, and the alternating texturizers show length progress on the sides. What I mean is when I compare these results to March, the back of my hair is touching line #2, which is just about where it was in March. But now the sides are longer and closer to lines #1 & 2. Basically it looks like my hair grows in a U shape. I'm not sure if it's because it was cut like this at one point and now my stylist maintains the shape, or if it's natural. Makes me no difference either way, just an observation. I had my normal trim as well and am satisfied with my hair!
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| Left: 2.24.13; Right: 6.1.13 |
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| Top: 6.1.13; Bottom: 2.24.13 (this is to show the side comparison) |
You may remember me mentioning this before, but since I've worn wigs 99% of the time over the last year plus, I've decided to try to wear my hair out this summer. I told myself that after my June relaxer, I would wear my hair out (i.e. no wigs) until my September relaxer. This is a HUGE deal for me. For my new readers, the main reason why I wear wigs is because I work out daily in the AM, sweat heavily, and have to go to work. With that, I have yet to find a style that allows me to look presentable while maintaining my active lifestyle.
In the beginning of my hair journey (in the summer of 2011), I wore my hair out before I discovered wigs, but I just don't know how things will be now. Nonetheless, I think wearing wigs has made me lazy and a bit scared that once I stop wearing them, I won't retain length as well, which is probably not true. While I haven't tried it yet, I feel like most women on hair journey's have been successful using primarily buns, and other protective styles to retain length. If they can do it, why can't I?
So wish me luck ladies. I'm going to try to post pictures weekly to help keep me accountable. Until next time!
4.14.2013
Braids, braids, braids!!!
Hi friends! As promised, I wanted to write a quick post about my box braids.
I got them done on Monday, March 25, so I've had them for exactly 3 weeks tomorrow. I LOVE them! My stylist did them and it took roughly 5 hours. She actually started out braiding hair before she moved to becoming a stylist focused on hair health. I love the fact that I have one stop shopping with her because she knows my hair and is gentle with it. It took less than a week for them to loosen. They weren't too tight to begin with, and after the fourth day I had really good movement with them that wasn't uncomfortable. That was a BIG relief.
I have been caring for them just as a I would my normal hair. I moisturize and seal them daily, wash them weekly with my normal products (including my normal oil pre-treatment and protein leave-in). So it's business as usual even though I have braids. The other great benefit is although I follow the same process, it takes about an hour (if that) for my wash day because I don't have to detangle!!!
I would like to take more photos, but here is one that I posted on Instagram (they are pretty long...about waist length and I'm 5'7 for reference):
Until next time!
I got them done on Monday, March 25, so I've had them for exactly 3 weeks tomorrow. I LOVE them! My stylist did them and it took roughly 5 hours. She actually started out braiding hair before she moved to becoming a stylist focused on hair health. I love the fact that I have one stop shopping with her because she knows my hair and is gentle with it. It took less than a week for them to loosen. They weren't too tight to begin with, and after the fourth day I had really good movement with them that wasn't uncomfortable. That was a BIG relief.
I have been caring for them just as a I would my normal hair. I moisturize and seal them daily, wash them weekly with my normal products (including my normal oil pre-treatment and protein leave-in). So it's business as usual even though I have braids. The other great benefit is although I follow the same process, it takes about an hour (if that) for my wash day because I don't have to detangle!!!
I would like to take more photos, but here is one that I posted on Instagram (they are pretty long...about waist length and I'm 5'7 for reference):
Until next time!
4.01.2013
2 Year Hairversary!!!
3/31/13 marked 2 years ago that I started my long, hair journey. Boy how quickly time flies! Looking back, I've realized that the first year was a year of hiccups and lots of experimentation while this last year I truly got the hang of things.
I was natural for the first 5 months of my hair journey (I had been natural for a little less than 2 years before beginning my hair journey) and then realized that I love straight hair and straight hair styles, but I couldn't achieve and maintain them with natural hair. This was the case primarily because I work out daily. Natural hair + a desire to wear straight hair styles + daily sweat sessions do not work well. Three months after beginning my journey I got a brazilian keratin treatment (June 2011), and then two months later I decided to get a texturizer (August 2011). This was the perfect solution for my hair, but it took a few months and some trial and error to get there.
After I got the texturizer, I committed to washing and doing my hair myself weekly, but this was definitely new for me. Then life took over and I ended up back in my stylist's chair every week, getting my hair corn rowed because I had started wearing wigs. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't feel like I was making much progress in terms of length. Nonetheless, I stuck with this routine and figured I needed to be patient.
Fast forward to March of 2012 when I had a bad texturizer experience and that was it. I decided that I needed to make time to care for my hair myself because I hated the last experience I had and I thought after one year into my journey, I should be able to do my hair myself. Thank God for that experience because between March 2012 and my next texturizer in June 2012, I retained the most length since beginning my hair journey. It was almost like a growth spurt, but I know better, it was just good ol' length retention!
Since March 2012, I've been doing my hair myself with the exception of my quarterly texturizer and trim. I have no desire to be a DIYer with chemicals, or scissors...that's where I draw the line, lol! With the exception of my recent almost set back, I have retained length and feel like I FINALLY understand what my hair needs and how to maximize length retention. It took 2 years, which seems like a long time, but I'm glad I was forced to truly understand how my hair thrives.
Following are a few things that I've learned:
I was natural for the first 5 months of my hair journey (I had been natural for a little less than 2 years before beginning my hair journey) and then realized that I love straight hair and straight hair styles, but I couldn't achieve and maintain them with natural hair. This was the case primarily because I work out daily. Natural hair + a desire to wear straight hair styles + daily sweat sessions do not work well. Three months after beginning my journey I got a brazilian keratin treatment (June 2011), and then two months later I decided to get a texturizer (August 2011). This was the perfect solution for my hair, but it took a few months and some trial and error to get there.
After I got the texturizer, I committed to washing and doing my hair myself weekly, but this was definitely new for me. Then life took over and I ended up back in my stylist's chair every week, getting my hair corn rowed because I had started wearing wigs. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't feel like I was making much progress in terms of length. Nonetheless, I stuck with this routine and figured I needed to be patient.
Fast forward to March of 2012 when I had a bad texturizer experience and that was it. I decided that I needed to make time to care for my hair myself because I hated the last experience I had and I thought after one year into my journey, I should be able to do my hair myself. Thank God for that experience because between March 2012 and my next texturizer in June 2012, I retained the most length since beginning my hair journey. It was almost like a growth spurt, but I know better, it was just good ol' length retention!
Since March 2012, I've been doing my hair myself with the exception of my quarterly texturizer and trim. I have no desire to be a DIYer with chemicals, or scissors...that's where I draw the line, lol! With the exception of my recent almost set back, I have retained length and feel like I FINALLY understand what my hair needs and how to maximize length retention. It took 2 years, which seems like a long time, but I'm glad I was forced to truly understand how my hair thrives.
Following are a few things that I've learned:
- Patience, patience, patience!
- When experimenting with products, try to change only one product at a time and take note of when you introduce the new product. For example, I have my staples, and I only introduce new products or experiment with changing things after a relaxer. This helps me track/ monitor the effects on my hair.
- Focus on learning your hair and the length will follow!
Finally, this post wouldn't be complete without progress photos!
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| Left: 3/31/11; Middle: 3/31/12; Right: 3/31/13 |
3.02.2013
South Africa!: Part 1
This post is so overdue, but I figured better late than never! Where do I begin....?
For any new readers (waving hi!), my family and I traveled to South African and Kenya at the end of 2012 for one of my closest friends' wedding.
I had the honor of being in the wedding, but as any hair enthusiast, I was a bit nervous about how my hair would be handled since I, nor my stylist would be doing it for the wedding. Fortunately, after a little negotiation, I allowed my friends' stylist to do my hair. The stylist did not have Phyto products, which is what I normally use in my hair, but he did carry Paul Mitchell, so fortunately good products were used. The woman who ended up doing my hair did a really good job - she gave me a nice wash and scalp massage and she was gentle. I was definitely anxious about the blow out because this is the part in the process that can go extremely wrong. I was pleasantly surprised though - she coated my hair really well with a heat protectant and used a round brush. Even with the round brush, she didn't pull my hair through like the Dominican's do, she used minimal heat (just to dry my hair, not to straighten) and she was gentle. So overall, I have no complaints.
On the morning of the wedding, I had my hair done by the head stylist and he went with spiral curls. He used the old school barrel curling irons, which I wasn't that thrilled about just because I know the technology in flat irons is better for hair. Aside from that, the experience was much better than I anticipated it would be, and my friend was happy with the outcome, which was most important! Also, my hair ended up working really well with the fascinator that I wore for the big day. Following are a few pictures. I'll come back with Part II! HHG
For any new readers (waving hi!), my family and I traveled to South African and Kenya at the end of 2012 for one of my closest friends' wedding.
I had the honor of being in the wedding, but as any hair enthusiast, I was a bit nervous about how my hair would be handled since I, nor my stylist would be doing it for the wedding. Fortunately, after a little negotiation, I allowed my friends' stylist to do my hair. The stylist did not have Phyto products, which is what I normally use in my hair, but he did carry Paul Mitchell, so fortunately good products were used. The woman who ended up doing my hair did a really good job - she gave me a nice wash and scalp massage and she was gentle. I was definitely anxious about the blow out because this is the part in the process that can go extremely wrong. I was pleasantly surprised though - she coated my hair really well with a heat protectant and used a round brush. Even with the round brush, she didn't pull my hair through like the Dominican's do, she used minimal heat (just to dry my hair, not to straighten) and she was gentle. So overall, I have no complaints.
On the morning of the wedding, I had my hair done by the head stylist and he went with spiral curls. He used the old school barrel curling irons, which I wasn't that thrilled about just because I know the technology in flat irons is better for hair. Aside from that, the experience was much better than I anticipated it would be, and my friend was happy with the outcome, which was most important! Also, my hair ended up working really well with the fascinator that I wore for the big day. Following are a few pictures. I'll come back with Part II! HHG
2.24.2013
Relaxer Results
Happy Sunday friends!
As planned, I got my texturizer today at 11 weeks. It was uneventful - in a good way - and I managed to maintain some length. You may remember that I was expecting a deep trim considering my breakage issues. Fortunately, I got a normal trim and my stylist believes that my hair health is back on track, my breakage is under control (and will continue to subside), and things seem in order. I restocked my products and got 2 new items that I'll share in another post. Overall, I'm committed to sticking to the basics and closely monitoring what products I use.
The other exciting news is that I scheduled my appointment to get my box braids!!! I'll get them done in 4 weeks, and wear them for 8 weeks for my normal 12 weeks between relaxers.
Below is a comparison shot vs. last relaxer. Sorry for the lack of photos this time, but this gives an idea. Also, the photos are in different lights and angles because my sister, who is about my height, took the one in December and my BF, who is taller than me, took the one today. I'll try to take more consistent photos moving forward. My hair looks a little weird, but I don't have a random chunk missing (as it appears) and the trim is similar to the December photo. Guess what...I'M FINALLY TOUCHING THE LINE ON MY SHIRT!!!! I didn't think I would get there today, but I'm pretty excited! Until next time :-)
As planned, I got my texturizer today at 11 weeks. It was uneventful - in a good way - and I managed to maintain some length. You may remember that I was expecting a deep trim considering my breakage issues. Fortunately, I got a normal trim and my stylist believes that my hair health is back on track, my breakage is under control (and will continue to subside), and things seem in order. I restocked my products and got 2 new items that I'll share in another post. Overall, I'm committed to sticking to the basics and closely monitoring what products I use.
The other exciting news is that I scheduled my appointment to get my box braids!!! I'll get them done in 4 weeks, and wear them for 8 weeks for my normal 12 weeks between relaxers.
Below is a comparison shot vs. last relaxer. Sorry for the lack of photos this time, but this gives an idea. Also, the photos are in different lights and angles because my sister, who is about my height, took the one in December and my BF, who is taller than me, took the one today. I'll try to take more consistent photos moving forward. My hair looks a little weird, but I don't have a random chunk missing (as it appears) and the trim is similar to the December photo. Guess what...I'M FINALLY TOUCHING THE LINE ON MY SHIRT!!!! I didn't think I would get there today, but I'm pretty excited! Until next time :-)
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| Left: February 2013; Right: December 2012 |
2.19.2013
Relaxer Weekend
Hi friends! I will be texturizing my hair this weekend at 11 weeks post. I typically texturize every 12 weeks at minimum, but I decided to do so one week early because my stylist couldn't fit me in next week, so my options were to texturize one week early or one week late. My hair seems to have grown a bit faster, or thicker since my last texturizer, and I'm over dealing with it right now, so I'm more than happy to get it done this weekend. As I mentioned in my last post, I anticipate having to get a deeper trim than normal due to my breakage issue, so we'll see how that goes. At this point though, I just want my old hair back that was breakage free and thriving, so length is not much of a concern.
In other news, I decided that I want to start to enjoy my hair a bit more. For those of you who don't know, I wear wigs 100% of the time because I exercise daily and like to wear my hair straight. This has worked well for me over the last two years, but it has made me SUPER lazy and not interested in doing much with my hair. When I was in South Africa (I know I'm lame and still need to fill you guys in on the trip), I wore my hair out for the first 10 days or so and LOVED every minute of it! It was so nice/ fun to have my hair blowing in the wind, and brushing on my shoulders....
But on the flip side, I started to freak out and think that damage would ensue because I'm not used to wearing my hair out and didn't want my ends to be compromised. I think I'm a little off and just need to find a balance. So I'm going to force myself to wear my hair out after my June relaxer. At that point the weather should be consistently warm again and I won't have to worry as much about my hair rubbing on different materials.
Leading up to my June relaxer, I want to get my hair braided. My stylist did beautiful box braids on a young lady who I saw the last time I was at the hairdresser. I haven't had braids in probably 6+ years and want to bring them back! I would like to get them half way through my next stretch, so that's about 6 weeks from now. After that, I'm going to step away from the wigs...or a least try to ;-)
In other news, I decided that I want to start to enjoy my hair a bit more. For those of you who don't know, I wear wigs 100% of the time because I exercise daily and like to wear my hair straight. This has worked well for me over the last two years, but it has made me SUPER lazy and not interested in doing much with my hair. When I was in South Africa (I know I'm lame and still need to fill you guys in on the trip), I wore my hair out for the first 10 days or so and LOVED every minute of it! It was so nice/ fun to have my hair blowing in the wind, and brushing on my shoulders....
But on the flip side, I started to freak out and think that damage would ensue because I'm not used to wearing my hair out and didn't want my ends to be compromised. I think I'm a little off and just need to find a balance. So I'm going to force myself to wear my hair out after my June relaxer. At that point the weather should be consistently warm again and I won't have to worry as much about my hair rubbing on different materials.
Leading up to my June relaxer, I want to get my hair braided. My stylist did beautiful box braids on a young lady who I saw the last time I was at the hairdresser. I haven't had braids in probably 6+ years and want to bring them back! I would like to get them half way through my next stretch, so that's about 6 weeks from now. After that, I'm going to step away from the wigs...or a least try to ;-)
2.12.2013
Breakage Update
Hi friends! It has been a little over two weeks since I posted that I think I discovered what is causing my breakage. Immediately after I wrote that post, I poured out all of my oil mixtures and washed the bottles with boiling water (literally) and dish detergent (I used detergent because it cleans oil/ grease). Then I made new mixtures using coconut oil as a base. I have been using coconut oil since the beginning of my hair journey and have not had a problem yet (at least I don't think). I did a clarifying wash the following week and have rid myself completely of Amla.
So fast forward two weeks and I am still seeing breakage. I believe it has subsided a bit, but it's still way more than I'm comfortable with. Also, now instead of a bunch of really small pieces, the pieces are longer. I don't know what the heck is going on. I keep reminding myself that although I thought it would happen immediately, I had been consistently using Amla oil on my hair since September (roughly 5 months), so I shouldn't expect to reverse the effects immediately. I certainly don't think it should take months for the breakage to stop, but I'm just trying to be reasonable and give my hair a chance to adjust and rebalance.
I am scheduled to go to my stylist for my texturizer in about 3 weeks and at that point I will talk to her and make adjustments to what I'm currently doing. Unfortunately, I'm also preparing myself for the worst in terms of how much I'll have to get chopped off.
At this point, it's all a part of the learning process and I know better moving forward. I'll keep you posted.
So fast forward two weeks and I am still seeing breakage. I believe it has subsided a bit, but it's still way more than I'm comfortable with. Also, now instead of a bunch of really small pieces, the pieces are longer. I don't know what the heck is going on. I keep reminding myself that although I thought it would happen immediately, I had been consistently using Amla oil on my hair since September (roughly 5 months), so I shouldn't expect to reverse the effects immediately. I certainly don't think it should take months for the breakage to stop, but I'm just trying to be reasonable and give my hair a chance to adjust and rebalance.
I am scheduled to go to my stylist for my texturizer in about 3 weeks and at that point I will talk to her and make adjustments to what I'm currently doing. Unfortunately, I'm also preparing myself for the worst in terms of how much I'll have to get chopped off.
At this point, it's all a part of the learning process and I know better moving forward. I'll keep you posted.
1.26.2013
I Figured it Out!!!!!!
Hey guys - I know I have been boring you for the last 3 weeks about my stressful wash day sessions. Just to recap, when I got my last relaxer in December, my stylist and I noticed I had breakage in my hair. Leading up to this appointment, I noticed my hair was breaking, but I couldn't figure out why and wasn't really proactive in trying to figure it out.
After my relaxer, my stylist loaded me up with products and I vowed to get back to the basics that I had stopped doing as 2012 progressed. Well I've been diligently taking care of my hair, using protein weekly (which was the big thing that I stopped doing in the second half of 2012), and trying to get my breakage under control. Nothing seemed to be working. This week I ended up not doing the every other day treatments that I had planned because I didn't think that it would make a difference.
Fast forward to today, I was in the shower washing my hair, noticing all of the small pieces of breakage and I again thought back to when the breakage happened and what I changed around that time. Last year, my hair was fine (and actually thriving) from March - September. So what changed after my September relaxer? OOOHHH CRAP.....I introduced 100% Amla Oil.
Amla Oil, really? That would cause breakage? I think so! I don't know for sure ladies, but that's one of the major things that I introduced into my hair regimen around September and have been consistently using. I first purchased Amla oil in May of last year and actually posted about it, but the first bottle I got contained mineral oil and I wanted pure Amla, so I ordered another bottle in late August that's 100% pure and went crazy with it. I put it in my scalp oil mix, of course in all of my sealing oil, and it was the main oil that I was using (as in 30-50% of all of my mixtures). Over the last two weeks I've made two bottles of Amla + Coconut Oil to seal with. It has been a staple since September, and my hair has been breaking since then.
So - since I just came to this realization today during my wash day, I'm going to only use coconut oil to seal this week and complete my normal wash day next week and see if my shedding decreases. Basically I'm cutting out all Amla on my hair for the next few weeks to see if I really did figure out the cause of my breakage. I'll keep you posted!
After my relaxer, my stylist loaded me up with products and I vowed to get back to the basics that I had stopped doing as 2012 progressed. Well I've been diligently taking care of my hair, using protein weekly (which was the big thing that I stopped doing in the second half of 2012), and trying to get my breakage under control. Nothing seemed to be working. This week I ended up not doing the every other day treatments that I had planned because I didn't think that it would make a difference.
Fast forward to today, I was in the shower washing my hair, noticing all of the small pieces of breakage and I again thought back to when the breakage happened and what I changed around that time. Last year, my hair was fine (and actually thriving) from March - September. So what changed after my September relaxer? OOOHHH CRAP.....I introduced 100% Amla Oil.
Amla Oil, really? That would cause breakage? I think so! I don't know for sure ladies, but that's one of the major things that I introduced into my hair regimen around September and have been consistently using. I first purchased Amla oil in May of last year and actually posted about it, but the first bottle I got contained mineral oil and I wanted pure Amla, so I ordered another bottle in late August that's 100% pure and went crazy with it. I put it in my scalp oil mix, of course in all of my sealing oil, and it was the main oil that I was using (as in 30-50% of all of my mixtures). Over the last two weeks I've made two bottles of Amla + Coconut Oil to seal with. It has been a staple since September, and my hair has been breaking since then.
So - since I just came to this realization today during my wash day, I'm going to only use coconut oil to seal this week and complete my normal wash day next week and see if my shedding decreases. Basically I'm cutting out all Amla on my hair for the next few weeks to see if I really did figure out the cause of my breakage. I'll keep you posted!
1.21.2013
Hair Inspiration: Angela Simmons
Happy MLK Day!
I'm not sure if anyone else is as addicted to Instagram as I am, but I follow Ms. Angela Simmons and hhooonnneeeyyyy...her natural hair seems to get better by the sew-in. I didn't know how else to get this photo aside from taking a screenshot on my phone, but I have included the source below (both she and her stylist posted the same photo):
I'm not sure if anyone else is as addicted to Instagram as I am, but I follow Ms. Angela Simmons and hhooonnneeeyyyy...her natural hair seems to get better by the sew-in. I didn't know how else to get this photo aside from taking a screenshot on my phone, but I have included the source below (both she and her stylist posted the same photo):
 |
| Source |
Also notice that she has beautiful highlights. Can we say new hair inspiration???
1.20.2013
Wash Day Stress Continued
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend and will celebrate Dr. King's holiday tomorrow!
This is a quick wash day update. I did follow through with doing a light protein treatment every two days after my last wash day in hopes that this would help curb my breakage. Welp, if this made a difference, it was very minimal. My hair is still breaking at a higher rate than normal and way more than I am comfortable with. The interesting thing is that my ends seemed a bit more pliable and easier to detangle this week than normal, but I'm not sure what that means in terms of whether the additional protein is helping or hurting.
I am going to try the same routine this week again (protein every two days) and see if there is a gradual improvement. If I don't see a difference next week, I'm likely going to try Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask. I'm sure this seems pretty random, but my Mom has a sample of the Monoi Repairing Collection 3-piece starter kit, which is designed to prevent breakage. I have used the shampoo and conditioner before for mid-week washes and have no complaints. Before using this, I am going to research the ingredients to understand if it is a moisture or protein based product. If this does help reduce my breakage, it may provide some insight into whether I need more moisture or protein moving forward. (I clearly think I'm protein deficient right now). Wish me luck ladies!
HHG
This is a quick wash day update. I did follow through with doing a light protein treatment every two days after my last wash day in hopes that this would help curb my breakage. Welp, if this made a difference, it was very minimal. My hair is still breaking at a higher rate than normal and way more than I am comfortable with. The interesting thing is that my ends seemed a bit more pliable and easier to detangle this week than normal, but I'm not sure what that means in terms of whether the additional protein is helping or hurting.
I am going to try the same routine this week again (protein every two days) and see if there is a gradual improvement. If I don't see a difference next week, I'm likely going to try Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask. I'm sure this seems pretty random, but my Mom has a sample of the Monoi Repairing Collection 3-piece starter kit, which is designed to prevent breakage. I have used the shampoo and conditioner before for mid-week washes and have no complaints. Before using this, I am going to research the ingredients to understand if it is a moisture or protein based product. If this does help reduce my breakage, it may provide some insight into whether I need more moisture or protein moving forward. (I clearly think I'm protein deficient right now). Wish me luck ladies!
HHG
1.11.2013
Wash Day Stress!!!
Ok- instead of sleeping right now as I should be since I have to go to work tomorrow, I'm writing this post about my wash day/ night. I just washed my hair because it had been over a week since my last wash and I have definitely gotten in the habit of washing weekly.
So as I reported in my last two posts, my focus is on stopping the breakage issue I'm currently having and getting back to basics. Well honey, not only does it seem like my attempt to whip my hair back into shape has not started working, but my hair seems to be breaking MORE than it was before AND the pieces are LONGER!!!!! WTF - I'm not going to have any length after my next relaxer at this rate.
Today I didn't start out with the oil treatment because I needed to clarify and although my stylist advised otherwise, I think it sort of defeats the purpose to start out with an oil treatment and then do a clarifying wash...right? Anyway, so I did a really good job shampooing my hair and did notice some breakage, but wasn't too concerned. When I detangled though, all hell broke loose. I'm so distraught because I seriously feel like I'm headed to set-back city.
I decided I'm going to give it another few washes before I think of another plan, or talk to my stylist. I will admit that this is only my second wash in my process to get back on track, BUT it's quite scary when things appear to be getting worse instead of better. I decided that I'm going to implement a mid-week protein treatment. The oil treatment that I do before my shampoo is a protein treatment, so in about 2-3 days, I'm going to put this on my hair for 20-30 minutes with a hot towel (my hood version of a steam treatment, lol) rinse it out, and then apply my leave-in. A few days after that will be my normal wash day and I will start my routine with the same oil treatment as ususal and go through my wash day routine.
This is sooo stressful! I really feel like my progress is being threatened big time. Lord willing my hair will continue to grow, so I will be able to recover from the breakage, but I'm just starting to get some traction, UGH! Ok, until next wash day...
Have a great weekend!
So as I reported in my last two posts, my focus is on stopping the breakage issue I'm currently having and getting back to basics. Well honey, not only does it seem like my attempt to whip my hair back into shape has not started working, but my hair seems to be breaking MORE than it was before AND the pieces are LONGER!!!!! WTF - I'm not going to have any length after my next relaxer at this rate.
Today I didn't start out with the oil treatment because I needed to clarify and although my stylist advised otherwise, I think it sort of defeats the purpose to start out with an oil treatment and then do a clarifying wash...right? Anyway, so I did a really good job shampooing my hair and did notice some breakage, but wasn't too concerned. When I detangled though, all hell broke loose. I'm so distraught because I seriously feel like I'm headed to set-back city.
I decided I'm going to give it another few washes before I think of another plan, or talk to my stylist. I will admit that this is only my second wash in my process to get back on track, BUT it's quite scary when things appear to be getting worse instead of better. I decided that I'm going to implement a mid-week protein treatment. The oil treatment that I do before my shampoo is a protein treatment, so in about 2-3 days, I'm going to put this on my hair for 20-30 minutes with a hot towel (my hood version of a steam treatment, lol) rinse it out, and then apply my leave-in. A few days after that will be my normal wash day and I will start my routine with the same oil treatment as ususal and go through my wash day routine.
This is sooo stressful! I really feel like my progress is being threatened big time. Lord willing my hair will continue to grow, so I will be able to recover from the breakage, but I'm just starting to get some traction, UGH! Ok, until next wash day...
Have a great weekend!
1.06.2013
Back to Basics Wash Day
Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday and new year.
I spent the majority of the holidays in South Africa, and returned home on new year's eve. South African was beyond AWESOME and I will do a special post on my trip, and of course my hair!
As a true hair enthusiast, the first order of business when I arrived home was to wash my hair, lol. I had been traveling for over 24 hours, but somehow mustered the strength to do my hair. If you remember, during my last relaxer and visit to my stylist, I confirmed that I had a breakage issue that I needed to nip in the bud by getting back to basics. I also said that I would do a better job of tracking my hair moves so that I could more easily pinpoint when things go wrong. So here's to beginning that process!
My wash day entailed most of the above products, starting from left to right:
I spent the majority of the holidays in South Africa, and returned home on new year's eve. South African was beyond AWESOME and I will do a special post on my trip, and of course my hair!
As a true hair enthusiast, the first order of business when I arrived home was to wash my hair, lol. I had been traveling for over 24 hours, but somehow mustered the strength to do my hair. If you remember, during my last relaxer and visit to my stylist, I confirmed that I had a breakage issue that I needed to nip in the bud by getting back to basics. I also said that I would do a better job of tracking my hair moves so that I could more easily pinpoint when things go wrong. So here's to beginning that process!
My wash day entailed most of the above products, starting from left to right:
- Phytonectar Pre-Shampoo Ultra Nourishing Oil Treatment: I usually use the Phyto Huile d'Ales Pre-Shampoo Intense Hydrating Oil Treatment, but my stylist insisted that my hair needed something stronger. She suggested that I apply this before washing my hair as instructed and then wrap a hot towel around my hair to create a "steam treatment." My stylist is a firm believer in steam treatments and I get them every time I go to her. I left this on for 20 minutes
- Phytoneutre Rebalancing Cream Shampoo: This is my clarifying shampoo - after taking the picture, I decided to forgo doing a clarifying shampoo this week because I want to maintain my schedule of doing it 1X per month on the first weekend of the month
- missPhytospecific Magic Detangling Shampoo: I followed the oil treatment with my regular shampoo. I made sure to not be lazy and did two thorough washes
- Phytosesame Express Hydrating Conditioner: I used my normal conditioner to comb and detangle my hair
- Phytospecific Energizing Concentrate: Phytospecific is the line of Phyto products designed for relaxed hair. The concentrate is a protein treatment that you leave on your hair. I think this is part I of why my breakage problem began - I
got lazystarted experimenting around June of this year with what products I thought really made a difference and those I thought I could do without. In that process, I got rid of my protein treatment...bad idea especially since I tend to go heavy on oils and overall moisture. After rinsing my conditioner, I sprayed my hair evenly with this, paying special attention to my ends - Phytospecific Integral Hydrating Mist: This is my leave-in conditioner and part II of why I think my breakage started. I stopped using a leave-in around September because I finished my bottle and didn't think it was doing much for my hair. I'm still not necessarily sold on a leave-in because I M&S daily and feel like I'm just covering the leave-in with my M&Sing (not sure if that makes sense to you guys). Anyway, I sprayed this over the concentrate and called it a day
I've been paying close attention to my breakage when I M&S. I don't have much, but I don't normally have much when I M&S. The real test will be during my next wash day. I was supposed to wash today, but got tied up with other pressing matters, so I'll wait until next weekend. Hopefully I'll start to see some difference in my breakage.
Until next time, HHG!
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