Blown.....

About 2 weeks ago I washed my hair in twists and gave my scalp a good rubbing. My scalp was itchy and I wanted to really get up all debris and have a fresh scalp. The downside is the dandruff and scabs that had accumulated from scratching my scalp nearly raw all came up and got caught in my naps!

I tried rinsing for an extra long time after conditioning to no avail. I realized the only way to get this crap out of my hair was with a fine tooth comb. The only way to accomplish this was stretching my hair out.

I needed to blow dry.

I'd been thinking about blowing my hair out for a few weeks. I wanted to do it in April so that I could attempt to trim my hair evenly and see what state my ends were really in.

Sally's Beauty Supply was having a 'sale' on blow dryers and I'd checked them out but didn't feel comfortable spending that kind of money. I think I'll be using it a few times a year so it wasn't worthy of a significant investment.

Since this was a sudden decision, I needed to get my hands on a dryer quickly. I had already deep conditioned with Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner with some olive oil added. I used Beautiful Texture's leave-in for the first time then sealed it in with a dimethicone heavy heat protectant. I plaited my hair up, tied on a scarf, put on a hat and headed to Walmart to buy a blow dryer.

I chose the Remington D-1000 from Walmart for less than $20:

The process took longer than I expected bc I went through small sections at a time. I originally started on cool but I didn't have the patience for that. So I used the next setting up which felt like low heat. I could blow it on my skin without a burning sensation.

What felt like all day later, I had this:

It was not straight as if I'd used an attachment so it was still difficult to access my ends. I chose to trim since I'd blown it out. I don't think I will trim again until September unless my hair tells me otherwise. Even then, if my hair seems to be in good shape I may skip it or just do a dusting. I have since bought a comb attachment but I'm a bit weary of using it. I'm dealing with breakage right now and I don't think using the attachment will be good for the health of my ends.

I chose to set my hair in dry bantu knots using only my castor/coconut oil pomade. I had visions of hangtime and my hair blowing in the breeze due to the youtube videos of bantu knotouts on blown out hair. That was NOT my experiece. Not sure if I don't have enough hair for that effect or if my hair will not do that period. It was soft, fluffy and the hold was good overall. I didn't reset it that night, just slapped on my bonnet and my hair was fine.

What I did.....

On Friday the 23rd, I washed my hair in twists w Giovanni Deeper Moisture shampoo. My scalp was itching and I didn't want it to get out of hand like last month when I scratched until I broke the skin and had scabs.

I focused on my scalp and only ran my hands down the length of twists. I rinsed then applied the matching conditioner. I let that sit while I bathed then rinsed.

I chose not to deep condition my hair this time. I was tired and really didn't feel like it. I also needed to go by the duplexes that we are trying to get into so I unraveled the twists which were very fuzzy. the roots were not clumped at all. I applied 2 pumps of Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Restorative Conditioner. I chose not to seal with any oil bc I didn't know what my end game was going to be. I pinned either side up with a comb and left the house.

I guess I can call this look a wash n fro. Since I didn't define my texture. There was some definition but I'm not sure if it was my hair pattern or bc I washed in twists. I would try this method again.

I noticed some flaking caught in my hair due to dry scalp. Very annoying. While out my fro shrank up as it dried. By the time i came home it was 95% dry. I applied a coconut oil w rosemary oil mixture to my scalp for dryness. I haven't done that in several weeks. I left my hair like this all day while wearing a bonnet. I refreshed it before picking up my husband with a spray bottle of Aloe Vera juice, water, and a touch of olive oil.


At night before bed, I sectioned my hair, spritzed with my Aloe Vera mix, applied Beautiful Textures detangling leave-in and detangled. Then I moisturized with my Shea Moisture. I barely sealed some ends. I'm running low on my castor/coconut mixture. I set my hair in flat twist via a tutorial I watched from blakizbeautiful. I think this process took me an hour+. Tied up my hair with a satin scarf then covered w a bonnet.

Holding Pattern...

That's where I believe I am right now. For the most part I'm just hanging in until I get to my Chop date.

What I'm currently doing:
Shampoo with Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle
Rinse out Condition with Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner
Deep Condition with Proclaim Argan Oil Intense Hair Masque OR Silk Elements Deep Treatment Hair Mayonnaise
Moisturize/Leave In with SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner
Seal with Castor Oil OR EVOCoconut Oil

I then set my hair. I find that setting my hair while it is still damp sets the style well and I don't currently need any additional styling aid.

I've tweaked my techniques here and there. Most notably: finger detangling. I washed my hair yesterday and didn't use the comb at all. Nor did I the last time I washed. It seems that after the fine tooth debacle, I've swung the other way completely.

I've been using my Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo more versus cowashing. My hair seems to cope fine with both methods. My husband had been complaining about his hair and dryness. So I've ditched the harsh Equate dandruff shampoo he'd been using and let him use my stuff. Even convinced him to try co-washing and he liked it! Since my stuff cost more/not available on the ground where we live, I'm determined to find him something else that's cheap and sulfate free so we can have seperate toiletries. I really prefer having my own stuff. I've been sharing my facial moisturizer with him for a while now and I just don't like it.

The rest of my transition I hope to focus on my styling. I want to get better so that I'll feel confident after the Chop. Making the decision to stop wearing my hair straight back in May was a very important. I'm now used to seeing myself with very short hair. Seeing it highly textured. Getting used to my poofy edges. Discovering that natural hair styles look good on me. I've gotten to know my hair and am getting practice at listening to it and giving it what it needs.

For example, the key to my dry scalp issues really do seem to be related to how much water I'm drinking. I really slacked off this weekend bc I made lemonaid and that frankly is tastier than water. Me and my husband nearly drained the whole gallon in a day. Now my scalp is dry where as before it had been fine. I'm sure my kidneys will appreciate that my vanity has me reaching more for the water pitcher today than anything else.

So that's that.

9 months in.....

I've now officially been transitioning for 9 months.

Let's see.....were there any new techniques or styles that I tried over the past month that I found helpful?

Yes! I washed my hair in sections for the 2nd time this last washday. Instead of braiding or twisting (which is what I tried the first time back in July) I chose to divide the hair in 4 sections and simple clamp them with butterfly clips. I then washed my hair section by section, first shampooing then applying conditioner. Definitely a keeper. No more loose washing.

I also tried pre-treating with coconut oil the night prior to washing. Doing this lessens the amount of protein loss during washing and also lessens hygral fatigue. Since I'm striving to grow my hair out, I believe the coconut oil is an important ingredient to incoporate into my regimen. Speaking of which I finally ran across some organic, virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil in my local grocer. This wonder oil cost $12. It hurt my feelings.

I've been leaving my bantu knots in most days. If I'm not going out in public, then I dont take down the knots. I guess this would qualify as protective styling. I've started doing this in an effort to lessen breakage.

I've mentioned that I did my first full henna application and also wasted my time with a demised henna gloss. I probably will not do another full application until I get some Amla Powder to reduce the chance that my natural curl pattern with loosen. I will eventually get around to doing a full post dedicated to my impression of henna. One of these days.

I've also discovered The Natural Haven and just can't get enough. I'm a nerd and this is so up my alley. Love it! She does great diagrams that really break things down and help you understand the science behind hair care. Love it! Because of this site I've decided to get serious about washing my hair in sections and using coconut oil. Reading some real science motivated me to do my best during the last of my transition.

I've certainly made mistakes. I got the ridiculous idea recently to really detangle my hair and get rid of all my shed hairs. So I went in with a fine tooth comb. That.....was ridiculously time consuming and frustrating. I also probably lost a lot of hair unnecessarily. I hope I remember this lesson and do not feel the need to repeat.

I also pulled out a ruler a few times but I believe this falls into the mistake category. A watched pot certainly doesnt boil and by watching my hair closely the past month it seems it didn't grow much at all. Soooo...instead of relying on the ruler, I'm just going to snap a picture of the front portion stretched. It seems that that moves a teeny bit while the ruler tells me otherwise. My natural hair in the front is currently between my eyebrows.

So 3 more months to go....I can do this. I know can do this now since I've made it this far.

Three Hours.....

Three hours...

Three hours of my life wasted.

Wasted on a henna gloss. A henna gloss that I'm doubtful did anything aside from drip down my neck.

I had what I'm guesstimating about 50 grams of mixed henna frozen from my 1st henna application. I defrosted it in the fridge for slightly over a day. I took it out around 8 or 9pm Saturday. Mixed and applied it about 11am Monday morning.

I didn't measure anything so the measurements below are eyeballed

-Abt 50 or so grams of leftover henna mix
-Abt 1 cup of Proclaim Argan Oil Hydrating Mask (Conditioner)
-1.5 Tbsp Raw Honey
-3-4 Tbsp Olive Oil

I first clarified my hair with Tea Tree Tringle Shampoo mixed with about 1 tsp baking soda. (first time doing this too....yeah, my eyes are rolling at my own self) I then applied the Henna Gloss and covered it with 2 plastic caps. I left it on for exactly 3 hours. I then rinsed with tepid water. Squirted my hair with some Apple Cider Vinegar (to close my cuticles) then another another splash of tepid water.

I squeezed my hair with a towel and checked it out in the mirror. I couldn't detect any visible difference in my hair. My hair didn't necessarily 'feel' any stronger like the first time I did the straight henna application. Actually, my hair felt a tad oily.....and almost as if there was a bit of residue in my hair. It also seemed frizzy. My coils weren't springing like they normally do when I've deep conditioned. I have no idea how my hair is supposed to feel after a gloss so I let it air dry and I decided to plait it up for a braid out with rollers on the ends. I'll see how it looks and feels tomorrow. I probably will end up washing my hair on Thursday bc I think my hair has some kind of residue in it. I've read other people's account of feeling like their hair was 'coated' with something. I think that's a good way to describe the way my hair felt when I rinsed it earlier today. It just felt coated.

I guess my henna had already demised the day it spent in the fridge or perhaps all the olive oil prohibited dye uptake (which is how you get the conditioning benefits) AND/OR the dimethicone in the conditioner I used contributed to blocking dye uptake. I've got another 16 oz container of the Proclaim Argan Oil Hydrating Masque. I'll use it up but won't be repurchasing this product. On top of the dimethicone it has Isopropyl Alcohol. In the middle of the ingredient list. Unfortunately I didn't read the label thoroughly before I purchased it.

I'll be trying the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose as a deep conditioner after I run out of what I'm currently using.

Anyway, that waste of time.

August: in some words

STRESS! Stress Stress Stress Stress!!!

oh my goodness have I been stressed for the last 30 days.

We've relocated. We ARE NOT settled. It took 18 days to receive our goods. We had no hot water for the first 4 days when we arrived and I had to wash my hair. HAD TO.

We've got ants.

Oh good Lord the ants. I have fought ants since I arrived! I broke down an called Terminix to get some serious ant busting action out here because...I just can't...I can't deal with pests in my home...not where I'm living and laying my head.

I. JUST. CAN'T.

So the great part is that the ants...I think they are FINALLY gone...I haven't seen one in a few days.....

My hair. Some stuff has happened that definitely needs documenting.

First of all, during all the driving and the first few days after arriving. I researched Henna. I read a lot of articles, forums, and personal experiences with Henna. I spent hours upon hours researching and decided that I indeed wanted to try it.

Im in for the long haul. So I need to strengthen my fine fine strands. I know I flapped my gums a bit about chopping early but I just don't have enough hair. At the end of July I had 3 inches of natural hair stretched. I've got serious shrinkage so those 3 inches looked very much like an inch at best in it's natural shrunken state. Granted...early in my journey I doubt I would wear my hair completely shrunken. I hear the detangling session after that can be off the chain. But still....I want some more growth.

Unfortunately the stress of the move and EVERYTHING else (gah!) has stunted that growth. Here I am about a solid month since my last measurement and I'm still at a solid 3 inches...not even a quarter more. This...this is discouraging. I stopped torturing myself with weekly measurements. That's just insane. Monthly seemed more realistic and reasonable. I'm more likely to see some kind of result with a monthly measurement. But this time....nada. absolutely no movement. I snipped some hair right in the front so I could accurately guage growth (and shrinkage)so I know I'm measuring the right hair...

I've lost a whole entire month of growth potential presumably due to the sheer stress of what's going on around me.

That sucks pretty bad.

Anywho...back to the henna. I did all that research...then purchased some henna from Mehandi.com. With relaxed hair still on my head...I'm not taking any chances on getting henna that might not be pure. I did my first henna application back on August 12. I made a note of my first impressions in my phone but it seems that note didn't save or was mistakenly erased.
.....sigh.....

I'll do a full henna post seperately.

I feel like I'm all over the place in this post. I really just wanted to get back into the groove of posting and hope to organize my thoughts a bit better soon.

I've been washing my hair roughly every 5 days. Not where I originally wanted to be but at least it's not a full week or more. I want to get back down to every 3/4 days because my scalp is happiest on that schedule. Before I left Pittsburgh, I did purchase

I've been using it ever since we left and I really like it. I use it as a leave in conditioner/moisturizer. I have not used it as a rinse conditioner. I'll do a full write up of my impression of that one of these days too.

If this isn't scattered enough I did snip a few more pieces of hair free several days ago on the back right side. Why? ....Well...I'm not really sure. I was just kinda playing in my hair one night before knotting it up for bed and was applying aloe vera gel to various section to watch the roots. there were some corkscrews in the back that were curling in a rather stunning fashion and the relaxed hair attached just looked....pitiful. I asked my husband what I should do (bc I was trotting back and forth between the living room and bathroom showing him what my hair 'did'). He offered to snip them for me...but I wanted to do it myself. so I did. the patch is about the size of a silver dollar. It's another area where I can monitor growth. The texture if different from the front. Definite corkscrews where the front is corkscrewy but tends toward a bit of s-curl as well. I've got this random patch over my left ear that travels down to the nape that just won't do anything at all. At best it waves up after a deep conditioning treatment but that's it. Usually that hair is just 'textured'....It just lays there. It's almost straight. It's the wierdest thing and unfortunately annoying bc I think this will keep me from doing straight wash in go's in the future. How can I wash n go with this random straight patch on the side? smh.....lol. That would look a hot mess. The sad patch won't even finger curl right. I'm interested to see if that will change at all after I chop.

ok..ok....enough rambling. I need to go do laundry. oh my gosh...the laundry. and I have to go to the laundrymat bc we don't have a washer yet. I really don't like that. sigh...

i'm just gonna say it because it's my journal and if I don't put it here then where would I put it?

I don't like it here. There. That's it. I don't like this new place. I don't like this house we're renting. I don't like the heat. I don't like how far away we are from either coast. I dont like the fact that I have to drive to the city to get stuff I'm accustomed to having withing minutes from my home. I dont like the way my neighbors refused to speak to me for the first 2 weeks and now another full week later only one of them does. I don't like the fact that there are barely any black people here. I dont like it that we have no idea where any churches are and haven't found anyone to ask about a black church anywhere......

I dont feel this move was a mistake. I know it wasn't. I just dont like it yet. I hope that changes soon.

Transitioning in transit

This has been one whirl wind of a week....posting from my hotel room in St. Louis where we decided to pit stop on our way out west.

I'm popping in just to update primarily because over the last few days I've noticed my scalp issues flaring up around my front hairline again. I'm thinking this must be stress related bc I havent used anything new on my hair. I did miss 2 doses of Zyrtec this past week. It was very dry and tight and itchy. The more I rubbed and picked at it the more annoying it became and I got self conscious when I saw that it was flaking up.

I had an applicator bottle of vinegar in my toiletry bag so I bust that out and applied it to my hair line with a cotton ball. then I used cool water to rinse the most irritated side. I forgot to rinse the other side of my hair line which I'm regretting as I type this bc the vinegar smell has lingered. I applied a little moisture spritz to the area and sealed it with olive oil. After about 20 mins things settled down and I'm comfortable. Hopefully that spot has been set to heal. I dont plan to wash my hair until Monday when we prayerfully will get into our new place.

To tie up loose ends, here is a picture of my hair from my husband's going away party. I wore my hair in a flat twist out:

This is the style that I used the Elasta QP Silk Setting Foam. It turned out ok. I'm still just learning this set and will admit that the one I did for that day was not the best one I've done so far. but I think I salavaged it pretty well with the headband and using bobby pins to shape the sides.

That's a wrap...so very tired....about to fall into the bed.

Another Conditioner

So...a really quick impression of the infamous Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak.

I found this while going thru a drawer in my bathroom as I organize and get rid of stuff in preparation for the *relocation*...that is in a week! OMGOSH!!! I am NOT ready.

anyway, I'm trying to get rid of stuff, use up stuff that I can and ran across this last night. I've seen countless people on boards and on Youtube that use this stuff but honestly....I was skeptical. I wrongly assumed that it included mineral oil or petroleum since it's inexpensive and marketed as an ethnic hair product. I'm not militant about my ingredients but those two I'm trying extra hard to stay away from bc they truly dont do me any favors. I base this upon the fact that when I cut out all the products that included those items, my hair FELT so much better and my scalp is doing GREAT! That's after suffering with severe scalp psoriasis/dermatitis for YEARS...

I scan the ingredients and don't see mineral oil or petroleum so bam, used it today. I'm prepping my hair for my husband's going away party tomorrow. (the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Fertilizer did include Petroleum so I trashed the samples I had of that)

First, I washed my hair with Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle shampoo then detangled with their conditioner. I applied the Replenishing Pak. I used about half of the package on my necklength transitioning hair.

First of all this smells like oranges. I'm not an express fan of the smell of oranges but points for originality bc I think this may be the first orange smelling product I've smeared in my hair. The consistency is like pudding. Imagine some lemon/orange pudding.....now take a scoop of that pudding and smear it on your hair. Exact SAME consistency.

Most of the mentions I've seen of this product stated mixing olive oil with it so I squirted in a few pumps of olive oil into my hand and mixed. I applied it kinda in sections and finger detangled before popping on a plastic cap and donning my heat therapy wrap.

I left the ORS RP on my hair for an hour with heat. Hopped back in the shower and rinsed with cool water. I attempted to detangle a little with my wide tooth comb and noticed this conditioner really doesnt have much slip. BUT i also noticed NO HAIR in my comb. At the end of this last rinse there was 1 lonely strand in my comb.....this is unheard of. at first, i was thought that wasn't that big of a deal since I detangled prior with the Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner but NO. this is a big deal bc everytime I comb my hair there is hair in the comb thanks to the the process of transitioning.

Afterwards, I squeezed with my hand towel and hopped to the mirror. I didnt notice major popping of curls in the top which is what I keep my eye on bc those are the more distinct ones that i can see but I did catch some major coil action above my right ear. I've never noticed that before.

I've read somewhere from someone who felt this conditioner was a good protein conditioner..I've read on MakeUpAlley a few accounts of this conditioner making people's hair hard. So I'm thinking that this conditioner probably leans more towards protein than moisture. My hair was not soft when I rinsed. Nothing like how my hair is soft when I rinse out my Protectiv Argan Oil stuff. I would venture to say my hair felt stronger. And since it is my haphazard opinion that my hair could benefit from a little protein here and there I will certainly purchase this conditioner again.

So I've set my hair for tomorrow's party and to keep it interesting I'm using a setting foam that I've barely used a few years ago and certainly never on my natural roots.....HOPEFULLY it will give me good results tomorrow.

I'll record my impression of that either way....

*I hope to get back to recording my thoughts soon but everything is so up in the air with the relocation. We plan pull out of here on the 29th and take a few days to drive the 1000 miles.

It was bound to happen sooner or later.....

Something’s gotta change….

Friday I washed my hair after an 8 day stretch…..Travel and then revival at church all week left me with no opportunities to wash my hair. As I’m not a fully natural diva….i can’t just hop in the shower and wash my hair any ole place. I gotta have time, the right products, ect.

So late Friday night, I wash my hair. I was exhausted. See previous week of travel and church. I popped on my heating therapy wrap to deep condition and was so miserable, I decided to sleep in the conditioner and deal with rinsing, detangling, ect the next morning. Note to self: don't bother going to bed with the therapy cap on...it makes your ears hurt.

That morning, in the shower as I tried to detangle, I was getting discouraged. Now surely, it was not as bad as the harrowing experiences I've read of women standing in a cold shower for 2 hours crying. No suh….ain’t gonna be that dramatic about it. But frankly it was more frustrating than it has been in a looong while. Unsure if waiting 8 days was a factor or not but heaven knows when I finally got out the shower and got dressed. I stood in the living room with my damp hair and I shook my head at my husband:

“Something’s gotta change”

(which led to an interesting conversation where we got into the chemistry of relaxing hair and the societal conditioning that we all have to see our natural hair as something undesireable and to be straightened out-but I'll touch on that later)

my relaxed hair is cut in an inverted bob so my front layers are signicantly longer than the back. I don’t have any troubles detangling the back. It’s the front that was being a donkey that morning….

So…I’m taking this as a sign that my regimen needs tweaking. Particularly how I wash my hair. I’ve read here and there about people who section their hair before washing it. They twist/braid it and wash it like this without loosening the twist/braid. I didn’t bother experimenting with this bc I didn’t think I could. I had very short hair in the back….but lesson has been learned. I will at least twist the front before I wash my hair again. That will be tonite.

In order to do this I’m also gonna have to experiment with my detangling process. I’ll need to do that at the sink. Now one option is to apply conditioner to DRY hair. Get it good and saturated (as I understand the hair absorbs more of it in the dry state) and detangle that way….I’ve also heard of saturating the hair with oil….once again on DRY hair then commence with the detangling. Since I’m planning at least 2 twist one on either side of my head, I think I’m gonna try them both and see which won wins my affections. The back I’ll probably just do what I normally do. hop in the shower and let the water wash away the definition left by the Bantu Knots…….then detangle with conditioner as normal….that is unless the heavens open and the sink detangling is such a breeze that I smh at silly ole me in the shower trying to comb my nest.

on a related note: I got 2 overripe bananas….I intended to make my husband some ‘Nana Pudding…poor man done went to the store and bought some Nilla wafers for it too…..now….would it be wrong of me to mash those bananas up with olive oil and put them in my hair???
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Yes…yes it would. But I’m so tempted….so very tempted, lol. I better make the Puddin before I wash my hair or he’ll be mighty disappointed.

Compare and Contrast....

Man...I'm behind in my posting. I've got some stale drafts that I need to upload the pictures into and then get those posted.

So I washed my hair on Sunday evening. I don't like this timing bc I'd prefer to have fresh hair for church but I can only co-wash my hair on Wednesdays and Saturday just seems too soon after that. Anyway, I followed the process I did last time with exception of the deep conditioner I used. Instead of the Hydrating Masque with Argon Oil, I did Silk Effects Intensive Moisturizing Conditioning Treatment. Everything else remained the same. Including setting my hair in Bantu Knots.

The verdict: I do believe the deep conditioner plays a heavy role here. Though my hair is soft and I have less frizz, it's just not as awesome as it was last wash. Soooo, I'm gonna use up this Silk Effects, bc I dont want to waste it (although it was free) and then go back and purchase a full size (if they have one) of the Hydrating Masque. I'm being very, very generous with the Silk Effects so hopefully I'll be done with it by the end of July.

Pictures of Day 2 hair:

I finally managed to set my bantu knots so that I could style my hair with some bangs. I finally twisted the front knots forward instead of backwards. All those hours worth of YouTube finally paying off.....

Wow....

I just had my best hair day yet while transitioning!

Wednesday night, I washed hair with Tea Tree Tingle; detangled with Tea Tree Tingle. Deep Conditioned with Proclaim Argan Oil Intense Moisturizing Masque (It's not on the site yet, I was told it was new. Here is a link to the regular conditioner.) under my new Heat Therapy Wrap for about 45 mins. Applied Kinky Curly Knot Today (KKKT). Used Lustrasilk setting lotion (the one I hate) and sealed with castor oil. Set hair in bantu knots.

OMGosh....my hair is soooo soft today. Easily the softest it's been since I began transitioning. My hair wasnt quite dry this morning so I had to use the blow dryer.:( The top curls/knots which are my longest layers are not as curly as I'd like but, I've got good definition and most of all my hair is not FRIZZY. This is pretty major. I had accepted that frizz was just part of the program as I transition. I'd even went as far as to characterize my natural hair, especially in the center below the crown, as frizzy.

Also, Also, when I applied the KKKT my roots exploded with definition. Small corkscrews of varying size were all over. They range from penspring to slightly smaller than a pencil. Previously I thought I had about 50% shrinkage....I think I'll go further with that and peg me anywhere between 60-70%. If I leave my roots alone, they shrink nice and tight up on themselves. The definition was definitely lost as my hair air dried. So I better understand the need to put something on the hair, like a gel or something to maintain the defined look but I dont know about the shrinkage. I dont know how I'm going to get the hair stretched AND maintain my natural definition.

So where are the pictures? Blah, Blah, Blah with all the words..LET ME SEEEEEEEEE:

The few pics I shot of the front view looked goofy. After I got to work,I realized I needed to use bobby pins to shape the front top a bit but never did...bc...frankly I was lazy and didn't feel like going down the hall to the bathroom just to deal with my hair.

Now, I dont know if it is one specific product that has given me such great results or the technique, but I'm sooo pleased. I plan to deep condition again when I wash my hair this weekend. This time I wont be using the hydrating mask as that was a little .99 packet from Sally's. For renewing my Sally's Member Card, I got a free Silk Effects product so I picked up their Intensive Conditioner. I believe it has silk proteins. I've been wondering about the porosity of my hair and think that maybe I could use a little protein but I dont think I need the heavy hitting Apoghee Treatment that I picked up the other week. So this weekend I'll do a round with that and see if it's the method or the ingredients.

Fruity Hair

I forgot to post pics of my very first pineapplettes.

I followed the method easily found on YouTube.

Here's what my first pinapples looked liked:

Me the following morning with bonnett in place:

Up close and very personal

After removing the bonnett:

Mmmhmmm....nice and smooooshed...

Disassembled puffs:

And the resulting style from this fruity maintenance:

I mix a little mineral foundation into my moisturizer to even skin tone so depending on the lighting, in some pictures I look a touch pale. I dont look like that off camera in real life! lol.

Really ran out of time so there aren't multiple angles here. I popped on the headband bc the front just isn't set for wearing free. I need to experiment with that so I'm not so dependent on headbands all the time.

Blessings!

Aloe Vera Gel: Impression

After my first cowash, I set my hair in Bantu Knots. I decided to make these knots smaller than I'd been making them previously. I also planned to keep the first row intact to provide a natural headband effect.

I'd read that Aloe Vera Gel could be used a light styler. So instead of using the Aussie Moist conditioner (worried about dull hair again) I decided to try the AVG.

Omgosh...I'm always so tired when I finish my hair...seriously.

Here are the results:

1st Day:

2nd Day:

Saturday, I took the 1st row of knots out and wore a regular headband. No pictures of that though.

Each night I'd put my hair into mini 'pineapples' to maintain. I woke up Sunday morning to a bit of a fuzzy mess. We chose to watch church online this morning (our church live streams) but if I'd left the house this hair would have definitely went under a scarf. Although I appreciate the convenience in pineappling, currently during my transition this method will not maintain a style over 3 days. Though....I wash/cowash every 3/4 days so...I guess this isn't as big of a problem as I thought.


Anyway, blah blah blah...I'm supposed to be talking about my impression of the Aloe Vera Gel. It's 99% pure and I got it from Trader Joes, $2.99 for 12 ounces. That's a quarter/ounce. Aloe Vera is a natural moisturizer. The consistency is a watery gel. There's no smell. Not sticky or tacky. It honestly felt like putting thick water on my hair. I sealed with castor oil.

When I took my hair down, it felt good. Good definition. Moisturized. I think this is a great styling agent for the summer. I will definitely continue to use this in the future. I've also been using it as a facial moisturizer as my Oil of Olay has run out. I mixed a dab of tea tree oil in to help with facial blemishes. Works well.

Deeper and Deeper.....

I just want to note that I just ordered my Hair Therapy heating cap. Courtesy of Amazon.

I'm especially pleased bc I'd been hunting from supplier to supplier looking for the cheapest shipping. Everybody had it listed for the same price give or take 4 cents so this was the only way to save. Found that Amazon seemed to be giving me the best deal on that for around $6 for ground shipping. BUT! BUT! Just now, I ordered it for no shipping costs! I do not know why, but there was no shipping and I'm elated!

Yay!!!!

The missing part of my regimen has been deep conditioning. I'm sooo exciting to get this cap bc it's cordless and I can do other stuff while deep conditioning instead of being tied down to a hood hair dryer. I also don't own one of those so deep conditioning wasn't really happening. I know that i could wet a towel and zap it in the microwave and then wear that around the house but....eh...messy...and cumbersome. I could sleep with deep conditioner in my hair but the crinkle crinkle of the shower cap all night is annoying and hot. So....when I ran across the heating cap, the heavens parted and a solution was brought to my attention.

Hee hee.....i'm excited. It should be delivered sometime bw the 9th and 15th.

Cowashing- First time

Little delay in posting. I've been busy at work and just tired in the evenings. Got stuff on my mind in regards to the relocation, ect, ect, ect! Gah!

On to the hair!

This past Wednesday was my first time cowashing my hair. I used Aussie Moist Conditioner ($2.84 for a 13.5 oz bottle. That's 21 cents/ounce! Yeah!)I had no visible flakes-which is a major win in that department. To guage how my scalp was doing since I washed it Saturday, I lightly scratched it with a comb in the front. Flake, flake, flake. Sigh......unsure if it was dryness or the dermatitis/psoriasis/whatevertheheck. I decided to apply Apple Cider Vinegar to my hair and scrubbed that in with my fingertips.

What I do is jump into the shower. Wet my hair. Making sure it's good and saturated and begin massaging my scalp. I do this until I feel my curls and kinks completely revert. (Although I havent been using heat in the last couple of weeks, my hair seems to stretch into waves when I do my sets). Then I take my 3 ounce flip top travel bottle full of ACV and apply it to my roots. Kinda finger parting and squirting. Once I've got that good and applied, I finger massage/scrub for...eh, maybe a couple of minutes. I noticed that there is a point when my roots began to feel 'light' and 'fluffy'. I massage the scalp until I get to that point. I do not manipulate the hair.

Then I rinse until I can no longer smell the vinegar. I then applied a good half palmful of the Aussie Moist. I didn't feel bad at all for piling it on. 21 cents an ounce is a beautiful thing. I focused on the scalp at first, Massaging, massaging, massaging. Then when I 'felt that was enough' I moved down into my hair. Trying to be careful not to tangle it. I kinda squeezed my hands down the shaft. Then I detangled with my Goody detangling comb. I searched high and low last weekend for a shower comb with a hook on the end. Couldn't find one. That hook would make it so much easier to store my comb while I'm doing everything else. Anyway, my hair detangled well. I think Aussie Moist has decent slip in that department. I left the conditioner on my hair while I got all the other business done. Then finished off with a cool rinse.

After it was all said and done, I believe my hair was clean. It didnt feel dry. It felt decently conditioned. I dont believe I was dealing with much dirt but I felt that cowashing got rid of the build up I might have had from the Tea Tree Tingle conditioner that I used twice to set my hair as well as the castor oil I used to seal.

I will definitely cowash again. I plan to alternate between washing with shampoo on the weekends and cowashing with a conditioner midweek.

So I've been heat free since May 23. hmmm....that's it? lol, feels so much longer. My hair is responding well. I have only combed my hair when it's been wet with conditioner or wet with moisturizers. I've noticed way less shedding. Great! Things are going well. I guess my hair is growing. lol. When I checked about 10 days ago, the new growth in the very front was 2 inches. Though I think the newgrowth is a little longer in the middle, since the front has some breakage. But that could just be the relaxed ends gone. I'll recheck length beginning of July.

Touching my roots now in the front....feels thicker...i think? Not sure. Hope so. When my hair is relaxed, it's considered 'fine'. I can't used too much product or I have no body to my hair. I'm hoping that as a natural, I'm at least average. Fingers crossed, lol. I haven't done the test where you compare one strand of hair to 1/2 strand of thread yet. I keep forgetting. I should do that now while my mind is on it!

Til next time,

Blessings!

Is that it?

Morning Morning....

whew....i am NOT feeling it today. not in the least. ergo the blogging.

primarily what's on my mind is the braid out I did Saturday night. I wore it to church Sunday. Rocked it on Memorial Day. I took a nap on Monday evening and i just put a satin bonnet on it while I was sleeping. Took that off and it looked a bit fuzzy. That night I rebraided my hair, used my Tea Tree Tingle conditioner and sealed with castor oil. Pretty much reset the style. Tuesday, I wore the braid out to work but it was definitely lacking shine. In fact it was certifiably dull. I'm wondering if the use of the conditioner contributed to that. by the end of the day I was not feeling my hair at all but I got home late and didn't feel like washing my hair....

Gah! regimin already derailed....was supposed to try cowashing it Tuesday night.

So today, it's wrapped under a brown scarf. Originally was going to wear a hat but the hat just wasn't playing well with the Olive jacket and Brown skirt I'm wearing today. so scarf it is.

3 days...is that all I can expect from my transitioning hair? surely not....i think i messed up using the conditioner to retwist. I probably should have just spritzed with a little water to reactivate what was already in my hair.

I have no photos of my braid out after the fuzz and dull attacked. let it be known that it wasn't a good look.

Last night after I said that I didnt feel like cowashing my hair, my husband asked me how often do I need to wash it. Man, I have no idea. I think my scalp would prefer 3-4 days. At the end of the day yesterday I started to feel a bit itchy so I applied my scalp healer last night before throwing on my bonnet.

Tonight I will try to cowash. I'm on the fence as to whether I should use vinegar or not. If I use vinegar, will still be considered a cowash? I think the castor oil may need some help getting washed out....plus my hair is dull, dull, dull so clarifying seems smart. But I dont want to dry out my hair and scalp......we'll see.

Tea Tree Tingle: Impression

Saturday I washed, conditioned, and set my hair using Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Conditioner. I purchased them from Trader Joe's for 3.99 per bottle. Each bottle has 16 oz of product. Roughly .25 per ounce.

Both products share the same light 'fresh herbal' scent. I'm very familiar to the smell of tea tree oil which can be a bit overwhelming to those not initiated. The tea tree oil aroma here is light. The peppermint blends with the tea tree to 'freshen' it up. I did not find the scent to linger afterwards.

My first impression of the Shampoo: Very light. Completely clear. In fact, I had to squint to see it come out the bottle bc it blended in with the water from the shower so well. It does lather. A clean lather not moisture rich. I was expecting some kind of cooling sensation. What I got was a very light tingle. I felt it more when I shampooed the second time. Once I rinsed, my hair felt very clean. In fact there was a slight 'squeak'. Next, I applied the conditioner. It was similiar to a light whipped lotion. I did not notice a tingle with this product at all. It did have decent 'slip' so I was able to detangle with little problem. Directions stated to leave on for 3-5 minutes so I completed my shower routine then turned down the water temperature and rinsed. My hair felt clean and there was no squeak whatsoever so it did indeed moisturize. Since I'd washed my hair 3 days before, I probably overdid it with the 2nd shampoo.

CurlyNikki stated that the conditioner could also be used as a Styling agent. I decided to do my first braid out and used the Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner as a leave in/ setting lotion. I sealed each plait with castor oil then rolled my hair on foam rollers (they are lined with satin). I let my hair air dry.

Castor Oil's medical use is a stimulant laxative. I got it from Walmart. I'm not sure how much ricinoleic acid is in it which I believe is the good stuff in Castor Oil that makes it the bomm. My Walmart Castor Oil had no additional additives. First impression: THICK. It's almost clear. Slight yellow tinge and came out the bottle fairly slowly...the consistency reminded me of molasses. I'd be scared to turn this bottle up *shudders* My stomach is quite sensitive and this would probably have me house bound for days. I did not like the application of castor oil. It was tacky and kinda sticky. I've used coconut oil as my sealant in the past and the two do not compare in texture and ease of application. I was quite skeptical but stuck it out and applied it to each section before I braided. After the 3rd braid, I mixed a dab of conditioner on my finger before dabbing the castor oil. That helped out a lot with application. A lot less sticky feeling.

I was so tired when I finished. I'm gonna have to build up stamina for these hair sessions...

Sunday morning when I took the rollers out and the braids down my hair was indeed soft. The castor oil had sealed my hair very well and it felt nicely moisturized and not overly greasy. There was a oil residue left on my fingers as I undid the braids but i just rubbed that into my hands. Playing with the amount I apply might eliminate that issue. My hair no longer felt sticky or tacky. The braid out was very well defined and last all day. Soft, glossy, perfectly defined hair. No frizz. I will definitely use the castor oil in the future.

I took these pictures several hours after I took the braids out. Finished style:

"Diva" lol....

I actually had a few pics of me smiling...until I realized that my Sunday dinner was stuck squarely bw my teeth. Not a good look. I will refrain from immortalizing myself that way.

'Kitchen' shot is bc I can't quite figure out what texture my 'kitchen' actually is! Sometimes that area slightly rolls up in a soft 'O-curl'. I wonder if that qualifies it as a 'bead'? Soon as I touch it, it dissolves. Most of the time, the hair back there is free form. not really curling or coiling or anything. This hair isnt permed. When I had my last relaxer, this part was shaved. Perhaps this area has heat damage? Quite possible as I only went off heat a few weeks ago. I've been frying that hair back there straight, weekly. Tsk, tsk, tsk....Once I start deep conditioning maybe it will curl up....

Regimen? What regimen?

woo boy.....10 minutes of poking around a natural hair site and you'll run into the word 'Regimen'. It seems this is the first thing you should get sorted on your natural hair journey....

Yeeeeaahhhh.....so....I didnt really have one. no real set cleansing routine. barely a night routine-I faithfully tied it up at night but that it. didn't put anything on it. I haphazardly greased/conditioned my scalp. there was no deep conditioning....I mean....it's a wonder all my relaxed hair hasnt fallen off my head if those cries of 'Regimen' 'Regimen' have anything to say about it. wasnt until about a month or so ago when in desperation I began seeking out information bc I had so much new growth that my old regimen of whatever shampoo and conditioner are under the cabinet was not cutting it. at. all.

I have severe dry scalp issues. some kind of dermatitis or psoriasis. it's ridiculous. it can flare up so bad sometimes that I give up and wear a scarf over my hair bc I can't deal. yet another reason to get things sorted out. the quicker the better.

I want healthy hair. I want to ease my transition. I want optimal growth. I really really need to get my scalp into better condition! clearly I need to fall in line with the program.

So first, what I was doing:

Apply Apple Cider vinegar to scalp
Shampoo with Pantene Relaxed and Natural Shampoo
Condition with Nexxus Humectress
Grease scalp with KeraCare Dry Itchy Scalp glossifier
For flat ironing: IC Hair Straightening Polisher
No Heat: Protectiv Growth Lotion and Mega Growth Oil, Lustrasilk Setting Lotion

I started with this post from CurlyNikki - I printed it out and took it with me when I got off work early this Friday. I was sooo very thankful that CN took the extra time to note where you could purchase the products in brick and mortar stores. I chose to begin with those products to keep it easy and hopefully affordable since I was pretty much replacing every hair product I was using. I also tried to pick products that would be multi purpose. I started at Trader Joe's with the plan being to head from there over to Whole Foods, then to Sally's. After dropping more than half of my hair budget in Trader's, I just swung by Sally's and Walmart. No sense tempting myself in Whole Foods with some boutique-y products I can't afford right now.

Here's my loot:

Trader Joe's
Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo 3.99
Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner 3.99
Vitamin E Oil 3.99
Tea Tree Oil 6.49
Jojoba Oil 6.99
99% Aloe Vera Gel 2.99
Organic Raw Honey 5.99

Sally's
APHogee 2 Step Protein Treatment 3.79
EcoStyler Olive Oil 4.79
Rattail Comb 1.29
Applicator Bottle 1.89
Keychain Spray Bottle 0.99

Walmart
Aussie Moist Conditioner 2.84
Castor Oil 2.76

Total Spent on Hair Products: $52.78


Sometime on Saturday I plan to start a new regimen. I'll do the protein treatment and use all my new products.

Friday night I mixed up my own little batch of Scalp Healer. I just made that name up. I have no idea what I'm doing.

In the new Applicator Bottle I put

1 oz Jojoba Oil
1 oz Vitamin E Oil
.25 oz Tea Tree Oil
.25 oz Olive Oil

Shake, Shake, Shake....I presume this should last me at least a full week more than likely longer. I am not sure if I'll apply it nightly or every other night. I just put some on about an hour ago. just drew a few lines here and there on my scalp and massaged it in for about 2 mins (will have to work my way up to 10min). I was expecting it to tingle but it's not really (probably need to pick up some peppermint oil for that effect). It honestly feels as if the oil is going to run off my scalp onto my face and neck, but several checks have proven that not to be the case. So it's not a tingle but there is definitely a sensation.

I'm off to pineapplette my hair (have pics! will post soon!) CN's advice is to stick with your regimen for 3 weeks, journal, take pics, and then access your situation. So that's what I'm gonna try to do.

Blessings!