Helpful Articles and Links

Just wanted to share some of the articles that helped me in the beginning of my journey:

Hair Typing:

http://healthytextures.typepad.com/my_journey_to_healthy_hai/2007/1...

Hair assessment:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278612/the_fine_art_of_pro...

Regimen building/product lists:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/288340/hair_regimen_buildi...
http://healthytextures.typepad.com/my_journey_to_healthy_hai/beginn...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/313061/how_to_select_a_moi...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/313072/how_to_select_a_moi...

Other tips and definitions:
http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=104988&PN=1

Happy Hair Growing!!!

Relaxer Update 1/24/2009

I relaxed Saturday with Vitale Life & Body relaxer system, which I'm in love with. My hair came out relaxed, but strong and with lots of body. This by far is the best results I've achieved self relaxing. And if I may say so myself, I think I did a better job than the last stylist I went to. (I'm not knocking professionals, I've had some great stylists, but there are bad apples out there.) I DC'd, trimmed my ends(I needed it) and flat ironed. Here are my results/comparison pics:

I am really happy with my length, so I'm going to stick with Megatek. Hopefully by the end of my next stretch (12 weeks), I'll be shoulder length again.

My Biggest Regimen Tweaks of 2009!

As fierce of a winter I've experienced here, My hair is holding up so well. I have few split ends that a quick dusting will fix. To me, that's a miracle. I was so afraid I wouldn't make it through the winter with any growth, but if I keep this up, I'll have gained a couple inches in length by April.
1. Nixed the Midweek cowash - I haven't gotten rid of it all together, but I've been able to keep my hair moisturized without it for now.
2. Added Weekly protien - I've let go of my protien fears, and my hair has thanked me for it. I use protien products mainly as my prepoo.
3. Using Direct Heat on a weekly basis - I flat iron my hair weekly after a dc. So far so good.
4. Using liquid leave ins - I still use my cream leave in, but after I wash and DC, I spray some liquid leave in on to detangle and nourish my hair. This way my hair doesn't feel weighed down.
5. Sealing with serum instead of oils - I saw this suggestion on the HairLuvBugs site. At first I wasn't so sure about it because my train of thought was Serum = Silicones = crazy buildup. Thankfully I was wrong. It's been keeping the frizz at bay and my hair stays moisturized all day.

My hair feels amazing!