What's New With Me?

Well, It's been over a MONTH since I've blogged. So what's new with me? Well, here we go:

1. I havent' relaxed yet. I'm 11 1/2 weeks post. I'll probably relax next week. For a brief period of time, I thought about transitioning, but I decided against it, as I won't be able to do it without braids or some serious help...

2. I've been wigging out. It's really helped me during this stretch. I've been keeping my hair in braids/plaits underneath the half wigs.

3. I've got a new moisturizer. ORS Carrot oil. I only have to moisturize once a day as opposed to twice a day.

4. I'm starting a new challenge! I'll be doing the Nu Gro challenge. I haven't been on a challenge since HT's Bootcamp, so this is exciting for me.


So far there's been no major changes to my regimen, and my ends look good and my hair feels healthy. I'm just hoping to keep the status quo.

It's Been A While...

Hi every one! It's been a while since I've posted, so I figured I'd give you an update.

I'm presently on the brink of being 7 weeks post relaxer. The below pictures were taken when I was 5 going on 6 weeks post:

The amount of new growth I have in that pic is normally the amount that I have at 8 - 10 weeks post relaxer. I'm on a new mission and I'm trying to manage my new growth so that I can continue to stretch until I'm 12 weeks post. I'm also struggling with another issue. I'm on a personal challenge to not purchase any more products for 60 days. Well, about 3 weeks ago I ran out of my beloved Neutrogena Triple Moisture products. I'll be through with my 60 day drought in 5 days. In the mean time I've been trying to achieve the results I desire without my staple products. So now you're caught up!

My New Best Friend!

Well, I've hesitated for so long, but I finally gave in and bought two. One was shorter than my natural hair length, and the other was longer. I wore the short one yesterday, and he didn't even notice! Here are pics of the longer one I wore today:

I don't know why, but I liked it better with my hair pinned back than when it was out:

Comments are appreciated!

Quick Protien Facts

I've been doing a little bit of research on protiens, and here's what I've come up with on the ones I'm most familiar with:

Animal proteins - These are the ones you have to be careful with. They can easily cause protien overload. Keratin protiens only strenghten the outer layer of your hair, with the exception of hydrolyzed protiens. These are broken down protiens that are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft and strengthen from within. When looking for protien conditioners, don't go for the ones that are "instant" or the ones that only require to leave the conditioner in your hair for 5 minutes or less won't really be as effective as a conditioner requiring to be left in for 10 -15 minutes or more.

Silk Amino Acid protiens - These are my favorite protiens. These penetrate the hair shaft in it's natural form, and some consider these protien bonds to be one of the stronger, if not, the strongest bonds. These protiens make your hair very soft as well.

Vegetable protiens - these protiens easily penetrate the hair shaft, mostly known to create shine and luster to your hair without residual buildup. Some even say that they help to maintain moisture.

Oil Facts

I LOVE oils, but I never really knew much about them. I decided to do a little research, and here’s some facts I’ve found regarding some of the more popular/commonly used oils.

Jojoba Oil – This is at the top of my list because this affects the most important part of hair growth- the scalp. Jojoba is mostly popular because it’s molecular make up is very similar to the sebum that the scalp generates. It also has antimicrobial properties, a good source of Vitamins E and B complex. It also has been known to penetrate the hair shaft. This oil is deal for anyone with severe dry scalp issues.

Olive Oil – This is one of the top oils used in most hair care regimens. This oil is somewhat heavy, but is one of the best softening and conditioning oils around. This oil has been proven to be able to penetrate the hair shaft.

Coconut Oil – This is another widely popular oil. Coconut oil provides high shine, nourishes, and penetrates the hair shaft. This oil has also been known to help reduce protein loss within the hair shaft as well. It’s a light oil with a slightly nutty fragrance, and helps reduce frizz.

Grape Seed Oil – This oil is ideal for those with fine hair. It’s light, hypoallergenic, and slightly astringent, and has high amounts of Vitamin A and beta carotene. It also smoothes the hair cuticle and coats the hair shaft.

Sweet Almond Oil – This oil is a softening agent, soothing to the scalp, and easily absorbed. It’s high in minerals, proteins, and Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and E. It’s lighter than olive oil, but heavier than grape seed.

Castor Oil – One of the most popular traits of castor oil is that it used to thicken up hair. Oddly enough, castor oil is a humectant, so it can draw moisture into your hair. It’s also known to smooth the cuticle and coat the hair shaft.

Avocado Oil – Avocado oil penetrates the hair shaft, contains quite a bit of protein, and is high in Vitamin E and D.

Macadamia Nut Oil – Macadamia oil is a runner up to Jojoba oil. It is also similar to the hair’s sebum, so it may be an alternative to jojoba oil if you can’t get your hands on any.

Alma Oil – This oil is widely used in Ayurvedic hair regimens. While I don’t know much about this oil, I know that it is known to penetrate the hair shaft.

Product Stash...How Much Is Too Much?

Ladies, I posted this pic on one of the many hair networks I am assocaited with. Depending on what day I looked in my cabinet, I came to a different conclusion. Some days I thought it was too much, other days I was indifferent, and then other days I'd think it wouldn't hurt to get another product or two. I was surprised with the response of most of the readers of the post. They all claimed that my stash "wasn't so bad" and most said they have significantly more than I do.

So what's your perspective? Does the picture above look like a PJ stash to you? Is this a "normal" sized stash, or is this fairly simple?

Breaking News for Keracare Humecto Lovers!!

According to Dr. Ali Syed, they will be changing the humecto formulations in the bottle to match the consistency and formula as the tub.

Check it out:

http://www.dralisyed.com/

The Doobie Wrap: My New Best Friend

I've been trying a lot of new products and techniques out lately. The one that I'm enjoying the most is the doobie wrap. This technique is more common in Dominican salons, and it's not that different from a regular wrap, but I've found that I get a sleeker look.



What's the difference? Simple big ole bobby pins. Wrap from the back and comb down and around. I secure each side of my head with a large bobby pin and sometimes, I use a few regular sized pins across the top to pin down any loose strands that the other pins didn't catch. In the morning, I take out the pins, loosely break the doobie with my fingertips and most of it falls into place, I moisturize, seal, and go looking like I just came out of the salon!

My GHD Is The Business!

This is a bit of an old post, but I decided to add it for my girl LaQT.

Now I've had my GHD for a minute, but I wasn't using it very often. Plus, I'm not very good at flat ironing anyway. I could never get my hair sleek enough. But that changed last night. My hair was so light, shining with some serious bling, and the swang! I was shaking my head back and forth like I was in a hair commercial. Here's what I did:

Prepoo: Giovanni Restructurizing and oils
Wash: Giovani Smooth.As.Silk. (S.A.S.) shampoo
Condition: Vitale Super reconstructor (I was experiencing some shedding.) 5-min
DC: Mix of Elasta QP DPR-11 and Giovanni S.A.S. Condi
Leave-in/detangler: Elasta QP H Two and NTM Silk Touch leave-in
Heat protectant: Hask Pure Shine Serum
I sat under the dryer until I was 80% dry, blew out my roots, and flat ironed in small sections.

I've been doing this for a month and I get great results all the time!

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!