Relaxer Touch-up at 11 weeks post

So yesterday I finally relaxed after an 11 week stretch.  I decided to end my stretch mainly because I just wanted to get my relaxer out of the way and I was ready to have some "straight-er" hair.  Relaxer day was pretty long of course, but I think it went well. It was a long day/night I'll just say.

I started out by detangling and sectioning my hair into four parts.  I then coated the length of my hair with  GVP Silk Remedy that I got from Sally's (it's supposed to compare with CHI Silk Infusion) and Roux Porosity Control to protect from relaxer runoff.  I planned to begin with the back half (doing the half and half relaxer method that I've used before).  I placed metal duckbill clips along the horizontal part between the front and back half to separate the front section of my hair.  I clipped the two front sections with butterfly clips and covered with a plastic clap.

Used metal clips to separate front half

Clips help to keep plastic cap in place

I finished prepping the back half by parting each section into one inch sections and twisting to keep them separated.  I based my scalp with Vaseline as I went along.  I relaxed the back half using my green sprush. For my relaxer I used the same on that I used the last time: ORS Lye Relaxer in Normal Strength. I had my timer set for 11 minutes but I went quite a bit over.  I immediately jumped in the shower and rinsed then applied Redken Extreme Strength Builder for my midstep protein treatment.  Neuatralized with ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo 3 times and then I used my Elasta QP Neutralizing Shampoo to double check that all the relaxer was gone.  This particular shampoo turns pink when there are still traces of relaxer so it made me feel better to see the white lather.  I followed up next with French Perm Stabilizer Plus for extra precaution (low pH conditioner that also aids in stopping the relaxer process.  Man oh man does my hair feel smooth after using this stuff!

Next I relaxed the front half in the same manner, first making sure that my hair was not damp from working on the back half.  Since I am texlaxing, I was almost worried that I'd left the relaxer on too long.  The roots in the back half seemed to be straighter than I expected, but I'm hoping to see some reversion there after my next wash.

I deep conditioner using my ORS Curls Unleashed under my heating cap for several hours.  I fell asleep wearing the heat cap then I just took it off and went on to bed.  When I rinsed again my hair felt so soft and smooth.  After rinsing the DC I t-shirt dried for maybe 30 min and then applied Darcy Daily Leave In and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum.  I allowed my hair to air dry with my silk scarf tied around my edges and then ended up pulling it into a bun.

Looks a little thicker and fuller than usual :-)

I think this relaxer day went well even though it was long.  I can't wait to do another almost 3 month stretch.  I figure I'll wait a little bit before going for another trim/dusting since I just had one last month.  Planning on a lot of PS-ing and no heat during this stretch next stretch.  Well until the next post folks! :)

How was your most recent relaxer touch-up?  Do you self relax and if so what's your method?

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea

10 Weeks Post and No Plans to Relax Just Yet

I just had to share this because I cannot believe that I'm not mid relaxer at this point. I usually couldn't wait to crack open that tub of relaxer and go to town on these naps! Lol!  I must be ill or something. But seriously, I've been doing really well. I haven't used any heat since the last time I flat ironed. I've been trying to use some more creativity with my styles. Early in the week I used my curlformers to achieve heatless curls. Before that I tried out a "twist" and curl which did not turn out the way I hoped, but I still got compliments.  I washed my hair on Thursday night and allowed my hair to air dry in a bun. Heat free, kinky roots, and still not relaxing.

It seems to be getting easier for me getting through my wash day with the longer stretch.  Before I was just so worried about causing a lot of breakage.  I would also worry about how I would style my hair with all that new growth popping.  Using all of the proper techniques my wash days have been a breeze. Washing in sections, DC-ing, proper detangling, using my Magic Star Jumbo Rake, and making sure I have the time to dedicate to my hair. Age in ATL shared some amazing wash day tips on her blog for stretchers and transitioners which I definitely incorporate into my wash days.  Check out her two part post here and here.

On my wash days I have been trying to incorporate a lot more moisture lately.  It is SO important to keep your new growth moisturized; but you also need protein to add strength. I've been trying to use the wet strand test to determine what my hair needs.  The last couple of washes the strand snapped without any stretching from what I could tell, so I  think I need to take a little break from protein.  Last night I DC'd with a new deep conditioner (I am a severe product junkie; well I may have witnessed worse lol). I tried out the ORS Curls Unleashed Moisturizing Conditioner and so far I really like it.  Could become a possible staple.  I will do an official review after a couple more uses. I've also tried to throw in a co-wash here and there. Keeping my hair soft and moisturized is helping with my stretching and getting through my wash day.  I think I had about 5 shed hairs and VERY minimal breakage during my wash.  I could not believe I did not find a clump of hair in the shower with 10 wks of new growth. No clumped, matted, or tangled hair.  No ripping, tearing, or breaking (which I would have experienced pre-HHJ.).  I must be doing something right.

I guess one other reason I'm not slapping that cream on my head is because now that I'm self relaxing I don't look forward to it as much.  Relaxer day can be long and exhausting. This may be my motivation for stretching....or even going natural. Hmmm....

Tiny curl I tried to capture at 8 wks post;
just makes me want a head full of curls :-)

I am still trying to see how long I can go.  If I don't relax next weekend, I will definitely be relaxing for sure at  12 weeks post. Another week down, two more to go???

How is your stretch going?

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea

Wash Day

I started off applying a little hempseed oil for ease of detangling my hair with my Magic Star Jumbo Rake comb which I love! It makes it so much easier to get through my new growth and texlaxed hair. I then parted my hair into four sections securing with separator clips.

Next I jumped in the shower and shampooed each quadrant with my Redken Hair Cleansing Cream to remove any build up.  I then followed up with a moisturizing shampoo (It's A 10 Miracle Moisture Shampoo; will do a review after a few more uses).

I then hopped out of the shower and t-shirt dried my hair for about 30 minutes or so and then applied Kera Pro Restorative Treatment.  I let the DC sit on my hair for a while then eventually sat under my heat cap for an hour.  I then allowed a few minutes for my hair to cool off and then jumped back in the shower to rinse.

I tshirt dried for about 20 minutes and then applied my leave-ins.  I used Darcy Daily Leave-In and then I applied a new product, Matrix Biolage Thermal Active Repair Cream.  I think this is used to blow dry but I decided I didnt want to both blow dry and flat iron.  I ended up air drying; my air dried hair felt a little dry for some reason.  I've noticed this the past couple of washes that I allowed my hair to air dry.  Not sure what that is about.  I then flat ironed my hair using my Sedu Revolution on 230 degrees.  I used my Catwalk Haute Iron Spray for additional heat protection to be on the safe side. 

After I finished I wrapped up my hair and went to bed.  I was going to take a pic of my results but the humidity from all this rain got to my hair before I got a chance.  Trying to figure out how to style it tomorrow for my interview. Wish me luck ladies!

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea

Wash Day

I am 4 weeks post today so I decided to clarify to begin this wash.  I never ever thought about clarifying or even knew that it was necessary.  Who knows, I may have been clarifying all the time and just didnt know.  Before my HHJ I would just use whatever shampoo or whatever conditioner but now I understand that there are different types of shampoos(moisturizing, clarifying, chelating, sulfate free, etc.) and conditioners (moisturizing, protein) etc. and they each serve a specific purpose.

Clarifying shampoos are used as a means of removing product build-up from your hair.  As you continue to add products to your hair such as hair sprays, gels, serums containing cones,  or if you live in an area with hard water, etc. your hair shaft can become clogged which prevents additional nourishment from penetrating the hair. You're basically getting rid of the "bad" stuff to make room for more "good" stuff.  When using a clarifying shampoo, you should always followup with a moisturizing shampoo as clarifying shampoos are usually somewhat harsh and drying.  It is best to clarify at least every four weeks.

My Wash:

1. To clarify I used Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo, it was gentle yet my hair still felt squeaky clean.

2. Next I followed up with Lavender Mint Moisturizing Shampoo (this was a generic brand that I purchased from Sally's Beauty Supply a while back).  It's supposed to compare with Paul Mitchell products. It does the job. :)

3. Next I decided to do a protein treatment to reinforce my tresses.  I used Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus for this step. I didn't use heat but allowed it to sit on my hair for maybe an hour and a half to two hours.  I'm hoping it will also help curb some of the breakage I've been seeing.  I have split ends now since I unfortunately missed out on my trim after my touchup. I want to wait until I can straighten my hair before getting a trim.  Heat in the L4L Protective Styling Challenge is a no no, but I need want a trim ASAP!

4. Deep conditioned using Redken All Soft Heavy Cream ( I guess it was a Redken kind of a day).  Lol! I wanted to DC using my steamer, but it was late and I wasn't in the mood to get it out and put it together....another reason that I wish I had one with an adjustable stand.  Maybe one day I will upgrade.  I ended up leaving the DC in overnight.  I was just too sleepy to fool with my hair anymore.

5.  The next morning I rinsed out the DC and I applied Roux Porosity control to each section (I've been doing everything in 4 sections) for 30 secs then rinsed.  My hair did not have any slip at all after the DC or the Roux, which I was unhappy about. 

6.  I then squeezed my hair dry with a t-shirt (NEVER rub dry!!!) then I let it air dry for a while so I could detangle on dry hair before my rollerset.
7.  I applied my leave-ins (DB Daily Leave-In, PMSS Serum, and I put a little Carols Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer on my ends) and re-wet my hair for my rollerset. After putting in the rollers I sprayed some heat protectant on my exposed hair before sitting under the dryer.  I was a little more frustrated with this set.  This is my third time rollersetting since my earlier post which you can read here.  Here are the results:

I managed to get a pretty good texture shot of my texlaxed/bone straight.  This was taken right after shampooing before I applied the protein conditioner.  My texlaxed hair is pretty wavy but you can't really tell too well in the pics.  



texture shot

 I'm so excited to see the amount of texlaxed hair I have.  So eager to be 100% texlaxed soon.  I keep picturing myself wearing big fluffy buns.  I actually think buns are really cute.  A bun on me now just looks really pitiful...lol. Anyway, who knows maybe texlaxing will help me work my way to natural if I decided to go that route.

How was your most recent wash day? Are there any beginners giving rollersetting a try? How is that going for you?

Have a wonderful Easter weekend,
and thanks for reading!

     Andrea

Wash Day

So Saturday I decided to wash my hair.  I'll also mention that I tried out a cowash on Thursday with my ORS Hair Mayonaise.  I applied it and sat under my heating cap for about 30 minutes.  I'm not sure if this technically counts as cowashing since it was a DC, but isn't cowashing just washing with conditioner only? So thats why I call it that.  I rinsed and did not shampoo, applied my leave-ins and air dried overnight.  It looked a poofy mess! lol! Threw it up in a clip for work (after taming it of course).  I just thought I might need a little moisturizng and protein.

Anyway, back to my wash day.  I pre-pooed with grapeseed oil and platted my hair into 14 braids (thought I'd give the braids another try, but don't think I'll be doing it again; to tedious for me and hard to get all the conditioner out while my hair is braided).  I shampooed with Clean Slate shampoo diluted with water in an applicator bottle applying to my scalp.

Next I applied a green tea rinse (first time with this).  I finally ran out of my black tea stash and decided to try out the green tea.  I let it steep and cool off that morning for a few hours (I usually don't do this because I'm always getting it ready at the last minute).  I was hoping it'd be more effective this way.  It was REALLY cold by the time I applied it to my hair.  Other than that my hair felt amazing no hardness or dryness.  I actually let it sit longer on my hair and scalp than I usually do.  I had been only leaving the black tea on for maybe 2 or 3 minutes while in the shower.  This time I got out and let it sit while I attended to other things.  I ended up DC'ing on top of the tea rinse with Redken Heavy Cream Super Treatment under my steamer for 20 minutes.  After my hair cooled off, back into the shower I went.  I rinsed out the conditioner and tea and then applied Roux Porosity Control for 30 seconds to close up my cuticles.  By this time I had abandoned the braids.  My hair was very easy to detangle with my seamless comb as I rinsed. 

Next I towel dried my hair lightly and allowed my hair to air dry until it was about 90% dry.  I then applied my leaveins (Darcy's Daily Leave-In and PM Super Skinny Serum).  Tied my new 100% silk scarf around my edges to make them lie flat.  My scarf had arrived just in time for my wash (right in the middle of it actually). LOL! Love it by the way. Got it on amazon.




30" x 30" | was supposed to be fuschia but looks more pink
still love it! :)

Once my hair was mostly dry, I decided to try out a twist on the rollerset. I've seen it done on other blogs but don't know the name for it.  I basically put my hair into several little ponies (hoping it would help to stretch my ng).  Then I moisturized the loose hair with DB's Coconut Lemongrass Transition Creme, wet my hair, and set with my magnetic rollers.  Let them air dry overnight (not fun to sleep in); however the results were smooth manageable hair. Yay! This may be my new routine.  With a regular rollerset I was worried about having to flat iron my roots and I do not want to do that.  This was a good alternative.  I don't plan on wearing it down I just like for my hair and ends especially to feel smoother after my washes and the last couple I haven't achieved this.  Very happy about it.  Now I'm throwing my hair up in my clip. LOL!


Sorry if this post is a bit disorganized. Thought I throw it up right quick, because I started to feel a little lazy I almost didnt post at all.  Shame on me.  I was much much happier with this wash so I had to post. :)   I am about 4 1/2 weeks post right now.  Still having the texlaxed hair issues going on so this new rollerset method helped.  On my next relaxer I plan to use ORS Olive Oil Lye Relaxer in Regular Strength instead of the Mild Relaxer I have been using.  I still want to try to stay texlaxed but just not with so much texture.  Hoping this will work out better for me.  I will probably stretch around 8 weeks this time (not quite a long term stretcher yet).  Plus I am going to visit family around that time so I want my hair to look decent.

Another side note, I've been all over the Long Hare Care Forum for new hair tips and have so many things I want to try.  Several ladies expressed that they use S-Curl to help with stretching.  I also got a good tip on Aloe Vera Juice rinses from Lydz at Crowning Glory and I've heard tell of it on the LHCF as well.  Another one I read about on a LHCF thread was the french perm stabilizer.  I'd like to do some research on this. There are so many things I want to try and I'm learning so much from the ladies on the LHCF and my fellow hair obsessed bloggers.  I am still on that search for my perfect regimen, that's what a journey is all about, right?

Well, thanks for reading and Happy Hair Growing!!! :)

Andrea

Wash Day - 2/7/2013

So I did a wash on Thursday.  I was not very happy at the end of this wash I must say.  Still can't figure out what to do with my hair since I have about 2 inches of texlaxed hair.  I suck at protective styling and roller setting, plus I've been trying to avoid doing anything that will put any stress on my nape, because I'm still trying to nurse it back to health.  Still leaning toward purchasing a wig.  I need to do a lil research before I do this.  It may be my number one option for protective styling and relaxer stretching at the moment.  So on to my wash details.  I kind of switched up my routine this time.

1. Started off prepooing with oils:  Argan Oil (contents:  argan oil and sweet almond oil) on my roots and Matrix Biolage Delicate Care Organic Certified Oil (contents: olea europaea oil/olive fruit oil, isopropyl palmitate, argania spionosa oil/argania spinosa kernel oil, lavandula angustifolia oil/lavender oil, linaldol). The Matrix Biolage oil is part of their color care line; the instructions say to apply from mid lenghth to ends, so I used the argan oil closer to my roots.  I sat under my heat cap for about 20 minutes.

2. After prepooing I detangled my hair with my seamless comb, parting my hair into 6 sections and braiding each section.  I secured the ends with ouchless ponytail holders.  I decided to try this out after reading about the  technique on Miss Kibibi's blog (author of the Five Hair Archetypes).  It's a great way to keep your hair from tangling while shampooing  Next time I will use more braids.

3.  I hopped in the shower and shampooed using Organix Repairing Awapuhi Ginger shampoo.  Another trick I got from Miss Kibibi's blog was to dilute the shampoo with water in an applicator bottle so you can apply the shampoo directly to the scalp.  I'm trying to put more focus on cleansing the scalp since this is the purpose of shampoo.  Shampoo is harsh on your hair strands.  Doing my shampoo this way I can focus more on cleansing my scalp and of course some of the shampoo will run down my hair gently cleansing my tresses in the process.  I think it would have been easier to cleanse my scalp if I had done more braids.

4.  Next I did my black tea rinse and let it sit on my hair for a few minutes.

5. I then rinsed out the black tea and applied PM Super Skinny Treatment to my hair.  Man let me tell ya....this stuff is the truth! lol! My hair feels oh so soft afterwards.  Love it!!!

6.  Finally I DC'd with my Kera Pro Restorative Treatment.  Another fave of mine!  I sat under my steamer for about 20 minutes.



7. After DC-ing I applied Roux Porosity control for about 30 seconds and rinsed.

I tried squeezing my hair dry with a t-shirt.  Next I applied my leave-ins:  Darcy's Daily Leave In and PMSS Serum.  My hair was about 75% dry at that point.  I could figure out what I was going to do to my hair.  It was getting  late and I had to be at work the next morning.  I always worry about my hair looking decent for work.  I thought I could get away with doing a wrap, so I tried wrapping my hair and spraying a little water to get it back wet again.  This was sooo difficult and remember I have thick texlaxed roots.  I definitely experienced some breakage. :(  When I took down my hair in the morning after letting it air dry overnight, it was not what I had hoped.  Puffy roots galore!  I ended up clipping back as usual.

I'd wanted to try out a roller set, but didn't have time for that.  I wasn't sure how plain air drying would turn out.  I just didn't know what to do.  Sigh.... A wig or sew-in is sounding better and better by the second.  Ah well, maybe the next wash will be better.

How was your most recent wash day?  Is anyone else having texlaxing issues?  What are you doing to combat this problem?

Thanks for reading,
Andrea

Checking In - Random

Where have I been?  I haven't done a post in a few weeks it seems.  Just been a little busy and stressed, but back to it I go.  I have to update everything I've doing since, if I can even remember. 

Relaxer Touch Up
Well, I ended up doing a relaxer at a little past 6 weeks post (Jan 16, 2013). I know its soon but since my previously relaxed hair is not completely processed I shouldnt need to worry about any damage.  I used the half and half method as in my previous posts.  I just couldnt hold on any longer.  I have not got this relaxer stretching thing down and especially since I'm using a mild relaxer it seems like my hair does not stay straight for very long.  I want the benefits of texlaxing (thicker, stronger hair) but at the same time I want straight, smooth hair without having to use direct heat.  I usually like to just wash, wrap, and go.  But with my roots still having some texture to it, my wraps are not working out too well.  I guess what I want is juuuust barely texlaxed.  I may not be getting that down yet.  Since I'm using a mild lye relaxer I think I may switch to a regular strenght lye relaxer to see how that works for me.  I am eyeing the Organic Root Stimulator Lye Relaxer in regular strenght, but i think I will finish off my Elasta QP first.  Also, I'm going to try to make more time to start practing my rollersets.  No length check.  Think I'm going to wait until March for that. Oh I also wanted to mention an article I read  about switching between mild and stronger relaxers,  I need to try finding it again,  It might be a good option for someone like me who can't handle the long stretch between relaxers.  The longest I've done is 8 wks.  I may have more to come on this.

Wash/Co-Wash
I have also had a couple wash days and a cowash day in between.  Actually, I cowashed a couple days after my relaxer, wrapped my hair, and flat ironed my roots the next morning because I had planned to get a trim at Super Cuts.  My friend told me she didn't think I needed it.  My hair and ends did feel really smooth so I ended up not getting the trim.

Moisture/Protein
I don't know if I'm just crazy, but I think I'm starting to notice less breakage. Most of the hairs from my head have been shed.  I have been checking for bulbs like crazy, trust me!  I truly am hair obsessed. LOL! I must be getting my moisture/protein balance down.  I try to incorporate light protein treatments and ceramides into my regimen and occassionally I'll do a medium protein treatment using ORS Hair Moyannaise.  Been sealing a lot with grapeseed oil (which contains ceramides) and a new oil I got from a friend called It's A 10 Miracle Oil plus Keratin.  He works in the warehouse where they manufacture hair products and he sometimes gets freebees! I've gotten a few goodies from him! :)  Will have to start doing some reviews.  I'm hoping having completely texlaxed hair will add to this reduction in breakage.  My nape seems to be getting in better shape as well.  I want to wait a while before posting pics of my nape.  It is growing I can say that much.

Currently Reading
Jeni at justgrowalready.com did a give away of the The Five Hair Archetypes by Sharifa Barnett (aka Ms. Kibibi).  I had entered, but could even wait and went ahead and purchased the eReader copy on my Nook. Can't wait to finish.

Wish List
Been doing some research with the hopes of purchasing a hirer end ceramic flat iron.  I've also been thinking about investing in a wig or getting a weave.  Ever since I was little, silly me, I always thought people wore wigs and weaves to hide their short hair.  I didnt want to be a "perpetrator" I wanted my real hair to be long so I could show it off.  Now I realize that a big benefit of wigs/weaves is to protect your hair (depending on the type of weave you get).  This is an excellent option for the cold winter months.  I also want a really good quality hair dryer for when I start doing my rollersetes.

Other Things
I have recently become a member of the Long Hair Care Forum.  I am new at it and still trying to figure out my way around.  My username is Andrea2012 if anyone's a member and might want to add me.

More Randomness
We got snow this morning!  I live in Tennessee and this is the first snow I've seen all winter here! :)
It has atopped now and is already starting to melt a little. Ah well....

Does anyone have any new and exciting revelations about their HHJ? Please share! :)

Thanks for reading,
Andrea

Wash Day - 12/20/2012

So I just recently had a wash day and am posting late. I kind of like to do my wash day on Thursday so my hair is fresh for the weekend or if something is going on Friday night. ha ha! 

All my goodies came in earlier this week so I started out prepooing for about 30 minutes with grapeseed oil and my new conditiong cap! yay! So excited about this, i hate sitting under my hair dryer.

After prepooing I shampooed with Brocato Splassh sulfate free shampoo.  I put in Roux Porosith control for 30 seconds then rinsed and then did my black tea rinse.  This time I only used one tea bag and try to cool the temp before pooring onto my hair.  My hair did not feel "as" hard, not sure if it was the temp or amount of tea.  Most likely the temp is my opinion.

After rinsing I used my Ion Solutions Smoothing Conditioner with Keratin to soften my hair.  I left it on for about a minute and then rinsed.

Next I deep conditioned with my Kera Pro Restorative Treatment also under my heating cap for about 45 minutes.  Did feel like getting out my steamer.  Will use it my next wash.

Finally I rinsed my DC, applied Darcy's Leave In Conditioner and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum and wrapped my hair.  I sat under the hair dryer for maybe 45 minutes to get smooth results. I mainly wanted to get about 80% dry and let the rest air dry overnight. It was a long Thursday night! LOL!  My hair was very soft and smooth the next morning. 

People always ask me if I flat iron after I've wrapped my hair, but I don't.  My hair usually gets pretty smooth from just the wrap.  I am worried that since I'm using a mild relaxer now, and my hair is not so bone straight, that I won't be able to get these kind of results anymore.  My hair is feeling pretty wavy where I have most recently begun self relaxing....not kinky, but pretty wavy.  It feels soft and thick.  I'll have to take a pic.

Here are some next day pics. You can see how thin my hair is in the second pic. Not sure if I should just go ahead and get a trim CUT....  :o(

Is anyone else out there having thin hair woes???



P.S. I've also made another new purchases.  Looked at this a few weeks ago and couldnt help myself. I purchased Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer.  The carob seed oil in this product is supposed to bind split ends, reducing split ends by 93.3%.  The reviews looked good so I gave in....true product junky huh?



Has anywone else tried this? How did you like it?

Thanks for reading,

Andrea

Wash Day

1.  I prepooed last night with my ORS Hair Mayonaise uner my hair dryer for a little over 30 minutes to give my hair a medium protein treatment.  I've been having a bit of breakage here and there so I thought it was needed. 

2.  After rinsinng I shampooed with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Shampoo. 

3.  Next I deep conditioned with Kera Pro Restorative Treatment under my hair steamer for about 30 minutes.

4.  After rinsing the conditioner I sqeezed my hair dry with a tshirt and applied a clear rinse to my hair.  I left it in probably about 15 minutes and then rinsed.

5.  Finally I applied Darcy's Botanicals Coconut Lemongrass Transition Creme and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum for my leave-ins and wrapped my hair. It was so easy to wrap, possibly because of the slip provided from the clear rinse and the serum. 

6.  I sat under my hair dryer for 45 minutes to get smooth results.  When I air dry my wrap my hair is not as smooth.  I secured with two mesh wraps and then tied my satin scarf before sitting under the dryer. 

Snapped a pic of my wrapped hair.  You can really see the shine from the clear rinse.  I undid my wrap and there was minimal shedding, but it wasnt as light and bouncy as I had hoped.  Maybe because I used too much Darcy's CLTC instead of the Daily Leave In Conditioner.  I really loved the results from my last wash.   Oh well, ya win some ya lose some. As long as my hair is healthy.

Andrea

Wash Day

So trying to keep up with the wash day posts.  Still in the middle of it, sitting under the hair dryer as we speak. Two posts in one day! Crazy! lol

Alright so I started off by prepooing with Jojoba and Coconut Oil for maybe an hour or so.  I tried to use the hot "towel" my (t-shirt) method to get some steam action going, but it got cool pretty fast so I just had a wet shirt on my head on top of the fact that I looked really silly.  I took a pic, but don't think I'll be posting it.   I finally just usd my conditioning cap I purchased and wore it for a while.

PRE-POO

I started off shampooing with this new shampoo I got from a friend.  It's called Splassh Daily Shampoo by Brocato.  It is a sulfate free shampoo.  Sulfates, if I'm correct, usually strip the moisutre from your hair.  Some stay away from these and others use them anyway.  I dont mind mixing it up, as long as I replace the lost moisture.  After shampooing, I followed up with Roux Porosity control for about 30 secs to close the cuticles of my hair for my black tea rinse.  The rinse came next and I let it sit a couple minutes.  I'm wondering if I should have used colder tea because the  warm tea probably opened my pores back up.  I just mainly want it on my scalp to reduce shedding.  After that I used Ion Smooth Solutions Smoothing Conditioner with Keratin to smooth my hair because it felt hard after the tea rinse.  Finally I deep conditioned with Optimum Care Salon Collection Deep Conditioning Masque under my hair dryer for 20 minutes.  I didnt feel like getting out my steamer this wash.  Oh and I was so excited about finally finding a use for the small jars I purchased at Sally's.  I don't usually use all of the contents of conditioning packets so I can squeeze the rest into my cute little jar for future use. :)
I had no idea how I was going to use them, but they were on sale. Can never pass up a sale I guess! LOL

     DEEP CONDITION

After rinsing my deep conditioner I applied my leave-in's.  I used Darcy's Botanical Leave In Conditioner and this time to seal I used Paul Mithcell Supper Skinny Serum.  I wrapped my hair (to the left this time).  I alwasy do the right side so I need to switch it up so there's not more stress on one side.  Used two mesh wraps to secure my hair and my satin scarf, but this time instead of air drying I sat under the dryer for maybe an hour and a half.  I gotta start timing this stuff.  After dry I followed up with my Ionic Blow dryer on cool temp.  I here that using cool air on your hair helps close the cuticles giving a smooth look and shine.   I am SUPER DUPER happy with this wash.  Just a few short strands of hair came out into the sink when I combed out my wrap.  Some breakage is just unavoidable I guess, but still bugs me. I want ALL my hair! Check out my pics. So many good ones I couldn't make up my mind. :)

Smooth Shiny Hair = Happy Girl 

changed from my black tank so I could check for weak spots or damage in back

 

So far so good! :)

Andrea

Relaxer Touchup - 4 weeks post

Okay okay, so I know this looks bad.  I ended up doing my relaxer on Monday, Dec. 3 instead of this Friday.  I actually had an interview to be scheduled and I REALLY wanted my hair to look decent.  So four weeks seems too soon, but if anyone saw my previous posts, my last relaxer seems to be nonexistent.  It felt like I hadn't had a relaxer in a couple of months let alone 4 weeks.  About an inch or more of my roots felt like a little mini fro under my relaxed hair (that's an inch with my roots tightly drawn up) and blow drying it was a nightmare!  That being said, I am much happier with my results this time as I made a few changes.

I used Elasta QP Lye Relaxer again.  Mild of course.  I did the half and half method on my hair again (very difficult).  I hope I can get used to it at some point.  I also used my timer on my phone to make sure I left it in long enough but not too long.  It took about 10 to 15 min on each half.[set my timer for 10 but went over a little].  Did all the same things I did in my previous entry accept I did use the comb to smooth the hair this time.  I think this helped a lot.  I also got a little lazy and didn't do the twisted sections in the back half.  I just kind of parted and applied.  Was in a rush.  Final exams were this week and I had studying to do on top of interview prep.  Whew! LOL!

Another thing I did was I started on the opposite side from what I did the last time.  I started with my back section, but since last time I started on the right back section this time I started on the left.  Same switch up on the front half as well.  That way the one section isn't "more relaxed" than the other.  The side you always start on is the one that has the relaxer on it the longest so it's best to switch it up.  Relaxed the back inch or so of my nape and my front edges last.  Going easy on my weak spots.  Hopefully someday I can say the "weak spots" are nonexistent.  I noticed a slight waving on the sides that were relaxed last. But still pretty straight.  Did my protein treatment with Aphogee 2 Min after rinsing out relaxer.  Once the conditioner was rinsed out I neutralized [multiple times I may add.  I want to make sure I get it all out!]   I deep conditioned with one of my FAVE conditioners (which I hear is on sale at Sally's this week; got to stock up!!!) under my steamer for 30 minutes.  Kera PRO Restorative Treatment...love this stuff!!

DEEP CONDITIONER OF CHOICE

After rinsing out my conditioner I applied my leave-ins and then wrapped my hair.  I used two mesh hair raps and then covered with my satin hair wrap [which I have been doubling up as a scarf...ha ha! Its better on my hair than using a cotton scarf which could cause breakage. It still keeps me warm. :)]

LEAVE-INS USED



Please ignore the rest of the mess on my dresser. lol



Pictured above is Organix Coconut Milk anti-breakage serum and Darcy's Botanical Daily Leave In Conditioner Sweet Cream sent.  My hair smells soooooo good with this stuff.  My hair was soft, fluffy and STRAIGHT the next morning! Hallelujah! LOL!  I think the mild relaxer is very easy on my hair so I think over time I will notice more strength and possibly more thickness hopefully.  I have always hated how thin my hair is so I'm hoping this will help.  I don't know if it's still considered texlaxed, but one of the methods to get texlaxed hair is said to be using a mild perm...so maybe so.  It all just depends on how much texture you want.  I don't want completely bone straight but I don't want a lot of texture either.  I think I will keep this method consistent for my relaxers and hopefully see some amazing results.  I may be doing a wash day tomorrow just because I want to keep it up on the weekends like normal, but I don't want to wait all the way to next weekend to wash my hair. I love clean fresh hair.  This was an off week, but I'll be back to normal and try to keep up with my wash day posts so I can keep track of what's working and what's not. Anywho, here are pics of my results.  I was much happier this time.

Anyway, just saw Jeni's post on Just Grow Already about winterizing your hair.  I think I'd like to invest in a humidifier and planning on continuing to moisturize and seal as often as possible.  I am loving coconut oil right now on my hair. Oh she also had a great post where she experimented with different oils in a jar of water.  It really showed how important oils are to sealing in moisture.  I never realized this before, but it really makes since.  Trying this out on my skin as well.  Lotion followed by a light body oil to keep my skin nice and soft. I always notice in the winter even after I put on my lotion my skin will be right back feeling dry.  Now I'm just rambling.  Well I will make sure i update my washday post for tomorrow. I should probably get to bed.  Until next time....

Andrea



Wash Day - Nov 17 (Part 2)

I got up this morning and rinsed out the Mizani Moisture Fuze.  I think I mentioned before how thick it was and once I rinsed my hair felt kind of gummy and stretchy.  I started to think to myself, "self, is your hair on moisture overload."  I really didnt think that could be possible for some reason.  I thought I just had a relaxer last weekend and did a light protein treatment, surely I dont need more protein.  I did a strand test and my hair did seem to stretch and then snap which is a sign that my hair was in need of some protein.  So I decided to reshampoo my hair with PM Super Skinny and pulled out my jar of ORS Hair Mayonaise.  I sat under the hair dryer for about 15 minutes rinsed and attemtped my roller set.

As for my roller set, I was not happy with it.  I think my lack of patience has something to do with it.  I took forever it seemed and I hate sitting under the dryer so I'm going to have to figure something else out.  I also wish when I self relaxed that I'd let my hair get a little straighter.  I may end up correcting this on my next touch up.  I don't like my roots feeling so kinky.  I'm afraid to run my comb through it and I dont want to use my flat iron.  Anyway, I rapped my hair and tied it down to get a straighter look, hoping it turns out okay when I take it down.  Maybe I'll post a pic.

Oh I also shed alot after my rollerset which I wasnt happy about.  Well either it was shed hair or broken hair.  I didnt take the time to examine.  I keep wondering if I'm going to keep having the breakage because of previous damage or weak spots in my hair that have finally given in.  I dont know, but it's definitely frustrating.  Ugh!  When I went to super cuts the girl told me that my hair was healthy and it has been feeling so soft and fluffy lately, so it surprises me when I still have broken hair in the sink.  Hopefully I will figure it out soon.  Until next time.


Andrea :)

Wash Day - Nov. 16, 2012 (Part 1)

I am tryign to keep up with these wash days.  I need to be a little more consistent as I keep changing things like the products I'm using and the order in which I use them.  So today I started off by prepooing with ORS Deep Penetrating Conditioner with a little Roux Porosity control mixed in.  After rinsing I shampooed with two differnt Motions brand products.  For the first lather I used Marula Natural Therapy Strengthening Shampoo.  I've had this for a while and am trying to finish off the bottle.  I actually dont really have any complaints about this shampoo, I would buy it again definitely.  The second lather I used Motions Naturally You Mosturizing Cleanser. What I did not realize was that it does contain sulfates and so it made my hair feel kind of dry after I rinsed.  I assumed that I would get opposite results since it is a moisturizing cleanser supposedly.  oh well.  After rinsing I did a Black Tea rinse (said to reduce shedding) then after rinsing with water I used Paul Mitchel Supper Skinny Daily Treatment conditioner to smooth my hair because it was really dry and hard after the black tea.

Currently I am deep conditioning with a new conditioner that I decided to try.  I think I am switching up too much, which may not help me to figure out what works for me.  I am not being consistent.  I need to get that together.  Anyway I purchased Mizani's Moisture Fuze conditioner.  It says to leave in for 5 minutes, but I am going to leave it in overnight.  I dont like how thick it is and it was hard detangling with this in my hair.  Let's see if it gets my hair soft.   Part 2 should come tomorrow.  I am planning on attempting to roller set again as well.  I realized some things I've been doing wrong with that and I plan to get under my dryer this time. LOL!!! 

The next question is.....clear rinse...or no clear rinse???  I didnt like the results last time, but I will say I was doing TOO much to my hair that day.  Anywho....

to be continued....

Andrea :)

Relaxer Touch-up [Texlax attempt] - November 9, 2012

So I kinda caved.  I was only about 8 weeks post and decided to go ahead and self relax this passed Friday, for good reason I hope.  I might need my hair to look decent this week. LOL! So I decided to go ahead and get it out of the way.  AND this is my first attempt at texlaxing.  Well 8 weeks ago i bought a no-lye kids perm, trying to go for something easier on my tresses, but I let a stylist put it in.  I've decided though that I want to try a lye relaxer instead as I have read that it is easier on your hair.  I'll go into my steps below.

I decided to go with Elast QP No Base(Lye) Creme Relaxer in Mild.  I thought this would be best since I have very fine strands.{Wishing my hair was MUCH thicker, hoping texlaxing will change that}.  Anywho So I used this and purchased their Ultrahydration anti-breakage moisture-rich neutralzing shampoo as well (not so sure about the moisture rich part).  I used the half and half method done by the creator of one of my favorite blogs www.justgrowalready.com.  She is my "hair-ro".  Play on words, yep I'm corny.  Anywho, she's has done an amazing job and has given me a lot of motivation with my hair journey.

I won't say I was successful in replicating the process, and it was kind of difficult especially being my first time self-relaxing in a long time.  So, I first parted my hair into four sections.  Used Roux Porosity control conditioner on my previously relaxled hair to close pores and protect from relaxer run off.  Then I parted each section into 1 inch sections basing my scalp with vaseline between each.  I twisted each 1 inch section also to keep them separated so it would be easier to go back and apply the relaxer to my new growth.  I covered the front half of my head with a platic cap using duck-bill clips to hold in place.  Next I applied the relaxer to the back half using my Sprush that I won from the Just Grow Already Sprush Give Away.  I was so excited to use this (I NEVER win anything so I was shocked).  I started toward the center of my head and worked my way back doing my back edges last.  I went through and smoothed each section with my fingers unding the twists as I went.  Jumped in the shower and rinsed used Aphogee 2 Minute Recontructor for my protein treatment for 2 minutes. I rinsed that out and then shamppoed with the neutralizing shampoo (several times as I kept seeing pink; couldnt keep count).  I did the front half the same way. I then deep conditioned under my steamer for 30 minutes (turned backwards for 15 minutes to get my nape).

After rinsing my deep conditioner, I applied Darcy's Botanicals daily leave-in conditioner (Sweet Cream fragrance) love the smell of it.  Then I used Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to seal.  I wrapped my hair and let it air dry overnight.  I wasnt sure if this was a succesful tex-lax (I should have timed it by the way) not sure how much texture i want to leave or should have left, but I'll work it out eventually.  I ended up flat ironing my roots because I wanted to get a trim.  I hadnt had one since August (Shame on me!!!).  I hate those scissors.  LOL!  My hair looks a bit thin in the middle from what I believe is due to damage from poorly neutralizing my nape when I was going to a stylist.  I kept thinking it was something I was doing, but I'm pretty sure now that I really look at it and think about it and after all my research that it wasn't all me.  Makes me sad everytiime I look but hopefully it'll get better soon.  I'm so impatient!  I got my trim done at Super Cuts.  She did a great job,  Wish I could do it myself, but let's just do one thing at a time. I guess I could put some pics {I'm embarassed :( }.



this was before my trim.  My hair is so thin toward
the center.  I try my best to hide it. :(



This is after my Super Cuts trim; I felt like
my hair appeared thicker.  Still tryin to hide how
thin it looks. This will change soon I hope.

 I never did post my wash day from last week.  I got a little lazy, but will try to stay on top of this.  I need to document everything(the good and the bad including pics) I am doing so I can learn and make progress.   Still getting used to this blog thing.  Well, I need to get busy so until next time.

Andrea :)

Wash Day Oct. 26

Soooo my wash day did not go too well and neither did my roller set.  I think I may have gone overboard with my products.  So I started off prepooing (warm) coconut oil on my scalp and I did a mild protein treatment(ORS Hair Mayonaise) on the rest of my hair.  I did also do a protein treatment the week before, but I thought another mild treatment might be helpful because i had some breakage (I believe) a few days after that last wash.  I'm not sure how to completely stop that or what I am doing wrong.  Anyway, my hair did feel soft after rinsing out the prepoo. Oh I forgot to mention that I steamed for 15 minutes before rinsing.

Next I shampooed with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Shampoo (I think this is a clarifying shampoo).  I decided to try it out after reading how great it is on the blog justgrowalready.com.  I think I used Roux Porosity Control Next then Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Treatment.  Next I deep conditioned with the second half of my Argan Oil from last week under my steamer for 15 minutes.  My hair again felt really really soft.  I loved it.  Then I decided to do a clear rinse because I read how great it was.  How it adds shine and also adds slip to prevent breakage making it easier to detangle your hair.  Well this was not the case for me.  This is where everything went wrong.  My hair felt kind of hard.  I started to wonder if I had used too many products....  I proceeded to put in my leave in conditioner (Darcy's Botanicals Leave-In) and I used Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to seal.

I attempted to do my roller set.  Unfortunately not only did I roll my hard hair, but when it was time to get ready for the wedding my hair was still wet! :(  I wanted it to air dry.  I tried to tame it as best I could.  It wasn't too bad, but it wasnt what i was hoping for.

On Sunday I rewashed my hair with Paul Mitchell again to get out all the product I had put into my hair.  Then I used Roux Porosity Control and PM Super Skinny Treatment.  After that I deep conditioned using KeraPro restorative treatment under my hair dryer for about 15 minutes.  After rinsing I did my leave-in and used Organix Coconut Oil Anti-Breakage Serum (I used this the week before also and my hair felt amazing).  I wrapped and let my hair air dry (I had nowhere to go this time).  It felt much better and much softer.

I have learned my lesson.  Never go overboard on the products.  All of that was not necessary.  And I need to really be careful because i think I have about an inch of new growth now (6 wks post relaxler). Woo! I'm trying to moisutize I seal everynight now (but I'm not caring for that too much because i dont like when my hair looks oily).  But I've got to do what I've got to do to protect my locks.  Protective styling is something I will have to adopt. And weaves are definitely not my thing.  I like to wear my own hair so I will have to start getting creative.  Maybe more so when I get a little more length.  Next wash day is coming up soon.  Let's see how this turns out.  I have a lot to learn still.

Andrea :)