My first Vlog Post! Check Me Out!

Hey all,

I know it seems like I've abandoned my blog, but I'm still around and stalking all your blogs. :)
I decided to do a video update on my hair progress. Please check out my video here.

I'll try to get back to posting more than I have. I know I haven't posted all year. Shame on me!

Thanks for stopping by!

   Andrea

Messy High Bun

Just snapped some pics of the messy high bun I've been wearing for the past few days. It looks so full surprisingly. I really like it.
Very quick post sent from my cell. Lol!

 On another note I am currently 19 weeks post  relaxer and my wash day last weekend went well.   It  was very brief. I shampooed my hair in 8 sections with Mane and Tail original shampoo.  I've had it a while but this was my first time using it and I really liked it. It  seemed to have really good slip. I was very pleased that I didn't have problems detangling in the shower.  I think increasing the number of sections from 4 to 8 helped as well t was really late so I skipped everything I would have normally done. I  did not pre-poo or DC... YIKES!!!  I was so tired, something had to give. I figured the water and moisturizer woukd leave me a little moisture.  I blow dried my hair pulled it up and tied a scarf around my edges. I didn't use any gel. Hair looks and feels fine so far despite skipping some essential pieces to my regimen. This stretch or transition (cant quite define it yet) is getting back on track.

On an additional note,  writing/ editing a blog post on your cell phone is very frustrating. This  keyboard has a mind if it's own, so please forgive the quality of this post. ha ha!

Well until the next post. Thanks for reading!
 Andrea

I'm Still Here!!!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to do a quick post since it seems I haven't done one in ages. I've just gotten busy with other things. I had my second CPA exam a few weeks ago while also in the process of buying my first home! :-)  So much stress and excitement all at one time! Now I am moving! Good bye apartment life! I shall not miss you, until something messes up at the house and I have to come out of my own pocket to fix it....I'm sure I'll be wishing I had a landlord right about then. LOL!

As for my current hair status, I'm going on 17.5 weeks post. Surprising right! I'm the girl that could barely stretch past 8 weeks once upon a time. I have actually been considering transitioning to natural instead of texlaxed, but this last wash day was not so great.  Up until that point everything was fine, but last weekend it was tangle city. It was such a nightmare. But I think I have myself to blame for that. I went two weeks without detangling my hair so I was asking for it. I haven't given up yet, but that just might change when  if I decide that I just don't have the patience for natural hair.  I do like how thick and curly my roots are and the idea of not having to maintain multiple textures periodically if I became fully natural.  Just letting my hair be.  We shall see where this leads to, but I've still got that ORS Relaxer on standby.

 I'm hoping to be back to blogging again soon.Well I'm off to do some more packing.

HHG and thanks for reading!

Andrea

Wash Day - Can't Keep My Hands Out of My Hair

I decided to start washing my hair Thursday when I got home from work. My wash days are usually Friday and often times going into Saturday. LOL! I really couldn't wait to try my new Jessicurl products that I won in the SOS Jessicurl Giveaway and I wanted to try an earlier wash day. I feel like wash days take up a lot of my weekend.

Since I am 8 weeks post relaxer I started off my wash clarifying/chelating with Redken Hair Cleansing Cream.  This was perfect because it gave me the opportunity to try out the Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream on squeaky clean hair.  Let me tell you, my hair felt oh so soft as soon as I applied the Jessicurl Cleansing Cream to my hair.  It lathered nicely and my hair felt soft even after rinsing. I think I'm in love... :)

Next I deep conditioned with the Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment and sat under my heat cap for about an hour.  I allowed my hair to cool before rinsing.

After rinsing the DC I decided to use the Jessicurl Too Shea Extra Moisturizing Conditioner and PM Super Skinny Serum for my leave-ins.  I then ponytail roller set my hair and allowed it to air dry overnight.  It was a bit late so I tried using my blow dryer on cool before going to bed. I had a feeling my hair may not be completely dry the next morning. (And that's why I save wash day for the weekends. LOL)

My hair was still slightly damp the next morning and my curls fell, but my hair felt so amazingly soft.  My hair is still super soft 2 days later and I haven't even moisturized and sealed yet.  I know that it's a no no, but I just can't stop touching my hair.

The verdict on Jessicurl Confidence Collection...so far so good! I haven't used the Styling Solution yet. I wasn't sure how much of a hold it would give my hair and I wanted soft flowy curls(did I just make up a word?) this time around.  I think I will give it a try next time I rollerset or maybe use my curlformers. We shall see.  I plan on doing an official review of each product after using them a few more times so I can give a good thorough assessment, but right now Jessicurl has made me a happy girl.

 

Have you tried any products from the Jessicurl line? Which is your fave?

 



Thanks for reading!

   Andrea

My Nape - Making Progress Slowly But Surely

I finally got around to getting some updated pics for my nape progress comparison.   As I've said before, it's not where I'd hoped to be at this point in my journey, but progress is progress and I am happy.  It was very hard to get a good comparison as far as length but I think the progress is still visible. 

At the start of my journey I could barely grasp the hair, but now I can get small rollers in for my rollersets.  The main thing that I have been focusing on is keeping my nape moisturized and massaging my scalp with Castor oil and avoiding stress in that area.  Also, when relaxing I usually relax this area last, so the relaxer is only on this area for a couple of minutes really. Under-processing my nape allows for more strength in that area. Not only have I seen progress in the length and thickness, but also the texture.  It is so much softer, no longer stiff and course.  Thank you Darcy's Coconut Lemongrass Transition Crème, JBCO, and peppermint oil! 

I remember my old stylist used to tell my how the texture of my hair at my nape is just different than the rest of my hair and that it just wasn't going to grow.  Her solution was to just hide it or keep cutting my hair short.  I opted to take another route.  I've mentioned before that I feel the main cause for my damaged nape was definitely over-processing.  This is why it felt so course.  I've also realized that my nape grows so much slower than the rest of my hair, so this plus the fact that I used to get my hair relaxed bone straight every 6 weeks was a bad combination.  Check out my previous post here to read about some other causes of nape damage and tips on remedying this problem.

This area is still a work in progress.  I will continue to focus on baying my nape as I have been and hope to see more progress soon.  I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress.

 

Do you have any problem areas with your hair?

What have you done to remedy them and have you seen progress? 

Please share in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!

   Andrea

Product Review - It's A 10 Miracle Moisture Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Product:
It's A 10 Miracle Moisture Shampoo

Price: 

$20.49 for 10 fl. oz. at Regis Salon
$13.50 for 10 oz. @ amazon.com

Ingredients:
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidropropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Glycol Distearate, PEG-10 Sunflower Glycerides, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Moringa Pterygospema Seed Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Symphytum Officinate Rhizome/Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin Ascorbic Acid, PEG-150 Pentaerythriyl Tetrastearate, Amodimethicone, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Citric Acid, PPG-12-Buteth-16, Polyquatemium-10, Trideceth-12, Laureth-9, Acrylates/Aminoacrylates/C10-30 Alkyl PEG-20 Itaconate Copolymer, C11-15 Pareth-7, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, DMDM Hydantoin, Linalool Fragrance, BCC12-Base

Directions:
Apply to wet hair. Massage into a rich lather and rinse thoroughly. For best results,

SOS Giveaway Winner

I am so psyched about winning the Saving Our Strands Jessicurl Giveaway.  My prize has finally arrived and I cannot wait to get start using these products.

I received the Jessicurl Confidence Collection which includes the Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner(which I have been wanting to try forever and also winner of SOS Battle of the Leave-Ins), the Hair Cleansing Cream, Deep Conditioning Treatment, and the Confident Coils Styling Solution.

Once again I want to give a BIG THANKS to KLP and Keyda, the lovely ladies of Saving Our Strands, for the opportunity to try these products.  If you are not already following them, you need to head over now and check out their amazing blog, where you'll find awesome healthy hair care tips, product reviews, and awesome protective style how-to's.

I'm planning to start using the collection at my next wash day and hope to have reviews up soon. I'm so excited. I love trying new products! True product junkie at heart! :)

Happy Hair Growing

and Thanks for reading!

   Andrea