Just a Brief Update

So this is kind of just a random update I guess.  Still can't believe we're already into the second half of the year. Wow time is flying quick.  I believe October will be my 1 year hair anniversary. Well September was my last bone straight relaxer AND the last time I decided to let a stylist work on my hair. DIY from then on out except for my trims which I'm hoping to start handling myself at some point. I can't wait to see where I am after a year.

I've been trying so hard to be patient, especially with my transition to texlaxed.  I still feel like I'm seeing more shedding and breakage than I like.  Not quite sure what's considered normal, but it's not in clumps so I guess that's a good thing. Still battling with the whole moisture/protein balance. I'm also still struggling with my nape still. It just seems to be growing so slow. I think this is the area of my hair that grows the slooooowest.  I have been babying it as much as possible, moisturizing, and massaging with JBCO.  I always relax this area last so it is just barely processed.  I noticed that the texture back there is very tiny coils and I mean they are tiny, so I've been trying my best to handle with care.  Because it is still very textured and coily that may be why it seems like there's barely any growth, but I know it's growing. 

On my washday last weekend, I was doing my green tea rinse and just happened to really notice how much tex-laxed hair I have.  I cannot stress how ready I am to be completely texlaxed (though I've had some thoughts creep up on me about going back to bone straight)....But my texlaxed hair is SOOO much thicker. I love that!

 



Texture shot after green tea rinse (bone straight ends are clumping together)

I am currently about 8 weeks post. I think I have about an inch of new growth more or less in some areas.  I had planned to try to install box braids (DIY) but I have in no way prepared for this  Plus I'm afraid I might get a little overwhelmed.  I know it will take a whole day if not more.  I'd prefer to do it myself because I know how gentle I need to be, and I just can't find it in me to allow someone else to touch my hair again.  Too many bad experiences.  I haven't ruled it out yet, just have to mentally prepare myself for all that braiding. YIKES!

 

 

An update on my goals for this month. I am just not off to the best start.  I was really hoping I would be able to hit it hard this time around.  So sad that I'm already admitting defeat so early in the game. lol. I'll elaborate on that more on my July Goals recap at the end of the month.

 

Well that's it for now. I hope you all are hitting your short term/long term goals and making great progress on your hair goals as well. Until next post...

 

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea 

July Goals

Wow! Another month has flown by! My how time flies when you're having fun.  Well with the new month comes new goals (some recurring) of course.  Before I get into my July goals, let me first recap my goals for June.

June Goals Recap

1.  Heat free styling - FAIL ... Well I was doing very well not to have used any form of direct or even indirect heat since April.  Well....Friday June 28 I did a ponytail rollerset and allowed it to air dry overnight.  Saturday afternoon I decided to break my no heat rule and flat iron my roots.  I was getting ready for a get together with some friends and really wanted my hair to look cute so...that was a FAIL.  However that was the ONLY time I used my flatiron so I think I still did pretty good.

Results of my ponytail roller set after flat ironing roots

2.  Deep Condition With Steam Once A Week - SUCCESS- I successfully DC'd using steam every wash.  Proud of me on this one!

3.  No new hair purchases for the month - I also claim this as a SUCCESS - I was not including accessories just hair products i.e. shampoo, conditioners, oils, etc.  It was very hard, and believe me I walked down the hair product aisle every chance I got, but I did not buy anything.  I even held out on the Wal-Mart salon's Buy 1 Get 2 Free sale (I was really eyeing that PMSS Daily Treatment).  It so happens that my awesome sis purchased a bottle for me as she bought some items for herself. Woot!

4. Workout three times per week - FAIL - I started off really well, but it started to fall apart toward the end of week two.  This was the one that I knew I would have the hardest time with.  My summer class kind of held me up on that end. Summer courses are so much more demanding because you're cramming a whole semesters worth of material in just a few weeks.  Work, class, studying, and hair took up most of my time. Lol

My Goals for July

1. Exercise at least 3 times a week
2. Continue to steam once a week
3. Tea rinse once a week
4. Drink 1 cup of bamboo leaf tea nightly
5. No more than 1 new product purchase this month (I better pick something good)
6. Up my water intake (64 oz per day including my cup of bamboo leaf tea)


I'm hoping I can hold up this month. I should definitely be able to get my workouts in since I have a little more time.  We shall see.

Were your able to report success with your June goals? What are your goals for this month?

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea 

Follow Me On BlogLovin'

So yeah, I'm kind of late on this post, but most of you all probably know this already.  Google Friend Connect will be no more starting July 1 (just under an hour in my time zone).  Even though it seems like I've been MIA from the blogosphere, I haven't gone anywhere and plan to continue updating you guys on my hair journey.  If you guys want to stay posted on my progress you may continue to do so by clicking the little button at the top right hand side of my blog to follow me on BlogLovin'. You can also add me to your circles on Google+, but I'll be honest...I still haven't figured out how to work that thing. Lol!  Thanks to everyone who follows my blog for all your support, advice, tips, etc. You all keep me motivated for sure!

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea

Seriously Jealous!!!

Okay, so someone posted this video in a thread on the Long Hair Care Forum a couple weeks ago.  I really wanted to share this with you guys if any of you haven't seen it yet.  I was surprised that there are men out there practicing healthy hair care techniques too.  I am so envious right now. I need that head of hair! LOL! Check it out!

He gave some great product reviews.  Hoping to try some of these when I get my stash down.  However, it's really odd to hear him say "pre-poo" lol! 

What do you guys think?  Have you tried any of these products?  
What would you think of your man discussing "hair regimens" with you? :)

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea

My Goals for the Month of June

Jeni at JustGrowAlready.com and a few other bloggers have inspired me to start setting monthly goals for myself.  It's definitely a good idea to make a list of mini goals or steps toward achieving your long term goal.  It's probably a lot better than just going with the flow like I've been doing.  I need to start making myself accountable. So here goes:

My June Goals

1.  Continue heat free styling for the month of June. 
On this note I am proud to say that I have not used any form of heat styling on my hair since April 28 (direct or indirect).  I've been in Air Dried City and think I'm getting better at it the more I practice.

2.  DC with steamer once a week.
Just pulled my steamer back out recently and remembered how much softer my hair feels when I use it.  Time to put this steamer back to work.

3. No hair purchases for the month (unless I'm replacing a staple).
I'm on a mission to get my stash down to the basics.

That's not even all of it :-(
Although a good bit of it was given to me & I happily accepted. lol

4.  Workout at least 3 times a week this month. 
I've gradually started inching my way back into the gym, but not as often as I should. Hoping I can keep it up.

There are some other things I'd like to work on, but these will be my focus for this month.  I'm definitely going to try to stay on top of these goals this month.  Hopefully I can report back that I achieved them all.  The one I'm most worried about achieving is my working out goal since I work full time and am taking a summer class right now. This is going to be the hardest, but I'm going to try for sure.

What are your goals for the month?

Thanks for reading,

   Andrea

Product Review - Darcy's Botanicals Daily Leave-In Conditioner

Product: Darcy's Botanical's Daily Leave-In Conditioner in Sweet Cream

Price:  $12.00 for 8 oz. bottle

Purchased from:  www.darcysbotanicals.com

Ingredients: Distilled Water (Aqua) with Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil (and) Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow) Leaf Extract (and) Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract (and) Lavandula Angustfolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Vegetable Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, MSM, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (cationic guar gum), paraben-free preservative and Fragrance.

Promises: "Darcy's Botanicals NEW Daily Leave-In Conditioner will tame your frizzies, provide healthy conditioning, moisture, softness, and will make your hair easy to detangle!"

Directions: "Apply a generous amount throughout wet or dry hair for healthy conditioning and moisture."

My Thoughts:
This product was one of my first purchases when starting my HHJ so this review is very long overdue.  This conditioner has a light creamy consistency, and is not too thick which I like.  I feel that it spreads much easily through my hair for

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