More "Bun" Stuff (Get It?...More Fun Stuff)

....nevermind. I can be such a cornball sometimes. lol

Anyway, as the title says, I will be talking about buns. I know buns are pretty boring but I am on a mission to retain length (as cost effectively as possible) and dang it I WILL get there!

Today I stopped by Sally's and got a little donut bun base thingy. It's called the "Hair Styler" and it cost me around $4. I looks pretty similar to the image below:



I selected the black mesh donut and that was that. I should also point out that the mesh appears to be adjustable so SL hair (probably NL too!) can use this donut bun thingy. The instructions for use are extremely easy. Basically all you have to do is:

1) Gather hair into a ponytail and secure with an elastic band
2) Pull ponytail through Hair Styler Foundation and slide it to base of ponytail
3) Arrange hair around Hair Styler Foundation and secure with bobby pins

That's it! You're done. As long has you have some bobby pins and a hair tie, you should be good to go! It is a very quick easy style and it's a great protective style for those of you trying to get through the very difficult SL stage. Below I have a pic of the bun. The picture isn't the greatest but I hope it gives you an idea of what it looks like!

New Protective Style to Add to the List

I have come to a conclusion.

That conclusion is that during the winter (at least), I cannot wear my hair down for an extended period of time. I wore my hair down on Monday and I played with it all day. ALL DAY. There wasn't a time where I didn't have my hands in my hair. Just playing. Of course my hair didn't like that. It would start to break if I played with it too much. So that night I went looking for a new protective style...well actually for a bun style. I figured my hair is long enough now. After searching YouTube for an hour I came across the Southern Tease bun.




I thought to myself: this bun is perfect! You don't have to have APL hair to do it either (just keep in mind that with shorter hair, your bun will be smaller so don't set any unrealistic expectations)! So I got up and experimented for awhile. My bun didn't really look like a bun...more like a swoosh but it looked like a cute little updo! At the time I had to secure the bun with some bobby pins (but I don't recommend that- if you can get some claw clips) I then jazzed it up with some decorative clips. Whole updo takes about 30 seconds to do and it keeps your hair up off your shoulders. My hair has been like this since Tuesday and I love it. I really want to hurry up and get past the length I am at so I can enjoy my hair more. I guess it all takes patience. Anyway, I just wanted to share this protective style for you ladies...just in case you are trying to think of ways to style your hair!

Getting Through this Learning Curve is a BEAST!

I know it may seem like I have this hair care thing down. However, just like you, I am feeling my way through the process as well. Learning what is good for my hair, at this length, has been a pretty difficult task for me.

Let me explain.....

When I started my healthy hair journey, I just wanted to stop the massive breakage my hair was experiencing. The breakage was so bad that every time I touched my hair, massive amounts of hair would break off. I had finally had enough and began to look up what I could do to remedy that. Taking care of my hair at this stage was easy. I laid off of the relaxers for 8 months, I began to wash and DC my hair weekly, and I cut down on my direct heat usage. As you can imagine, my hair began to bounce back.

Then I cut it.

Since I cut my hair, I had to learn how to take care of short hair. Taking care of my hair during this time was easy as well. I would still wash and deep condition weekly but since I was using more heat, I deep conditioned more. I took extra care to alternate between protein and moisture conditioners. I continued to stretch my relaxers and began to dabble in low manipulation hair styles.

Now we're here.

My hair is longer (which is awesome) but figuring out what it likes has been somewhat of a task. Here are some issues going on with me:

1) Shedding: I have figured out when the shedding phase of my hair growth process is--winter time. I have been shedding like a freaking dog lately. I'm not alarmed or anything since I believe I am shedding at the higher end of the 50-200 shed hairs per day range. However, it is getting on my NERVES! On Friday, I ordered the Alter Ego garlic deep conditioner. Hopefully this will curb some of the shedding.

2) I have to deep condition 2x a week. When I deep condition 1x a week, my hair isn't as happy as it could be. However, I'm finding that when I deep condition more, my hair just responds better overall. Now I have to suck it up and begin buying more conditioner.

3)When I use deep conditioners and Porosity Control, I have to specifically focus on my ends. It dawned on me last night to just saturate my ends on conditioner and porosity control. Let me tell you, my ends are thanking me for it. Usually, when I deep condition, I pay special attention to my roots, then coat the rest of my hair. Also, when my hair was shorter it was easier to ensure that my ends got enough conditioner (I mean, my ends were right there!) Now I have to learn to establish some sort of balance between my roots and my ends.

4) I can air dry earlier on in my stretch but cannot later on in my stretch. Self explanatory.

These are 4 truths of my hair that I am just now discovering. This hair journey hasn't been easy and I am learning that I have to adjust my routine for every milestone that I hit.

Etc.

So a lot has been going on for me hair wise....

Last Friday, I relaxed my hair. Like before, I used Silk Elements Lye relaxer (mild strength). I have to say that I am in love with the Silk Elements relaxer. It loosens my curl just enough and it doesn't suck all the life out of my hair (which I like). I definitely will be using this relaxer in the future.

My hair is still growing. I am really hoping that I am able to make it past the SL hurdle. I know it is a tough growth stage for a lot of ladies but I am hoping. My hair is inching toward SL and I probably won't take length check pics until my next relaxer (probably around May or June).

I have to learn how to keep my hands out of my hair. I wore my hair out Monday and I kept playing in it. I have learned that my hair really doesn't break unless I keep on messing around in it. Note to self: stop stop STOP playing in my hair.

That is it for this post...just some random thoughts about my hair while I'm doing some deep conditioning....

Nioxin Hair Vitamin Experience: Week 4

I finally finished my month supply of Nioxin Hair Vitamins.

And I'm not sure how I feel about it. Yeah I said it.

On hand, my nails grew faster and stronger. My skin didn't break out either. Unfortunately, I can't say it did much for my hair. Part of me feels like I should try another bottle, just to be sure. However, spending $20+ on some hair vitamins that don't do much for my hair is not the business. Another just says to make sure my diet is on point. I dunno. I guess I'll figure it out soon.

What A Difference A Year Makes....

January 29, 2010 marked exactly one year since I cut my hair! Ladies I have made so much progress since then! I thought it would be fun to take you guys through my journey since then and tell you the story behind it. When I cut my hair, my hair was this length:






I had cut my hair that length in November to give my crown a chance to catch up with the rest of my hair (when I started my journey in March 08, my crown had broken off pretty badly). Anyway, back to Jan 29, 2009, I had been thinking about cutting my hair that whole day. Finally, that afternoon, I had made an appointment with my stylist to cut my hair--that day.

I go into the shop and tell the stylist what I wanted. I got my touch up and sat in my stylist's chair. She asked me one last time if I was sure I wanted to cut my hair. I replied "yes" and my stylist got to cutting. As she started to cut, the shop got dead quiet. So quiet that you can hear a rat pee on soft cotton. I looked up and everyone in the shop was watching the stylist cut my hair. I commented "Boy, it sure is quiet in here" That's when the flood of comments came in. I heard everything from "I don't know why you want to cut all that hair" to "I'm trying to get my hair back to the point where she was, and she's cutting it." Whatever. I didn't care. Hair grows back. I walked out the shop with this cut:



My year of growth has been marked with remarkable progress (as you ladies know)! By December, my hair was grazing SL (my longest layer). I have surpassed my original length by leaps and bounds!



I am excited to see where my hair journey takes me and what lengths I will achieve!

"Why Do You Wear Wigs When You Have All That Hair?"

...or "Confessions of a Protective Styler"

I had went to the beauty supply store yesterday to purchase a wig. I am about 12 weeks post relaxer right now and don't want to relax my hair just yet. So, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase another, longer wig since the only wig I have currently is really short. As I'm trying on a wig, another customer comes up to me and asks me about my hair (apparently she had be looking at my hair since I entered the store). She asks if it is all mine (yes) and who does it (me). She then asked why I wear wigs when I have all that hair (her words, not mine). Secretly, I have a real catty response for questions like that but I just replied "I wanted to try a different style for awhile."

I don't know if I like having to justify my protective styles you guys. Part of me is flattered by the the questions and the compliments but the other part of me is like...leave me alone (lol). I guess this is something that I will have to go through until I make it past SL (I'm getting there slowly but surely). I will post pics of the new wig later on when I get home!

ETA: took a pic with my camera phone. Kinda fuzzy but y'all get the idea!