March 2011 marks my 3rd year of my healthy hair journey. To say that this journey has been nothing but amazing would be an understatement. I've watched my hair grow to the longest length it has ever been and I'm finding myself to be the go-to person amongst my family and friends for hair care.
This was not my initial goal. Way back in 2008, I just wanted a solution for my dry hair and a way to keep my hair from breaking so much. Back then, I couldn't imagine my hair getting close to BSL, but yet here I am. :)
Looking back, I've learned so much but I admit that I don't know everything. I've never had hair this long so that comes with a new set of rules for maintenance. This summer, I'm learning how to make it through w/o braids. Shoot, I'm still learning what products work and when.
However, I am excited what the next year will bring and to see if I will reach my ultimate goal of MBL (anything beyond that would be too much for me to care for). Thank all of you for taking this journey with me. Hopefully my experiences, have been of help to you in your journey. :)
Happy Tuesday you guys!
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Weekend's Here! What are you doing to your hair?
After a long and productive work/school week, it's finally the weekend! I don't know about you but for me, the weekend signals that it's time for my weekly hair ritual. During the weekend, I take time to wash, DC, and style my hair. It's usually a very soothing and relaxing time for me. Almost therapeutic in a way.
This weekend, it is supposed to do nothing but rain in Birmingham so it is the ideal weekend to do hair. I'm not gonna want to go anywhere because it'll be icky out. As usual, I will wash my hair with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo and DC with with Aubrey Organics GPB or with Aubrey Organics White Camellia.
However, instead of straightening my hair, I'm gonna start building up my summer style portfolio. This will probably be the first summer in a long time where I'm not in braids and as much as I love buns, I'll probably get tired of them by the time July rolls around.
This weekend will be devoted to bantu knot outs. I've wore bantu knot outs before but it has been AGES since I've worn them. They provide a nice versatile curly style that is very summer-ish.
Check out the vids below to recreate bantu knot outs of your own! One is from Macherie from Healthy Textures (isn't her hair just gorgeous!!)
The second is from crownofhisglory. It's a very short and to the point tutorial but essentially this is what I do for bantu knots. I usually put them in while I'm in front of the tv or something.
....so tell me, what are your hair plans for the weekend?
This weekend, it is supposed to do nothing but rain in Birmingham so it is the ideal weekend to do hair. I'm not gonna want to go anywhere because it'll be icky out. As usual, I will wash my hair with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo and DC with with Aubrey Organics GPB or with Aubrey Organics White Camellia.
However, instead of straightening my hair, I'm gonna start building up my summer style portfolio. This will probably be the first summer in a long time where I'm not in braids and as much as I love buns, I'll probably get tired of them by the time July rolls around.
This weekend will be devoted to bantu knot outs. I've wore bantu knot outs before but it has been AGES since I've worn them. They provide a nice versatile curly style that is very summer-ish.
Check out the vids below to recreate bantu knot outs of your own! One is from Macherie from Healthy Textures (isn't her hair just gorgeous!!)
The second is from crownofhisglory. It's a very short and to the point tutorial but essentially this is what I do for bantu knots. I usually put them in while I'm in front of the tv or something.
....so tell me, what are your hair plans for the weekend?
Call Me Crazy But.....
I think I'm gonna extend my stretch by 4 weeks. I'll be 12 weeks post on Tuesday and I just don't feel the need to relax just yet. My new growth isn't particularly unruly and I'm wearing loose buns the majority of the time anyway. I'm gonna push it to 16 weeks (which will put me at 4 months post).
Gonna keep you guys posted! :)
Gonna keep you guys posted! :)
Guess Who's Back!
Hey everyone! I'm back with another post!
Well I have to tell you that I took the tree braids out 2 weeks ago. They were starting to wreak havoc on my edges. I'm glad I took them out when I did though..I was starting to get buildup galore on my edges. After going through all that, I think tree braids would be the last braid style that I would recommend to anybody. If you have to get braids, get kinky twists.
I also did a my first length check of the year. I'm slowly getting to BSL. However, I wonder if my bra strap is actually where MBL is. Anyway, let's take a look at the progress from December to March. The top photo is is the most recent photo while the bottom one is my update from December.
You can see my hair starting to even out a bit which is great. I can't wait until I reach my final goal of MBL. Maybe I can get there by the end of this year. Who knows? :)
Well I have to tell you that I took the tree braids out 2 weeks ago. They were starting to wreak havoc on my edges. I'm glad I took them out when I did though..I was starting to get buildup galore on my edges. After going through all that, I think tree braids would be the last braid style that I would recommend to anybody. If you have to get braids, get kinky twists.
I also did a my first length check of the year. I'm slowly getting to BSL. However, I wonder if my bra strap is actually where MBL is. Anyway, let's take a look at the progress from December to March. The top photo is is the most recent photo while the bottom one is my update from December.
You can see my hair starting to even out a bit which is great. I can't wait until I reach my final goal of MBL. Maybe I can get there by the end of this year. Who knows? :)
Friday, February 25, 2011
A Method Revisited: Air Drying
Way back in March '08 when I started my hair journey, I air dried my hair (in addition to various other techniques lol). However, every time I would do that my hair would be a puffy, fluffy mess. So I began to not do it so often. Not when I first cut my hair and definitely not when I'm 10 weeks into a 12 week stretch. However, a few months ago, I began to notice that my hair can't take blow drying as well as I thought it could. I mean, if I blow dry every once in awhile my hair is ok but do to it after every wash? Yeah, my hair was NOT pleased.
So, with caution,I approached this air drying thing again. I have to admit that I was kinda scared b/c my hair is much longer and thicker than it was back in '08....if I don't air dry correctly the results could be catastrophic. Anyway, I had heard great things about the scarf method for air drying and after doing an exhaustive Youtube search about the method, I decided to give it a try.
Here's what you need:
-Your favorite leave-in
-A wide tooth comb
-Your favorite anti frizz serum (I use Fantasia IC Frizz Buster)
-Ponytail holder
-Scarf
Here's what you do:
-Section your hair into 4 parts
-Individually spray each section with your leave in then detangle with your wide tooth comb
-Apply the frizz serum (not too much! I use a quarter sized amount)
-Gather your hair into a a ponytail and secure it with a ponytail holder
-Tie on your scarf
-Let your hair dry (however much is up to you-you can wait til it's 80% dry or 100% dry or whatever floats your boat)
When your hair dries, it will not be puffy. Actually it will be pretty smooth and ready for whatever style you are gonna put it in.
So the moral of the story is this: air drying doesn't necessarily have to end with unruly hair. It's all about what products you use and what methods you use.
Awesomeness :)
So, with caution,I approached this air drying thing again. I have to admit that I was kinda scared b/c my hair is much longer and thicker than it was back in '08....if I don't air dry correctly the results could be catastrophic. Anyway, I had heard great things about the scarf method for air drying and after doing an exhaustive Youtube search about the method, I decided to give it a try.
Here's what you need:
-Your favorite leave-in
-A wide tooth comb
-Your favorite anti frizz serum (I use Fantasia IC Frizz Buster)
-Ponytail holder
-Scarf
Here's what you do:
-Section your hair into 4 parts
-Individually spray each section with your leave in then detangle with your wide tooth comb
-Apply the frizz serum (not too much! I use a quarter sized amount)
-Gather your hair into a a ponytail and secure it with a ponytail holder
-Tie on your scarf
-Let your hair dry (however much is up to you-you can wait til it's 80% dry or 100% dry or whatever floats your boat)
When your hair dries, it will not be puffy. Actually it will be pretty smooth and ready for whatever style you are gonna put it in.
So the moral of the story is this: air drying doesn't necessarily have to end with unruly hair. It's all about what products you use and what methods you use.
Awesomeness :)
Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier: A Review
Happy Friday everyone!
I hope everyone has had a productive and successful week. I know I have been M.I.A. a bit and I do apologize for that but it doesn't mean that I don't have products to review.
About a month or so ago I was in my local BSS (one opened up by my apartment--a product junkie's dream and worst nightmare) just browsing when I saw Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier. It markets itself as a daily leave in conditioner but can also be re-purposed for other uses (e.g.--braid removal). I had heard great things about it via LHCF so I decided to give it a whirl. I paid around $7-$8 for a 8oz bottle which makes it cheaper than my staple (Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-In).
First Impressions: This leave-in has a thick consistency! I was expecting a more water based leave in but this was not so. For some, this can lead to product build-up so keep in mind that you can dilute the product with water to thin it out a bit (and to make the product last longer).
Also, if you aren't a big scent person be warned that this product smells.....tropical. To me it smells like coconuts. I like coconuts. I like the smell of them so this was cool with me. However, if you don't like coconut smell this may not be for you.
Product in Action: I have been using this leave in (not diluted) post wash and DC. Let me just say that this product is awesome for air drying!! When I use this leave in (with a little Fantasia IC Frizz Buster), my hair dries all nice and soft! I mean buttery soft. Oh so silky smooth soft! That for me is a plus. I have tried it diluted yet but I just may have to since I have these tree braids in now.
Bottom Line: I'd give this product 4 out of 5 stars. The reason for that is even though I can use the product straight out the bottle, some of you may not be able to and may have to dilute it. Also, the smell may be too much for scent sensitive folks.
Ultimately, it does what it says it does in providing moisture and I'll probably keep this in the rotation for awhile.
I hope everyone has had a productive and successful week. I know I have been M.I.A. a bit and I do apologize for that but it doesn't mean that I don't have products to review.
About a month or so ago I was in my local BSS (one opened up by my apartment--a product junkie's dream and worst nightmare) just browsing when I saw Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier. It markets itself as a daily leave in conditioner but can also be re-purposed for other uses (e.g.--braid removal). I had heard great things about it via LHCF so I decided to give it a whirl. I paid around $7-$8 for a 8oz bottle which makes it cheaper than my staple (Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-In).
First Impressions: This leave-in has a thick consistency! I was expecting a more water based leave in but this was not so. For some, this can lead to product build-up so keep in mind that you can dilute the product with water to thin it out a bit (and to make the product last longer).
Also, if you aren't a big scent person be warned that this product smells.....tropical. To me it smells like coconuts. I like coconuts. I like the smell of them so this was cool with me. However, if you don't like coconut smell this may not be for you.
Product in Action: I have been using this leave in (not diluted) post wash and DC. Let me just say that this product is awesome for air drying!! When I use this leave in (with a little Fantasia IC Frizz Buster), my hair dries all nice and soft! I mean buttery soft. Oh so silky smooth soft! That for me is a plus. I have tried it diluted yet but I just may have to since I have these tree braids in now.
Bottom Line: I'd give this product 4 out of 5 stars. The reason for that is even though I can use the product straight out the bottle, some of you may not be able to and may have to dilute it. Also, the smell may be too much for scent sensitive folks.
Ultimately, it does what it says it does in providing moisture and I'll probably keep this in the rotation for awhile.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tree Braids and Other Random Things....
It has been awhile since my last update. It hasn't been because I'm busy though. I was just bored with my hair. I had been straightening and bunning my hair since October and quite frankly I was tired of it. About a week and a half ago I got some tree braids put in. At this stage in my journey, tree braids and cornrows are pretty much the only options for my hair in terms of braids with extensions. My hair is pretty much too long for micros and kinky twists. Anyway, have a look:
Ok, here's the run down on tree braids. I pretty much call them glorified cornrows...which they are. My hair is in small cornrows and has the braider braids about 4 strokes or so then pulls out hair which gives the illusion that I have a weave. So the pattern looks like (- equals braiding > equals hair pull out):
--->-->--->........( and so on and so forth)
It's actually kinda cool when you think about it. Since my hair is in cornrows, I can keep my scalp clean with the ORS Herbal Cleanse Dry Shampoo and I can spray leave in onto my braids. It's pretty low maintenance and I tend to keep the hair that's out in a bun since the hair gets tangled easily. The style takes about 3 to 4 hours to create, lasts between 6 and 8 weeks, and can be done with human or synthetic hair.
My only issue with this style is that the added hair sheds A LOT! I think the shedding is really evident because my hair is in a straight style. I may had to compare what happens when I use wet and wavy hair ( or something with some sort of curl) to make an accurate assessment about that. Also, you have to really be aware how tight the braider is braiding your edges b/c these braids are all up on them.
So far, however, I love tree braids and they are giving me a welcome break from my hair. I'm trying to decide if I should stick with tree braids over the summer or just do cornrows (w/o extensions). Time will tell....
Ok, here's the run down on tree braids. I pretty much call them glorified cornrows...which they are. My hair is in small cornrows and has the braider braids about 4 strokes or so then pulls out hair which gives the illusion that I have a weave. So the pattern looks like (- equals braiding > equals hair pull out):
--->-->--->........( and so on and so forth)
It's actually kinda cool when you think about it. Since my hair is in cornrows, I can keep my scalp clean with the ORS Herbal Cleanse Dry Shampoo and I can spray leave in onto my braids. It's pretty low maintenance and I tend to keep the hair that's out in a bun since the hair gets tangled easily. The style takes about 3 to 4 hours to create, lasts between 6 and 8 weeks, and can be done with human or synthetic hair.
My only issue with this style is that the added hair sheds A LOT! I think the shedding is really evident because my hair is in a straight style. I may had to compare what happens when I use wet and wavy hair ( or something with some sort of curl) to make an accurate assessment about that. Also, you have to really be aware how tight the braider is braiding your edges b/c these braids are all up on them.
So far, however, I love tree braids and they are giving me a welcome break from my hair. I'm trying to decide if I should stick with tree braids over the summer or just do cornrows (w/o extensions). Time will tell....
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