My Hair Goals for 2015

Happy Saturday lovelies!!

Well I have some time to spare before I get on the road to Raleigh and I figured that I would make a post to answer a great question that KLP from Saving Our Strands asked me following my last post: What are your hair goals for 2015?

Since I'm getting back into the swing of things hair care and blog wise, I totally forgot to even give this question some thought! But now that it has been put into my mind, I realize that I do have a few goals that I'm trying to achieve this year.

--Get back on a consistent hair regimen.

2014 was just erratic for me in terms of hair care. I was washing my hair whenever I felt like it (usually every 2 weeks, sometimes 3), not doing much in terms of styling (just wearing Celie braids under a half wig usually), and I wasn't following a set plan. In the past, my wash days were usually set: one wash day would be moisture based, the next would be protein based, and so on. Last year, my wash days only met 2 requirements: is my hair clean and did I deep condition? That's it. Fortunately, I didn't have any setbacks following that plan but I didn't have any retention either. This year, I want to get back to the regimen that I know works for my hair with a few tweaks here and there. My regimen for this year is as follows:

-Wash hair weekly with sulfate free shampoo (Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo/Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo/KeraCare Sulfate-Free Hydrating Shampoo)
-Light protein treatment with Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructing Treatment with heat
-Deep condition with moisturizing DC (Silicon Mix/Aubrey Organics White Camellia/ any other moisturizing DC I feel like trying) with heat
-Apply leave in conditioners and style! Styles may range from straightening to prepping hair for various protective styles
**I will also clarify my hair as needed, especially during the wash following the straightening of my hair.**


--Incorporate way more protein into my regimen

I learned in 2013 that my hair needs protein just like it needs moisture. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that as a relaxed head (well as a relaxed head with my type of hair), my hair needs just as much protein as it needs moisture. I can't go too much in either direction or my hair just doesn't react well to it. When I finally hopped onto the protein bandwagon, I was doing a light protein treatment every other week. My hair held on to moisture much better that way and I was able to have some retention. However, I feel like my hair needs more of a protein boost.So, this year, I plan to use a light protein treatment every wash followed by a moisturizing DC. As of right now, my protein treatment of choice is the Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructing treatment. I feel that it is light enough to use on a weekly basis. I've also ordered Komaza Protein Strengthener after hearing great things about it on LHCF. I can't wait to try it an review it here!


--Get my hair to full MBL

This goal is really tied into my first goal. Towards the end of 2013/beginning of 2014, the 'tail' of my hair was at MBL with the rest of my hair catching up. And this is where my hair is now. This year, I want to get my hair to full MBL and I believe that by consistently meeting my first two goals, along with protective styling (you guys know that I am good for not manipulating my hair too often) this can happen. After MBL, I may try for WL but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

--Minimizing direct heat use.

This is pretty self explanatory. While I don't use direct heat often ( I really have to be in the mood to straighten my hair nowadays), I tend to use a blow dryer AND the flat iron when I straighten. That has to stop. On the days that I do straighten, I will use an indirect form of heat (my hooded dryer with my hair wet wrapped) and flat iron. I'm also making it a priority to leave the heat alone the further I get into my stretch.



There you have it. Those are my goals. I guess you can say that this year is my 'reset' year in terms of hair care. I got off track for a bit but now I have my focus back and I expect to see great things during the course of this year!

Wash Day: February 1, 2015

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!

I hope that all of you are having a great and restful Sunday!! I'm hanging around my apartment, killing time before the game starts (even though my team didn't make it to the Super Bowl and now I don't really care who wins :tear:).

Like I mentioned in my first post for 2015, I will be posting here a lot more often. I'm aiming to at least have 1 post per week and we'll work our way up from there. Anyway, after spending a good year in hair cruise control, I am back to being more consistent with me regimen and spent this wash day really babying my hair. As I began prepping to wash my hair, I attempted to think of the last time I clarified my hair. I honestly could not think of the last time that I did that (sad, I know). So, for this wash day, the first lather was done with a sample of a clarifying shampoo that I had laying around the apartment. I finished shampooing with KeraCare Hydrating shampoo. I tell you, my hair felt like a brand new head of hair after that shampoo!

Next, I gave my hair some much needed protein. One of the biggest lessons I learned in 2013 was that if my hair was going to remain relaxed, I needed to be on top of my protein game. In 2014, I wasn't giving my hair the protein that it needed, which is probably why I wasn't retaining as much growth as I should have (even though my hair is much, much thicker nowadays). I placed Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructing Treatment in my hair and sat under my heat cap for 10-ish minutes (I got caught up watching Dr. Dolittle....what can I say?).

Finally, I decided to DC with Silicon Mix under my Huetiful steamer for an hour. My hair came out feeling soft and well moisturized! I was so pleased with the outcome! I definitely need to have a wash day like this more often. As for styling, I initially intended to straighten my hair. However, I saw that it was going to rain tomorrow and thought to myself "No thanks." To keep me from messing too much with my hair during the week, I'll moisturize and keep my hair in a protective style. I'll spray my hair with Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave In, moisturize with an as yet to be determined moisturizer and seal with Curls Healthy Hair Oil (which I love!). I'll blow dry my hair using my Fantasia IC Heat Protectant and will put my hair in a halo twist similar to the one that ImShineStruck did in her youtube video!


Also, before I go, I wanted to share my first try at a looser bantu knot out. Whenever I do a bantu knot out, I have at least 15 bantu knots in my hair for a tighter curl pattern that lasts longer. This go round, I put my hair into 8 bantu knots using Taliah Wajiid Curly Curl Cream. Take a look at my results below!!

*peeks in* No, I Did Not Abandon The Blog.....

I know. I know. It's been a long time.

I also know that it seems like I just dropped off the face of my blog and for awhile, I did. 2014 was a year of so many changes, both good and bad, for me. As a result, my blog kind of fell to the wayside.

But to catch you up.

From January to June of last year, I was posting really sporadically due personal issues going on in my life. I wasn't particularly happy and I just didn't have it in me to focus on my hair, much less blog about it.

Then June hit.

I may have mentioned it but I am in Teach for America and my June and July were tied up by commitments to that. I traveled to NC and Oklahoma ( I know right? Oklahoma!) and my days were tied up getting into the swing of teaching. Again, my hair was put on the back burner. I seriously only had enough free time to wash/ deep condition my hair and slap on my Tammy half wig. I wasn't trying any new products. I was just trying to make it from day to day. My August was spent relocating to Greenville, NC (so no more Alabama. But, I still go home to VA pretty frequently), attending New Teacher's Orientation, and just dealing with everything that comes with being a first year teacher. Actually, I can sum up August to December with that one line. As a result, I was either in kinky twists or wigging it up.

If I had to sum up 2014, it would be the year that my hair was placed on my back burner.

As a result, my hair is still MBL-ish and still thick. I only relaxed 2x last year (once in March and once in July), I slipped mighty hard on the deep conditioning and protein front..which is why I think I haven't retained much of my new growth.

However, as I am becoming more acclimated to teaching (and learning how to budget my time), I have that much more time to devote to my hair. I'm back to becoming more dedicated to trying new moisturizing products and sticking to my regimen. Plus, I'm exploring a new place. I would love to see what BSS's around here have to offer and to find a stylist that I trust (much like I did in Alabama).

With all that said, I'm back to blogging. Here's to a productive 2015!

Salon Review: Amy's Dominican Salon, Woodbridge, VA

Whoa....I've been gone so long I know yall think I abandoned this sucker.

I swear I haven't...life has just been getting in the way of this blog thing far to often. But let's not dwell on that.

I'm hear to give my review of a Dominican salon in Woodbridge where I really had a pleasurable experience. So let's get to it!


Amy's Dominican Salon
12788 Marblestone Dr
Woodbridge, VA

571-659-2277 (shop)

571-296-0745 (cell)

http://www.dominicanhairsalonva.com/


In order to get ready for this interview I have next Wednesday, I decided on a whim that I wanted my hair to be straightened. At first I was going to drive out to Maryland to get that done but laziness got the best of me and I wanted to stay on my side of the bridge. So, I went to Google, typed in 'Dominican salons in Woodbridge' and bam! This salon came up. I saw that it wasn't crazy far from me and I made my way up there.

Amy's Dominican salon is a nice looking salon albeit a small one. I could easily see there being a long wait there on the busiest of days. Fortunately, the salon wasn't too busy yet. I signed in, told the receptionist what I wanted (wash, deep condition, and blow out), and within 5 minutes I was at the shampoo bowl. The shampoo itself was pretty nice (She shampooed with a Linange shampoo) although a little rough. I didn't mind it too much because I really wanted my scalp scratched. What really stood out to me is how gently my hair was detangled. No tugging or pulling at all! This meant a lot to me especially since I'm 12 weeks post (whoa!) and I got some new growth going. Once the wash was completed, I had my hair deep conditioned (with a Linange deep conditioner) for about 10 minutes or so and then I was back to the bowl for a final rinse.

Judy was the stylist who did my blowout and I was definitely pleased with her. She applied some serums to my hair, sectioned it off, and began to blow dry. What I look for in a blow out is to see if the stylist can get a my hair dried without placing a crazy hot blow dryer thisclose to my scalp. It drives me insane and it's a sign that folks don't know what they are doing. Fortunately, with Judy this did not happen. The only reason I knew my hair was being blow dried was the occasional tugging of the Denman brush and the sound of the blow dryer. She definitely got a thumbs up from me in that department! She finished by flat ironing my hair (with a flat iron set to 450.....way hotter than what I set my own flat iron too but...eh). All in all I was satisfied. The owner was also in the shop doing hair and she was very pleasant. I was in and out of that shop within an hour.


Now I was not happy with the price. Dang blowout cost me $75! However, I understand that the longer your hair is the more you are charged and my hair was considered 'natural' so that was more--but dang man!. So, getting a blowout there wouldn't be something that I do weekly...or even bi-weekly. However, I can say that I will return in the future. This shop also does relaxers, color, extensions...the whole nine. I would say it's a shop that anyone in the area should check out.


Check out the results!

For those who are wondering how I will maintain my hair:

-I immediately came home and put a little bit of Aveda anti-humectant pomade in my hair, then sprayed my hair with Keracare anti humidity oil sheen

-I will wrap my hair nightly after applying a little bit of KeraCare Creme moisturizer to my hair

-In the morning, I will unwrap my hair and spray the KeraCare oil sheen in my hair.

This is the routine I follow until I get sick of the straight hair or until I wash my hair...whichever comes first. But for $75, my hair is going to be like this for awhile!

First Impressions: Cream of Nature Sulfate Free Moisture and Shine Shampoo

Ever since Cream of Nature (CON) discontinued my beloved green label sulfate free shampoo so that they could replace it with some sulfate laden mess, they have gotten the eternal side eye from me. So imagine my shock to see this particular shampoo sitting in my local Target. I slowly put my Shea Moisture shampoo down and picked up this shampoo, while praying to GAWD that this shampoo performed like green label CON.

Wanna know how I felt about this shampoo? Keep on reading for the deets!


Price: $4.97+tax for 12 fl oz bottle (at Target)

Ingredients: Water,trideceth-7 carboxylic acid, decyl glucoside, glycol stearate, polyquaternium 10, argania spinosa kernel oil, sodium hydroxide, disodium EDTA, quaternium 15, parfum (fragrance), methylparaben, propylparaben, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, Red 4, Yellow 5


Their Claims (per the bottle): This sulfate free formula nourishes and adds brilliant shine, while gently cleansing and detangling.


I used this shampoo during a routine wash day where I lathered up my hair once with this shampoo (the first lather being neutralizing shampoo since it was my first wash day since my relaxer. I have to say that for a sulfate free shampoo, this shampoo lathered up quite nicely. In fact, it reminded me of the lather I got when I used green label CON. I found that once I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, my hair felt so soft...like BUTTAH! It has been a long time since I've had a shampoo make my hair feel that soft. I also found that my hair was very easy to detangle afterwards. I paid no attention to the shine of my hair because (to be honest)...I didn't really care (lol). The take away from all of this is that my hair felt soft (not stripped) and was easy to detangle. Sounds like a win in my book.

CON Moisture and Shine Shampoo is golden-yellow color and has a somewhat thin consistency. As I stated above, this shampoo lathers up very well for it to be sulfate free. The only gripe that I really had with this shampoo is that it stunk like all to be damned. It has a very medicinal smell to it that could potentially be very irritating to those who are sensitive to scents. Fortunately, the scent doesn't linger once you rinse the shampoo out of your hair.

Another potential drawback for this shampoo is that the ingredient list contains a lot of no-no ingredients that some of you may be avoiding for health reasons like polyquaternium 10. If you are, you may want to leave this shampoo alone.


The Bottom Line: A great sulfate free shampoo that is reminiscent of CON green label shampoo. Although the smell can be a bit much and the ingredient list may give some of you pause, this shampoo leaves your hair feeling clean, soft, and moisturized!

LOTD 3/17/2014: Super Relaxed Messy Bun

Welp. We have another snow day here in the DMV and I'm chilling at the house. Let me just say that I am sick of old man winter. He can go on somewhere with all this daggone snow. I'm really starting to miss those Alabama winters.

Anyway, as I'm sitting around the house, I threw my hair into a messy bun. Although I am loving my freshly relaxed hair, I find the it sucks for bunning. It just lacks the oomph and texture that my hair has when I'm deep in a stretch. Thankfully, one of the ladies on LHCF suggested that I braid my hair overnight so that when I go and bun my hair, I have little texture going. Well...it worked! I think it made my bun look sufficiently messy.

Anyway, check out my chilling around the house messy bun! Also, if you're house bound because of the snow, what are you doing today?

1st Relaxer Update of the Year and More!

Well....I fell off the map, didn't I?

See what had happened was.... This winter has been an uphill climb for my hair (and my skin!). I guess after living in Alabama for 6 years, I had taken the year round humidity for granted. I move back to VA and it was like my hair couldn't hold onto moisture for anything! It was frustrating! So in the end, I wound up just braiding then wigging my hair and leaving it alone until I could figure out what to do with my hair. I didn't want to risk a setback trying to figure out what was wrong.

In the midst of that wigging, I realized that I was way overdue for a relaxer. Then I realized that I don't have a stylist in VA that I trust. I swear, this is the sucky part about moving---having to find a stylist. Part of me wanted to find a good stylist in this area but I'll have to repeat the process AGAIN when I move to NC this summer. :sigh: Ain't nobody got time for that.

So last weekend (March 8th to be exact), I relaxed my own hair (which I have done many times before). I used Mizani Butter Blends, neutralized with Silk Elements Neutralizing Shampoo, DCed with Darcy Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioner, did a final rinse with Roux Porosity Control and then proceeded to straighten my hair. This made for a very long evening.

However, at the end of all of that, I was very pleased. I found that my hair is repeating a pattern: the longest length will reach my goal length, the rest of my hair will play catch up, and then all of my hair will be where I want it to be. Right now, my hair is playing catch up. I think I'm ok with that....as long as I have no setbacks, I'm good. Anyway, take a look at my progress!

The pic on the left was taken last week while the pic on the right was taken in October.


To see where I was last May and October, check out this post.

I've come a might long way with still some ways to go before WL. I swear, folks say APL was the hardest length to get to? Pssh. BSL and beyond have been a struggle for me!