I Stand Corrected: Starting Length Check For 2015

Happy Monday lovelies!

I'm just stopping by with a quick snap of where my hair is as of right now. For comparison's sake, I posted a picture of where my hair was in March of last year.

Upon looking at the pictures, I saw that I did lose a little bit of length from this year to last. I don't have that super pronounced 'tail' anymore. Again, I can attribute this to my lazy @** hair care last year smh. Oh well...I guess when you know better, you do better. This year, I plan to do better.

At any rate, I now know what my starting point is and I can begin to test if the changes I'm adding to my regimen are beneficial. Only time will tell....

Have a great evening and ciao for now!

Wash Day: February 8, 2015

Happy Sunday lovelies!

I am typing this post super excited about my hair and my return to the blog. Now that I have a consistent regimen again, I find myself wanting to try new products (I am a product junkie after all!). This means more First Impressions posts, more style posts...just more posts period! It feels good to get back to my blog because I love sharing my discoveries about my hair with all of you!

This particular wash day actually started on Saturday and ended today. It also marks the second week in a row where I used a light protein treatment in my hair and my hair responded positively to it. My wash day started simply enough: I washed my hair with Elasta QP Creme Condtioning Shampoo. However, I happened to read the ingredients label and saw (to my complete shock and horror) that this formerly sulfate-free shampoo now has sodium laurel sulfate as the SECOND ingredient!! When the heck did this happen?!?! I hate when companies go out of their way to mess with a good thing. Fortunately, my hair wasn't stripped or anything after washing but in the future I will have to use shampoos that I know are sulfate-free (like Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo). I followed up my shampoo by placing Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor on my hair and sat under my heat cap for 10 or so minutes. Immediately after rinsing the treatment out of my hair, my hair felt much stronger than it has previously. This has confirmed my thinking that my relaxed hair needs more protein than I once thought it did and weekly treatments may not be such a bad thing.


After my protein treatment, I DCed with ORS Replenishing Conditioner under my Huetiful steamer for an hour. This was also another point in my wash day where I realized that adding more protein to my regimen was the way to go. After washing my DC out, my hair felt so, so soft! For the first time in a long time I felt like my hair was able to get and hold on to the moisture that I gave it. I can only attribute this to the added protein in my regimen.

This wash day, I wanted to straighten my hair. Typically, I don't want to be bothered with the process of straightening but I realized that my hair hasn't been flat ironed since my relaxer touch up (at the beginning of January) and I want to post a picture of where my length is for the start of the year (so it's not necessarily a length check because I haven't retained much but I do want to see if the changes I'm adding will make a difference by the end of the year). Plus, I figured that a straightening session would be easier to do since I'm about 5 weeks post and I don't have an outrageous amount of new growth to deal with. So, I decided I would give my hair a good flat iron session. Before I did anything, I sprayed my hair with Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave In and then put Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk onto each section. The Camille Rose product is something new that I picked up on a whim while I was in Target on Saturday. I am on the hunt for a great, creamy moisturizer and it seemed like a perfect moisturizer to try. I then sealed with Curls Blissful Lengths Hair Oil.


Before my Saturday night was through, I wet wrapped my hair with Lottabody setting lotion (again, first time use...not sure if I'm a fan of this) and sat under my Conair hooded dryer for 2 hours. My hair still wasn't fully dry when I stopped but....it was 11pm and I was falling asleep under the dryer. I put a scarf on my head and went to sleep.


This morning I woke up and found that the last little section of my hair was dry and was ready to be flat iron. The setting lotion I used (even after I diluted it with water) left my hair a little crunchy so I had to add a little bit of moisturizer and oil to soften my hair up a bit. Once I did that. I applied the Mizani Thermasmooth serum to my hair (in sections) and used my beloved Sedu to flat iron. After flat ironing each section, I added a little bit of Aveda Anti-Humectant pomade to each section to help fight against reversion. As I was flat ironing, I could not believe the results I was getting. It only took 1 to 2 passes to get my hair slick and sleek (sometimes, on my most....resistant sections, it takes more than that)! I think adding the protein, which allowed my hair to hold on to more moisture, played a role in that.


The final step to my super long wash day was to add a little bit of serum to my ends, spray my hair with KeraCare Oil Sheen with Humidity Block, and wrap my hair with saran wrap to further get my hair as sleek as possible. I sat under my dryer for 15 minutes and was done!


Something else that I noticed during this wash day was that, following the protein treatment, my hair had a little bit more heft/weight to it. It was a good feeling that made my hair feel healthier than it did previously. However, I do think that during my next few washes, I did to do a final rinse with Roux Porosity Control. My hair is drying faster than it should.


Be on the look out for my length photo some time this week so that you can have an idea of where I am starting from + compare where I am now compared to this time last year!




Have a wonderful, relaxing Sunday!

February 2-6, 2015 Look of the Week (LOTW?): Halo Braid

This past week, I did not feel like doing too much to my hair. I just wanted a simple style where I could remove my scarf in the morning and go! Enter the halo braid. It was pretty easy to do. Following my wash session last Sunday, I blow dried my hair and got to braiding! Braiding tends to take a while for me because I braid so hard and my hands tend to get tired mid-way so I took more than one break! However, once the braid was set and pinned, I was good to go! In the mornings, I would put a little Hicks Transformation Edges down and would be done with my hair for the day.

Take a look!

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!