8 Months In and Miles To Go

Happy Thursday lovelies!!

I'm back with an update on my hair thus far. Last Wednesday, I removed my box braids and got to see my hair for the first time since June!! After washing my hair, giving it a much needed protein treatment, and deep conditioning it, I prepped my hair for a twist out that I rocked for about 5 days while I was home in VA for my birthday weekend. When I returned back to NC last night, my hair needed a wash in the worst way so that's how I spent my evening. Here's what I noticed:


* It takes A LOT more time to do my hair on wash days.

I'm finding that I have to do everything in sections. I have to wash my hair in sections, apply my protein treatment in sections, apply my deep conditioner in sections, and detangle and add my moisturizer in sections! I understand why I have to do this. I have a lot of new growth happening and if I didn't section my hair, it would make for a very frustrating wash day. I'm also finding that sectioning my hair is the only way I can ensure that my hair (both the new growth and the relaxed portions) are getting what they need.


* My new growth needs moisture more than my relaxed hair ever did*

I found out pretty late in the game that my relaxed hair needed equal amounts of protein and moisture...I couldn't venture too far in either direction. Now, however, I'm finding that my new growth drinks in moisture! I still use protein (primarily to strengthen the infamous line of demarcation) and I'm finding that the addition of protein allows my new growth to better accept the moisture that I am giving it. My once properly moisturized, my new growth curls with delight and that's how I know my hair is loving what I am doing to it.


* Oyin products may become a staple for my hair*

I've been using Oyin Hair Dew, Greg Juice, and Burnt Sugar Pomade for awhile now. Recently, I have added the Whipped Pudding to the list. Last night, I detangled my hair using Greg Juice, followed up by adding Hair Dew and Whipped Pudding, then sealed by using a tiny bit of Burnt Sugar Pomade. This combination is the best thing ever as far as my hair is concerned. Moisture like what!! I think these products may be staples for awhile.


* Not trying to keep my hair straight= somewhat easy transition*

Years ago, when I first called myself transitioning, I still was trying to maintain a straight style. As a result, I was constantly blow drying and flat ironing as a way of blending my 2 textures. My hair wasn't having it. It was constantly reverting and I was constantly flat ironing it straight. It was frustrating and one day I figured that since I was trying to keep my hair straight, it would be more beneficial to just relax. Which I did. This go round, I am not trying to make my hair do anything that it does not want to do. Meaning, I am not straightening it. I have no desire to right now. When I want to wear my hair out, I know how to do a great bantu knot out or twist out that looks good but blends the 2 textures as well. When I take out styling stress, it make it that much more easier for me to focus on the actual care of my hair. If it were up to me, this tidbit of info would be one of my top 5 tips to transitioners. Work with your hair and not against it.


School will be back in session soon and I'll probably be wigging it up for awhile. The first few weeks of school are so hectic that I just need an easy breezy style until I get back in the swing of things. I'm thinking that wigging will take me through month 9 (maybe even month 10). My wig of choice is Tammy and I probably won't break out a curlier wig (Outre Ulla) until December of so).

Also, last Thursday (August 6th) was my 30th birthday!! While I spent the day reflecting on all the progress that I made mentally, emotionally, and career wise during that decade known as my 20s, one of my friends brought up the incredible hair journey I went on as well. I was 22 when I started taking the steps necessary to care for my hair and I have entered my 30s with a wealth of knowledge of all the practices needed for me to have a healthy head of (relaxed) hair. Now I begin the new decade of my life learning to care for my natural hair after 18 years of relaxing (first relaxer was at age 12). It's gonna be an interesting journey but I am so ready for it! I leave you with a collage of my hair from age 20 to 29....it's crazy to see where I started from!

Transitioning: Months 0-6

Happy Monday lovelies!

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! I spent my weekend back home in VA and let me tell you....it was a much needed trip!! This weekend marked 6 months since my last relaxer! This got me to thinking. When I started my blog, I documented the growth of my hair from a short cut to the length it is now (which is something you rarely see in the blog world) and even shared how I styled my hair at every length. Why should my transitioning journey be any different? Something that has helped me tremendously is knowing how to style my hair during this time and I think that by sharing my experience I can a) help those who are stretching relaxers and need a way to style their hair, b) help those who are transitioning but really don't know how to style their hair other than straight, and c) keep a log of my hair styles so that when I get deep in this transition I have something that I can reference. Either way it's a win-win

Now with out further ado, here are the first 6 months of my transition.

Months 0-3: The "This Is No Different Than A Regular Stretch" stage

This stage of my transition was really, really easy because I really just started out stretching relaxer like I usually do. During this time, I wore my hair straight but opted to keep my hair in buns the majority of the time ( I'm a teacher and most mornings, I'm all for styles that don't take too much time and won't irritate me by the middle of the day).

* Some of the styles I wore at the beginning of the year. I wore buns for the most part*


As far as a regimen goes, I washed my hair weekly with Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo and did a protein treatment with Komaza Protein Strengthener. I would follow up with a moisturizing DC, would moisturize, and air dry my hair (except during the times I would straighten my hair). My hair pretty much thrived with this regimen and I noticed no significant difference in hair shedding or breakage.



Months 3-6: The "New Growth is Making Itself Known" stage


This stage of my transition really marked the beginning of me really taking the time to learn with my new growth responds to. Style-wise, I wore buns but twist-outs began to have a special place in my heart during this time. For me, twist outs are a style that blend my 2 textures flawlessly and it's a pretty easy style to get together on wash day. Every now an again I would do a bantu knot out or a braid out but I always come back to twist outs. In June, I decided that my hair needed a break and got box braids that should last me until August. I generally stay away from direct heat because I don't want to be bothered. However, I did have to blow dry my hair (on low heat) prior to getting brads.

*I'm going to spare you the multiple photos of me with a twist out but that was my main style. Other pics are of the box braids I am wearing currently*


My regimen has not changed (still wash, protein treatment, and moisturizing DC weekly) and my hair is still doing good with that. I'm thinking about doing a protein treatment weekly for the duration of my transition. I think that is was is minimizing any breakage that could occur along the line of demarcation (point where my new growth and relaxed hair meet). I'm finding that my new growth is easy to comb (when wet) but my relaxed hair gives me the most grief because it tangles. During this time, I found 3 hair products my hair loves: Oyin Hair Dew, Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade and Oyin Juices N Berries. I've found that my new growth responds very well to these products (I mean they keep my hair moisturized for days!!). I do realize that as my transition progresses, I may need to shift my products to ones that benefit my new growth vs. those that benefit my relaxed hair.



So all in all, this transition has been pretty easy. I know once I'm out of these braids, I need to have a strong game plan in place for what I want to do to my hair and be open to any potential adjustments that I will have to make. Stay tuned to see how that turns out!

My Unofficially Officially Transitioning Hair Plan

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.


I've stated that I'm not really desiring a relaxer (and probably won't) so that puts me on the path of transitioning.


However, I don't have clear plan of what I want to do or how to get there.


Right now, I am currently 5 months post. Which really just feels like a long relaxer stretch to me. To get me through the last couple of months, I have been doing twist outs like they are going out of style (I REALLY like twist outs y'all). To guide me with actually handling my hair, I just follow the things that my mother did with my hair when I was a little girl--mainly only combing my hair when wet and keeping it moisturized (seriously, my mom did this. It's the reason why I didn't get a relaxer until I begged for one in middle school. My mom was really my first example in working with my hair and not against it). So far, everything is working out great.

Then I think of the first time I called myself transitioning. Yep it happened. Right at the start of my hair journey. All I knew was my hair was unhealthy and relaxers had a role in that. By month 8, I was back to relaxers. I had no clue on how to handle my hair, let alone 2 different textures. I had even less of a clue on how to style it. I was used to my hair being straight, so I was trying to beat my new growth into straight submission and using a TON of heat. All those years ago, I knew what I wanted to do but had no idea on how to get there so I went back to what I knew.


This go 'round, I think I am in a better position to transition. I tend to wear my hair in more curly styles than straight (the last time my flat iron got used was in February I think). If my hair isn't out, I know to bun it, wig it, or do something protective. I know that I have to modify my products to meet my hair's changing needs and I have a resource for potential products to try (LHCF, other blogs, etc.), and I am becoming versed in how to handle the 2 textures. Ultimately, I think that 7 years after failed transition, I am able to approach this as a "I just don't feel like relaxing anymore" scenario vs a "my hair is breaking off like crazy, let me try this natural thing but I have no clue what to do" scenario.

Hope that makes sense.

Now that I have the tools, I want to come up with a plan.

Right now, I want to transition for at least a year and a half. I know that whenever I cut those last relaxed ends off, I want some hair to work with. I'm thinking that once I get past month 8 (which was the month I went back to relaxers in the past), I will get my first trim. I'll then trim quarterly after that.

While I love my twist outs, I do want to hide my hair for the summer. So, 2 weeks from now, I will be getting box braids which should last me until mid-August (2 months). I'll then wear my own hair out for 2 or 3 weeks (I still want to get to know my hair) and get another set of braids that will last me until November. After that set of braids, I'll wig it up (with Outre Tammy, of course) until the New Year. This plan will bring me to 1 year post relaxer. And that's about how far I can plan out right now. In December, I figure out what I want to do for the remaining months of my transition. Right now I'm just concerned about getting through the year.

I'll be continuing with my regimen: wash, protein treatment, DC weekly as that seems to be working for my hair. I will adjust my products as needed so that they can meet the needs of my transitioning hair.


This is just a rough draft of what I want to do. For those who are transitioning or have transitioned: what do you think? Am I leaving anything out? What are your suggestions for a easy transition?

The Awkward Stage's Guide to the Perfect (Braid, Twist, Bantu Knot)-Out

Happy Sunday lovelies!

With Spring rapidly approaching and the temperature beginning to rise, I have begun to wear my (fill in the blank) out styles. While these styles are gorgeous (and they debunk the myth that relaxed hair has to be straight all of the time), the learning curve can be steep when you're trying to figure out the methods to achieving a great look every time you do them. So, I figured that I would share some of the methods that work best for me as well as some of the things that I consider before I style my hair.

With that said, let get this show on the road!


When I plan to do any type of "-out", I make sure that I have these 3 products on board:

1) A liquid leave in conditioner (Jane Carter Revitalizing Leave-In is my choice)
2) A moisturizer (Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk is bae lol)
3) A product that provides some kind of hold (my favorite is Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream. ORS Lock and Twist Gel is pretty decent too. Just remember the aim is for the product to provide a light hold, not a crunchy hold)

Now the leave in and moisturizer are there to provide the moisture that my hair needs (well, duh). However, the key product is the holding product. For us relaxed chicas, because our hair is straight, we have to ensure that our hair will maintain and hold on to those curls for longer than an hour. This is where that holding product comes in. While you may not use the exact product I use, please please PLEASE make sure you have a hold product in your "-out" rotation.

Styling

Once you have your products, you can decide if you want to do a braid out, twist out, or bantu knot out. For me, deciding which one to do is crucial because doing these styles on wet or dry hair can yield different results. For example, if I decide to do a bantu knot out, trial and error has shown me that for the best results, I have to blow dry my hair first then bantu knot my hair. My curls look better this way and last longer. However, there may be some heads of hair that have to do the opposite. On the other hand, my braid outs and twist outs have to be done on damp hair (hair that is about 75%-80% dry). Sopping wet hair results in frizzy braid outs and twist outs and dry hair doesn't hold the curl as well. I haven't a clue why my hair reacts this way, I just go with it.

The bottom line is this: doing these styles on sopping wet, damp, or dry hair may make all the difference in the world when it comes to the end result, so take your time to figure out which type of hair (wet, damp, or dry) gives you your desired results. Whichever state of hair you choose, MAKE SURE YOUR HAIR IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE YOU UNRAVEL YOUR TWISTS, BRAIDS, OR BANTU KNOTS. You will cry real tears if you take those jokers out while your hair is still wet. Don't say I didn't warn you.

When I'm ready to style, I section my hair, apply my products (minus the liquid leave in for my bantu knot out), and get to work.


For the "-out" newbies (and for those who just may need to see different ways of doing these styles, here are the videos I have reference that will allow you to see the setting process for these styles:

How to Get Perfect Bantu Knot Out Results On Dry Natural Hair (Alyssa Forever)

Even though this is targeted towards natural heads, the method is the same: blow dry prior to bantu knotting, section hair and apply moisturizing and hold products, bantu knot (except I two strand twist then bantu knot), repeat until finished setting, and unravel the next day.

Two Strand Flat Twist Out...Texlaxed/Relaxed Hair (Special K)

Here you can see how to flat twist your hair and how to bantu knot it at the end so that your ends are curly. Although her products are different than the ones that I use, this is my go to video for referencing how to do this style!


Braid Out Tutorial for Relaxed, Texlaxed, or Texturized Hair (TressedforSuccess)

This is the method I use (although I prefer to do these on damp hair): section hair, apply products to section, plait, place perm rod at the end of your hair, repeat, unravel the next morning


But What About Those Ends Though?

This is probably an important question. As a relaxed head, your ends will not automatically curl like someone whose hair is natural. Now if you want your ends to be straight for these styles, read no further. However, if you're like me and prefer a uniform look throughout your hair, read on.

Bantu knot outs will give you that uniform curly look because your hair is curling around itself in the bantu knot. So with this style you really don't have to think too much further about ensuring that your ends are curly. As long as you have a great holding product, you should be good for the day. Twist outs and braid outs (but especially twist outs) may be a different beast.

Me with the bantu knots in and when they are unraveled.
I have to admit, I am relatively new to twist outs because a) I didn't know what to do with the ends of my hair once I was done and b) I wasn't confident in my flat twisting abilities. This meant that I would have to have loose hanging twists and that just would have been a mess. So I took some time to get comfortable with flat twisting and I went to Youtube. I saw that in a lot of these twist out videos, folks would put perm rods or flexirods on the ends of their twists to ensure a curly look throughout the hair. That's all well and good, but I HATE sleeping in those things. I thought that there had to be a better way. And behold, there was. I saw several videos where after flat twisting, the end of the hair would be put into a bantu knot. This allows for comfortable sleeping and a shorter, curly 'do. I was sold! This method is my go to method for twist outs. Really this is flat twist bantu knot out but whatever. It works!

My flat twist bantu knot out. I love how my hair doesn't look stringy after unraveling my hair
I do braid outs differently than twist outs. I'm not good at cornrowing (yet!), so that means I have to place anywhere between 8 to 15 plaits on my hair (after I've applied my leave in, moisturizer, and holding product to each section, of course). After plaiting, I place a large size perm rod on my ends, either let my hair air dry completely or sit under a hooded dryer to complete the process, and unravel the following morning. I get pretty consistent results this way.

This was my most perfect braid out ever!
Unraveling

Your style has set overnight (or a few days) and you are ready to unravel your hair! Before I unravel, I take some hair oil (can be coconut oil, olive oil, etc. I'm currently using Curls Blissful Lengths Hair Oil), place it in the palm of my hands and distribute the oil to each section. Next, I unravel my hair. Unraveling is tricky because you may find that you have to split certain sections into smaller sections. That's fine but you want to make sure you don't do that too many times or you'll find yourself with frizzy hair. If I have to split a section, I will do so no more than one time. That's just me though. Your happy medium may be different.

Maintenance

The day is over and it's time to go to bed. What do you do with your hair when your hair is in these styles? The way I see it, you have 2 options: the pineapple method or re-twisting, braiding, or bantu knotting.

When I am wearing a twist out or braid out, I'll just re-twist and re-braid my hair nightly. However, as the week goes on, I'll just use fewer braids or twists since the curl pattern is there. Once I'm done, I place my bonnet on and go to sleep.

Bantu knots are different because I can't redo those every night. That would be murder on my ends. So I use the pineapple method. I covered the pineapple method in this post after a braid out but got similar results using this method after a bantu knot out.

Welp. There it is. Everything I do to get great "-out" results. You may find that you'll have to follow a different pattern to get great results. However, I hope this can be a starting point for those who are new to these styles or just looking for new methods to incorporate into their repertoire

3/2/15 LOTD: Flat Twist Bantu Knot Out

Happy Monday lovelies!

I'm here with a super quick post of my look for today. This weekend, I decided to try a flat twist out. However, mid-way through I began thinking about how jank the hairstyle could end up because my ends are definitely relaxed and it would be super evident in a twist out. Enter the flat twist w/ bantu knot. To make a long story short, after applying my leave-in and my moisturizer, I flat twisted my hair. Once I was done twisting, I formed a bantu knot at the very end so that my hair would have some curl. I undid my hair this morning and BAM!! My hair is curly and I think I found a new style for the spring/early summer.

I'm pretty happy with this considering that it was my first try with it. What do you think? Is this a style that you will try for yourself? Let me know in the comments below!!

February 23-27, 2015 LOTW: Dutch Braids w/ Gibson Tuck

Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Another week and I am housebound thanks to the snow here in NC. Even though I'm not going anywhere or doing much of anything, my hair is actually in a style! I figured I should go ahead and share it with you guys anyway.

If you've been following the blog for awhile, you've probably figured out that I don't really like wearing my hair slicked back. I mean, I've done it but typically, any bun, tuck, or ponytail generally has a flat twist or braid to go with it. This style is no different. I absolutely love the Gibson tuck as a protective style.It is great at protecting your ends. However, the majority of tutorials that I see for it just have your hair slicked back. I HATE THAT!!! For that reason, I don't wear it too often. However, the other day I was on Google and decided to search for variations on this hairstyle. Lo and behold, I found this tutorial by BobbyGlam. While the dutch braid is a glorified cornrow braid to me, I think this style offers the variation that I was looking for. While this go round, I wanted something I little bit more....sleek, I like that I can adjust the braids if need be.

Anyway, just wanted to stop by with a little bit of sunshine. Is this style something that you would try? Let me know in the comments below!

First Impressions: Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque

Happy Snow Day lovelies! Or if you're in the South like me, Happy Ice Day! I figured that I take some time and write a post about something that has actually earned its way into my product rotation but I haven't done a review on. So really, this review is more like a sixth impression rather than a first but whatever.


I first picked up Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque in November 2014. I was about to take some kinky twists out ( yeah, I had kinky twists from the end of September to early November. I got them out of pure laziness and the price was right) and I knew that my hair was going to need a shot of moisture. I found myself in Ulta because I needed to get the Mizani Thermasmooth System. While there, I stumbled across this Shea Moisture product. I haven't had too many bad experiences with this line (except for my experience with the the deep treatment masque which was allegedly a moisturizing DC) so I decided to give it a shot. It is been pure LOVE ever since.

With that said...let's get to the review

Price: $12.99+ tax at Ulta (for 12oz)

Ingredients: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Glycerin (Vegetable), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Stearyl Alcohol, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Biotin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter*, Fragrance (Essential Oil Blend), Tocopherol, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ipomoea Batatas Extract, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride *Certified Organic Ingredient.

Their Claims (per the container):" This intensive antioxidant rich treatment helps perfect and renew vibrancy to brittle, lackluster hair. When used weekly in out 10-in-1 Renewal system, it treats damaged hair while providing anti aging benefits, color protection, hydration, nourishment, rejuvenation, strength, anti-stress, deep conditioning, softness,and shine. Counteract signs of aging with our Superfruit complex and infusing hair with ultra-moisturizing Marula oil and Biotin"

I cannot state enough how much I love this product. When I first purchased this product, I placed it onto my hair , put on a plastic cap, and sat under a heat cap for about an hour. When I rinsed the product out, my hair felt incredibly soft and I was able to detangle my 4 to 5 months post hair with ease. My hair loved the stuff. I followed this same protocol for the next couple of washes. When winter hit ENC with all it's coldness, I decided to up the ante and try this DC while I was using my steamer. I place the product onto my hair and sat under my steamer for about an hour. It felt like all the good things about this product were AMPLIFIED! My hair was soft and moisturized.....my hair got its LIFE with this product. That's when I knew that I had stumbled across a good thing. I can definitely say that all the moisturizing claims presented on the container were true for my hair.

This DC is particularly creamy but not too creamy. I had no problems distrubuting this product throughout my hair. It's white in color and has a scent that I can't quite place. On one hand, it smells fruity but on the other hand it has the smell that most Shea Moisture products have. I don't know. I can't call it. However, if you are sensitive to scents it is something to be aware of.



Bottom Line:This is a solid DC from the Shea Moisture line. I found it to be creamy with a scent that kinda fruity but not overpowering. While it provides slip and softness when I use my heat cap, I absolutely love using this DC with my steamer. It gives my hair all the moisture that it needs and my hair detangles like a dream. This is definitely a DC to try, especially if you're a fan of Shea Moisture products!


P.S.--Let's throw some confetti for the fact that I surpassed the number of posts I posted last year! So happy to be back!

February 2015 (Mini) Product Haul

Happy Monday lovelies!

This was my first product haul in the longest time! While it isn't the biggest haul, it was the first time in over a year where I said "You know what? I'm going to buy some stuff for my hair!" And that's exactly what I did. So without further ado, here is all the stuff I bought for the month of February.

Komaza Protein Strengthener: As you guys know, I am now all about making sure that my relaxed tresses are getting all the protein they need. In the past, I steered clear of it thinking that my hair like moisture more than protein. However, now I see that my hair absolutely needs it. So, after hearing lots of great things about this product, I decided to give it a go. While a review is coming soon for this product, I absolutely love this as a protein treatment! My hair is stronger and holding onto moisture a lot better now. I will probably used this product bi-weekly.


Oyin Juices and Berries: A liquid leave in. I'm thinking that this may be something that I want to use once the weather heats up and I'm further into my stretch. Soooooo....at the moment it's just sitting in my bathroom cabinet.

Eco Styler Gel (Olive Oil): I finally used up my big tub of Eco Styler and I had to re-up. This gel will forever be a staple of mine. IDC IDC (lol)


Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo: I picked this up thinking that this was still sulfate-free. Imagine my shock and horror when I found out that it isn't anymore. I hate that Elasta QP felt the need to ruin a good thing.


ORS Replenishing Pak: Still a staple of mine but I was feeling frugal at the moment so I grabbed a pack rather than the bottle. Should have gotten the bottle. I forgot how much my hair loves this stuff!

Lottabody Setting lotion: I have heard great things about it so I wanted to try it out. I already see that I'm going to have to dilute the ever loving life out of it. I like for my setting lotions to not dry crunchy. Not at all.


Will I get more products. I probably will. There are some products that are staples of mine that I have to repurchase (ahem: Silicon Mix, Aubrey Organics White Camellia, etc.). I'm still getting back in my groove after a long absence and purchasing these products made me realize how much I put my hair to the wayside last year. I usually have products for DAYS!! Now I'm trying to rebuild my stash.

What did you purchase this month? Let me know in the comments below!

First Impressions: Camille Rose Naturals Curl Love Hair Milk

Camille Rose Naturals Curl Love Hair Milk is 3rd bottle from left

Since I have gotten back to really caring for my hair, I have been on the hunt for a creamy moisturizer that my hair loves. A couple of weeks ago I happened to be in Target looking for an Oyin product when I saw that Camille Rose Naturals Curl Love Hair Milk was on sale.I decided to give it a go. After all, if my hair hated it, I would never use it again and that will be that. When I got home, I decided that this product would be best used as a creamy leave-in after I spray my hair with Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-In. So, in this review, I will be rating it as a leave-in rather than a daily use moisturizer.


Price: $13.99+ tax for 8 oz at Target. On sale. (regular price: $14.99+tax)


Ingredients: Deionized Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Ternifolia (Macadamia Nut) Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Camellia (Green Tea) Sinensis Leaf, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Milk, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Slippery Elm (Ulmus Fulva) Bark, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Scent and Love!



Their Claims (per the bottle): "Loves all curl types and textures"

"Every curl needs some LOVE! Our handcrafted milk is blended with natural oils, butters, and milks. This leave-in daily moisturizing cream with provide shine, lasting moisture, and decrease shrinkage to enhance the driest hair."

Directions: Apply to dry or wet hair and style as usual.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about this product is: meh. Like I stated before, I generally use this product as a leave in since I (more or less) tend to keep my hair in one style for the duration of the week. After I spray my hair with my liquid leave in, I place Camille Rose Naturals Hair Milk onto my hair section by section and then seal with hair oil. The product itself is white and color and very creamy. Let me just say, I love how creamy this moisturizer is! When I look for something to moisturize my hair, I usually want something creamy just because my hair is coarse and it needs something with some oomph! Really thin moisturizers don't do it for my hair--never have and never will. So on that front, it's awesome. I also like the fact that even though this moisturizer is creamy, you don't have to use your Hulk grip to get it out of the dang bottle. The product comes out with relative ease.

Now onto the scent. I get the impression that this product is supposed to smell like cake batter or something sweet. I mean that's what the bottle says. However, my nose smells Play-Doh. To me, this stuff smells like the salty chemical ball that is Play-Doh. Fortunately the smell doesn't linger on your hair. However, for those who are sensitive to scents, I would probably steer clear.

But how did it perform though?

As a creamy leave-in on air dried hair, it is just ok. My hair feels awesome with it when my hair is still damp but once it dries? It feels like some moisture is in my hair but not as much as there could be (I hope that makes sense). I just get the feeling that I'll have to do a moisturizing session with my hair the next day or whenever my hair completely dries.

I will say that I liked this product as a leave in moisturizer for when my hair is straightened. For some reason, this product gave my hair the moisture it needed for the straightening session that it was about to endure. I think in the future, I will finish using the bottle for this purpose and find another leave in for air drying. However, I do not think this product has earned its way into staple status.

Bottom Line: This is a product that is just all right for air drying and decent enough to give moisture prior to a straightening session. At $15 for 8oz, this price is a bit steep. So if you are looking for an all purpose (meaning: great for air drying, great for straightening, etc) moisturizer, I'd probably pass on this product.

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!