Liebster Blogger Award

My fellow blogger Melanie of A Desired Beauty nominated me for my first award, the Liebster Blogger Award. I appreciate this soo much Melanie and I'm glad you thought of me :). From my understanding this award is a way to promote and get to know other bloggers with a small following.

Here are the rules:

• List 11 interesting facts about yourself.
• Answer the questions presented by the blogger who nominated me.
• Paste the award on your blog.
• Nominate other deserving novice bloggers who have 200 or less followers and let the nominees know about the award by commenting on their blogs or via email.
• Make up a set of 11 questions for your nominees to answer

11 "Interesting" facts about Me:

1. I'm an only child, but I've never felt like one because we've always had external family living with us.

2. I'm always freezing cold and I drag a blanket or fuzzy robe around the house with me.

3. I will be getting my Bachelor's degree this May!

4. I always prefer music to be playing over the television, I even shower with music on.

5. On the other hand, I'm also a movie head, and if I could I would go to the movies every weekend. 

6. I definitely gained the freshman ?? lol but I eventually lost it all thank God!!

7. I really love Talenti Gelato, especially the Mediterreanean Mint & Carmel Cookie Crunch. It's kind of scary how good this stuff is lol....

8. I love a lot of vintage items and the act of thrifting itself. I'm fortunate enough to have a pretty petite Mom who saved a lot of items from the 80s that I now wear.

9. I just turned 22 and I want to own my business within the next 10 years.

10. My best friends and I got matching tattoos this summer.

11. I started doing yoga this year, and you could say that I absolutely loooove it!

Melanie's Questions...
1} What do you do? career woman, full-time student, super stay-at-home mom?? Full-time student, part-time employee, & part-time internship.
{2} What's your favorite movie? Chicago. The one with Queen Latifa, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Renee Zellweger... I could watch that movie over and over and sing along with my best friend.
{3} Why did you start blogging? I want a way to track my progress and socialize on a more personal level. I love to stalk blogs to learn new things and I want to be able to share my story.
{4} What's the best vacation you have ever taken? My junior year of high school I went on a trip to Mexico with a few classmates and it was amazing! We flew into Mexico City and traveled down to Cancun as a road trip.
{5} My closet has excess when it comes jeans and shoes. What's your fashion obsession? Girl, the exact same thing lol! I am always dressed from the waist down and I can never find a shirt.
{6} Where do you see yourself in five years? I have no idea! I'm not even sure where I'll be in 1 year, I shock myself sometimes. In five years I should be making my way towards entrepreneurship.
{7} If you could meet one person, current or historical, who would it be and why? My maternal grandfather passed before I was born and everyone else in the family has fond memories with him. I would have loved to have met him and gotten to see first hand how awesome he was.
{8} Momma's girl, Daddy's girl, or Grandma's baby? Definitely Grandma's babygirl! I am the youngest of 12 grandkids so my grandparents spoiled me and I loved/love it.
{9} What motivates you? My family motivates me so much because they have sacrificed soo much for me to get what they did not have. They have so much and now I am ready to make them proud and pay it back.
{10} Do you spend more time reading blogs or watching YouTube? I can spend hours on YouTube but I do not necessarily visit YouTube daily. I visit blogs atleast once a day.
{11} Outside of blogging, how do you like to spend your free time? Yoga, music, exercising, and shopping lol.

My Nominees:

1. Taysnotebook

2. Amber

3. Andrea

4. Special K

5. KLP

Jas Sherese's Questions:

1. If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

2. What are your hair goals for the New Year?

3. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

4. Mac or PC ?

5. If you could move outside of the country, where would it be?

6. Favorite cartoon growing up?

7. Your favorite black actor/actress?

8. What are your hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?

9. What was the last restaurant you visited, and what did you order?

10. Are you a cat person or a dog person?

11. What inspires you to keep going?

Relaxer Update Dec. 2013

Relaxed trimmed and "bumped"

I got my hair relaxed on Thursday the 19th at about 10 weeks post. And once again I was pretty satisfied with the results. I am full neck length now after trimming off a bit to even up my ends. The last three relaxers I have been trimming like crazy so I think I am about to go awhile without a trim. My ends look great, my hair is full, bouncy, and shiny, and my edges are filling in nicely.

from top to bottom dec
oct, aug.

This past stretch I kept my hair braided and moisturized under a few different wigs that I have yet to post about. I've realized that my hair benefits from less manipulation to retain the most length. I've actually been seriously considering wigging all of 2014 with the exception of relaxers. I am aiming to be full APL a year from now so I need to retain all the hair that I can.

I did get a small burn in the nape of my neck that was pretty painful. My scalp hates relaxers! I swear every time I get close to the end of a stretch I start getting all itchy scalp and I just can't help but scratch. This next stretch I am going to do my best to not irritate my scalp prior to getting a relaxer.

My next stretch will consist of...

1. 12 weeks long- brings me to mid March
2. 95% protective styling
3. Babying and massaging my edges to fill them in more
4. Atleast 3 overnight deep conditions
5. Purchasing a seamless comb

Product Review- Giovanni

Now that my semester is almost over, (hallelujah) I plan to do some updating to this blog. It's been way too long since I posted but I have a few items that I've been trying out since I've been gone. With the weather changing, I have to start using different products and techniques to accommodate the cooler temperatures. That being said I'm going to be reviewing 4 products for you guys!!! (well 2 right now)

First up: Giovanni's Tea Tree Triple Threat Invigorating Shampoo
I picked this product up at my local health food store for $4.99! I could not pass up on that deal. It says it's for all hair types and contains botanical oils of cooling peppermint, conditioning rosemary and clarifying eucalyptus.
CLAIMS:

• Enriched with certified organic botanicals
• No animal by-products
• Cruelty free
• Increases scalp circulation for a refreshed, renewed feeling
• Removes all traces of dirt, oil and build-up
• Alleviates dry, flaking scalp with organic peppermint botanicals
• Contains no laurel/laureth sulfate

Shampoo should clean hair.  Really good shampoo should make you tingle from head to toe.  With Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo, invigorating ingredients wash in rejuvenating while washing away the previous day.  You're left with something rich, something clean.  Something incredibly stimulating.... for hair and mind.  Think about it.

My thoughts- I really liked the way this shampoo felt on my scalp. It was a nice cooling sensation that relived the dryness and itching I had. The shampoo is clear and the consistency is similar to Dial's antibacterial hand soap. The shampoo smells amazing, they did something right with the mixture of herbs. The shampoo does have a slight lather, which I like in any of my shampoos. Overall this was a really nice product, I could see myself switching this out with my Redkin clarifying shampoo.

Second product: Giovanni's Tea Tree Triple Threat Invigorating Conditioner
This product was also 5 bucks and I got it at the health food store.

Contains organic oils of conditioning rosemary, cooling peppermint, calming eucalyptus

• Increases scalp circulation for a refreshed, renewed feel
• Strengthens hair with a three-organic-oil-blend to stimulate, condition and calm
• Alleviates dry, flaking scalp with organic tea tree botanicals
• Encourages natural shine and resilience

You expect a conditioner to moisturize, smooth and detangle. You expect it to create a silky, sexy feel. You probably don't expect it to make you tingle all over. With Tea Tree Triple Treat Invigorating Conditioner, an incredible plethora of stimulating ingredients provide all of that plus a real treat for hair: excitement. Who knew that conditioning could be so top of mind?

My thoughts- For me this conditioner felt just okay. It is definitely not a deep conditioner by any means, but my hair still felt good. My scalp actually tingled more with this product over the shampoo, which I thought was kind of weird. The consistency was creamy and watery like baby lotion, which allowed it to sink into my hair easily. The smell was identical to the shampoo which I loved, but that's about all i loved. I left the product in my hair for about 20 minutes, and when I rinsed it out I definitely wasn't wowed. In the future, I could see myself using this for a really nice co-wash.

The verdict: I think both of these products are great for dry itchy scalps and the scent is amazing. I really enjoyed the shampoo for clarifying and soothing reasons, but the conditioner is not to die for. I expect most condioners to be miraculously smoothing and softening, but that was not the case. I will continue to use both products, and I'll definitely repurchase the shampoo. (especially if it's on sale lol)

Wash Day 3 week Flat Iron

              Well since my relaxer I have decided to go right back to my wig regimen. I am really loving wigging at this time in my life, but I still feel I should enjoy my hair at times. So this wash day, week 3, I decided to straighten my hair. (I know I'm not the only who feels guilty about straightening their hair!) This will probably be the only time I straighten my hair this stretch that will be over around Christmas. Nevertheless, it was a pretty harmless wash day lol.

1. I started with detangling my braids from the last cowash day. I am still using Mane n' Tail's detangler since the beginning days of my journey. I pre-pooed using Tresemme Natural's Nourishing Conditioner and sealed it with Grapeseed Oil.
2. I washed my hair with my Hair Cleansing Cream since I knew I was going to straightening my hair. I have to be very careful with the products I use when planning to straighten because my hair is fine, and limp hair is not okay!

From Air Dried to sections and then blow dried

3. My deep conditioner, Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream, is moisturizing and also contains silk protein to strengthen my hair. I went worked out for about 2 hours, then I put a clear rinse on top of the deep conditioner for the last 30 mins. I have given up on color rinses for a while since the reddish color did not show.
4. After rinsing out the deep conditioner, I let my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Conditioner sit on my hair for a few minutes while I showered. I towel dried my hair for about 45 minutes before spraying my leave-ins (Aphogee Green Tea & Elasta QP)  and allowing my hair to air dry for another 30 minutes.

5. Once my hair was about 70-80% dry I separated it into 6 parts to prepare to blow dry. I used my Silk Elements heat protector and blow dried on medium warm.

Half way done/ Finished results

6. Once my hair was dry I sprayed Organix's flat iron spray on each section to flat iron. Honestly, I do not think the flat iron spray does anything special to my hair, but I did love the way it makes my hair smell :). I wasn't too worried since I used heat protector and my Paul Michell's Super Skinny Serum before blow drying. When actually flat ironing I only passed the iron through each section twice.

My end results were great! It was fully of body and movement, which are the two things I aim for.

Relaxer Update Oct. 2013

Left side.

           Even though I have not been posting my washdays, this last stretch was easy breezy. Granted, I did only stretch for 8 weeks!!! I probably will never relax again so soon, but I wanted to relax sooner, and gradually make my way to 16 weeks/ 3 relaxers a year. Anyways, I had my regular stylist relax/texlax my hair for me even though I was supposed to start self-relaxing :/. I have not worked up the courage to do so, and I want to make sure I know exactly what I am doing before I go down that road.

Here are the results: *Check the Relaxer Update tab to view from the back and see progress.

Right side.

I feel like I got a little length, but overall I am happy with my progress so far. The next relaxer will be 10 weeks away falling on Dec 21ish. I plan to use heat once next weekend for my Senior Year College Homecoming, and maybe again on Thanksgiving. Outside of those 2 occasions, I will be wearing heatless hairstyles, and prob a half will around week 6.

This last stretch I added a few things to my regimen, that I plan to talk about in a future post. Happy Monday!

Wash Day 2

    So last weekend (yeah I know I'm late) I had my second wash day for this stretch. I've decided to continue with my summer regimen and wash my hair every ten days or so with a few co-washes in between. I'm currently sitting with my pre-poo for next wash day post which will come some time soon. Anyways I ended up using direct heat again this time, but I am positive this was the last time until relaxer day in a few weeks.

Detangled BKO before Pre-poo

1. Detangled Bantu Knot Out with Mane & Tail detangler
2. Pre-poo hair for 30-40 minutes using V05 Strawberries and Cream Moisture Milk
3. Wash with Hair Cleansing Cream, follow with coffee rinse (instant). With instant coffee, I just nuke it in the
microwave for a few seconds and it's ready to go.
4. Deep conditioned using Silk Dreams for 30 minutes
5. Rinsed and towel dried
6. Mixed Black Cherry Jazzing rinse and Clean Jazzing Rinse and attempted to get a deep reddish color for fall. I left the rinse on for 40 minutes. Unfortunately it didn't show up, but I have been craving some color in my hair. My next wig must have color in it because I am not coloring my own hair as of now.
7. Rinsed and followed with Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Daily Conditioner (small amount). I think the last time I flat ironed my hair, it did not have as much body as I would have hoped. I am trying to be less heavy handed with products, especially while wearing hair straight.
8. T-shirt dried 15 minutes
9. Used Elasta QP Leave In and applied the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
10. After lightly detangling, I left it to air dry for another 15 minutes.
11. Blow dried on low with Brazilian heat protectant by Organix- which smells amazing!

12. Flat iron & Style :) (one pass + small sections)

I am happy with the amount of body and movement my hair had this time around, I must be doing something right!

Wash Day 1

freshly washed hair

Last week was my first wash day since my relaxer and I was eager to get back into the swing of things. My hair is so much stronger and resistant to breakage since getting cut. This makes my washday/ everyday maintenance that much easier.
1. Pre-pooed with V05 Moisture Milk and Olive Oil for ten minutes. In the colder months I will begin using Castor oil again, but I just cannot deal with it in this heat!
2. Washed with Organix Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo, which I still love very much. I am somehow down to only this and my clarify shampoo to alternate between.
3. Followed with a Coffee rinse that I applied while in the shower. I have opted to do instant coffee rinses because it is a lot easier to prepare than black tea. It seems to have the same effect and I've had very little shedding in the last 2 weeks.
4. For a deep conditioner, I used my favorite, KeraCare Humecto for 45 mins under a plastic cap. The humecto creme gave me great results as usual.

DC is on hair

5. Rinsed, and ended with Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Daily Conditioner
6. T-shirt dried for 10 minutes. Then applied leave-ins (Aphogee) and PMSSS.

In the middle of flatiron/curling hair

Finished results!

7. While hair was still wet, I wet wrapped my hair using KeraCare's Wrapping Lotion, using my head as one larger roller. This was still very difficult for me so my results were not the best. Also I didn't have the little paper strips to secure the wrap :/.
8. I sat under the dryer for 35 minutes while my hair dried.
9. Combed out the wrap and continued to dry my hair using my blow dryer on low heat.
10. Flat ironed on low temperature using Silk Element's Heat Protectant w/Olive Oil. 

Pretty happy with my results despite my straight hair lasting just 24 hours. I suffered reversion due to humidity, plus I was a bit heavy handed with products so it wasn't as flowy as I would have liked. Practice makes perfect...
After working out on Sunday, I turned the sweated out style into a braid out until my co-wash on Wednesday.

Bantu Week

    Last week I spent the week in one of my favorite styles, bantu knot outs! Since I began doing yoga and working out more often, I like hairstyles that allow more flexibility and lenience with maintenance. On monday I did a cowash on my hair using tresseme naturals conditioner, and following up with paul mitchell's daily conditioner. I lost track of time and did not make my bantu knots until about 1am. Unfortunately when I took them out Tuesday morning, some of the back sections were not fully dry. Throughout the week I did little things to revive the curls and prolong the hairstyle. I literally woke up with a different type of curl everyday, but I was okay with that.
 

Tuesday Morning

                                                             Day one right after taking out the original bantu knots. I used NTM leave in, water, olive oil, and Shea Moisture's Curl & Style Milk.

Wednesday Evening

Day 2- Re-did knots the night before, BUT I went to hot yoga Wednesday afternoon. Even the ends of my hair were pretty wet, but yoga is definitely worth it.

Thursday Morning

Friday night

Day 3- Night before, I did very loose bantu knots with little to no product. I had to attend a job fair this day so I needed to look good! This is my favorite look this week.

                           Day 4- Night before I put on a bonnet and hit the sack. I was way too tired to re-do my knots this day. Before going on for a party on Friday I threw some moisture and oil on my hair before going out.

Sadly my bunning days are over awhile, but it forces me to style my hair more creatively. On Saturday I did a wet wrap so that I could wear my hair straight for the rest of the weekend. I'll do a wash day post on that soon.

Let's Catch Up

Basically loving my hair lol

*Pours wine...
So a lot has happened since the last time I posted. After I took out the long flowy half wig for the 4th of July, I kept my hair under a shoulder-length wig until I knew what I wanted to do. I knew that my hair was too damaged from all the manipulation of trying to get the glue out of my hair. I was pretty bummed that all my progress had gone down the drain, and I had gotten myself there. The best thing I could do was to maintain it the best I could until it was time for my 12 week relaxer.

Left side, right side has a swooped bang

       I came back home for a week while my friends and I picked out a cute hair cut!!! I was going for a Taraji P-like bob but I'm pretty sure she's never had this cut lol. Still, I  am sooo in-love with my new hair cut, which kind of surprises me. It's only been cut 5 days and I am currently sitting with a towel on my head after a co-wash. The ends are blunt and healthy, I can honestly say I have a healthy head of hair. I feel such a relief, this is my first real hair cut ever.
     I believe this set back was a blessing in disguise. I am now able to enjoy my hair at all lengths as it grows out. It's a shame I didn't do it any sooner.

Back is layered to add volume

Now that I am back at school and able to have a set schedule, I expect to post more frequently. I am excited for my hair journey, and now I am in no rush to reach any particular length. I'm curious to see all the different ways I can style this cut until my next protective style. This next upcoming relaxer will be 8 weeks away, and I still plan to self relax. My next washday will be later on this week, which I will post about.

Week 8 Check In

I thought I was too cute with my 18inches lol

Actually I am officially 9 weeks post but we'll just go with it lol. So at 7 weeks post I did something that I am kicking my butt for! I allowed a friend of mine to do a quick weave for the 4th of July holiday. I mentioned earlier that I would probably try out a new shop to straighten my hair, but the weave sounded easier. Well she didn't use a cap because we didn't have one, but she convinced me of another option. We used a protective serum that is supposed to create a barrier between your hair and the glue. Long story short I spent the weekend washing and re-washing my hair to remove all the glue smh! My fingers were literally wrinkled from all the washing. I lost soo much hair from trying to comb it out, and once again my hair is noticeably thinner.
For the time being my hair is under a wig until I feel up to evaluating the damage. I am thinking about getting a pretty serious trim with my next relaxer since my ends will be even thinner now. That way I can start fresh with blunt ends and begin babying my hair again. Sew-ins will be the death of my hair journey lol... I need to just stick to my wigs. I know more than anybody that they are no shortcuts in this journey.
Besides all of that my hair was growing beautifully. I had a huge air-dried bun that I was wearing about 90% of the time. My new growth was more manageable from the increase in co-washes which I realize my hair really loves. According to my ticker factory my next relaxer is just 22 days away :). This is my last professional relaxer before I take on the challenge of self relaxing, which I am super excited. I can finally have my hair texlaxed to my liking.  I start my last year of undergrad in exactly a month, but I do plan to get back to my weekly posts.

Hair Chat

      This summer it has been buns buns and more buns! Since my relaxer, I am currently going on 6 weeks posts, I haven't had much to blog about. I've mentioned before that I am on call 7 days a week so it is hard to set aside time to do anything creative with my hair. My regimen this summer is moisturizing and sealing daily, and cowashing every 3-4 days. After day 4 my hair is usually pretty done after all the sweating I during my daily workouts. I have been drinking at least 64oz of water everyday as well. Also, *I think it's time to throw in the towel for Biotin* I am going to stop using it for a month to see if my skin clears up a bit. I do not want to sacrifice clear skin for a faster growing rate, this is not a race anyway lol. I will continue to take my prenatal vitamins and use castor oil occasionally but that is all I'm taking for hair purposes anyway.
       Over the break for the holiday I am thinking about using a heat pass (gulp) and allowing someone to straighten out my hair and style it. I figure since I am not doing any low manipulation styles or anything besides buns, then I could afford to style my hair. There is a shop near my house that claims to support "healthy hair", so I am going to have to check it out. Until next time.

4 week check in

Woah time has flown! So yeah I've skipped a few wash days this stretch but I'm not even gonna trip over it. I even have a few of them in my draft folder but they were pretty uneventful. This summer has been crazy, so much so that I find myself longing to be in a long term protective style. So far my hair has been so good to me, and I've been kinda half doing stuff. I even slept without a scarf one night smh. This is only the beginning but this first month has been great I've been doing a lot of braidout and buns about 95% of the time. I thought I would be doing a lot more styling this summer but it doesn't look like ill have the time. In the meantime I've been looking up styles to wear this fall. 

Today I cowashed my hair, something I do every 3-4 days religiously, because my hair thrives from frequent cowashes. It's about 50% dry in the pics but it's soo fluffy and soft I'm loving it! This stretch I will focus on getting these edges together as opposed I my growth rate. I am already feeling coils coming in 😁 

Wash Day 3.1

Closer to fully texlaxed

           It feels like it has been forever since I posted anything about my hair. Since my relaxer update I have done a few cowashes, and I finally washed my hair this past week after putting it off. I was so happy to see the amount of texture that was left in my hair after this past relaxer, even though I thought my stylist did not. False alarm people lol.

      Pre-pooed my hair while I worked out with grapeseed oil, castor oil, and V05 Clarifying Conditioner under a plastic cap.
Washed with Organix Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo.
I made a fresh batch of black tea rinse and let it steep for about 2 hours this week. I applied to the tea to my hair in the shower and let it sit on my hair for 30 minutes.
On top of the black tea rinse I applied the Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream for an hour without heat underneath my plastic cap.
After deep conditioning I applied my Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Daily Treatment for a few minutes while I showered.
T-shirt dried for 30 minutes then put my leave-ins S-curl & Aphogee Keratin Green Tea Leave in before detangling in 4 sections.

Hair slightly damp, texture left from relaxer

Slowly getting away from my bone straight ends

I decided to do a simple braidout with a row of 3 braids on the bottom, and a row 3 braids on the top. I used water, eco-styler gel, and Shea Moisture's Curl & Style Milk. Then I sealed that with grapeseed oil and castor oil. I took a nap for about 4 hours and removed my braids before going to work. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the braid out :/ but I am still getting used to my super busy summer schedule. I gotta get my life together man lol

Relaxer Update 2

After relaxer & trim

      This past Friday I relaxed my hair at 13 weeks post. I had my regular beautician do the job for me but I prepped my hair by detangling and saturating my relaxed ends in grapeseed oil. When I got to the shop my relaxing process went pretty smooth. She based my scalp with some type of petroleum based product and she used Affirm to relax my hair. I have been using Affirm ever since I got a relaxer back when I was 13.
          A few things I noticed when she did my relaxer were that she proceeded to talk with other clients and accept phone calls while she applied my relaxer!!! That really bugged me and I'm pretty sure there was not enough texture left in my hair :/ The good thing is I did not have any scalp burns or any major problems with the relaxer itself. The whole process just made me more anxious to try self-relaxing/getting a new beautician.  As of right now the plan is to start self-relaxing in November, but it may happen sooner than that if I can talk myself into it. After my relaxer I sat under the steamer to deep condition, then she blow dried, flat ironed, and trimmed my hair. My trim put me back at right above APL in my opinion, but my hair looks a lot better as far as fullness and uniformity is concerned.

I have officially been on my Healthy Hair Journey for a full year on May 15th!!! I bought myself a real length check shirt to celebrate from justgrowalready.com . My hair is slowing but surely changing for the better and I am sooo glad to be on this journey. I love seeing all my hair work paying off, and I am looking forward to seeing where I will be next year on my HHJ anniversary.

New Length Check Shirt

My next stretch will be 100% heat-free with lots of protective styling I have got to retain some length this stretch!

Wash Day 2.12 Relaxer Prep

     

This NG is outta control lol

This week has been crazy, but I somehow managed to squeeze in a wash day while finishing finals, packing etc. At the end of the week I am going to be relaxing my hair so I needed to do a protein treatment and clarify.

Pre-poo- "Protein treatment" and I say that lightly because honestly I just threw some stuff together. My mix consisted of greek yogurt, Proclaim Intensive Strengthening conditioner, small amount of honey, EVOO, EVCO, and Castor Oil. I left this on for 30 minutes under a plastic cap.

Wash- I clarified my hair with ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo in 2 sections. I then followed that up with the Kera Care Hydrating Detangling Shampoo, which I have been loving late into my stretch.

BTR for 30 minutes

Deep condition- This week I used my Kera Care Humecto for 90 minutes, 30 spent under my hooded dryer. I would be hurt if this product discontinued lol

Clear Rinse- It's been 5 weeks since my last clear rinse so I decided it was time to do another. I left it on for 25 minutes under a plastic cap. I love how smooth and maneable the rinse makes my hair feel.

Smoothing Conditioner- Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Daily Treatment left on for 5 minutes while in shower.

T-shirt dried about 15 minutes, applied leave-ins Aphogee Green Tea & Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum & detangled.

Let air dry then put in a bun.

Weeks 4-8-12. I'm going to start using the flash from now on.

Look Back part II

So here's what been going on yal lol/ 2 weeks post

Today I am officially 12 weeks post! Over the past year I have been relaxing at either 12 or 13 weeks post. Nowadays 12 weeks is a breeze since when I first decided to start a hair journey I dove in head first. I went from relaxing every 6 weeks to automatically relaxing at 12!! Anyways lol
This stretch I focused on heatless styles from BKO's, flexi-rods, and numberous braidouts, and I had so much  fun with my hair. I have even gotten some of my friends to join the healthy hair train.
The funny thing about heatless styles is they turn out so differently every time.

4 weeks post- loving the thickness

Here's a few random braidouts/bko's that were not in previous posts.

BKO 6wks post

What was different about this stretch?

I love the pout #guilty 11wks post rained out BKO

1. I absolutely love the Paul Mitchell products I added to my regimen. They both save me so much time with drying, and I love how much smoother my hair is afterwards.
2. I have started to do clear rinses which really help with tangles and shine.
3. I'm loving my Vanilla Silk Creme Moisture Dream deep conditioner by Silk Dreams :) It's almost time to reorder
4. Castor oil was applied daily to my edges
5. Consistent exercise
6. Better diet/water intake- see my skin glowing right? haha


I'll be prepping for my relaxer on tuesday (protein/clarifying) and ending my stretch on friday, which will be 13 weeks post. Look Back from 12 weeks ago...

2.11 Wash Day

I've been dreaming of straight roots lol. I am ready for silky smooth tresses & my patience is growing thin from having to be so careful with my line(s) of demarcation. My new growth has been staying moist from S-curl on my ng every other day. At the end of next week I will be relaxing my hair so I have a bunch of posts coming out including a relaxer update, relaxer stretch wrap up, and 1 year progress. This wash day was pretty basic and I do not even have a picture of the end results :/, but here's how it went.

1. Prepoo with Coconut Oil and V05 Strawberries and Cream Moisture MIlk Conditioner for 20 minutes. My hair actually loves this stuff as a prepoo, and I love the consistency (thin) for the purpose of prepooing.
2. Shampooed with KeraCare hydrating detangling shampoo, and I forgot how great this product works so deep into my stretch. I will definitely be using this next week after I clarify.
3. Black Tea Rinse sprayed in shower and left on for 15 minutes.
4. Deep Conditioned using Kera Care Humecto for 45 minutes- 1 hour. My new bottle came in exactly one week after I ordered it!!!
5. Followed with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment for 3 minutes. This stuff is amazing!
6. Aphogee Keratin Green Tea leave-in and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to detangle, after allowing to airdry partially.

At about 60% dry I put my hair in 12 bantu knots using water, Kera Care wrap lotion, Shea Moisture's Curl & Style Milk, and coconut oil. My curls were short lived due to the weather and I forgot to get a fresh picture, but I enjoyed them while they lasted. Short N' Sweet :)

Wash Day 2.10 Air Dry & Bun

      

Excuse all the flyaways

This week I decided to keep it simple when it came to styling. I do tend to get pretty bored with buns but this summer I plan to play around with some different tweaks to the traditional high bun. I should be having another product review coming some time this month to talk about some of my recent buys :) This week I picked up Elasta QP Shampoo for Relaxed Hair & the S-curl New Formula.

1) Pre-pooed using the last of my Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship conditioner (this product took forever to finish b/c it did nothing for my hair) grapeseed oil, castor oil, olive oil combo for an hour.
2) Washed using Elasta QP Shampoo for relaxed hair conditioner shampoo... I'll do a review after a few more uses.
3) I haven't done a protein treatment in a few weeks so I used my Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor for a light protein treatment.
4) I made a new batch of BTR and let it steep for 6 hours before I started by wash day. I sprayed the rinse in the shower and let it stay on for 15 minutes.
5) Deep conditioned with Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream for about 90 minutes. I spent 15 minutes under the dryer using my steaming method.
6) Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment left on for 4 minutes
7) T-shirt dry for 10 minutes
8) S-curl new formula & Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave-in this week, plus Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to detangle.
9) Let air dry hanging down and loose bun to sleep.

I really NEED a fullsize mirror but #OOTD

10) In the morning I pulled my hair into a high bun using Eco Styler Morrocan Argan Oil & Edge Control for my 10 weeks post new growth yikes!

Wash Day 2.9 Flexi-rods

After taking out my flexi-rods

As my semester is coming to a close my wash days have to  be pre-planned and organized ahead of time. I will be getting a relaxer after my finals so the next few wash days are crucial do to the amount of new growth I have/will have.

Pre-pooed using grapeseed oil with VO5 Moisture Milk's Strawberries and Creme layered over the grapeseed oil. There is no real rational as for why I used these two, but I have been pretty heavy on castor oil this week so I didn't think I needed to add it. I left my pre-poo on for an hour under a plastic cap and bonnet.

Washed with Organix Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo in 2 sections. This is  probably one of the most tedious things that I have incorporated in my HHJ. I really do not like washing in sections lol, but as I get further in my stretch is seems necessary.

I sprayed my Black Tea Rinse in the shower to assist with clean up and left it on for another 20 minutes.

To deep condition I used the remainder of my Kera Care Humecto Creme conditioner under my conditioning cap for 50 minutes. I also just purchased a 16oz bottle today from Sleekhair.com for on 19.99. It's on sale now so if anyone is low I would suggest getting it now. Next time I repurchase this product I may have to upgrade to the 5lb tub.... it's just the best stuff out!

I finished in the shower with Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Daily Treatment and left it on for 7 minutes before rinsing out. I love how much this makes a difference on my drying time, I have even began to use it during my co-wash day on the weekend.

T-shirt dried for about 8 minutes then detangled with Aphogee Keratin Green Tea Leave-In and Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum. Today's wash did have a little more shedding than last week but I think I need to make a new batch of Black tea for my rinse.

Then I installed about 16-17 flexi-rods on 75% dry hair using only grape seed oil and water. I was going to use a wrap lotion but of course I let a friend borrow it back in December and the rest is history lol. Gotta love friends. Here are the results.

Finished product not too bad

After an extremely uncomfortable night of sleep... ( I may need to start looking into curlformers for over-night sleeping and save the flexi-rods for under the dryer)

Out enjoying the spring weather :)

I put these bad boys in with no rhyme or reason lol

Wash Day 2.8 + * 8 week check in

      Let me start off by saying that  I was in no mood to deal with my hair, and even considered putting my wash day off. I was in a car accident the other day so I am stressed out dealing with insurance companies and body shops. I did my best to give my hair some type of attention but my mind was really somewhere else. Somehow I still managed to get great results!

air dry- low quality

       I am currently 8 weeks post and my hair/ new growth is really soft. Since my last check-in at 4 weeks I have cut a few chunks out of my hair :/. Unfortunately I had a now annual hair drug test and they have to cut my hair from the follicle!!! The lady tried to pick discrete places in my hair but I was still pretty bummed out. She ended up cutting from 3 different places in the back of my hair--- honestly I wanted to take those scissors and cut her with them lol. Not totally joking tho. Now I have some explaining to do at the salon when I get my next relaxer.

new growth shot 8w. post

texlaxed roots to bone straight ends

   
Since getting the cut I have really been considering cutting off my straight ends, since we're just snipping away. I know my hair would look a billion times nicer and thicker if I did so but we will see, I have a few more weeks to think about it.
      Now that my blog is 3 months old I can go back to my last stretch and see how my hair looked at 8 weeks post. Unfortunately I cannot tell if I have more or less new growth than I did last time, but I can say that my hair feels a lot better than it even has since I have been taking care of it. 

On to my wash day:
1. pre-poo V-O5 clarifying conditioner, small amounts of grapeseed oil, coconut oil, evoo, & castor oil- not sure how long I left it on but def over an hour
2. wash Organic Root Stimulator creamy aloe shampoo- it was clarify week
3. black tea rinse- I was in a bit of a rush so I just sprayed it directly on my hair in the shower and left it on for about 4 minutes before rinsing out
4. deep condition- Hair & Repair Deep Conditioner by ORS for 20 mins with heat
5. moisture DC- Aussie 3 minute miracle for 3 minutes in shower
6. smoothing- Paul Mitchel Super Skinny Daily Treatment 5 minutes

amount of hair loss during detangling

7. leave-in Aphogee Keratin Green Tea & PMSSS & detangle

Thinking about doing a review on the deep conditioner I used, but I will wait b/c I want to try it again before I do. As of now I have no plans to style my hair, and this was supposed to be the week I tackled another roller set. Ah well buns or braidouts it is.

Wash Day 2.7

I do not know if it's me or if my new growth is just crazy ridiculous right now. I think my hair is starting to reap the benefits from my healthier lifestyle and supplements. I've been meaning to do a supplement update for awhile anyways. This week's washday was nothing special but it was very much needed. My hair was feeling pretty dry and so I tried my best to incorporate a lot of moisture.

Typical Braidout

        1. To prepoo I used V05 Moisture Milk Conditioner (Strawberry) mixed with grapeseed oil, castor oil. and a small amount of castor oil. I left it on for 35 minutes. I have really been enjoying my pre-poo with my "cheapie" conditioners, they seem to work better than just plain ole' oils.
        2. I chose to wash my hair with my so-far favorite shampoo Organix Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo. One of my future purchases will be a new shampoo and I have a few in mind just because I like having options.
        3. I left my Black Tea Rinse on for 15 minutes.
        4.  This week I used Vanilla Silk Creme Moisture Dream (these long names have to stop lol) for my deep conditioner. I left it on for about 40 minutes before rinsing out. I really am enjoying this deep conditioner. This is my third time using it and I think it will become a staple. My hair was soft after I squezzed out my hair.
       5. This is my 5th week since I last did a clear rinse on my hair, so I used the same one from that day. (Jazzing)This time I left it on for 25 minutes before rinsing out. This particular brand has a strong smell that gets more intense the longer you have it on.
        6. While in the shower I applied my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment, and left it on for 5 minutes
       7. I t-shirt dried for 12 minutes. Then applied my leave-in Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea leave-in and the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. Air dryed for an additional 30 minutes.
        8. I did five braids for a braid-out with 2 braids in the front and 3 in back. Products I used were Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk and Grapeseed oil.

Wash Day 2.6 BKO

It has been awhile since I really treated my hair to a nice thorough wash day. Since the castor oil "challenge" I've began, I find myself having to cowash/wash more often. My last wash day was a mini-wash day over a week ago so I had to make this one really count.

1. To begin I prepooed with mostly grapeseed oil, V05 Clarifying Conditioner (green bottle), a small amount of castor oil, olive oil, honey, AND coconut oil. I left the pre-poo on for close to 2 hours while I worked on homework.

2. I washed with my Organix Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo and followed with my Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor. I'm not even sure when my last protein treatment was and my hair feels a lot stronger now.

3. I made a fresh batch of Black Tea for my rinse and allowed it to steep for about 4 hours. The rinse stayed on my hair for 20 minutes before putting my deep conditioner over the rinse.

4. My deep conditioner this week is KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner with a small amount of castor oil and olive oil. I may have one more use out of my favorite conditioner so I will definitely be repurchasing in a few weeks. I steamed under my hooded dryer for 20 minutes and spent another 40 minutes with a cap on.

5. After rinsing out the DC I applied my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment for 5 minutes while I finished showering.

6. I t-shirt dried for 15 minutes, which I am still shocked at how fast my hair is drying thanks to my PMSSDT!! Next week I'll try t-shirt drying for even less time b/c when I went to add my leave-in (Aphogee Keratin Green Tea) my hair was a little to dry for me. The Aphogee leave-in is all I have until I find another liquid MOISTURIZING leave in. Does anyone have any recommendations?

7. Once I applied my leave in I put a small amount of my Paul Mitch Super Skinny Serum and detangled. Then I allowed my hair to air dry for 30 minutes before styling.

8. To set my Bantu Knot Out I used water, Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk, and coconut oil. I used Eco Styler Argan Oil to smooth down the right side of my hair & edge control on my edges of course. I made 8 knots, which unfortunately I did not take a picture but you can see my last set of knots here. I used slightly larger knots this time and I think I liked them a lot better.

BTW I'm anxious to use the hicks edge formula has anyone ever tried it? I am also running low on edge control. I am running low on soo many of my staple plus I want to try so many new products, that sounds about right b/c I am just 6 weeks shy of my one year HHJ anniversary. I am still thinking of how I will celebrate...

After 3 days, wore bonnet at night