Update: March 2011

:-/

I straightened a week ago and just got around to posting the pics. I trimmed my hair (by myself :-/) 6 days after taking these pics.

My hair is in better condition than I thought it would be but there were still some issues.
Because I've been wearing my hair natural since November and have not been trimming every three months like I used to, the SSK's took over. They weren't playing either. Some of them were a couple inches up the strand!! They were EVERYWHERE.

I did not have a ton of split ends although I havent been moisturizing or oiling regularly but that could be because they broke off. My growth-retention did not impress me and my hair seemed thinner to me in some places.

I've been thinking about going back to  my old regimen until the end of the year just to go hard in 2011. I'm still not sure yet though. If I find a decent, natural looking wig, I'll let you guys know.

*please excuse the pantylines lol*

State of the Union 2011 :)

 

Twist-out 

So after my hair reached the longest it's ever been in my life, I stopped "going hard". No more half-wigs, no more braid extensions, no more long stretches of protective styling with a hardcore moisturizing regimen. I was over it. Bored with it. Done.

Right now I've just started my spring break and I plan on straightening for the first time since late last year. I want to do it right before I go back to school. I'm nervous and excited to see the "State of the Union" if you will. What effect will the deviation from last years regimen have on my progress. Will there be any significant progress? Regress? I'm not going to kid you, my expectations are low. I know that my strict, protective-style-heavy regimen was a major factor in my length retention.

Anyway, we shall soon see...

2011 Let's Go!!!

(Pony Tail) Taken Nov 11th 2010

(2 week old braid-out) Taken Oct 15th 2010

(Pseudo-length check) Taken Oct 15th 2010

Hi, Followers old and new! I'm back with my end-of-the-year update and New Years goals. I can't believe 2011 will bring me into Year Three of my healthy hair journey. I started this blog in December of 2008, and although I wasn't able to keep it up the way I wanted to, it's great to have a photo journal of my progress and if it helps others-even better! Currently my longest layer is MBL and I'm not too far from WL sooo *pops champagne?*. I have not been the best at documenting over the past months due to my FT job and being a FT student but as you can see, I made a few attempts. :/

 

Looking over my "Moving On" post from January 2010, I cannot believe how fast this year went by! Under my list of challenges in 2009, I can say that Ive made some progress in 3 out of the 4:

-I have not  been able to find a protective style that I love. It's not due to a lack of styles available. It's definitely my lack of skill lol.

-I have cut the amount of breakage from detangling down on wash day with the help of my seamless wide-tooth comb, my steamer and pre-pooing with oil.

-I have also managed to put the scissors down. Split ends are not a chronic issue for me but if I happen to find them I'll dust or do the search-and-destroy method.

-As far as questioning protective styling, I have cut down drastically from my strict regimen in 2009. I did not use any braid extensions, half-wigs or weave in the last 6 months. I used heat more frequently than I'd like because it was convenient and gave me consistent and predictable results. I even experimented with twist-outs and braid-outs and after a couple failed attempts I fell in love with them.

Challenges in 2010:

-Single strand knots (hate them!). Wearing loose natural styles like braid-outs and twist-outs often lend itself to SSK's for my hair. If I dont stretcch my hair with a cold blow-dry, I notice more SSK's. I just cut them out.

-Because of my full schedule, my diet has suffered. I dont remember when I last took a multivitamin and I've been eating way more fast food than I'm accustom to. I noticed the difference immediately in the strength of my nails so I'm pretty certain that it has had adverse effects on my hair.

-My scalp has recently been flaky and itchy. I started washing more frequently but it has not helped. I know it's tied to my diet because I started noticing it after I stopped taking my multivitamin and omega oil capsules.

-My moisturizing regimen has fallen off a cliff. I just have not been consistently moisturizing at all. My hair was less pliable, drier and more susceptible to breakage.

-Product junkism surfaced during the last six months of 2010. Because I was experimenting with different styles and using more heat, I'd try out new products and deviated from my regimen. 

What I've learned this year:

-Moisturizing is important. The ends of the hair are the driest and they need that extra attention.

- In a recent youtube video Anthony Dickey said something that stuck with me "Take advantage of the blow-dry." That goes against what Ive learned about heat-styling in the past two years. When I heat-styled, my hair was free of product because they say that product weighs the hair down and it actually may promote heat damage. Anthony D uses a moisturizing leave-in to blow-dry then flat-iron natural hair. You can see his explanation in THIS video around the 10 minute mark. I'll be experimenting with this when I decide to flat iron my hair again.

-For a short time I experimented with clean eating, drinking green smoothies, eliminating processed sugar and cardio exercises and the results were great: better sleep, more energy, clear skin, soft skin and best of all accelerated hair growth. I had the time to make my own meals, exercise and do green smoothies in the morning for breakfast because I was on break from school. After school started back, I slowly crept back into my old habits...

-Less protective styling for me meant drier hair and less retention-period.

-Finally, Ive learned that longer hair equals more responsibility. More time spent in the shower, more time spent detangling, more product used, more time spent styling.

   In 2011, I'd like to be waist length. I plan on using less heat, stretching my hair more, moisturizing and sealing consistently and getting my diet and exercise in check. 

Even with all the challenges I faced in 2010 I definitely fell in love with my hair this year. Having this head of hair is not easy but  it's all mine and I absolutely love it! *Sesame Street muppet dance* 

*Late* May Update.

Ive gained more thickness from leaving my hair alone.
It's not for everyone but I do protective styles that dont have to be detangled on wash day i.e braids/cornrows under a half-wig . I also only comb on wash day. Low- manipulation has been KEY for me.

Other than that my steamer and my seamless comb help with losing less hair and my regimen is pretty simple now: I always pre-poo under a heat cap w/ olive oil or coconut oil then detangle(which reminds me! I dont detangle with conditioner. I detangle with oil because I have fine strands). Wash w/ shampoo (in Celie plaits- not loyal to any brand), do an ACV rinse and DC. Im a fan of AOHSR and Aveda DR.

TTYL :)

Moving on...

It's 2010. Renew your goals.
(my wrapping skills suck btw)

This is my starting point this year.



Challenges last year:

-Finding a cute protective style: Half-wigs only worked for so long because my hair underneath was too thick and single braids with my own hair wasn't cutting it. Fake hair is not really my cup of tea anymore although they did help me reach my goal.. I'm still trying to find a style that works for me.

-Cutting down hair loss on wash day: Having dense hair (meaning a lot of strands) is a challenge but when you have fine hair, you better proceed with caution whenever manipulating it. Towards the end of the year I learned that dry detangling with EVOO before washing was better than detangling with conditioner for my hair. I think I made a significant reduction in breakage from detangling.

-Putting the scissors down: I dont know what it is about self-trims that make me feel as if I've just remodeled my bedroom. I just need to develop a schedule and stick to it instead of sporadic urges to trim my hair. I haven't had any issues with splits. That is definitely due to moisturizing and sealing.

-Questioning protective styles: I want to do more styles that I love. So Im going to experiment with not wearing protective styles & see how my hair responds in 3 months. Not wearing protective styles means more frequent trims because of more frequent manipulation & exposure to the elements as well has harsh fabric. I may have to extend my goal if things go left lol. We'll see what happens...

Successes:
-Less product trials, therefore, less money wasted. I pretty much have my set products for heat-styling as well as my normal routine products.

-My regimen is predictable with certain set variations depending on what I plan on doing to my hair and how my hair is behaving (i.e hot oil treatments & light protein). Listen to your hair!

-I found out that my hair doesn't like hardcore protein treatments, Ive been trying to force feed it and it hasn't turned out well. My hair craves mostly moisture.

-Keeping it simple is easier. I gave away products I don't use and I stopped looking for reasons to add things I don't need into my routine. Less really is more for me.

-Investments: I bought two Hercules combs (they were expensive) and I realized after buying all those cheap wide-tooth combs that snagged my hair, I could've bought the Hercules earlier and saved a lot of money and hair strands! I also bought a steamer in December while they were on sale. Heaven. On. Earth. My detangling sessions have decreased, so has hair loss. My moisture level is retained longer and my scalp feels so much better. If you want to take your DC's to a whole new level, get a steamer...NOW. I wish I had bought mine much earlier.


2010 Goals:
Full MBL would be nice. I mean, is that so much to ask?
TTYL...

A year later

<---We're retiring the old profile pic.
A few things have changed...







January 2010...



A year later, this is where I am now. Setbacks and all.


Fuller. Shinier. Softer. Longer. It's been a pretty decent year.
I've made mistakes and learned from them. Ive been inconsistent and switched things up.
That's what the first year is all about. That's what this journey is all about. Learning, re-learning, dispelling myths and getting better before you ultimately get it right.
Overall, I'm very pleased with my current progress.

End of '09 Random Pics

These are just some pics I had in my phone of a length check, my hair wet with conditioner and a bantu-knot fail. I have another set of pics for January. I'll go into detail, telling you what I've been doing, changed, my new goals for 2010, etc...

I just want to say. It has NOT been easy. There were days when I got really frustrated but... long hair don't care lol!

Recent Random Hair Pics July 09-April09

Since I began my hair jounrney, my hair has become shinier, stronger, thicker, longer and much healthier overall. More updates to come in DEC.

LAAATEE I know: A look back on the befores...

10th GRADE!! HAIR-CARE IGNORANT BUT YOU COULDNT TELL ME NOTHING!


THE BIRTH OF HEAT-STYLED NATURALS (JAN 2009)





BANANA CLIP MARCH 2009




MARCH 2009 (hit APL)

MY HAIR JOURNAL (started in Sept 2008)

I wish I had better starting pics but ...

41 days

This is a fist full of hair next to my mouse. It's the result of 41 days of braids.
As I was taking the braids out, I glided down my hair with my hands to remove shed hair. I pre-pood with oil overnight, mixed Nexxus Therappe with Suave conditioner and water and shampood in sections. Then I added about half a tablespoon of baking soda to a large glass of water and poured that over my hair, waited a minute, then rinsed. Then, I did an ACV rinse similarly. I followed with a hard protein treatment using Nexus Emergencee for 10 minutes. After that, I mixed the Aura conditioner with some coconut oil and honey and DCed for half an hour. Next, I applied Lustrasilk and the GVP version of Paul Mitchell The Detangler over my hair, detangled with a wide tooth comb and rinsed.

I'm now rocking a 3/4 wig and I'll post pics soon. I'm due for a trim because it's been over 4 months since scissors have touched my hair. I haven't encountered any splits, my hair has basically been in protective styles 98% of the time, even when straight. But I have to confess that I haven't exactly been consistent with the daily moisturizing and sealing. It's so easy to get lazy when your in a protective style...

LaterZ.

Hair Plans

This week was not a good week for straight hair in Atlanta. It's been raining and when it wasn't raining it was drizzling, and if it wasn't drizzling it was foggy. I've had enough of the duck and cover. I knew I was over it when I got out of the car without opening my umbrella first.

Right now, I'm doing a pre-poo with Lustrasilk Shea Butter ($2.79). If one of my favorite bloggers endorses a cheap product, I'm likely to give it a try. For now, I can say it smells good and oddly familiar! That probably means one of those hairdressers I was paying $50 for a press back in the day might have passed this off as a $10 added treatment. SMH. Review to come.

What are your plans for your hair this weekend?

P.S- If you frequent Sally's, be sure to get their club card. I've only used it twice and it has paid for itself already.

Just Show Them.

In one of my previous posts I alluded to my mother's notion that hair doesn't grow after a certain age. Every female in my immediate family (including yours truly) is stubborn, so why did I take it upon myself to have a pointless debate with my mother over the hair on my head? Why did I attempt to educate the wrong and strong on the science of hair care? Never again.

She can roll her eyes at my product reserve, continue to point out the time I spend on my hair on wash days and keep talking that old school smack. I'm over it. I don't need a cheerleader or her approval.

My hair is in protective styles 98% of the time. Only I'll know how many inches I've gained, how much the breakage has decreased, how much stronger and thicker it has gotten and the reduction in split ends.

I'm going to hush. I realize the mere mention of hair brings about diarrhea of the mouth for me. Anyone who isn't a hair care enthusiast may understandably get annoyed, so I'm just going to let the progress speak for itself. Rant over.

***Update

For almost 2 weeks, I couldn't get my pictures onto my computer. Anyway, I took out the braids after just 2 weeks, rocked a chunky braid-out and then flat-ironed. I can not give a complete review of the Sedu yet, because I fell asleep with half my hair done, loose in a bonnet and my hair got really poofy, I had to pin-curl it and keep on my scarf for the rest of the weekend for it to look decent. I just kept it in a ponytail. But, I was very disappointed in myself. I should know better.
I'm postponing my official length check.

Unavoidable Damage

Heat-Styling wash day drama.

Before learning how to properly care for my hair, I would say a lot of the damage was accumulated from manipulation and unhealthy practices between wash cycles and when wash day came around, I just expected fists of hair to come out.

Now, I've virtually eliminated damage throughout the days that precede wash day and I've drastically cut down on the amount of hair loss after washing and detangling. With heat-styling though, dry combing (the real devil for kinky hair) can't be avoided.

I detangle, while damp, before blowdrying with the concentrator on cool. When I'm combing out each small section with a rattail comb, there's bound to be some breakage. When I look at those bulb-less pieces of broken hair that could have been , I cant help but think about length being taken off. Right now I don't want anything to come between me and BSL, especially when my mother just told me hair stops growing at 18. (Pray for her). I have doubters to prove wrong!

It may be time for me to start thinking of other methods.

***Update: Flat Iron's here

I got my Sedu on Saturday after a little non-delivery scare. I probably need to plug it in to see if it's working because I won't be using it until my next length check ( end of March?). I'm in braids right now. I did them myself. They came out... less than stellar, which was expected given my inexperience. They serve their purpose as a low manipulation protective style, but I forgot how unpleasant braids can be to wear.

I called it!

I don't know if anyone recalls my review of Carol's Daughter Hair Milk, but I stated that for my hair type it would probably be great for twist-outs and braid-outs.
Well, I almost passed for a curly girl today! Lol!
Yesterday, I bravely took my braids out not knowing if the results would be acceptable for work but after taking them down, I thought I could upgrade the crimps and crinkles
I added some Hair Milk to 8 sections and tightly braided each one. I then tied my hair down (already parted) with my satin scarf. (No comb was used during any step)
The morning results were FAB! ------HERE'S THE BEFORE:

Bored with protective styling...

so I switched to another protective style.








I really didn't know what to do with my hair this weekend. I've been wanting braids (extensions) but I'm very hesitant when it comes to a fine tooth comb, an unprofessional braider- focused on speed and unconcerned with healthy techniques- and second day hair tangles. Not to mention the $150-$200 price tag.
The half wig was seriously depressing me. I started to feel...just down. That's what lack of variety can do to a person. But I was inspired by a youtube video that I saw of a girl braiding her natural hair in small individual braids. I remember how much I really enjoyed braiding my dolls hair as a child. So in the spirit of doing-it-yourself, I went to task.

After deep conditioning, I did the tension blow dry method on cool, added leave-in, then started small-medium sized single braids in the front and back, trying out some Carol's Daughter products as I went along.
It knew I'd probably get lazy and start doing them large so that's why I went small around the perimeter.
Not to toot my own horn but, the braids were coming out really neat and uniform and it got me excited about potentially seeing how it would come out with extensions if I did it myself. I think I have a general sense of the technique after watching some tutorials.

I'll keep learning until I build my confidence then give it a try with some cheap braids.
We'll see...
**3 people asked if it was my hair at work. (Kool-aid smile)