Shrinkage!

Dealing with my hair in its un-blow-dried state is becoming more and more difficult and the main reason is ... the single strand knots that result from SHRINKAGE!

I'm planning on looking at a few natural blogs/YT videos on how to stretch my hair without out  heat so hopefully I can combat shrinkage.

7 Weeks Post Relaxer Update

So I treated myself to a hot oil treatment/steaming at a nearby Salon and got my hair blow dried. Below are my 7 weeks post relaxer comparison pics:

7 weeks post relaxer

(June)

I've had so much re-growth that I'm struggling to cope with it all. I know I promised to go at least 12 weeks without a relaxer but as soon as I hit 6 weeks post it started to get more and more difficult. I'm finding it hard to detangle my hair and i'm starting to see more single strand knots especially when I wash my hair. As a result I've stopped co-washing mid-week as it does more harm that in should. I will continue to stretch (without putting my hair in braids/a weave) as I believe if I can get through it once I'll be able to do it again. I just hope my hair doesn't suffer. 

MIA because of the Olympics & Paralympics

So ... i've been MIA again but my excuse is ... The London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics ;)

I have a lot planned to blog about and I was supposed to have a lot of free time seeing as it is the summer hols but i've been working for the Olympics recently (which officially starts today ... YAY!) and my shifts are extremely long (9 hours each) with about 2 hours travelling time therefore i'm finding it extremely difficult juggling everything. 

I do hope to start blogging again soon so stay tuned :)

P.s. watch out for the opening ceremony today, I went to the rehearsal and it was AMAZING (although the beginning is a bit slow and boring). 

Wallet friendly Homemade DC Mix

As you can probably tell from my last post, on Thursday I decided to try (after making a few alterations) the much loved Avocado & Banana Deep Conditioner.

*The following recipe is just about enough for SL/CBL hair - you may need more if you have longer hair*

Ingredients:

• Half a banana 
• Half an avocado 
• 2 table spoons of plain Greek yoghurt 
• 1 table spoon of coconut milk 
• 1 & 1/2 table spoons of honey
• 3 drops of pure vegetable glycerine 
• My oil mix (incl. avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil and Jamaican black castor oil)
• Aphogee 2 min reconstructor 
• ORS Replenishing conditioner 

Directions:

1. Blend the banana, avocado, Greek yoghurt and coconut together 
2. Pour into a small bowl and add the other ingredients 
3. Apply to hair from roots to tips with an applicator brush massaging into the hair every so often
4. Cover hair with plastic cap and leave in for an hour & a half and then co-wash out 

Pictures:

The significance the main ingredients:

Bananas are rich in potassium, carbs, natural oils and vitamins which help soften the hair shafts and protect each strand's natural elasticity (preventing breakage and spit ends), increase manageability and control dandruff. Add Bananas to your DC if your hair is dry, sun damaged, chemically treated (i.e. dyed or relaxed) or if you suffer from dandruff.

Avocados are also rich in potassium, vitamins and natural oils avocados can help moisturise your hair and promotes growth. They also contain copper and oleic acid (a mono-saturated fat). 


Yoghurt gently cleanses hair whist eliminating frizz and dandruff leaving hair shiny soft and conditioned. It can also be used as a detangler. 


Coconut milk contains proteins which strengthen the hair and can help minimise breakage. 

Honey & Glycerine are both humectants which return moisture back to dry hair & gives it extra slip
NB: do not use humectants in very wet or very dry areas or when there is too much or too little moisture in the air.

Notes:

Next time i'll use banana baby food or make sure I blend the banana bits well as it was slightly difficult removing some of the banana fibres from my hair. 

Wash day and DC mix & ACV + tea mix

This post might end up being a tad too long so I might split it up into 3 parts (one post with a summary of my Wash Day, another on my DC mix and the last on my ACV + tea mix).

So, I shampooed, deep conditioned and did a green tea + AVC rinse on my hair on Thursday. It had been 2 weeks & 1 day since my relaxer (& therefore my last wash). I decided to shampoo rather than co-wash mainly because I found out that the ORS Olive Oil Lotion I've been using contains petrolatum and I have been M&S my hair daily with it.

My hair after detangling
& before entering the shower.

I pre-pooed the night before with coconut oil and put on a shower cap under my satin bonnet for an overnight GHE session. In the morning, I detangled my hair with my (NEW) BodyShop wooden de-tangling wide tooth comb and jumped into the shower.

Before shampooing my hair, I decided to mix a few ingredients I had bought and make my own little DC mix which contained:

• Half a banana 
• Half an avocado 
• 2 table spoons of plain Greek yoghurt 
• 1 table spoon of coconut milk 
• 1 & 1/2 table spoons of honey
• 3 drops of pure vegetable glycerine 
• My oil mix
• Aphogee 2 min reconstructor 
• ORS Replenishing conditioner 

I jumped into the shower and shampooed once with my ORS Creamy Aloe shampoo and then once again with my KeraCare Hydrating Detangling shampoo. I then towel dried my hair, applied my DC mix and covered my hair with a plastic shower cap. After 90 mins I went back into the shower and rinsed off the DC mix, poured my Apple Cider Vinegar + Green Tea mix over my hair and co-washed with my Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner to get rid of the awful smell of vinegar and banana bits (more on that in my other posts). 


Like usual, I applied some cantu shea butter to my damp hair and let my hair air dry in a loose bun. I then M&S with my Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends moisturiser and my oil mix. 


So what was the end result? Well my relaxed ends felt like butter & the texlaxed sections of my hair also felt noticeably soft but the best part of all was that the breakage I was suffering from was reduced! My hair also had an incredible amount of slip!

This was an extremely long process so I may not do this every week BUT I WILL DO THIS AGAIN! (maybe every month?) 

The plan for Summer 2012!

As mentioned in my last few posts, the plan for this summer is to have my hair out - this means I will try and maintain my relaxed hair from the end of June up until the end of September without the use of braids, weaves & excessive heat!

The main aim of this 3 month stretch is to learn to listen to my hair! I will detail everything I do each day a post short weekly regimen updates.

I'm trying to simplify my regimen as much as possible so that I don't spend hours each day on my hair, if you're interested in seeing what my regimen is & the products i'll be using then click on the My Regimen tab :)

Relaxer Update #2

On Wednesday 14th, I came back from the student college salon after having my hair washed, conditioned (with ORS Mayo) and blow dried and was in one of the WORST moods ever!

The main reason for bad mood was the fact that the hairdresser stated that my spit ends were extremely bad and that I would need to cut off 3/+ inches of hair next week when I get my relaxer. Normally I would ask them not to trim my hair but I literally cannot remember the last time I got a trim and so I've been planning to cut off some of my thin/split ends however I was not expecting here to say 3 inches.

So I went back to get a corrective relaxer yesterday (Wednesday 20th) and I ended up getting a hair cut. Before my hair was cut, I had just about made it to APL but my hair ends looked and felt damaged (dry, straw like and thin)! I would show pics but I accidentally deleted my blog pics the other day!

So you're probably wondering how much was cut off? Well lets just say I'm back to SL/CBL! I ended having around 2 or 3 inches cut off. Its still taking me a while to get used to the fact that I cut off so much but I'm getting there lol

According to the hairdressing instructor at the college my ends were in a bad state because of dark and lovely hair relaxers (she could tell I used the realxer by just feeling my ends), she also mentioned something about calcium build up to the student doing my hair (I'm guessing she was referring to calcium hydroxide) but in the end she told me to stay away from Dark and Lovely relaxers and any other L'Oreal products aimed at Afro-Caribbean Hair due to the fact that they are not properly tested on "our" hair.

Even though I received a trim, I can still tell that about 1 or 2 inches will need to be trimmed (but this time I'll take it slowly).

In terms of the corrective relaxer, it still didn't take completely and on top of that the new growth on the RHS is apparently slightly under-processed too. TBF (to be fair) I am beyond caring about getting straight results with a relaxer! As long as my hair is manageable and the two textures don't lead to severe breakage like the last time I got a relaxer then I'm fine with it! I'll post an update some time next week when I wash my hair about my not so corrective, corrective relaxer.

Now it time for the 3 month comparison pics:

      

One thing I will mention is that the pics from 3 months ago show my hair after it was wrapped, left under a dryer for 40 mins and straighten whereas yesterday, I only had my hair blow dried so my hair is not completely straight in the pics on the RHS. Also with the pics on the LHS (from 3 months ago) my hair was flicked in due to the state of my ends.

I'm going to end this post now before I continue to ramble on! But looks out for more posts now that my hair is out of braids!