I'm back! And a pattern is emerging...

Good morning everyone. Yes, I know, I have been missing. I went on a training workshop and simply did not have the time to blog, or even take proper care of my hair as I would have at home.

Regardless, I'm home now, and yesterday, after coming straight from the road, I dived into my wash day routine, and I will quickly share it with y'all, especially as my hair is super soft and feels amazing, despite being over 12 weeks post.

1. Prepoo with the last of my Tresemme Thermal Protect Conditioner and sunflower oil. This conditioner is very thick and I did not put enough oil in to give it a lot of slip, so I separated my hair into 4 quadrants and then applied the mix section by section. I then covered my hair with a shower cap and watched about an episode of Bones. I made sure to get plenty of the mix on my new growth so as to keep them as soft and supple as possible.

2. Rinsed off the prepoo mix and shampooed with my Tresemme Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo, still in sections. However, since I was standing bent over the bath, I ended up loosening the sections when it came to washing the back hair. I really still love this shampoo. I had a little bit of shedding whilst shampooing, about 10 hairs in total. Breakage was also less than a couple of weeks ago. Oh happy day!

3. I then proceeded to slather my hair with my now beloved Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner. Oh, the slip! Oh, the moisture! This is officially a staple!! I took a little more time applying the conditioner this time, again carefully dividing my hair into quadrants. It also means that the conditioner was in my hair for about 5 minutes, instead of the usual two. The quadrant thing also means that my roots get plenty of product without excess manipulation.

4. After rinsing, I grabbed my staple DC - ORS Replenishing Conditioner - and went to town! Again in four quadrants (I'm thinking of doing the quadrant thing every wash day from now on) and I saturated my hair. A bottle truly does not last me long, my hair SOAKS up the stuff. I covered my hair in a shower cap, a satin wrap, another plastic bag AND a towel. And then proceeded to watch two whole episodes of Bones.

5. I rinsed the DC first with warm water and then blasted it with cold water to close and smooth the cuticles.

6. Because my hair felt so coated on a previous wash day I was very light handed with my leave ins on this wash day. Just a couple of drops of Kair Serum, TCB Bone Strait and Avon Miracle IQ. I then proceeded to roller set, spritzing my hair with my water and Naturals Conditioner mix (1 part conditioner, 4 parts water) as I went along. Breakage was minimal, but I lost about 10 hairs at every stage of my wash day routine, which is not that much, but it is more than I'm happy with. It is much less than  a couple of weeks ago though, so thank you to the hair gods!

7. I decided that I am going to straighten my hair. Yes, i know, to most hair journeys, heat is the devil. But when I'm deep into a stretch, if I don't straighten my roots (max once a week, at wash day), I suffer massive breakage. So, after taking my hair out of the rollers, I parted it in half horizontally, and instead of spritzing my Tresemme Heat Defense (yes, I too see a pattern emerging!) all over, I spritzed some in my hands and proceeded to smooth it over my hair as if it was a serum. I then proceeded to flat iron my roots, one small section of hair at a time, using one pass only. (personally, I don't get it when people use three to five passes on a single lock of hair. It's so unnecessary!)

The end result - soft, straight, bouncy hair, which I then proceeded to cross wrap, cover with a satin scarf and then went to bed. This morning my hair is still beautifully straight, soft and strong, but it is so hot my side of the world that hair in my neck would have been a horrible idea, so I am wearing a ponytail. PS, my pony is getting longer and longer, I love it!! My ends need a bit of a trim, but I will take care of that when I touch these bad boys up.

How was everybody else's wash day?
Happy Monday everyone, and happy growing!

I hit 5 digits!!

Today is a happy day for me! According to the statistics of blogger, my blog has received more than ten thousand views!! Considering that I blog to keep tabs on myself and sometimes to just record what I have been doing to myself and sometimes to put my vision boards out there, it is amazing that people actually read all of my random ramblings!

To all my followers - I see you, lol! And thank you!

To the lurkers - I know y'all are PLENTY. Especially over in the US of A. Thank you for taking an interest, much appreciated.

Herewith I promise to continue to be a little crazy, a little hair obsessed and totally random!

Blessed week everyone!

PS How come over a third of my readers are American and less than 10 percent from my home country Namibia? I'm just wondering...

Travel bug has bitten in a major way...again!

2013 is at death's door. We have a matter fo weeks before we end off this year and this of course brings with it much introspection and reflection. So, this past few days I have made the decision that I am going to go on a little Eurotrip next year, during the European summer. I'm going to be saving my little behind off (no more expensive experimental hair products for me!!) because on this little Eurotrip I WILL (Yes, I will experience as much as I possibly can!!) be privileged to experience some of the following:

London

Amsterdam

Munich

The Rhine Valley

The Alps

Venice

And of course, Paris

Come hell or high water, 2014 shall be the year that I adhere to my travel lusts. 

What's on your to do list for 2014?

The verdict is in

So, a few weeks ago I spent a ridiculous amount of money on hair products, a few of them I bought simply based on some online reviews and the intense desire to see if they would also work magic on my own tresses. Alas, at least one of them is a major bust!

Let me relay my most recent wash day and you'll see what I mean. 

1. Prepoo with the last of my Tresemme Split Remedy and sunflower oil. I can't believe how brilliant sunflower oil is! I used is only for cooking in the past, thinking that only the more expensive oils are suitable for one's hair. Boy, was I wrong - ceramide rich sunflower oil is brilliant. Tangles disappeared as I covered my hair in the prepoo mix, which was oil heavy, I was a complete oil slick when I was done. I chilled with this for about 20 minutes and then headed to the bath. 
2. Shampooed with Tresemme Ultra Moisturising Shampoo. I really dig this shampoo, it really doesn't take much to get my hair nice and clean, but my hair never feels stripped. Ever. My hair was SO soft after shampooing that I skipped the instant conditioning and moved straight to deep conditioning. This might have been a mistake. 
3. Yeah, this is where the crap starts. I couldn't find my bottle of ORS Replenishing Conditioner so I grabbed the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Long & Luscious Conditioner. Since I felt like it was a bust the last time I used it (no slip, hair didn't feel moisturized) I also grabbed my bottle of Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner and I mixed them up. The Tresemme Naturals provided slip and so I slathered on the mixture, trying to cover every strand, covered my hair and then shilled for a good 45 minutes. Once I go to rinse though...oi vey! Aussie truly is not for me. Or rather for my hair. Considering that a bottle costs close to a 100 bucks, I am very very pissed and disappointed. Even with the addition of the Tresemme, my hair did NOT feel like they received a miracle! It felt better than the time I used only the Aussie, but my hair felt clumped together and slightly straw like. I was NOT happy. 
4. I applied my leave ins of Kair Serum, Bone Strait, Moisture IQ and 2 spritzes of the Tresseme Heat Defense. I then proceeded to finger detangle my hair. I lost way too much hair for my liking, and my hair simply didn't feel 100 percent. After finger detangling, I parted my hair into three vertical sections and started to roller set, detangling each section separately before placing the roller. Again, too much clumps and knots. I swear, it feels like the Aussie CREATED the knots. I had a mix of water and Tresemme Conditioner that I spritzed on my hair (it was drying quickly) before placing the rollers and this helped a BIT. 
5. Once I was done, my shoulders were killing me, and it was getting late. So I whipped out the hair dryer to speed the process along, and it still felt like it took forever for my hair to become dry. 
6. Once dry and out of the rollers I wrapped my hair and went to bed. And my hair feels thick, like the strands are coated. Not liking it. 

Conclusions - I saw demarcation line breakage. And I don't know what to do to stop it in its tracks. Advice?????? Secondly, I will never repurchase Aussie conditioners. They might work like the bomb for other ladies, but my hair does not like it! And it is too bloody expensive! I also think that I need to adjust my leave in product application so that my hair stops having this heavy feeling right after being freaking washed. Overall not a happy wash day. 

How did yours go?

Happy Tuesday

Hindsight has 20/20 vision

Hey there y'all!

I want to tell you a little story, actually provide you with a tiny bit of personal history. Many many years ago (okay, it wasn't that long ago, but it sure feels like it) I was elected as a prefect to my high school. Now, to any of my readers not familiar with the concept,  prefects are also referred to as hall monitors, student representative council members, learners representative council members etc etc. Basically we were a group of 20 seniors who assisted the teachers with discipline in the school, as well as fund raising attempts and school spirit events. Anyhoo, once elected, once the initial euphoria has worn off, there is one day that every newly elected prefect dreaded - initiation day! Initiation day is very much comparable to hazing, but to be honest it was loads and loads of fun.

The day before our initiation day we were informed to bring to school shorts and a t-shirt that we do not feel particularly sorry for. On the day we were summoned to the Phys. Ed. changing rooms and had to change into said sorry ass clothes. We were then blind folded and led across the school yard. Do not ask me where everywhere we walked, I do not know to this day. Kindly note that the rest of the entire school was a raucous audience to our "shame and humilation". We were dunked in the school fish pond (yep, still blind folded) and then fed some gross stuff, ( I can totally do Fear Factor!!) and then stuff was thrown on our heads whilst we were standing in the very hot, unforgiving Keetmanshoop summer sun. Specifically, an egg or two were cracked over our heads, cooking oil was poured over our heads and syrup - sickly sweet golden syrup, amongst others. Of course this mess was all over my hair, as well as dripping over my face. I was a HOT mess when I got home. My mom would not let me in the house, her words - "Go hose yourself down first! Here's a towel!"

So I trotted out to the lawn and started hosing myself off (thank heavens I was wearing a bathing suit underneath those nasty clothes!) Of course, the mess that was my hair needed much more than just the spray from the gardening hose. Once acceptable to my mother's standards I entered the house and jumped in the shower. I cannot remember what products I used, but be assured I did the "lather, rinse and repeat as needed" routine a few times!! Back then I didn't even know about deep conditioning, I just applied LOTS of conditioner after finally getting my hair clean and chilled with it for about 5 minutes before rinsing and roller setting. My hair felt good once out of the rollers and I didn't think much of it, I was just happy that I was clean.

Fast forward to the next day. Our initiation continued with a fun day, which included activities like potato sack races and 3 legged races, new prefects versus the old prefects. Now, I looked around at the other girls, and noticed that a lot of them still had oily, nasty looking hair. Some girls did a wash and go, but the curls were lanky from the oily residue. Others looked stiff. Looking at pictures from that day a million years ago my hair was fresh, shiny and positively gorgeous. And I never quite knew why...until now.

Now I know that hair likes protein, and eggs contain a lot of protein. My hair unwittingly got a protein treatment on initiation day. Secondly, hair loves hot oil treatments and oil rinses in general. Sunflower oil contain ceramides, which is excellent for hair as it prevents moisture loss. That day my hair unwittingly got a ceramide rich oil rinse. And lastly, golden syrup contains molasses as its primary ingredient, which adds moisture and sheen to hair. Essentially, I got three nice treatments on initiation day without even knowing it. Looking back my hair thanked was in an excellent condition for about two weeks following that day.

Now that I remember all of these wonderful things, how am I going to use that information in the future? I now know that my hair is a little protein sensitive and I have enough protein conditioners in my arsenal, so I don't think that I'll be grabbing the eggs just yet. But, that big ole bottle of sunflower oil in the kitchen that almost never gets used - THAT bad boy is moving to the bathroom, and shall be incorporated into hot oil treatments and oil rinses and prepoos. What's even more great - sunflower oil is dirt cheap, especially compared to my other oils that I've been using, which is coconut and olive. I am actually looking forward to my next wash day just to have a go at the sunflower oil.

Anybody else have had good experiences with sunflower oil? Holler at me!
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Have a great Tuesday everybody!

Stepping up my game game in order to retain

Hey there y'all. As I've professed numerous times before, I want to reach APL by the end of 2013. I have about 1.5-2 inches to go, and only about 50 days in which to do it. So first I'll tell you about my most reecent wash day and then my plan to reach APL by 31 December 2013.

My wash day was simpler. Since I know trying too many new things can lead to disaster, I simplified this wash day to get the most from not only what I was USING but also from what I was DOING.

1. Prepoo (detangle) with a 70:30 mix of coconut oil and olive oil. Left it in my hair under 2 plastic caps for about 30-45 minutes. It is bloody hot in Windhoek right now, so I think the natural heat helped the process along. 
2. Shampoo using my regular Tresemme Moisture Shampoo. I really like this shampoo. It lathers like cray cray, but my hair never feels stripped. So I feel like my hair is nice and clean, without it feeling dry, stripped but rather feeling nourished and soft. 
3. Instant conditioned using Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner. Yeah, the verdict is out - I like this conditioner, and shall repurchase. 
4. Deep conditioned using the Amla Legend Deep Treatment. This DC is VERY thick. It also didn't melt into my hair on application, and it didn't have much slip. I hate products that don't have slip! Regardless, I smothered my hair in it and covered my hair with a couple of plastic caps AND a scarf to try and trap heat, and I prayed that this would help. 
5. Glory halleluja! Rinsing out the treatment my hair indeed felt soft and strong. Not as buttery soft as my beloved ORS Replenishing Conditioner makes my hair feel, but much better than the Aussie made my hair feel the wash day before. I think there's about 2 uses worth left in the tub, I'll give a more thorough review once I've finished the tub. 
6. Applied my usual leave ins - Bone Strait, Moisture IQ, Kair Serum and I added a couple of spritzes of the Tresseme Heat Defense. Even though I did not plan on using any heat, I believe that one cannot say no to protection. 
7. I proceeded to roller set and then had my hair air dry in the rollers. 

My hair came out feeling GREAT. I cross wrapped it after applying a bit of my Amla Legend 1001 Oils Wrapping cream, covered with a scarf and went to bed. This morning my hair felt uber smooth, but here's where my retaining strategy kicks in. Instead of wearing my hair out, or even just in a normal ponytail, I did a french braid and I'm planning to keep it in this braid for at least 3 days. 

My retaining plan is thus protective styling and minimal manipulation. I shall moisturize and seal every night, but by means of spraying my hair lightly with water, then oil and then covering with my satin scraf whilst in the french braid. I want to see if I can't cut manipulation of my hair to just twice a week, wash days included. 

So here's my look for today until at least Thursday:

As y'all can see, my hair is still a lovely mahogany shade. I actually think it looks better now after the first official wash since I applied the colour. And I think my braiding skills have improved. Styles like this would also be most condusive to my work out plans, pretty out styles do not survive in the gym!

Any other goals out there to be reached by New Year's Eve?

Have a great week everybody!

Colour cravings somewhat satisfied

Alrighty. Y'all would remember that with my latest hair haul I also picked up a box of temporary hair colour, which is basically just a colour rinse, namely Caivil Colourshines in Racy Wine. I was aiming to be fierce redhead for a few weeks.

So last week, I got home and being slightly bored, I grabbed the box. Now, according to the instructions, hair must be shampooed first before applying the colour. Since my hair was quite clean, considering that my wash day was 2 days prior, I decided to forego shampooing and apply the colour from the word go.

The colour needs no mixing, it can be applied straight to ones hair, which is what I did. Out of the bottle it is the reddest of red that you can imagine, although the shade is a cooler red instead of the warmer red that I was expecting. Regardless, after seperating my hair into 4 quadrants I started applying it. After my haid was coated, I covered it with a couple of plastic bags an chilled with it for a good 45 minutes. According to the instructions, the deeper you want the colour, the longer you sit with it, adding heat if you want it to last longer than the normal 4-6 washes.

When I started rinsing - holy mother of Zues! The water refused to run clear people! It looked like my head was bleeding, lol. I still have patches of pink on my bath tub despite scrubbing like a crazy person. Anyhoo, when I was FED UP of being bent over the tub, I applied my trusted ORS Replenishing Conditioner, covered my head again and proceeded to deep condition for another 45 minutes. When I rinsed out the conditioner - more red coming out of the hair!!!! I was wondering if I will have ANY colour left on my hair once I'm done. My hair FELT great though.

I then put in my usual leave ins and proceeded to roller set. When my hair was dry and out of the rollers, I could FEEL that maybe I should have shampooed, my hair felt heavy. Soft, yes. But also heavy. Regardless, I did still have colour in my hair, but it's more a deep mahogany shine instead of colour that pops. Also, the colour rinse made my strands swell, meaning that my hair has been thicker and has had more volume since, which is nice. So I wrapped my hair and it came out pretty straight the next dat, so I just ponytailed it for the rest of the week. (I wish I could give y'all a pony tail comparison of my progress, but with my previous phone being stolen, all those pics are gone now. Oh well, I will just have to kind of start all over.)

And here's the result. Check out all of that stubborn colour left by my nape that did NOT want to be rinsed out, lol.

I still have a little of the colour left in the bottle, I might give myself a touch up in a few weeks time to deepen the colour. 

What do y'all think of colour rinses? Anyone tried Caivil's Colourshines? 

Happy Monday everybody!

Trying everything at once - huge mistake!

Hi there everybody! I know, long time no see. So, last time I told you about my massive hair haul and how I lost my mind just a little bit. Well, it seems as if my mind remained lost for longer than I contemplated. Reasons why a) I'm craving MORE products (the product junkie in me is craving another fix!) and b) on the wash day following that haul I basically tried everything that I bought and my hair was not happy and now I have NO idea which product is to blame!!

To give you a quick recap on that stupid washday:

1. Prepoo for 30-45 min with a mix of olive oil and Tresemme Split Remedy. As I told y'all, I am not crazy about that conditioner and now I just wanna use it up and then I shall not repurchase. 
2. Rinsed out the prepoo and shampooed using the Amla Legend Shampoo. This shampoo smell divine and is uber thick, which means it'll last forever. That's what I like, What I don't like - for a shampoo containing sulfates, it didn't lather much. In actual fact, it barely lathered. I shampooed my hair 3 times because it just didn't really feel clean to me...next time I'll try the shampoo in an actual shower instead of bent over a bath tub, maybe that'll make a difference. 
3. Instant conditioned with Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner. Okay, off the bat, I think I really like this. Silicone free but SO MUCH SLIP!! My finger glided through my hair, tangles melted away, my hair felt soft. Over all I think not a bad buy at all. 
4. Deep conditioned with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Luscious Long. This conditioner is also uber thick, which translates into not much slip. I don't like lack of slip at all! I however persevered and deep conditioned with it under a plastic cap for 45 min. When I rinsed it off though - my hair did NOT feel as conditioned as I would have liked. But it was the first time, I'll revisit the Aussie, since there's still quite a bit left in the bottle. 
5. Put in my usual leave ins of Bone Strait, Moistur IQ and Kair Serum, but then also lightly sprayed my hair with the Tresemme Heat Defense. I then proceeded to roller set my hair. (Note to self: Must buy bigger rollers! Yippee!!)
6. As it was getting late I dried my hair in the rollers with the hair dryer. When I took out the rollers my hair felt coated and stiff. I was not a happy camper, but I don't know what the culprit is exactly. 

So, lesson learned - do not try a whole arsenal of new products all at once!

Massive hair haul - I went a little nuts...

Hola senoritas

So, I just came back from the shop (Clicks), I quickly picked up a few things, and I almost balked when I saw the total on the register...yep, I went a little crazy. Specifically related to hair, here's what I picked up:

Aussie 3 minute miracle luscious long - yes, my hair is not that long yet, BUT the ingredients appear to be mega moisturising, so I am SO looking forward to trying this out. It was BLOODY expensive, so I really hope that it's awesome. 

Paneten Smooth and Sleek Conditioner - a staple of many years. 

Tresemme Heat Defense - travel size, but I have never had a decent heat protectant so I thought it's time that I get myself in gear on that front. 

Tresseme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner - the entire hair community RAVES about this conditioner, so I could not resist, AND it was on special, so here we go!

D&L Amla Legend Deep Treatment - one can never have too many deep conditioners, and so far it has gotten rave reviews. I'm already looking forward to using it. 

D&L Amla Legend 3 in 1 Body Filler Hair Wash - I only got one bottle of shampoo, might as well try something new. 

Caivil Colourshines temporary hair colour in Racy Wine - it was out of stock for months, so when I saw that they had stock I had to grab a box. It contains no ammonia and no peroxide. I've used it succesfully in the past and I can't wait for my hair to have that lovely red sheen again. 

Olive oil - they were out of coconut oil so I thought, why not give the olive oil a try and see what it does with my hair. I think to be on the safe side, I'll use it to prepoo on my next wash day (which might be tonight)

My staple deep conditioner - ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner. When I ran out of this last week I was very sad. Now I'm happy again. This bottle should last a while considering that I picked up 2 other deep conditioners as well which I plan to rotate with this. 

And that's basically all she wrote folks. I suspect for my next wash that I'll whip out the Amla shampoo and deep conditioner. Or maybe the Aussie...I don't know folks, let's see where the wind blows me. What have your experiences been with these products?

Till next time, happy growing!

As requested - Amla Lagend 1001 Oils Wrap Cream Review

Hello there everybody. A little while back I got myself the Amla Legend 1001 Oils Wrap Cream and I have been using it consistently for about a month now. I mean, the jar only has about a 1/4 of product left! In my opinion it is a very versatile product, since I clearly use it for more than just wrapping up my hair.

Okay, regarding the product itself, here goes:

Promises: Enriched with rejuvenating Amla Oil, our Oils Cream Night Wrap is supple and indulgent treatment that provides intense moisture to soften and smooth frizz overnight. So you'll wake up to nourished, shiny and healthy-looking hair.

Top 5 ingredients: Water, coconut oil, isopropyl myristrate, carylic.capric triglyceride, stearyl alcohol

Directions: Apply on dry hair and spread evenly before wrapping (instructions are on the side panel of the packaging)

OPINION: I love it!! The product itself is not greasy at all. It has a very nice and light scent, but it doesn't really linger, which is good. I have used this to wrap my hair, as a quick moisturizer and as my last step when ever I employed the LOC method. I have used it to baggy my ends and my hair felt MARVELOUS the next morning. I used it in conjunction with my slippy leave in Bone Strait the day I undid my braids to detangle and soften the new growth. I have used on slightly damp hair when I did bantu knots and braid outs, and the results were curls that behaved and were soft and very pretty. I will definitely repurchase, it is officially a staple product! 

Anyone else experienced this product? What do y'all think?

New challenge

Well, ladies, as y'all know, I am pushing for that APL goal by New Year's Eve. I've decided to step it up and I have found what is going to help. I am going to take part in GAHL's Hair Challenge, in order to grow and retain as much length as humanly possible. 

The rules are as follows, and they're easy to follow:

1. Wear protective styles 90% of the time
Protective styles are those that keep your ends hidden. These include buns, cornrows, braids, weaves e.t.c keeping your ends hidden will keep them from getting damaged and will encourage length retention.

2. Wear low manipulation hairstyles 10% of the time. Low manipulation hairstyles do not keep your ends protected but do not need to be combed out. These styles can easily be turned into protective styles. Examples of these are braid outs, perm rod sets, straw sets, bantu knots out, twist outs e.t.c 

3. Deep condition every week or at least once every two weeks

4. Moisturise and seal your hair on regular basis. 

5. Baggy your hair or just your ends whenever your hair or ends feel too dry.Baggying is simply applying a plastic bag on your head after moisturising to retain moisture. 

6. Keep your hair covered with a satin or silk scarf at night while sleeping.

7. One heat pass for the entire three months use it wisely ladies. Rollersetting and steaming the hair is allowed.

I'm planning to utilize my singular heat pass around my birthday in December. Other than that I am planning to rollerset religiously and protective style like a crazy person. 

And this is where I am today:

Sorry for the sucky cellcam quality, but yeah, y'all get the idea. I have about 2 whole inches to go to reach APL, but I am SO not giving up. And yea, my tattoo is completely covered by my hair!!!!!!! And it was still peeking out 3 weeks ago! I am a happy camper! (not about a few of those ends though, eish)

Anybody gonna join me in this simple challenge?

Blessed Monday y'all!

Foregoing heat...till my birthday!

I haven't done a wash day post in a while and partly it's because my washes have not really been THAT special, AND becuase I've been running out of my staples, and my hair has been suffering as a result :-( I am planning a major hair haul shopping trip end of this week, hopefully, I'll have the sense of mind to do a post (with pics) because I'm going to attempt to both simplify and streamlining my regimen whilst also making sure that I have ALL the tools I need - I am still pushing for APL by 31 December 2013.

Well, my most recent wash day occurred yesterday at my friend's house, in actual fact, it happened a little on a whim. Piece of advice to self - do NOT wash hair on a whim, since it means using your friend's products, which may not be as awesome as your own. Regardless, here we go.

1. So, I did a prepoo with a bottle labeled Amla Oil. Now, I don't know exactly how much true amla was in this bottle, but it was the cheap BSS variety, practically brandless. I used it to very gently detangle my hair, since its been in a braid out for four days straight. I didn't lose much hair during the process, but it was definitely more breakage than shedding. I am NOT a happy camper.

2. I then proceeded to shampoo and instant condition with Protein Feed Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner. I didn't see much hair hair flowing down the drain so this step wasn't a disaster at least. After rinsing the conditioner I proceeded to apply Tresseme Keratin Smooth Mask as deep conditioner.

3. About the Tresseme Mask - I'm in two minds. I looked at the ingredients and it looked pretty balanced between moisturising and protein. Becauseit wasn't MY jar I used less than I normally would have, but I still made sure to cover my whole head with the DC by applying it in about 6 quartered sections. I then covered my head with a plastic showercap and towel so as to trap as much heat as possible. I kept it in for about 20-30 minutes, even though the jar says 3-5 would be sufficient.

4. After I rinsed, my hair felt a little stiff. I think the Mask will truly be at its most efficient with a shorter time span, and thus I am in two minds and will try it again and see whether I like it or not.

5. I applied a leave in of TCB Bone Strait and proceeded to rollerset my hair. My hair still felt a little stiff and clumpy and I tried to be as gentle as possible.

6. My hair then airdried in the rollers, after which I decided to flatiron my hair. When I got home I immediately wrapped my hair with a satin scarf and this morning my hair felt soft, strong and of course, it is hella straight! But this would be my last heat usage until my birthday in December. I have a halloween party coming up but I shall simply find a way to style my hair without heat for the party. If I want to hit APL, I need to be vigilant damnit!

So, how did everyone else's wash days go?

Blessed journey everybody!

Some inspiration from the world wide web

Good morning boys and girls, ladies and gents and a happy Monday to you all!

Well, I trust that everone had a splendid weekend. Mine was relatively chilled, apart from my wash day, which made me realise a few things, which I will update you on in another post. This post is about the myriad of hair care blogs out there that form a part of my journey, and specifically about the ones that have in the past couple of weeks jumped out at me from the computer screen. The theme of this post is courtesy of the ladies from Saving our Strands and are as follows:

1. www.Longing4Length.com - Ebony from L4L has been an inspiration for me from the very first day of my healthy hair journey, and she continues to be, broadening her inspiration to include a healthy LIFESTYLE journey, having lost a whopping 20 pounds in 3 months and inspiring me to do the same.

2. belowthawaist.blogspot.com - I've only relatively recently discoverd Abbi's blog and the post that resonated most is the one regarding the building of a hair care regimen, especially considering that I am planning to simplify and streamline my regimen so as to get the MOST out of it.

3. tayshj.blogspot.com - This girl's bantu knot out gives me life!!! I cannot wait for my hair to be long enough to get that kind of soft flowy waves from a knot out instead of tight springy curls!

4. www.blackhairinformation.com - They had the most perfect post about what people are most commonly doing wrong with regard to their haircare and how one can reverse it to turn it into something better and healthier for your hair. Since I'm on a rejuvenating my regimen tip, I found this awesome!

5 www.fancyflairlady.com - Kim has a great post regarding smoothing ones edges, especially fater a workout, and I am SO going to try this. I'm only a little over 2 weeks post but working out leads to sweaty messy edges regardless and I am not willing to sacrifice the health of my body for my hair, or vice versa, so I am working towards creating THAT perfect balance too.

So, who has been part of your motivation and inspiration?
Blessed Monday and happy growing!

So what have I been up to?

Hello there everybody

Firstly, as promised, I will grace you with a length check pic. Now, it doesn't look like there was MUCH of an increase in length, but my hair looks fuller and more even and more in the shape of a U than a V, so I suspect that some of the shorter layers have been playing catch up with the longer ones, which I think is a good thing, so yay!

So here's where I was in May:

And here is where I am now:

I see an improvement, what do y'all think? I'm still aiming for APL by the end of the year. Shorter term - aiming for FULL coverage of my tattoo. 

Regarding the rest of my ife, I've been going to the gym every day, drinking a crap load of water during the day, eating healthy and clean and minimizing calries without going into starvation mode and trying to protect my hair through all of it. Considering doing a co-wash tonight after gym to get the salty (drying) sweat out of my hair and infuse some must need moisture. I am going to try and keep my hair o point whilst working towards a strong and fit bikini bod. Summer's here baby!

What has everybody else been up to?

Have a great Thursday everyone. Just 24 more hours and it's the weekend!!

Untwisted, touched up and truly entering summer!

Hello there everybody. Yep, it's been a while. Partly because I have had a CRAZY week, changing jobs, being between jobs (yes, at the same time), moving out of my old office, preparing for a friend's wedding, taking out my twists - lots going on.

My last weekend in braids/twists

Okay,  I can tell you the following - I definitely retained all my growth whilst wearing my twists/braids, and will do it again. However, my nape experienced some MAJOR damage. My next stint with braids or any long term protective style I will keep my nape out and not put them in braids.

The nape damage as clear as day pre touch up

 For the next few months I am going to BABY my nape. I removed my braids myself, using a crap load of coconut oil as I removed each braid so as to enable to have shed hair simply slide out and to minimize hair loss. Except for the breakage around the nape,I lost very little hair during this process.

Hair lost during removal process

 
Although I have had transitioning thoughts I realized that I am not ready and thus this week prepped my hair for a touch up at 18 weeks post - LONGEST STRETCH EVER!

18 weeks post dry texture shot, hair was stretched via rollersetting during prep wash

My wash day prepping for my touch up I did a LONG prepoo using a cholesterol mask and coconut oil to fortify my hair full of protein. I then shampooed using Tressemme Moisturizing Shampoo, instant conditioned with Tressemme Thermal Protect Conditioner and deep conditioned with ORS Replenishing Conditioner, also for an uber long time. I then used my leave ins of TCB Bone Strait, Avon Moisture IQ treatment and a little coconut oil and rollerset. My hair felt strong and soft but I did notice quite a bit of demarcation breakage. Long stretches are NOT for me, I just realized AGAIN. I let my hair airdry in the rollers and then just wrapped it before bed, using my lovely Amla Legend 1001 Oils Wrap Cream.

Last night I started prepping my hair for the relaxer to come by massaging my hair and scalp with coconut oil. This morning I grabbed my box kit of ORS Olive Oil No Lye Relaxer for Girls and based my scalp completely with the enclosed protective gel. I then covered my hair with the enclosed protective pre-treatment (yes, I love this kit!!) and then started applying the mixed relaxer. I self relaxed ALL by myself this time, no help. My usual helper became a mom again and that new born is taking up all of her time. After the maximum time allowed my scalp still did not tingle or burn in the slightest, but I went to go rinse anyway. I am deathly scared of over processing and the resultant damage. I did a mild mid protein step using my ORS Replenishing Conditioner and then started neutralizing. I must have shampooed my hair 6-7 times before the lather was white, but rather the resulting back ache than insufficiently neutralized hair! I am a paranoid relaxed head! I then deep conditioned for almost an hour with the enclosed conditioning pack, which is awesome! I love it, my hair felt SO soft, the conditioner simply SUNK in. After rinsing I applied my leave ins and roller set, letting my hair airdry in the rollers. The result - silky, shiny, straight hair.

No heat used.

 

 

 

Relaxed scalp texture shot

Nape damage as seen post touch up

I shall grace you with a length check pic soon. I wish to first clarify and chelate my hair and then of course yank out the straightener to have the most accurate measurement. But I am confident that if I keep babying my hair I should be at least close to APL by 31 December 2013! Confidence is key people!!

I am going to go back to basics, be as careful and obsessive as I was when I started my journey, as if my hair is still in that dismal state. THAT way I should be able to UP my retention and to ensure that the breakage I experienced does not result in a set back. The weather is HOT and a little more humid this side of the world now, so I am thinking of incorporating some glycerin and grape seed oil in my moisturizing and sealing of my hair and of incorporating cowashing more often, especially as I'm going to get my lazy ass a personal trainer to give my swift kick I the behind on a daily basis regarding my workouts. Workouts and hot weather and sweat equals more regular washing which means co-washing and a VERY gentle hand. I am NOT going to have any of my journeys suffer now.

In the meantime have a great Friday y'all!! And an awesome weekend!

A short update

Hi there everybody. Sorry for the quiet the past couple of weeks, but being twisted up and all hair has become quite simple hairwise.

In other news though - I resigned from my job and will be starting with a brand new company the 1st of October!! I am uber excited! Of course, it means a couple of late nights working to tie up my loose ends at the office, but that's a good thing.

Secondly, right now I've got the freaking flu and I feel all nasal and congested and horrible! I won't wish this upon my worst enemy! Yes, not even on the douchebag ex, lol.

Thirdly - y'all remember my Motions relaxer review? Well, it seems somebody from the company had a glance at it and they contacted me to exactly find out what I did not like about their product. I am quite impressed with their diligence. I still won't use their relaxer again, but maybe I'll try out some of their other products. When I do I will keep y'all updated.

And lastly, it seems as if my hair actually grows faster than I thought. This is week 4 of me being in twists and those twists are slowly turning into box braids as I neaten it up. A lot of new growth is showing at the base of each twist, which does not look neat. So every night I sit and rebraid a few (around 6-10) since I don't know how to retwist them. I gently loosen the twist, detangle that little section of hair using my very slippy TCB Bone Strait leave in, apply Amla Legend 1001 oil wrap cream as a moisturizer and then rebraid. I see practically NO breakage and this way I'm getting rid of shed hair intermittently so that when the day comes that I take down ALL of the twists/braids, detangling and getting out all the shed hair will be a breeze. I also love the feeling of my new growth, and I think that I may have been mistaken, that I might actually have 3c hair and not 4a, as I have believed all my life. Apart from that my basic regiment regarding my braids is one step - braid spray, braid spray, braid spray! It's such a moisturizing spray that I can see myself using it on my hair after the braids are out as a leave in and/or moisturizer. I spritz it on at least twice a day, and at night I then cover my hair with a satin scarf and go to bed. See - simplified hair life.

How's everybody else doing this week? Have a good Thursday, the weekend's almost here!

August goals revisited and September goals

Winter is over! It is spring time! Time to quickly review my August goals and see what September has in store for me.

1. Moisturize and Seal every day - win! With the new Amla Legend 1001 Oils Cream it was a cinch. I really like this product!

2. Dust ends  - win! I took off very little but even just that light dusting already made a difference in the appearance of my hair and ends.

3. Co-wash at least once a week - almost. I co washed thrice during the month of August and my hair's moisture/protein balance truly felt on point before I went to have it twisted up.

4. Protective styling at least 4 days a week - win!

5. Go back to basics on wash day - win!

6. Drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day - win!

7. Go to gym at least 4 days a week - big fail!! I made it to gym a grand total of four times for the entire month! I have a relatively valid excuse though - my blood pressure was through the roof, I was so dizzy that just walking across a room was a mission. It's under control now so I trust that during September I'll see the inside of the gym more often.

8. Focus on cardio - well, win, sort of. The times I did go to gym I did exactly that.

9. Limit calorie intake to 1200 - basically a win, except for a couple of days that I went out to dinner with friends or family.

10. Limit carb intake to two days a week - fail :-( I really need to start distancing myself from egg salad sandwiches!

11. Get a multivitamin and drink it daily - fail.

12. Sauna/steam room once a week - epic fail.

And there you have it. Mostly a win on the hair front, a big old flop on the health side. I'm not very happy with myself but I'll just try to do better this coming month.

SEPTEMBER GOALS:

As I told y'all I had twists installed last week, and I'm planning to keep the twists for about 8 weeks. It might be a little shorter than that since I'm already feeling one or two twists wanting to slip out, but we'll see how it goes. So, here's my goals for this month, and thus also my idea of a braid/twist regimen:

1. Moisturize roots, scalp and hair daily with spritz or braidspray.

2. Give myself scalp massages with coconut oil at least every other day.

3. Wash my roots and scalp once a week with diluted shampoo. I'm actually considering getting a dry shampoo for in between freshness.

4. Sleep with satin scarf as usual.

5. Find cute styles to wear my twists in.

6. GO TO DAMN GYM 3-4 times a week.

I'm keeping it simpler this month, thanks to the twists. What are your goals for the first month of spring? (that is of course if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, lol)

Have a cooking Monday!

I'm twisted!!!

Hello everybody!

So, I bit the bullet! I got braids! Well, actually twists. But what's in a name right?! I'm quite excited about it and I think I look cute. So no major post from me today, just a headsup. So, what do y'all think??

Have an awesome Friday y'all!!!

Transition thoughts

Hello there boys and girls. (hhhmmmm, I wonder if boys actually ready any of my posts...)

First of all, let me just say that I'm biting the bullet and this afternoon after work I am going to the salon and have braids installed, although I think I might actually go for the single twists. Regardless I'll be in a long term protective style for about two months. Currently I'm 14 weeks post and thus will be doing my longest stretch ever thanks to the intense protective styling. It'll be my first time since I embarked on this journey and I shall be diligent to continue caring for my hair whilst in braids. If I keep them in for a full 8 weeks, I'll be 22 weeks post when I take them out and thus comes the million dollar question - what then?

I have been having random thoughts of transitioning to natural for a couple of weeks now. My new growth has been behaving, I've been able to nurture it without driving myself crazy, and last night I looked at it and I swear, I saw a curl wanting to form. So, I've started researching transitioning (because I am so NOT brave enough to do a big chop) and the info out there is quite encouraging. I have experienced major bouts of fro envy lately looking at the gorgeous naturalistas around me and after seeing that suggestion of a nice curl, my head is leaning a little towards making the switch. IF I DO, I will be a long term transitioner and I can see myself employing long term protective styling like braids to assist me and to prevent me from manhandling the two different textures on my head.

I'm not making any decision yet, nothing is set in stone. Who knows, once the braids are out I might be reaching for that ORS box at the bottom of my closet. I have been relaxed most of my life and it's what I know and comfortable with. At the same time at least once a day my brain says to me"what if we go natural? That could be cool right?" Since this is a journey I felt that I needed to express where my head has wandered to and ask ya'll...what are your thoughts on transitioning? Any tips out there? Any tips on how to come to a decision? I don;t want to do anything that's going to hamper my current progress regarding health and length. So, what do y'all suggest??

Have a great Thursday y'all. Just one and half more days to go and it's the freaking weekend!

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

Hola there everybody.

So I've been thinking about the fact that if one is to achieve any goal, then one needs to put a plan in place, with easy enough to follow directions and steps. Break it down and before you know it you are where you need to be.

Right now, I'm planning two things - what the hell I'm going to wear to a MUCH awaited wedding of friends of mine, and what I'm going to with my dang hair.

First off, wedding celebrations - I have been told that the area where it's being held is hot, even though winter isn't over yet, so I need to come prepared with summer outfits and a respectable (read - not too much skin showing) comfortable dress. So, last night I already rummaged through my wardrobe and came out practically empty handed. It being THAT time of the month, my broke ass can't go buy an outfit, so I did what girls do - I asked a good friend if I can borrow something from her. I got the yes, so outfit wise I think I'm set. I'll pack in sandals though, my ankle is still not a 100% after ripping through some ligaments a while back so heels will SO not be my friend.

Secondly - what to do with this head of mine...Well, I'm planning on giving it a nice thorough wash tonight, including every step to have it be banging and swanging (which includes dusting my ends and lightly straightening it). I will pack the essentials, which included my moisturizer, coconut oil, wrap, satin scarf and pins. If the humidity decides to mess with me up North then I'll just pin these babies up! Believe me, Namibia has two seasons, winter and summer. And in the North, it's summer time already!

And there you have it - short and sweet, lol. What are y'all weekend plans? Have a good one!

My stash!

Good morning everybody! It's Tuesday y'all and honestly I am already looking forward to the weekend. I feel like I'm coming down with something and it completely blows. I'm hoping that after some self medicating tonight that I can stop whatever this is in its filthy tracks. 

Now, in my last post I promised that I will show you guys what I currently have in my hair product stash. some of these are brand new, some are old reliables and some I bought in the very beginning, only learning later that my hair does not like them that much. I however HATE throwing things away, so I tweak them a little to continue getting use of them. One has to recycle, money does not grow on trees! 

So first on the list are my shampoos. The two I use most often at the moment are the Protein Feed Moisturizing Shampoo and the Tresemme Ultra Moisture Shampoo, as seen below. 

The Tresemme is fast becoming my preferred suds. My hair feels sooooo soft after using it and although it contains sulfates it does not leave my hair feeling stripped in any way, even though it is definitely clean. The Protein Feed I grab when I feel like I have a lot of product build up and I need a more clarifying effect from my shampoo. 

Next up, my instant (and sometimes pre-poo) conditioners. 

From left to right we have: Avon Advanced Techniques 360 degrees Nourishment Conditioner with Argan Oil, Revlon Aquamarine Normalising Wild Fruit Conditioner. Tresemme Thermal Recovery Conditioner and Tresemme Split Remedy. The Avon and Revlon conditioners I primarily use to prepoo, mixing it with heated up coconut oil. Last night specifically I pre-pooed using a mix of coconut oil and the Revlon. It gives amazing slip while prepooing and my hair feels buttery. It is the ultimate of cheapie conditioners, running for N$13 at local retailers. (That's about $1,20 American) The two Tresemme Conditioners I use as instant smoothing conditioners after shampooing my hair. The Thermal Recovery is quite nice, sinking into my hair, with some slip and my hair feels soft after rinsing. The Split Remedy...I'm still on the fence. Yes, awesome slip, but it just sits there...I've only used it twice, I might have to use it a couple more times before giving a definitive opinion on it. 

Next up, the DC's, the holy grail of a good wash day (at least in my mind):

From left to right: ORS Replenishing Conditioner - my staple deep conditioner. It's a light protein and also moisturizing, so it has the balance down! I love the scent, how it simply sinks into my hair, how my hair feels like butter afterwards, simply love it! Next, Sofn'free Hair Mayonnaise.I bought this on a whim, AND it was on special. It's mpre of a hard protein and thus I use it sparingly. It also doesn't give much slip, so next time I use it I think I'm gonna mix in some coconut oil. Then Avon Advanced Techniques 360 degrees Mask with Argan Oil. Not too crazy about this one, I started mixing it with my prepoo mix, will not be repurchasing. And lastly a packet of ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner. I used this last night as my DC and I LOVE it - moisturizing, slippy, sinks into my hair, almost feels like one pack is not enough for my shoulder length tresses. I wish they could bottle this as well! 

Next step are the leave in products: 

Left to right - Kair Ultra Light Silicone Serum, Avon Advanced Techniques Moisture IQ Leave In Treatment and TCB Bone Strait Conditioner and Blow Dry Lotion. I usually apply a mix of all my leave in conditioners to my hair. The Bone Strait is of course an old faithful, awesome in every way sense and form, from price to results I get. It will ALWAYS be in my stash. The Serum is great too, especially as it's very light and it also reflects light, so my hair looks nice and shiny. The Avon I might not repurchase. A little goes a long way though and this bottle is still very full and I've had it for 2 months now, so we'll be walking this road together for a while. 

And moisturizers...

On top is the new Dark & Lovely Amla Legend 1001 Oils Cream. I bought it yesterday and I tried it out lats night after taking my hair out of the rollers but before wrapping. After one try - I like!! It might become a staple. 

Below we have all ORS products - the Hair Fertilizer, the Olive Oil Oil Moisturing Hair Lotion and the Olivie Oil Hair Dress. The Hair Fertilizer is great for head massages, my scalp actually likes it. But I limit it to a couple of times a week, close to wash day, the smell is a little yucky. The Hair Lotion contains mineral oil (I only found out after I bought it that it is the devil to a hair journey) but I sometimes still use but I mix it with clean water to up its true moisture quotient. The Hair Dress I use similarly to the fertilizer because it is SO thick and it makes my hair heavy. These are three products that once they're finished I shall not be repurchasing. 

And there you have it folks. My stash. What is not included is my coconut oil (forgot to photograph it), my box of rollers, my blow dryer, my straightening irons and my pins, grips and ponytail holders. I realise it's not THAT many products, but the junkie in me wants MORE, lol. I am really considering getting some more oils like olive oil and castor oil and to incorporate them more into my regimen. 

How does your stashes look? 

Have a happy Tuesday everyone and happy growing!