Took matters in my own hands

Hi there y'all. 

So, you remember me lamenting my busted ends? Thanks for telling me it's not that bad, but I simply could not take it anymore. So last night, I decided to wash my hair and give myself a slight trim, as it seems like a salon visit will have to wait a little due to budgetary constraints. 

So, last night I prepood for 20 minutes using Tresemme Naturals Conditioner, Amla oil and coconut oil. Shampooed with Tresemme Moisturizing Shampoo, instant conditioned with L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Conditioner. I then DC'd for 15 minutes with Gliss Ultimate Repair Anti-Damage Mask. (Review coming as soon as I finish the jar). I only had it on for that short time because I feared a protein overload. As it turned out, I did have a little bit of hardness on my hair, but that was pretty much fixed with my leave ins of Avon Moisture IQ and Moroccan Oil treatment. At least now I know that my hair's protein levels are a little higher than optimal and I only have to focus on moisture for the next month or so. I then roller set my hair and dried it with my hair dryer using the cool setting. 

When I took out the rollers, it took a while, because that's when I started dusting/trimming. As I removed one roller, I would cut off a maximum of 1 cm (less than a third of an inch) on that particular section. I did this with each and every section as I removed the individual rollers. When I was finally done I simply wrapped up my hair and went to bed. My phone's camera has the nasty habit of shutting off the phone when I try to take pictures, so I gave up on the idea of taking a pic of my hair itself. But, I at least got a pic of the amount of hair that was cut off, which is the following:

Now, I know that it doesn't look like much, but when I did my sideway French braid this morning, my hair just FELT so much better under my hands and I knew that I did the right thing. I will have a friend take a pic of my hair from the back in a few weeks and then we'll see if I achieved anything positive regarding the evening out of the hemline. Till then I am going to protective style up the wazoo and focus on moisture, moisture, moisture.

Have a great Thursday y'all. Just one more day and it's Friday!!

Yep, I definitely need to get a trim!

Good morning there y'all. I trust everyone had a good weekend. I envy everyone that was on vacation during December. I was part of the dreaded skeleton staff and thus, although it is only February, I am exhausted, drained and not very motivated about anything in my life right now because I am simply too bloody tired. I haven't had any true time off since December 2012 and 2013 was a tough year in general. I can't wait for the weekend of 21 March. 21 March is our Independence day and thus a public holiday, which to us means a lovely 3 day weekend!! And I NEED it! 

Regardless, being on my hair journey, I know that I should not be neglecting my hair just because I'm in need of some R&R, so yesterday I did a wash day which included a length check, and people, I am going to get a trim, very very soon. (I just need to work it into my calendar and my budget) My hair feels nice, but my ends need to be evened out, otherwise I am never going to hit BSL by the end of this year. Right now I am grazing APL, ever ever so slightly. So any trim is going to take my back to barely collar bone length, but I can see that if I don't do it, my raggedy ends will not allow me to reach APL in the first place. 

Okay, so here's the recount of my wash day yesterday:

1. Pree-poo/dry deep condition - I mixed up Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner and Amla oil and applied it to my dry, detangled hair, in a total of six sections. I twisted each section after applying the mix to prevent any tangling while I work. I then covered my hair with a plastic cap and left it on for a good 4 hours. Yep, FOUR hours!! Which is why it ended up being a prepoo and deep condition combo. 
2. Shampooed with Tresemme Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo. I lathered up twice, making sure to concentrate on my scalp and not the length of my hair. This shampoo is definitely a staple, and I will need to repurchase soon, I think I only have about two uses left in that bottle (which I bought more than four months ago!! Talk about value for money!)
3. Instant conditioned and finger detangled with TCB Bone Straight. This conditioner is a jack of all trades. It works as an instant conditioner, a deep conditioner and a leave in. It is an amazing product and CHEAP, costing less than N$30 (about US$3) for a 500ml bottle. 
4. Wrapped my hair in my softest towel for a few minutes before applying my leave ins of Avon Moisture IQ Leave In Treatment and MoroccanOil Treatment, and then proceeded to rollerset. Whilst I was rollersetting I realised that the last 3 inches of my hair is extremely highly porous. I had to constantly spray it with my waterspritz (water, a little bit of Dark&Lovely Moisturizing Spritz and a little bit of Tresemme Naturals Conditioner) because it dried really fast, AS I'm busy rolling in my hair. I then also realised that it is the hair that I STARTED with when I began this journey and thus the oldest, least healthy, most damaged hair on my head. It is THEN that my hair actually screamed to me - CUT THOSE ENDS OFF!
5. I let my hair air dry in the rollers as I planned to whip out the flat iron because I wanted to do a proper length check, as my hair journey turn two years old last week, the 5th of February. (forgot to do an anniversary post, last week was quite busy at work, and when I got home from the gym in the evenings I would be so exhausted that I would pass out straight after dinner.)
6. I took out the rollers and then proceeded to flat iron. Luckily both my leave ins are also heat protectants. Regardless I flat ironed in small sections to ensure that I just do one quick pass on each section with the iron. 
7. After taking a pic of my hair I saw that its general state is healthy and shiny, but my ends need help. A good friend of mine's sister in law goes to a stylist that is NOT scissor happy, according to her accounts. This stylist is apparently also more concerned with the health of your hair than the styling of it. I am going to get this lady's number and make an appointment for a trim to simply even out the back. Anyhoo, after taking the pic, I cross wrapped my hair and put on my satin scarf and went to bed after a mini Pirates of the Caribbean marathon (Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest. I LOVE me some Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in these movies! Savvy?!)

So...here's where I am now ladies. Longer than CBL, barely (though not quite quite) grazing APL, and the ends (about half an inch to an inch, I refuse to lose more than an inch at this time) has to go!!

I must mention though - I never thought I would see the day that my hair is so long that it completely covers my tattoo!! (I love my ink though! I just never thought I would have hair that actually covers it!)

Anyway, I'm hoping to get that trim by this coming weekend (because then I will have my car back!!!! And I can move around much more freely! I really am not the biggest fan of cabs. As Sandra Bullock said in Speed whilst taking the bus, before the bomb was armed - "I love my car. I MISS my car!") Once I get that done I will update everyone on exactly where I stand. In the meantime, I am going to UP the moisturizing, baggying my ends every night (they NEED it) and protective styling. Any other advice ladies?

Hope everyone has a good Monday, with no blues, and a terrific week to come!

Blessed week everyone, and happy growing. 

The gym plus rainy weather - I'm gonna throw some shade!

Hello there everybody.

We are in the 2nd month of 2014, and one of my new year's resolutions have been going pretty strong, which is going to the gym on a much more regular and consistent basis. I have been doing that and although the results are slowly coming, as my friend Ashante always says, it's about progress, not perfection. Well, I apply the same philosophy to my tresses, knowing that I will get where I want to be, I must just be consistent and relentless.

Now, those two worlds (gym and hair) sometimes do not really like each other, especially the past few days when we have had consistent rain here in Windhoek. Now, I am not complaining about the rain, it is marvelous! Namibia has been in the midst of a very intense, long drought. We were receiving international aid, it got so bad. Livestock were keeling over, so thank God for the rain. It does however make it a little more difficult to look cute AND make sure you take care of your hair. So, I have forsaken trying to look cute and focused on the care, keeping my hair bunned up and appreciating all the moisture in the air, as my hair is also nice and soft as a result.

Now, I wish to tell y'all about my most recent wash day, which was Monday evening. After an intense one hour strength training session, and walking a little in the rain, my head looked a hot mess, so I jumped into my wash day routine.

1. Prepoo for 30 minutes with Darbur Amla Oil, detangling as I applied the very runny oil. 
2. Shampoo with Amla Legend 3 in 1 Body Filler Shampoo. I am still in 2 minds regarding this shampoo. Although it contains sulphates, it does not produce an even half decent lather. I am still not sure if my hair was suffiently clean. However, it was super soft. Thus, still in 2 minds. 
3. Instant conditioned with Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. Still loving that slip!! 
4. Deep conditioned with ORS Replenishing Conditioner. Still my staple DC and the product to replace must practically be sent from heaven, made by the hands of angels and practically create a halo on top of my hair! I DC's with a plastic cap and towel for almost an hour. 
5. Rinsed my DC and then applied my leave ins of  Bone Strait (a little extra protein for the ends), MorrocanOil Leave in treatment serum and Avon Moisture IQ treatment, and then proceeded to roller set. 
6. It was getting late, so I used my hair dryer to dry my hair whilst in the rollers, taking care to not concentrate on one spot for too long. 
7. After taking out the rollers, rubbed on some silicone serum, wrapped my hair and crashed into my bed. 

My hair came out great. BUT, then I went to gym Tuesday after work and proceeded to sweat like a young pig in a high intensity step class, hair thus frizzing up like cray cray. So last night, at home, after gym, and when the sweat dried a little, I applied the Moisture IQ treatment as moisturizer, sealed with silicone and wrapped after making a bun with the ends. Today I'm in an EZ comb bun, and I predict that this will be my go to style for the rest of the summer and its summer showers. 

Any advice out there on how to take care, look cute, still gym and appreciate the rainy weather? 2014 is the year of weddings for me - friends and family alike, so I need to look great at each one, including the bod and the hair. How do you ladies find the balance? 

Have a happy hump day y'all, it's Wednesday, half way to the weekend!!!

An update, despite the insanity

Good morning everyone!

I apologise for being away for so long, I can't remember the last time it took me so long to write a blog post. Regardless of my absence, I see that y'all are still reading, and that slightly older posts have been getting love. I want to thank y'all so much!! 

Life has getting in the way of regular blogging a little bit. I am still without wheels and my social calendar has been INSANE, even though it is only January. So far I have had a birthday party, a catch up barbeque with friends I haven't seen in months, a bachelorette party and within the next 72 hours I have a huge birthday bash that I am attending (the theme is A Night at the Opera, which includes live performances and dressing to the nines!) and a slightly out of town wedding. In the meantime that has meant that my hair has not been getting the complete attention I normally give it. Now, I have not been neglecting it per se. I have just been going the faster, easier route and my hair is not quite THAT happy with me. So starting February, I promise to be more diligent, regarding the care I give my hair, as well as keeping up with my blogging. 

Okay, I will give y'all a quick update as to what my hair is currently doing.

I am about 2 weeks post now, having self relaxed my hair with ORS Olive Oil No Lye in Regular at 14 weeks post. The For Girls kit was sold out, so I grabbed the Regular Box and diluted it by adding sunflower oil to the relaxer mix as well as about a tablespoon of Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. This allowed me to fully relax all my new growth without my scalp being irritated. I based my hairline and scalp THOROUGHLY, like a person possessed. When I rinsed and neutralized, I truly felt the effect of no lye relaxers i.e. the mineral deposits. So after neutralizing like a crazy person with ORS Creamy Aloe shampoo and my hair felt softer, I clarified with Amla 3 in 1 Body Filler Shampoo. I then DC'd with the ORS Replenishing Conditioner for a good hour before roller setting. I'm very happy with the results. Length wise, I think I may be officially APL, I haven't done a true length check yet (I know, naughty, naughty). Look below and tell me what y'all think? 

My ends are a little uneven, I am planning to have a slight trim this coming Saturday before the wedding to even them out, and then  I will also take official length check pics. 

Regarding the wash days of the past couple of weeks, I kept it VERY simple, but I have the most amazing leave in product that has been added to my stash. My bestie brought me bottle of MoroccanOil Treatment from India, and I am so in love that I am scouring our little town for stockists or importers of it so that I can have the rest of the range. The rest of my wash days have been pretty routine, although with the crazy schedules I have skipped a prepoo here and there. On Saturday when I go to the Salon I am going to take MY products with me and have a stren talking to with my stylist before she starts, and hopefully walk out happy as a clam. 

Until then, what has been new with y'all? What new products have you added to your stash that you simply LOVE? Have a great day everyone and happy growing!

The Liebster Award

I wasn't specifically nominated by anyone for this award, except for the fact that Blutiful Blaq nominated all who read her Liebster Award post. 

The rules are as follows:

11 Interesting, well, more like random, things about myself:

1. Although she's acting a little crazy these days, I really do like Miley Cyrus, or rather, I like her music. Regardless of her antics, songs like Wrecking Ball are powerful and evocative. And the girl has a monster voice!

2. Although I'm right handed, I do random things with my left hand, such as hold my coffee mug. 

3. I drive a stick. Whenever I'm driving a car that has an automatic transmission, I'm annoyed. In my opinion, everyone should learn how to drive a car with a manual transmission. 

4. I am a big reader, everything from schmaltzy romance novels to gripping thrillers to pure brain candy to intellectual stimulating books. 

5. I truly wish that a I could find a beautician here in Windhoek that can shape my eyebrows via threading. I can't stand tweezing and waxing is just not fun. Threading is the best way to shape eyebrows in my opinion. 

6. I love rock and roll!! I'm talking Linkin Park, Metallica, Imagine Dragons, AC/DC, Evanescence, Goo Goo Dolls and many, many more. 

7. I despise bullies. All kinds of bullies. I was bullied as a child and as a teenager. Many people don't realise how long those wounds take to heal and those scars never truly go away. They might fade, but they will always be there. 

8. If I went to Hogwarts, I probably would have been sorted into Gryffindor, and my patronus would most likely be that of a dog, like a Labrador. 

9. I love shoes! But I can't wear 75% of the heels out there. My ankles hate it and I have very flat feet, which equals pain and swelling if I'm in a pair of heels for longer than a few (read max 3) hours. 

10. I suffer from chronic sinusitus, due to a deviated septum. Planning to have that fixed ASAP. 

11. I love to cook, and specifically, I like to try out new things. I practically live on the Food Network if the TV is on. 

Blutiful's Questions:

1. What is your goal length - my ultimate goal is mid back length. But the immediate goal at this time is to reach armpit length.

2. Where is your dream vacation - that is a tough one!! Because I want to go everywhere and experience everything! However, at this time, my dream vacation will include one or two of my best friends and we shall invade Thailand, spending some time on the islands, such as Phuket, and a few days in the hustle and bustle that is Bangkok.

3. What do you do for a living - I am a legislative drafter with the Ministry of Justice of Namibia.

4. What is the weirdest thing/food you have ever eaten - that would be a tie between alligator and freshwater eel. Both very yummy!

5. What's your most used phrase/word - "For the love of Zeus!!"

6. What's your favorite hair product - ORS Replenishing Conditioner

7. What is your most annoying habit - I talk too much. I hijack entire conversations. I don't mean to, my friends have just pointed out to me that I do it, so I have been keeping an eye on myself.

8. What state do you currently reside - I live in the beautiful little city of Windhoek in the gorgeous country of Namibia.

9. Who is your hair crush - holy hell, sooooo many!! But ultimately Jeni for Just Grow Already. It is so long, and healthy and strong. It is truly droolworthy!

10. What's your favorite season - that would be Autumn/Fall. Not too hot, not too cold, just perfect. And I can start whipping out the boots. I LOVE high boots!

11. What is your favorite place to eat - I don't eat out often. But I do love seafood, so throw me into any GOOD seafood place, and I am happy as a clam. On the other hand, I also LOVE me some red meat, and The Peppercorn in Windhoek, has AMAZING steaks. 

My nominees for the Liebster Award are as follows:

• Jo-Ann from Grow African Hair Long
• Tomi from Tomes Edition
• Melissa from Relaxed Hair Care Guynana
• Candice from Healthy Hair Diary

And of course I nominate anyone else who's in the mood. Just link me up in the comments below :-)

Here are MY questions:

1. Are you a gamer in any way? If so, Playstation or X-Box?

2. Which countries have you travelled to in your life? I you haven't been out of your home country, what is the top 3 countries on your travel must see list?

3. If you could be a fictional character, who would you be and why?

4. What is your favorite board game?

5. What is the most frustrating thing to you about your hair?

6. What song instantly gets you on your feet and sway those hips?

7. Describe your happiest hair day

8. Lefty or righty?

9. Are you into sports at all? If so, what is your favorite, either to participate or to watch?

10. Red lipstick or pink lipgloss?

11. Most HATED hair care product?

Enjoy y'all. I am off to the gym for the first time in 2014. 

2013 is behind us

And I need to kick butt in 2014.

Good morning everyone, and I trust that you all said a hearty goodbye to 2013 and welcomes in 2014 with open arms.

Let me quickly tell you how my 2014 started, literally on the 1st of January. My car's window got smashed and everything that wasn't nailed down, was stolen. On top of that my car's electronics decided to pack up and the car won't start. It won't move an inch. I spent a fortune having it towed back home, and the workshop isn't open until next week, so for the next couple of weeks I will be cabbing it and relying on the goodness of friends to get around.

Because of all of this stress (you go and stand at the offices of Home Affairs to apply for a new ID and tell me that is not stressful) I haven't really been taking care of my hair as I should have and also the stress is coming out IN my hair, as in LOTS of breakage and shedding. I don't even have a decent pic of what my hair is doing right now. I know though that the nape on my right side has broken off badly. It is an inch shorter than the left. I also have demarcation breakage, especially around my crown and where I part my hair. I'm struggling to keep my new growth soft and moisturized and my ends are ugly and straggly, at least to me. What makes me extra sad is that it seems as if all of this has only been happening in the last couple of weeks, because in general I have had a pretty good year.

Here's my 2013 in quick review:

HITS:

1. Protective Styling. I retained QUITE a bit of length during Ebony from Longing4Length's Protective Styling challenge. I realise now that I need to be more diligent regarding protective styling and then I will kick ass again in 2014.

2. Bagging my ends. I did this quite often in 2013, but I have been slacking the past few months and my ends are testament to that. Must step it up!

3. Dark & Lovely Amla Legend 1001 Oils Wrap Cream. This moisturizer is the bizniz! My tub ran out and I need to stock up again. Since it has run out, I have been struggling to maintain my moisture/protein balance, but Clicks didn't have stock. Seems like I'm not the only one who loves this product. On the next trip to the store I am going to get at least two tubs of this stuff.

4. Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. This stuff is AWESOME! Who would have thought that a silicone free conditioner would have so much slip? It is great as an instant smoothing conditioner, and it puts oodles of moisture in my hair prior to a light protein DC. It is is officially a staple for me.

5. Sunflower oil. Yes, normal sunflower oil that one usually cooks with. My hair loved this stuff, although I have only prepoo'd with it so far. Will be stocking up on nice BIG bottles because I wanna try oil rinses very soon!

MISSES:

1. Stretching too long between relaxers. I am currently a little over 3 months post, and I already bought my ORS Olive Oil No Lye kit. Planning to tackle my head tonight after work and gym. Stretching too long leads to trouble for me and it is NOT worth it.

2. Keeping in twists for longer than 6 weeks. My hair does like protective styling, but long term protective styles can only be kept in for 6 weeks at a time, otherwise my hairline and nape HATE me.

3. Trying too many new products all at once. I scolded myself HARD for doing this, and my hair hated the assault of a LOT of new things at the same time. Never making this mistake again. I am really going to try and get OFF the product junkie wagon.

4. Aussie Conditioner. NEVER AGAIN. It is expensive and my hair hates it! It freaking CREATED knots instead of smoothing them out. And on top of that, it didn't penetrate my hair al all, it just SAT there.

5. Amla Legend Deep Treatment. Not a big fan. It also just SITS on the hair, even when heat is applied. Hair does not feel extra smooth, soft or strong. It does cause damage the way the Aussie did, but it's not worth it. Will not repurchase.


So, I have a couple of goals for the year of 2014, and the first thing I am going to do is to have a trim. Yes, I don't want to lose length, but right now, my hair is not at optimum health. Health ofer length, otherwise the length will NEVER come. So, I am going to make an appointment with my OLD stylist, give her VERY strict instructions regarding the trim and then start 2014 fresh hair wise.

Further goals:

1. Reach APL by March damnit!!!!!!!!!

2. Reach full BSL by December 2014 latest.

3. Ensure the health of my hair and body by drinking enough water, exercising consistently and eating well.

4. Following on #3 - be anal regarding going to the gym. Minimum 3 times a week. Add to that daily brisk walks around the block every day. Lose 10% of my current body weight by end of February 2014.

5. Look after myself better. When I feel sick, actually go to the doctor!! I have excellent coverage (I'm pretty sure I can't exhaust it) so this self medicating thing and not going to my very excellent GP, needs to stop. (As I'm typing this, I have a KILLER headache. Note to self: call Dr. de Villiers!)

6. Buy a new car. My French love affair is over. Me and my Citroen have had a good run, but it is time to move on. I'm not saying that I'm going to buy a new car next week, but before 2014 is out, I will have new wheels.

7. Travel. I don't care where to, but I MUST go somewhere far away this year. Here's looking at you Europe!

And then in general, just be a better person. Love more, give more, stand up for what I believe in more, work harder, laugh louder, dance more and just live my life to the fullest.

What are your goals for the new year?
Here's wishing all of you a fantastic 2014! Be blessed and happy growing!

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!
\
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!