No more splits!

Heya y'all!

Yeah, I've been a little quiet, partly because I have been sick as a dog! I will update y'all on EVERYTHING bit by bit.

Right now though I am informing y'all that I am joining Jeni from JustGrowAlready in the 30 Days without Split Ends Challenge. I haven't been part of a hair challenge in a long time and I think this will help me get back on track where my hair care is concerned.

The rules are simple. Apart from the sign up it basically says that one should simply change one's regimen in at least one way to help reduce/prevent split ends.

Here's some of the changes I'm going to make:

1. ZERO direct heat for the rest of the month. Thus no blow drying, no flat ironing and NO going to the salon!
2. Intensify deep conditioning by doing overnight prepoo sessions and by adding sunflower oil (ceramides) to all conditioners.
3. Protective styling as much as possible. As much as I love showing off my length (come on! I never could before) I need to step up my pin up and braiding game to protect what I have gained.
4. Have a dusting at the end of the month if necessary.

I am hoping that the results are that not only am I rejuvenated in my journey but that I can enter summer being past APL.

What changes would you make to your regimen?

Happy Monday!

I've been on hiatus for a while, but I'm back!!

Hello there everyone

Apologies for not having checked in in a while, I haven't truly felt very motivated to write about what's going on inside my head, or on top of it really. I have been feeling very tired and run down, and it took all of my energy just to focus on getting through each day. Thank the Lord though, I did get through each day and although I still feel tired (I need Easter weekend to hurry up and get here!) I feel a little better about life in general. It might be because the weather is cooling down my side of the world, which means less energy zapping scorching heat. I love summer as much as the next person, but remember, I practically live in a desert! When it gets hot, we all feel like limp lettuce leaves!

In the beginning of March I finally did what I have been threatening to do for a WHILE and I got myself weaved up. I did a full weave with no leave out and used a pack of Bobbi Boss hair. The lady that did the install was GREAT. She listened to my needs and attended to them. My tracks were done nice and securely without feeling tight or uncomfortable in any way. I told her beforehand to treat my hair as if I had the scalp of a five year old. After she did the install I did feel a little weird, but it was all good at the end of the day. I got quite a few compliments from friends and I felt good about doing intense protective styling for a change. I needed to rev up my retention and I thought that doing the weave during the last hot humid month of summer is the perfect time, as it is before my growth rate slows down a bit. I decided to have a realistic length that is not THAT much longer than my own, and it paid off, as it looked a little more natural than a superlong weave would have looked.

Weaved up at a St Patrick's Day party. 

During the month that I was wearing the weave I washed my hair 3 times, making sure to massage between the tracks and to get conditioner on not only my own hair but also on the weave. I also made sure to spritz me hair with a moisturiser and oiled my scalp a couple of times a week. I did make a mistake regarding the colour of the hair (colour 1) as in the beginning it made me look very much like a lost member of the Addams family. The black dye however washed out every time I washed my hair and after two washes it did not look as stark against my relatively fair skin. I doubt that I will buy this hair again though, as it shed HORRIBLY. I felt like a chia pet - every time I got up from the couch I found hair on the pillows!! But considering that I only wore the hair for a month, I guess it was okay considering that the hair was not very expensive, and also I don't see the sense in spending thousands of dollars (in my country's currency) if I'm not going to wear the hair for longer than 6 weeks. And after 4 weeks I got BORED.

So last Friday I went to the salon to take the weave out and for a wash and blow out. The same girl who did the install also took it out. I explained again to her that I am anal and paranoid about my hair and about breakage and that she needs to be uber gentle. She responded in kind and worked with soft hands, which I guess explains why it took quite a while to get the hair out and my tracks loose and detangled. And holy smokes!!!! The amount of shed hair that came out of there!! See below - I looked at it from all angles to make sure that it is indeed all shed hair and glory hallelujah! There was a little bit of breakage, which I guess is to be expected, but it accounted for maybe 10 % of that hair ball, so I'm pretty happy. It DOES confirm to me though that I need to revisit tea rinses for the shedding.

Check out that hairball!!

After detangling my hair I went to get my hair washed. I was silly and did not check what shampoo and conditioner they used. The shampoo girl continued to work with a gentle hand and even though it FELT like my hair was breaking when she detangled again whilst my hair was soaked in conditioner, she showed me the comb and there was VERY little hair in it. Cue happy dance!

She deep conditioned my hair with ORS Replenishing Pak with heat by parking me under the dryer for about 15-20 minutes, after which she rinsed, applied Bone Straight Conditioner as leave in and heat protectant and and then proceeded to roller set my hair. I'm about 3 months post and have quite a bit of new growth, so it was nice to have it handled by someone else other than myself. After my hair was set in the rollers I was parked again under the dryer, again for only 15-20 minutes, after which my hair was dry. Yes, that dryer is AWESOME, it warms uniformly and it hit even the rollers by my nape.

After removing the rollers I was given a quick blow out before my hair was completely straightened by a GHD flat iron. Yes, it's a lot of direct heat, but it happens so rarely in general that I felt okay with it. And I loved the results! My hair LOOKED as if I had a touch up done when she was done. And I am claiming APL!!!!!! Irony of course - my hair still doesn't FEEL long - it feels very much medium. But I'm happy, because I think I actually have Olivia Pope length hair now, heehee.

 Even ends! Oh happy day!

Office bathroom selfie!!

I'm getting there!! Slowly but surely, I'm getting there!

So now that I'm dealing with my own hair again, I will be more active on this here blog, especially since I feel even more inspired now, by the fact that I NEVER thought I could even reach this current length that I am. I am planning to protective style normally for the month of April by means of French and Dutch braids, buns and pin ups. I want to see if I can stretch to 16 weeks without breakage, so I'm also planning to be very active regarding keeping my moisture-protein balance in check. I shall be revisiting tea rinses for the freaking shedding and I shall also consider picking up a wig, but with regard to the latter, I need to sort out the budget first, as the month is filled with family birthdays AND a friend's wedding, which is out of town.

Essentially, at the end of the day, I am happy with the progress I made this past month and I shall be protective styling more intensely more often so as to up my retention.

What has everybody else been up to??
Have a great week ahead y'all!

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. 

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!

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!

August - damn!! There's only 4 months left of 2013!

Alrighty then, this is it. We are officially in the last third of the year, the last stretch. The stretch where we are all in a slump. We're tired, we're still getting sniffles because of the damn schizophrenic winter we're having and we're already dreaming of our December summer getaways!

But before we get all caught up in daydreams of days on the beach, we need to focus on the here and now. And on that note I have finally come up with my August goals, both regarding hair health and physical health, I'm gonna deal with them separately.

AUGUST HAIR GOALS:

1. On 17 August I will be 12 weeks post. So far, my new growth has been behaving itself, so I'm not sure at this time whether I'm going to do a touch up exactly at 12 weeks or wait a little bit. The goal however remains the same - MOISTURIZE AND SEAL hair every day, thus keeping new growth AND length of hair healthy and happy. 

2. DUST ENDS. I've been experiencing a little breakage and I suspect that one of the main causes is the fact that I haven't trimmed or even dusted my ends in ages. Hanging onto raggedy ends is also not good for retention so I need to get myself a decent pair of shears and then snip it off. 

3. CO -WASH at least once a week, separately from normal wash days. I'm back in the gym and I believe co washing will be most beneficial, and will also reduce manipulation as I plan to air dry my hair in a bun on days that I co-wash. 

4. PROTECTIVE STYLING at least 4 days of the week, every week. I am still considering having box braids installed, just need to find the time and energy to sit down for 4-5 hours straight. 

5. GO BACK TO BASICS on major wash days i.e. prepoo, shampoo, instant condition, deep condition, leave in conditioner, roller set, air dry in rollers, NOT rushing any steps. 

AUGUST HEALTH AND FITNESS GOALS:

1. Drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day. 

2. Go to the gym a minimum of 4 times a week. 

3. For the month of August, simply focus on cardio. On gym days, do at least an hour of cardio, alternating between the eliptical machine, the treadmill, stationary cycle and stair climber. BE CAREFUL WITH ANKLE!!

4. Sauna/steam room once a week. Take conditioner with to the gym and squeeze in a deep conditioning session at the same time. 

5. Keep calorie intake to 1200 per day, no more, no less. More means taking in too much, less means my body goes into starvation mode and all weightloss efforts are for naught. 

6. Limit carb intake to two days a week. On other days of the week focus on lean protein, fruits and veggies. 

7. Get a damn MULTIVITAMIN and drink it daily!

And there you have it folks, my goals for the month of August. they say that whenever one starts a fitness program or regime, that it takes 4 weeks for you to notice, 8 weeks for your friends and family to notice and 12 weeks for the world to notice that you've been shedding weight and becoming leaner and more toned. I've come to realize that it kind of applies to hair as well, lol. Point is, I refuse for this time to be a false start, especially regarding my weight and health. Summer my side of the world is around the corner and there is no way on God's green earth that I'm going to be play hide away the wobbly bits again! So send out those positive vibes everybody, I'm gonna need it! 

Anybody got some specific goals for the month of August? Have a super Tuesday!

July revisited. Welcome August!

Hola people. The last month of winter is upon us, and so are the August winds. Not looking forward to the latter. Am however looking forward to slightly warmer days.

Well, without further ado, let's see how it went regarding my goals for July:

1. Drink 1-2 liters of water a day. WIN! Even though it was hard at times, being freaking COLD, I pulled it off.

2. Do the freaking tea rinses!! FAIL. I did a singular tea rinse. Oh well, better luck next time.

3. Minimize manipulation of my hair. WIN. I finger combed more often instead of using a comb and I generally left my hair alone once pinned up. I must now just continue on this path!

4. Intensify moisturizing my new growth. FAIL. I only started paying serious attention to this during the last two weeks of the month. I'm about 9 weeks post now, so I MUST step it up!

5. Limit simple carbohydrate consumption and increase consumption of fruits, veggies and lean meat dishes. Keep daily calorie count to 1200. Pretty much a WIN, if one does not take into account the caloric intake via alcohol. It's been a crazy month...

6. Intensify deep conditioning by adding heat to every DC session this month. FAIL. Realized I REALLY need a hooded dryer to do this. Sitting with my hairdryer in my hand for 15-30 minutes - ain't nobody got time for that!

7. Cover hair with silk scarf the minute I get home, every day.  WIN.

Once again, seems like a pretty 50/50 month. Still thinking of August goals since I really wanna get braided up, so will just wait and see.

In the meantime, have a great phuza Thursday everybody!!

July goals - time to get serious!

Good morning everybody!

I trust everyone's having a good hump day so far. I've got a headache sent straight from Hades, but it's still a pretty beautiful day.

We have officially entered the second half of 2013. Here in sunny Windhoek it is however still chilly and nippy as we're in the middle of winter. Winter is not a friend to one's hair, and the cold air, accompanied with warm soups and drinks also makes one a little lazy to actually put in the required effort. Which is why I need to amp up my goals for this month, and perhaps also add some body and health related goals in there. Summer is only 4 months away (we don't really get to experience spring) and I cannot continue to look like a pale blob.

So here goes - goals for July:

1. Drink 1-2 liters of water a day. It went pretty well last month, and so I trust that I can continue to keep it up.

2. Do the freaking tea rinses!! I must really do at least 2 tea rinses this month, no excuses shall be accepted.

3. Minimize manipulation of my hair. I must truly try to limit manipulation, including combing to once every 48 hours, it can only be benficial for my retention.

4. Intensify moisturizing my new growth. I'm about 4, maybe 5 weeks post now. My new growth is showing and they need to be pampered.

5. Limit simple carbohydrate consumption and increase consumption of fruits, veggies and lean meat dishes. Keep daily calorie count to 1200.

6. Intensify deep conditioning by adding heat to every DC session this month.

7. Cover hair with silk scarf the minute I get home, every day.  Even though I always sleep with my hair protected, sometimes a person forgets that lounging on the couch can also zap the moisture out of one's hair. So, the minute I get home, I need to pretect it even if I'm just watching a movie on the couch.


And those are my goals for the month. What are your goals for this month?
Have a happy hum day everybody!

And it's the end of June...

and now the big question is how did I do with regard to my goals. I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.

1. No heat usage - FAIL. I blow dried my hair once this month, and my hair did not thank me.

2. Limit manipulation - I think this was a WIN. Although I didn't manage to limit it to once a day every day, my manipulation of my hair was WAY less than usual thanks to protective styling.

3. Cute protective style that I can wear for at least 48 hours - WIN. And I call it my big fake hair twisted bun!! Will put pics on soon.

4. Wash my hair twice a week - WIN. Wash days fell on Sundays and Wednesdays, with Wednesday washes being "mini washes" and Sundays being "major" washes.

5. Moisturize and seal daily - WIN. I would do it in the evenings, wrap my hair with my satin scarf and my hair would feel awesome all day the next day.

6. Baggy my end at least 3 times a week - FAIL. I managed to baggy my ends once a week only. I should step it up! My hair loves it!

7. Drink 2 liters of water a day - WIN. My skin is also thanking me.

8. Do at least 2 tea rinses for the month - epic FAIL! Will definitely put this on the to do list for July again and hopefully actually DO it.

Well, like I said, short and sweet. How did everyone else's month go? I'm out, have a great Friday everyone.
Happy growing and blessed living!!

Goals for the month of JUNE

I have been struggling. My hair is at an awkward stage. Well, it's awkward for me, considering that it is longer than it has ever been in my adult life and thus I don't really know what the freak to do with it style wise. I want to continue with protective styling, as I saw first hand how beneficial it was to my retention. At the same time, I do not want to be bored. In addition, because of the extra length, I'm struggling a bit with my pin ups and thus need to learn new ways to pin up my hair. In any event, I decided to set out clear goals for myself for this month. Maybe if I focus on the GOALS, bordeom and frustration can be kept at bay.

1. NO heat usage. I am only one week post, I really don't need to use heat in any way, sense or form. So it should be easy for me to stay away from  it. 
2. Limit manipulation (including combing, brushing, fiddling) to a ONCE a day thing. See, this is challenge for me, because I grew up with this notion that hair is combed in the morning and in the evening before bed. I am going to attempt to cut out all night time manipulation.
3. As a follow up to the above, try to find a cute protective style that I can wear for at least 48 hours straight. (And it stays cute for the whole 48 hours!)
4. Wash my hair twice a week. It's winter over here in sunny Namibia and the air is dry and biting cold. The extra moisture from an additional wash day can only be beneficial.
5. Moisturize and seal DAILY. I have been slacking on that front and my ends are complaining.
6. Speaking of ends, I must baggy them at least 3 times a week.
7. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Yes it's cold, but my hair and skin will thank me for the moisture and nourishment from within.
8. Do at least two tea rinses this month. I'm still experiencing a shedding problem, regardless of the garlic supplements I've been taking, so I need to try those tea rinses again!

Those are my goals for the coming month. If I accomplish ALL of them, I am going to reward myself with AN ACTUAL SALON VISIT.

Anyone have any specific goals for this month?
Happy growing and blessed living everyone.



The Longing4Length Protective Styling Challenge

Here we go people. 2013 is upon us and I have decided to join in on Ebony's Protective Styling Challenge. My hair clearly DOES NOT like the summer. I have been experiencing breakage and shedding and I am truly hoping that this challenge will help me kick start my retention. I'm STILL not at full shoulder length and therefore shall be using my last length check photo as my starting pic as I have literally made NO progress since then, and thus I am very sad. At the same time I am SUPER motivated.

So here's where I am right now:

Here are the rules for the challenge: 

• A protective style for purposes of this challenge is defined as any style in which your ends are not exposed or touching your clothing.  Buns, updos, french braids, french rolls, etc all count.
• You may only wear your hair down for 7 days throughout the entire three months total!  Whether you choose to do one week, a couple of weekends or not at all – you only have a 7 day allowance.
• Only one direct heat pass but try not to use it at all!
• Protective styles means your ends must be hidden, so half up/half down ‘dos don’t count!
• Must deep condition your hair at least two times per month.
• You are not excluding from using fake hair – wigs, weaves, extensions, crochet braids, etc.

And there you have it. I am planing to braid up my hair soon, perhaps even within the next week so as to help me KEEP MY HANDS OUT OF MY HAIR. I am hoping to have a VERY swanging head of hair after this 3 month challenge and also find new and innovative and cute ways to protective style my hair which would benefit it most. 

Anyone else joining a challenge or two?

It's Monday...not sure how I feel about it...

My weekend was AMAZING. The Windhoek Jazz Festival was off the hook, my personal high points being the stunning Lira and the amazing Shishani. Lira worked the stage in a manner I have never seen before, and her band, holy mother of Zeus, her band gave me goosebumps! Shishani is truly a local gem, every time I see her perform she steals my heart yet again with that soulful, powerful voice and her meaningful lyrics, wrought with emotions across the spectrum. It truly was a night to remember. Thank you once again to Ms Ashante Manetti - awesome friend of note AND she rocked the stage as the MC!

And now it's Monday, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I feel like I need copious amounts of coffee. Also, I need my shuffle function to read my mood and put together a playlist accordingly. I do have a couple of goals for the week specifically. I need to get to the gym, I have been very lazy in that department. The irony - this morning I'm wearing a shirt that only months ago I couldn't even consider wearing as it was too small. Somehow I'm becoming smaller whilst not putting in nearly as much effort as I should. I'm kind of hoping that my metabolism got a bit of kick in the nuts as that would be awesome!

Second goal is to up the moisture to a high degree to the hair growing out of my head. I'm rocking a knot out and somehow instead of  waves and coils and a few curls (which have been the results of past knot outs) today I look like orphan Annie (from the musical) or Curly Sue - the curls are tight and springy, and I think it may be the go to style for the week as the reversion from sweating in the gym won't be as obvious and would actually aid the curls in being more springy, lol. The down side?? I feel like I lose more hair than usual during the detangling and retwisting processes. At the same time, as I'm a good 10 weeks post, my NG, if stretched, is going to shrink like crazy whilst working out and that's a pain in the butt that I simply do not have the energy for. At the same time, I need to baby my entire head considering that I want to touch up in a week or two. I really feel like I'm not sure what to freaking do! I do know one thing for sure - I am LOOKING forward to the touch up, lol. It is becoming nicely hot and humid and it'll simply make my life easier. Third goal is also hair related - protein treatments in preparation for the touch up. I'm planning to use the ORS Intense Masque again, this time for a good 15 minutes, to make sure that my hair is at its optimal strength when the time comes.

Goal nr 4 - sort out my freaking wardrobe!! I swear, every morning I stand in front of my closet and I feel utterly clueless! Clueless I tell you, and the reason for that is because I have not packed AWAY my winter clothes yet and a lot of my summer clothes are DEEP in the closet, which means scratching like a crazed person and leaving a mess before having to go to work, smh. So, I need to start properly packing away the winter clothes, organizing the summer stuff and also, I need to find something to serve purpose as a linen closet - my linens are with my clothes, taking up a lot of space, and it's making the entire situation a little too cramped!

Goal nr 5 - go see where I can get shelves that I can easily install myself to my walls. I'm planning on printing and framing a LOT of pictures and I don't have the space to display them, so I need to CREATE space. I need to check out the places that sell them, compare and choose and then work out the budget for next month as I'm planning to do it then as birthday gift to myself.

And lastly, but in my mind more pressingly - I need to find a turkey for Thanksgiving! And a birthday gift for my godson! And it's already the 5th of November!! See, things like these make me unsure of how to feel about the fact that it's Monday...again...

In the meantime, have a good week everyone!

A bit of a ramble, and review

So, this week I've been trying to keep my hands out of my hair as much as possible by bunning, moisturizing like a crazy person and this coming weekend I'm planning to spoil my tresses with a moisturizing prepoo AND deep conditioning treatment. I really feel that I can practically see being full shoulder length and with summer on our doorstep I want to do the most I could possibly do. 

I quickly want to talk about the moisturizer I'm currently using, Revlon's Super Soft Activator, a water and glycerin based product also containing a couple of silicones. I bought a small bottle for N$ 14 (about US$ 2) and it's been lasting quite a while as I've only been using it sporadically. For the past week however I have been drenching moisturizing my hair with this stuff every day and sealing with either coconut oil or ORS Olive Oil hair dressing, wrapped it up and went to bed. My hair is SUPER soft, just like the name says, and it does feel very nice and moisturized. Only one negative point, it does make my hair feel slightly sticky and a little limp, as if there's build up, and I'm guessing it's from the cones. I will definitely have to give my hair a nice thorough shampoo this weekend. Regarding the moisturizer, next week I'm going to experiment my diluting it with water and putting it in a spritz bottle and then using THAT to moisturize and see how the results differ. 

I've realised that my hair must be pretty porous. Why I say this: this weekend I washed and roller set my hair twice, Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Both days I used Clicks Repair and Restore Shampoo (lower in sulphates, nice and gentle) Pantene Smooth and Sleek Conditioner as rinsing conditioner and my usual leave ins of Avon 3D Rescue, ORS Glossing Polisher and Bone Straight. On Friday I used the Clicks Repair and Restore Masque as treatment and on Sunday the ORS Replenishing Pak as DC.(I LOVE the smell of the Replenishing Pak. And the slip. And how it makes my hair feel like BUTTER.) I started roller setting while my hair was soaking wet. When I was completely done, the hair around the first three rollers was practically bone dry already. I realised that my hair drying that quickly must be due to the porous nature of my hair and the fact that moisture escapes quickly. Thus the experiment this week with the Super Soft Activator. 

I have no idea what products are available here in Namibia which  can use to correct the porosity of my hair, but I am on a mission to find out. Dry hair equals breakage which equals crappy retention, and I want ALL the retention I can get. So, if anybody knows of a product or regimen change which would help my current situation I'm ALL ears. In the meantime, I am going to attempt consistent care and TLC, keep my hands OUT of my hair, keep the heat FAR away from my tresses for as long as possible and keep my true length hidden from myself and other for as LONG as possible. Planning an official length check and "reveal" in December around the time of my birthday, and I am praying to not be disappointed. Have a fabulous Thursday peeps, and remember, if you're having a phuza Thursday tonight, be safe!

Weekend hair plans

Good morning people and happy Friday to all. We are having the most awesome Friday, the weather is lovely, although it does create a longing for pancakes and one's bed. It's over cast and humid, and the rain is looming over the horizon - Summer is officially here! And it's only October.

Last weekend my social calender was quite full and busy, this weekend the set plan is a motorsport event, King of Spin, tomorrow and it starts relatively early, which means that I need to start my hair pampering tonight if I wish to look like a decent human being tomorrow. Of course, I have plans to get drinks with a possible gentleman suitor tonight, so I don't really know how I'm going to squeeze everything in, but it needs to be done.

Okay the long and the short of my plans is to do the major wash day routine and maybe split it over the course of tonight and tomorrow morning. Prepoo with cheapie conditioner and coconut oil, wash, do a black tea rinse, detangle with Pantene Smooth and Sleek conditioner and DC with Clicks Repair and Nourish Conditioning Mask tonight, keeping on the deep conditioner overnight. In the morning, rinse the DC and roller set, using usual leave-in's and drying hair with dryer on cool, but fast setting. When hair is dry I'll decide then on the style to employ, but one thing is certain - NO HEAT shall be applied to my hair.

Now I feel the need to ramble a little bit with regard to the fact that I REALLY REALLY want to reach full shoulder length by the end of the year, which gives me a bare 2 months to kick up the retention and thus I need to be extra gentle and extra caring. I am actively hiding my full length currently by wearing buns and pining my hair up, however sometimes I can't help myself, when prepping for bed, combing out my hair to see what's happening. And it annoys me to no end that the front half of my hair is not thriving as much as the back. I know that one must be patient, but I am not the most patient person on earth and I am wondering what else I can do to increase growth and retention without looking like sorry sad Susie who's hair is always in a bun. Protective styling is not all that fun.

So apart from my general goals, I'm going to add another - actively find cute protective styles so as to retain every millimeter of growth. I'm currently 6 weeks post and thus have another 6 weeks to go before touching up and I need to baby and nourish my new growth even more than ever before, especially around my nape and hairline, so as to minimize breakage and shedding. I am hoping that all of the effort (which I have not done prior to this journey of mine) will reap many fruit so that one day other ladies can approach me and ask me how in the world did I get my hair to grow so long and healthy and shiny. I know it's petty, wanting others to envy me a little, but I've never denied the size and fragile nature of my ego, she loves such boosts.

So that's my ramble for the day. What's everybody's plans for this weekend? Whatever y'all do, be safe and have fun!

Goals for the month to come

The first month of spring is over and we are experiencing hotter and hotter weather, but the humidity levels have not quite risen as much as I hoped and thus I am experiencing a little dryness, which I will be focusing on for the month of October. 

I'm gonna keep this short, so as to not overload myself, as exams are also around the corner. 

• Moisturize and seal twice a day. I have become lazy in this department, only sealing in the evenings, and I need to do it more than that, I can feel it. 
• Continue rocking the knot outs but pro-actively learn how to do them with less manipulation and a softer touch. The knot outs hide my true length, and I think it's good
• Get back to basics - MY basics. I have been gallivanting with a million different products, trying everything new, experimenting, become a junkie. I'm going to scale down big time and get back to my staples - Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner, ORS Hair Mayonnaise, Pantene Moisturizing DC, coconut oil, castor oil, ORS Hair Fertilizer, ORS Glossing Polisher, roller setting. I believe that I will get more consistent results with these base products and a consistent approach. 
• Moisturizing DC once to twice a week, ONE protein DC for the month. I've experienced over load before, the memory still haunts me, and I am not making the same mistake again! 
• Scalp massages with the castor oil the night before wash days, intense massages, especially around the hairline. Followed with overnight coconut oil prepoo. 
• BABY my nape. I've been having some bad breakage and it needs to stop! It's messing with my mojo.
• NO HEAT for the entire month. NONE. 

The ultimate goal is that I need the front half of my hair to catch up with the back, my nape to stop breaking and my hairline to fill out even more. Hot on the heels of that, I want retention without obsessing, thus hiding the true length for at least another month. I want my hair to feel soft and lush and nourished. And I want to STOP spending SO much money on hair products, OMG, it's ridiculous. 

So, those are my goals for October. Regarding this immediate weekend, I'm going to the hottest party in town - rocking the bantu knot out, fierce make up, and a head turning outfit. Will attempt pics, decent ones this time. Happy Friday everybody, and blessed weekend!!

History and being conscious of it

You are who you were...

The choices and decisions that you have made in the past directly affect who and what you are now...

One cannot be angry at someone else or blame circumstances for the life that you are living. Yes, some things are out of our control, some things we must leave to God and the fates, but we are in so much control, but we relinquish that control so easily, we are scared of the responsibility attached to it. We fear having to OWN who we are and what we do. And as adults it is exactly what what we're supposed to do. 

For example, I am not where I wanted to be at this age in my career. I'm still doing grunt work, while many of peers are in management already. I'm still the office gofer, while my peers in my field are becoming partners in their respective firms. I still live in a tiny bachelor's apartment, while others are buying property. But I know that nobody caused my current circumstances but me, and I own it, for I have had experiences that quite a few of my peers have not. I have traveled more, I have seen more, I have experienced more. I annoy the hell out of my friends sometimes when we're watching a movie and then I suddenly shout out "I was there! I saw that place up close and personal, it was so cool!" 

At the same time I am now very aware that the decisions I make today WILL affect my life tomorrow, and it can be across the range. Party a little too hard on Friday equals feeling like absolute horse crap on Saturday. Spend too much money at the beginning of the month equals being ridiculously broke 2 weeks before pay day already. Eat too much over lunch equals feeling bloated afterwards and probably also gaining an extra pound or two. Skip the gym too often equals not losing that extra pound or two. Not working hard equals pissing off your boss and putting your professional career in jeopardy. Not studying hard enough equals poor marks which puts a dent in your academic career. 

Like Einstein said, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and thus I believe that we must become much more conscious of our daily, weekly, monthly actions instead of blaming and shaming everyone else. Your LIFE is YOUR responsibility. Even if things happen that are beyond your control, what IS in your control is how you handle it, how you react to it, how you deal with it. Even if it means simply acknowledging that BS is happening and that you'll get through it somehow, such as the fact that I expect service from a service provider, and I expect quick efficient service especially if I iterate  that it's urgent and I needed it done yesterday. Yes, it's not really fair to put pressure on someone due a delay caused by something out of your control. But it is fair to expect courteousness and understanding. And I didn't get it. I could jump up and down, stomp my foot, become a nasty human being who's never going to get anywhere with this service provided EVER. Or I can smile, say thank you, walk out with head high and then blow up his superior's phone. I opted for the latter, and my blood pressure thanks me.  We're entering the weekend and I refuse that some stuck up bureaucrat spoil my day or my weekend. 

Now, I will end this by turning this entire life reality towards hair care (this is after all partly a journal chronicling my hair journey). What one does today, will be evident tomorrow. I had a thought earlier about how my mom took care of my hair as a kid and what the hell happened after I moved away to varsity, the differences in our approaches and the resultant effects. And I realised that my mom had some good practices, which I could replicate a bit now as an adult, of course altering it a little bit, and some I have already. Heat usage is minimal, roller setting is the norm and a good slippy conditioner is a staple. What I can reincorporate from my childhood would be more low to now manipulation hairstyles and gentler detangling. (Yeah, I struggle with it a bit more now that I actually have longer hair to deal with) What's new now which I never did as a kid is pre-pooing, deep conditioning and daily moisturizing, all of which I'm going to amp up, as I want luscious hair sooner rather than later. 

There is NO easy way to reach ANY goal, whether it be in life, work, play or even your hair. What I do now will be evident tomorrow, and thus, I plan to, in all areas of my life, be more conscious of my actions and decisions, as I truly want the BEST life I can have. 

Getting back in the groove of things

Yes, spring time means more energy, more sunlight during the day and summer is around the corner bringing with it short skirts, strapless tops and dresses and bathing suits. Spring time also means that for the first time in 3-4 months one actually LOOKS at your naked body (it's too chilly in winter to examine - out the bath, into warm pj's!!) and realise that you've gone and turned into the Michelin Man  or Pillsbury Dough Boy during the months of Fall and Winter. Damn you clam chowder!! 

Regardless, spring also means that one actually has renewed vigor and renewed inspiration to be in the gym and work it! I know I do. So, the plan is simple - work out at least 5 days a week, eat PLENTY of veggies and salads and fruits, up the protein and decrease the carbs, and drink water like I'm being paid. 

Regarding my hair whilst working out - get a VERY cheap conditioner for co-washing (shampoo wash only twice a week), start trying twist outs and braid out, and protective styling up the yazoo. I just realised, I should get a sweatband! 

Goals regarding weight loss and health - lose 6-8 pounds by the end of September, gain 5-8% muscle mass during the same time period, bring down blood pressure by 10 points, reduce resting heart rate by 15beats per minute. Goals regarding hair - retain every millimeter of growth, reduce breakage currently being experienced and UP,UP,UP the moisturizing. 

So, here I go. 

Bangin and Swangin Challenge - May

I know, I know, I know. Ebony I apologize for my tardiness. Lol. Everybody, here are my goals for taking part in the B&S challenge hosted by Ebony of Longing4Length, specifically for May:

• GET BACK IN THE GYM - 3-5 times a week, concentrating on cardio
• Incorporate MUCH more fruits and veggies in diet, at least 2-4 servings a day
• Drink the recommended EIGHT glasses of water a day
• Cut down, as in WAY down on refined carbs and sugars
• Lose at least 2 kg

Regarding the hair part of the challenge, for May specifically:

• Be CONSISTENT
• Pre-poo before every wash, alternating between a conditioner pre-poo and oil pre-poo
• DC once a week
• Protein treat once to twice a month (my hair can handle it I realise, but more than that leads to over load and breakage)
• Protective style 90% of the time
• M&S DAILY!!
• Sleep with silk bonnet EVERY NIGHT
• Treat edges with castor oil 3-5 times a week to fill them out. 

Alrighty then. Let the games begin. Happy weekend everybody!!

April goals revisited

I have not been here in a minute, and it's actually a little crazy how it has effected me to the extent that just gearing myself up to write this post took a little bit of doing. But I am back, in full swing and complete glory, and although were almost a third into the 5th month already, I need to revisit my April goals, specifically those regarding my hair. So, to recap, those goals were:

• FINISH at least 3 products from the list below, and it was a success, as I actually finished 6. 
• • Pantene Silky Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner 
  • L'Oreal Elvive Repairing Conditioner 
  • Avon Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner for dry and damaged hair
  • Avon Overnight Elixir
  • ORS Aloe Moisturizing Shampoo
  • ORS Hair Mayonnaise
  • ORS Replenishing Pak Conditioner (1pack)
  • ORS HAIresque Deep Conditioner (1pack)
  • ORS Olive Oil Moisturizing Lotion
  • ORS Olive Oil Moisturizer Hair dress (tub) 
  • ORS Hair Fertilizer
  • Dark and Lovely Ultimate Cholesterol Deep Conditioner
  • Dark and Lovely Anti-Breakage Conditioning Repair Mask
  • Dark and Lovely Beautiful Beginnings Normal Relaxer Kit
  • Dark and Lovely Oil Moisturizer Spray
  • Castor Oil
  • Coconut Oil
  • Pure Glycerin
  • Kair Light Serum
  • Bone Straight Wrap, Blow and Setting lotion
  • Self made leave in consisting of Protein Feed Conditioner, water and glycerin. 
  
  
• Sleep with the SILK BONNET. In general successful, with the exception of maybe six or seven nights the entire month, thus technically a goal achieved. 
• Experiment with some other methods of styling. I DID experiment, a little, but it was not extensive. What I did try was the following:
• phony pony
• phony pony in a bun
• headband covering edges and most of hairline
• wore my hair out (to a wedding, it felt nice)

• Moisturize and seal EVERY DAY! Unsuccessful. On average it happened only every 2nd day, except for the very first week in May. 
• Properly pre-poo before every wash, and deep condition more often this month. Unsuccessful. I did not properly pre-poo before every wash, and I experienced a bit of protein overload this month. I also did not give my self proper time to DC every week, and once only kept the DC in for 10 minutes  without heat instead of 45 with heat. 

Three out of five is not too bad in my mind. From this month on wards I'm taking part in Ms Ebony's Banging & Swanging Challenge from Longing4Length, and those goals will be incorporated in my current regime. The above items will also continue to be part of my regime in my HHJ, as the ultimate aim at the end of the day is to have long, lush, healthy hair. I do think that I am retaining length though, I believe that slowly but surely what I am doing is yielding results. Friends are commenting on how good my hair looks and on how it's grown. I can't wait to hit SL. Till next time all. Have a good one. 

Mid month check in

So, at the beginning of the month I set myself some goals, both personal and hair related. And today I felt the need to check in a little bit about how it's going and to see if I'm making headway regarding the hair related issues.

I'll be 9 weeks post in 2 days time and my new growth is quite noticeable, especially in the middle of my head. Around the hairline I can clearly see and feel it as well, but it's soft and manageable, and trained to a certain degree, because glory hallelujah, I've been a good girl and have slept with my silky wrap almost every night. Once or twice it slipped off my head in the middle of the night, but still, I did not subject my hair to friction against cotton and linen pillow cases.

I also moisturize and seal more frequently since I've given myself a list of goals, although I think it can still be stepped up a notch or two, since there have been days that I skipped the process. I need to thus recommit to doing it EVERY DAY.

I'm unfortunately still in that styling rut. I am however planning to try something new this weekend after my DC process. Speaking of DC, I have succeeded in doing both a dry DC and a post wash DC this month, one being protein and the other moisturizing. I've also succeeded in pre-pooing before every wash, even though once it was not as long and intense as I would have preferred due to timing constraints.

Essentially, I think it's going well. I'm not checking off products that were finished yet, that I'm leaving for the end of the month check in. I must say however, that since I've been on this journey, I am enjoying my hair much more than in the past. Not with regards to styling or wearing it out, but I actually enjoy taking care of it and seeing the fruits of my labour, even when it's a little slow going. This journey is teaching me the art of patience, and I am appreciative of it.