Keep it simple stupid and know what needs to be done

Hey there everybody

So I have a massive week ahead of me due to the fact that I'm back in the office after a week of the flu, so I am just going to give you a quick fast update on my wash day this past weekend and stuff I noticed.

So, I prepoo's with OGX Moroccan Argan Oil conditioner, separating my hair in about 4-6 sections, finger detangling and applying the conditioner and then twisting it up. Covered my hair with a showercap and a head towel and then got my flu ridden body back between the covers and binge watching Spartacus. Now, I must say, that this conditioner does not have the greatest slip and it's not great for me when used as a normal conditioner but my hair LOVES it as a prepoo.

After about an hour and half (aka two episodes of Spartacus) I got to the shower and started actually washing my hair. My hair was buttery soft as I washed out the prepoo. I then shampooed with my trusty Avon Advanced Techniques Supreme Oils shampoo, which is also great. My hair and scalp feels clean without feeling stripped at all. It also lathers like a mofo from just a little bit of product aka value for money. a little goes a long way.

I instant conditioned with one of my London pick-ups (which I am so happy to report, I found a stockist for right here in Windhoek!!!!! and I LOVE this conditioner - Deep Moisturizing Main and Tale conditioner. The first time I used it it was a bit weird because it's this sickly blue colour that one associates with industrial cleansers. But it's magical on knots!! And man! Have I been struggling with single strand knots - they are the bane of my existence! The scent is very light and it melts into my strands, so in shower finger detangling is a dream. This is DEFINITELY going to become a staple!

I then proceeded to deep condition with an old trusted favourite - ORS Replenishing Conditioner. Because I am such a sucker for trying out anything new I have left this oldy but a goody on the back burner. And I really should not have. I really love this DC. I applied it to lightly terry cloth dried hair and then again covered it with the cap and head towel and continued watching Spartacus, also a good 2 episodes worth.

After rinsing I said to myself - Robyn, just because you have a plethora of new products that you want to try and test, DO NOT let this one go! My hair felt SO strong, yet soft. 

I then let my hair air dry a bit whilst getting dressed and what not and then applied my leave-ins of Cantu Shea Butter Leave in and OGX Coconut Milk Serum. 

I then proceeded to roller set and had my hair air dry in the rollers. The Coconut Serum has a slight sticky quality to it, but my hair is soft as silk when dry, so I simply make sure to not use a lot. I have had that bottle for a good 4 months now, it's not even half yet. The Cantu Leave-in is going to last me forever, I swear. I have been using it consistently for about 6-8 washes now and every time I open the jar one would swear that it has never been used. A little truly goes a LONG way.

We had a girl's night planned so I wanted to do something a little different, and since I've been wearing my hair curly for the last few weeks I decided to go straight, ram rod straight. I have this infra-red straightener which imparts such a shine and gloss with a single pass. Because I'm only a few weeks post the straightening sessions went fast AND confirmed to me that my ends are in the best condition in months!!! Trimming really is beneficial people! Unfortunately I don't have a decent pic showing what I did - I sweeped up the left side of my hair and pinned it up so that it LOOKED like I had sheared off the hair on that side and left the right side loose and hanging over my shoulder. I then added a cuff earring to make the look a bit more badass and then off we went!

So stuff I noticed - my hair likes it when I give it a shot of protein every wash day. Not HARD protein every wash day, that would be stupid. But a shot of it nonetheless. I'm getting better with finger detangling and minimizing manipulation. My hair likes being straight but protected. Today I'm wearing a high pony held with a scrunchie (yes, a scrunchie!) my ends out of the way of my scraf and coat collar. The keeping it straight is to help make sure the single strand knots are kept at bay. Also, it's just easier to keep a comb out of my hair when it's straight because then fingers suffice for all things. With curls I tend to want to use a comb to manipulate it in the style I want. Which is not that great, as we all know. But that's also why rollersets are the best - I can get heatless straight hair with my rollersets and a wrap. Also - KISS - keep it simple stupid!

So there ya go! what have you done lately? And what products have you come to love or rediscover? Have a great week everybody!!!

At last, at last!

Hey there all!

So, my life has been a little topsy turvy, but I need to update y'all quickly on what's going on with my hair, including how my washdays have changed in general.

So, wash days: As y'all know I have been struggling with tons of new growth, shedding and breakage and just trying to get my hair under control! Being 6 months post is no joke, and in all honesty, I don't think I'm ready for transitioning, nor am I ready for a big chop. So, the past couple of wash days my mission was to infuse lots of moisture and to strengthen the line of demarcation with layers of protein. So generally lots of coconut oil during the prepoo process and strengthening leave in conditioners. Also, a bit of "experimentation" regarding deep conditioners, since I brought a boat load with me back from the UK.


So let's start with my experiences with a few of them, and first off Roux Porosity Control and Corrector.

As y'all know, I have always said that my hair is quite porous. When roller setting I ALWAYS need to have a spritz bottle of water nearby as my hair air dries quicker than i can roller set. So I got this and tried it for the first time a couple of wash days ago, and I must say, I like it. It's quite slippy and my hair did feel stronger and more supple after using it. Also, my natural hair (which at stage was about 2 inches worth, LOVED it. I have no discernible curl pattern but after rinsing the Roux it looked as if mini ringlets wanted to pop. If I ever go natural, I think that THIS must be a complete staple just for that fact alone!

The next issue that I felt needed to be seriously tackled was the SHEDDING. Like a husky in the summer baby, I was being driven nuts with the amounts of hair I had in my hands after every stage of my wash day regimen. Again I turn to something I found in London. 

So, I have never before heard of nuNaat as a brand but I have read of girls extolling the benefits of garlic in reducing shedding, so when I saw this in a little hole in the wall beauty supply store in Barking, I grabbed it. Also, LOVE! Going to use it again SOON - slippy, very light nice scent (no garlicky smell whatsoever) and it's been a week since I used it - i notice MUCH less shed hair in my comb, so that's a start!

Next up, my new staple leave in.

I have been reading about this leave in conditioner for years! I am about to add myself to the ranks of people who love this leave in. Why? Let me count the ways:

• Big ass jar!!! Generally I hate tubes and stuff where you have to pump out your product so THIS is awesome.
• A little goes a long way! I've used it three times now and the last time I opened the jar it still looked like it has never been used!!! 
• Did I mention BIG ass jar? Now combine that with a little going a long way - this thing is going to last a LONG time, which I am a big fan of!
• My hair has been feeling stronger and softer since I started using it. I still use the MoroccanOil leave in as well, y'all know that is a massive staple for over a year now, but the Cantu is here to stay. (Side note: i need to start a little fund for all these foreign products that I love so that I can import them at ridiculous prices when they finish.)

Other than that, it has been same old same old.

So, news is - I relaxed my hair! After 6 months, two of which I really struggled. 

I self relaxed with the help of my friend, using my staple ORS No Lye for Girls. 

As I've told y'all before, I have a sensitive scalp, even when I base the hell out of it and this kit has been perfect for me for years! Even though it is a milder formula I still add a good table spoon or two of oil to the mixed relaxer, not to texlax, but to give me a few grace minutes. This kit has everything you need, I however did add an additional step - a protein treatment after neutralizing and before using the moisturizing DC they include in the kit. I used Palmers Protein pack and i loved it. Left my hair a bit stiff but that was corrected once I applied the moisturizing DC. 

Then I applied Bone Strait as my leave in and roller set. I LOVE my hair right now. It's STRAIGHT and smooth and soft and all kinds of awesome. Also, now I have at least a good 3 months that I can pamper and take care of it and focus on length retention instead of worrying about the thicket of new growth. It does have that bit of stiffness though that FRESHLY relaxed hair tends to have from the mineral deposits. So this weekend I am planning to wash my hair with a good chelating shampoo and then I will also take lots of pics so that y'all can see what is currently going on on top of my head. 

In meantime, tell me about your experiences with the above products that I've been using? 

Have a great weekend!

Re-evaluating my needs

Hey there y'all! 

Trust everyone has had a great week behind them. I am having a good hair week, FINALLY, for the first time in a while. I'm STILL struggling with breakage and shedding, but my hair feels stronger and more moisturised and more supple this week than it has in a while, so clearly I did something right this past wash day. 

Now, just quick update on what's actually going on on top of my head. I did not document when I last relaxed my hair, but I do know that it was before my birthday last year, which falls in early December. So roughly calculating from the week of my birthday, I'm about 20 weeks post relaxer, which explains the mop of new growth that I'm dealing with. This was also a very much unintentional stretch - colouring my hair and putting in twists and going to London and my very trusty hairdresser moving to another town 800 km away all contributed to me not "getting my hair did". As y'all know, I am NOT a fan of multiple textures and trying to find the happy middle ground of dealing with them, so y'all can expect one of two things happening in the near future - a relaxer update or a big chop, cause I'm DONE! Note - I am not going to transition. Ever. If I go natural, it'll be a big chop. I truly cannot stand working with multiple textures, they drive me insane!

Secondly, I cut off about an inch of hair all by myself - the raggiest of the raggedy ends, in order to curb some of the freaking breakage. And I think it worked, I haven't seen short broken hairs in my hands since. But I'm still trying to curb the demarcation line breakage. I suspect that this past wash day was the first step into the right direction, as I'm starting to think that I have concentrated so much on moisture the past few months, that I have thrown off the moisture-protein balance in my hair and THUS it's breaking like crazy. 

Thirdly, one my of my best friends have a birthday party this week themed "Great Gatsby" and I'm planning to wig it up for the party. To do this I'm planning to have my hair cornrowed on Friday and then in the process also have a protective style for a week or two whilst wigging it up. Yes, I DO realise that this might cause me to stretch even longer and that the relaxer or big chop might not happen for another couple of weeks. BUT I feel that doing this is a healthier option for the themed party than trying to manipulate my own hair into a 1920's worthy style. It's also getting cooler this side of the world and protective styling during the winter has been my go to since I started this journey 3 years ago. 

Okidokie, let's get stuck into this week's #washdayexperience, which essentially led to the above realizations. 

My look the day BEFORE wash day - a little pompoudour and french plaited in the back - had this protective style for 3 days straight.

My prepoo mix - as y'all can see, EVERYTHING contains argan/Moroccan oil as an  ingredient. 

Hair lost during the prepoo and detangling process, primarily shedding, but still significant breakage. 

As the pics above detail, I wore a french braid with a pompoudour for 3 days straight as a protective style before my wash day. On my wash day I mixed up my prepoo mix, this time, as you can see, using primarily the last bit of all my AVON Advance Techniques conditioners as well as the last of my Sunsilk conditioner. I also added a CRAP load of sunflower oil, feeling that it's time that I reintroduce ceramides into my hair regimen. I finger detangled and applied my prepoo mix in six separate sections, twisting up each section as I go along. During the prepoo application process I collected every single hair and ended up with too much for my liking. After applying the entire prepoo mixture I wrapped up my hair in a plastic cap, my shower cap and my AVON microfibre head wrap and promptly became a lazy bum in front of the TV. 

Prepoo chilling - still cute though, lol!!

It was a LONG prepoo session, because I forgot to put on the geyser before I started, so after sitting for about 45 minutes I wanted to go shower and continue with the rest of my washday process, but I can't do cold showers, nope, nope, lots of nope. So I then switched on the geyser and proceeded to wait for the water to warm up, a time period during which I watched an episode of something. so essentially, at the end of the day my prepoo alone was 2 hours long!

My shampoo - it's the business!

Smoothing and detangling conditioner - I need more!!!

My deep conditioner - first time experience. 

Staple leave ins. HE Bee strong is on it's last legs though.

So, water finally warm and I'm in the shower. Shampooed with Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Shampoo. I forgot how nice this shampoo works - uber lather but my hair didn't feel stripped. 

Then I dived for the HE Hello Hydration Conditioner as my smoothing and detangling conditioner. now, on a previous wash day I had massive tangles and knots, mainly due to the multiple textures and very thick new growth. So, I decided to go to my OLD method, that used to work 2 years ago, but I somehow abandoned - finger detangling at every step of the wash day process. So, starting at the nape I separated a section, pinning the rest up with a claw clip, and then with some Hello Hydration I started to finger detangle my hair. This conditioner has awesome slip, the knots easily slipped out, the tangles were not very big competition for this conditioner. I did this section by section, moving forward on my head until my entire head was covered in conditioner and finger detangled. Unfortunately, this method also means more manipulation and since my hair has not been in its ideal state, this also led to more shedding and breakage. 

Total amount of hair lost in the shower during rinsing, shampoo, conditioner detangling, rinsing, DC application and rinsing. 

After rinsing the Hello Hydration I deep conditioned with Elasta QP Intense Fortifying Hair Conditioning Treatment. I've only ever read about this conditioner as it is SO NOT available in my country. So on my recent trip to London I picked up a LOT of products that I've only been dreaming of and this was one of them. It was the first time using it and looking at the ingredients list and description it seems like a mild protein DC, but with plenty of moisturising agents. So, I applied it liberally in sections. It also has a nice slip but it also feels slightly tacky. I didn't really care for how it felt in my hands. It also did absorb or penetrate into my hair as quickly as I hoped, but I could see that should I go natural that my hair would LOVE it, because the curls in my new growth suddenly started popping a bit. I again wrapped up my hair and ended up on the couch. The instructions say to condition for 10 minutes, but I suspect I DC'd for about 45 minutes to an hour. When I rinsed, my hair felt quite strong without feeling dry.

I then applied my leave ins of MoroccanOil Treatment and HE Bee Strong Conditioning Creme and proceeded to rollerset my hair with my normal rollers. I used Ebony's, from Longing4Length, 3 comb method to again detangle and then rollerset, of course spritzing the hair as I went so to ensure that the hair is wet to ensure it be as smooth as possible. 

Hair lost during the rollersetting process. 

I then let my hair air dry in the rollers until completely dry. When I took out the rollers many hours later it was already getting late and I felt exhausted. I thus just combed my hair into a ponytail and wrapped it with my satin scarf. 

It's been a couple of days since that wash and my hair has been behaving better than it has the week before, that's for sure. It feels stronger, it looks smoother, it feels and looks softer. I've kept my styling and handling very simple - sleep with the satin scarf (that OF COURSE slips off in the middle of the night), use my rake comb when styling, wear a pony tail or pin up, massage a little bit of Jamaican Black Castor Oil pomade (also a London buy) into the roots and ends. 

Day 4 hair - pulled back into a ponytail with the bangs banging. 

My next wash day might be either tomorrow or Thursday, in preparation for the cornrows for the wig for Friday's party. BUT I am going to repeat all of the above steps and see if incorporating more protein on wash day via the Elasta QP might actually SOLVE my breakage issues once and for all! Hopefully, the hair balls will be significantly smaller. Here's to getting my hair back on track!!

Hope your wash days were awesome! If you haven't yet, join the Wash Day Experience and tell the rest of us how you keep your mane in check. 

Till next time ladies! Adios!

A whole new wash day experience!

Hey there y'all!! 

So, I promised you that I will be more active and prolific from now on, and I come to deliver with a wash day post. I haven't done one in a while basically because I haven't done much. I have been skimping on pre-poo and DC sessions (I know! Sacrilege!), I have SO much new growth even though I'm only a bit over 12 weeks post (I'm NOT sure how much, I just know that I last relaxed in December, between my birthday and Christmas, okay maybe I'm 14 weeks post)

So, I started off with a decent prepoo, using a little mixture of old conditioners and some kitchen basics. 

My pre-poo mix

So, I made a prepoo mixture of Sunsilk Argan Oil Conditioner, Avon Advance Techniques Supreme Oils Conditioner, honey, coconut oil and salt. The latter I have read about on a couple of blogs, that it also increases the moisturising abilities of conditioners. So, mixed it all together, slapped it on, rubbed it through and then covered my hair with a plastic cap and a beanie and started watching Troy. 

Amount of hair lost during detangling when I applied the prepoo mix.

My prepoo selfie, lmao!

I chilled for a while, then shampooed with Avon Advance Techniques Supreme Oils shampoo. When I rinsed the prepoo, my hair felt SO ridiculously soft!!! I then just did a quick smoothing conditioning with the Sunsilk conditioner and THEN I did my first HARD protein treatment ever!

Remember I told y'all that I bought a bunch of new products in London that are generally unavailable in Windhoek, and one of those beauties was the Aphogee Two Step Protein treatment. 

Guys, this thing stinks! I swear, it smells like rotten eggs and smelly feet mixed together. It also has a very runny consistency. i didn't have a spray bottle this time, but next time I will definitely rather use a spray bottle to apply this stuff. 

So I applied it all over, concentrating on my ratty ends. I kept it on for about 5 minutes until I started feeling my hair getting hard from the product. I then rinsed it as gently as possible. Even after all the protein was gone my hair still felt super stiff, so I gave it another quick smoothing with the sunsilk conditioner before deep conditioning with another self made mix. 

Amount of hair lost during the shampoo, protein, rinsing and DC application and rinsing processes. 

My DC mix

As y'all can see, my DC mix mirrors my prepoo mixture, with the conditioner changing to Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends, also picked up at Boots in London. Side note: Honey, coconut oil and salt are now officially staples to add to ANY conditioner to up it's quotient into DC territory. 

Same routine - plastic cap, beanie and continue watching Troy. I cannot recall how long my DC session was, I get lost in time when I watch Troy (I mean, who wouldn't??)

Then rinse, my hair feeling super soft, but stronger than it's felt in months. Thank you Aphogee!!! Also shout out to Ebony and KLP for the advice last night via Twitter!

I then applied my leave ins - MorrocanOil Treatment and Herbal Essences Bee Strong Creme, the latter also a London pick up (I told y'all, I LOST MY MIND) and proceeded to rollerset on big orange perm rods (yep, also new. Judgement free zone).

Leave ins

I'm tired, it's getting late and trying specific rollers for the first time is always a little bit of a bitch

Not bad for a first time I thought.

By this time, it was closing in on midnight, so I decided to just sleep with the rods. It wasn't too uncomfortable, actually WAY more comfy then curl formers AND flexi rods. 

So, this morning I took out the rods and then separated the curls just a little bit and that's all she wrote. Lord knows how long they will actually last since as you can see i didn't use a drop of holding product. 

BTW, I apologise for the pics quality, my phone suddenly takes not as cool pics as a week ago, need to have it checked out. 

Anyhoo, my hair LOVED all the products I used and ESPECIALLY loved the actual attention I gave it for a change. Complacency is officially out the window, I'm back in the hair journey saddle! Be sure to check out all the posts from The Washday Experience where we all learn something new every day.

Have a great Tuesday everybody! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM! 

Re-surging motivation

Hey there everyone.

I know that I have been missing for a while, and I apologise. I wasn't really motivated to blog as I wasn't really motivated to give my hair the 110% it needs and deserves. I have been in a rut as well as quite busy at work. My hair hasn't been feeling great, I feel like I need to get rid of about an inch as well. There have been days where I felt like cutting it all off and starting this whole hair journey business all over again from scratch. See, I just was not in a good place to blog about my hair.

The past couple of weeks I've been in London for a training course, and managed to find a whole lot of products that I've only ever read about, that aren't available in my country. I went a little nuts, to the point that I had to pay for excess baggage when I checked in for my flight home. Primarily due to all the new goodies I am now again looking forward to washdays and trying out new styles and following my regimen the way it should be followed.

The next few posts will thus also be a lot of experiments due to all the new products in my bathroom. Of course I focused on conditioners and deep conditioners and leave in conditioners, buying only what is unavailable in Namibia and focusing on products that fellow bloggers have raved about and that are almost universally loved by the hair blogosphere. So, 2015, or at least the next 6 months of it, is going to be all about new experiences with the tresses. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with you.

First things first though. Either today or tomorrow I am going to trim my ends. Nothing major, but my ends are really ratty and thin and awful and they need to GO. I'm planning to do that via a full wash and rollerset, with brand new shears.

Until then, have a great Monday!

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!!

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!

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

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?

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!

Untwisted, touched up and truly entering summer!

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

My last weekend in braids/twists

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

The nape damage as clear as day pre touch up

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

Hair lost during removal process

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

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

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

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

No heat used.

 

 

 

Relaxed scalp texture shot

Nape damage as seen post touch up

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

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

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