Getting it under control, finally!!!

Hey there y'all

So, as y'all know, I have been struggling with excess breakage and shedding for a few months now, to the point that wash days nearly drove me to tears and which also led to long pauses in between blogging due to feeling despondent. But I had a #washdayexperience last night/this morning that makes me wanna throw confetti! I apologise for the lack of pics, life is a little rushed at the moment, but here's a quick recap.

Overnight prepoo with OGX Moroccan Argan Oil conditioner. Not a great conditioner in general (for me) but an excellent prepoo. Used it as is straight from the bottle, sectioning my hair and twisting the sections after application to prevent tangles. Still some breakage, especially considering that my hair was sweaty and a bit matted from gyming and that fact that it has been about 3 days since a comb saw my head, but it was less than ever considering the past 6 months.

Shampoo with my Avon Supreme Oils Shampoo, lathering up twice and rinsing properly till my hair felt super clean, but still super soft.

Detangling and instant conditioning with Mane and Tail Deep Moisturising Conditioner. I freaking love this stuff!! So much slip, my fingers just glided through, it MELTS knots away.

Fast DC with ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner. I love this stuff! The banana scent is heavenly, but my favourite aspect is the slip and how it SINKS into my hair, like absolutely sinks in. I covered my whole head then put on a shower cap to let the DC work its magic for at least 5 min whilst I took a real shower. When I rinsed it off - BUTTER!

I then proceeded to apply my leave ins of Cantu Shea Butter strengthening treatment and MoroccanOil Treatment serum and then rollerset. Considering that I'm doing this before work I then started blowdrying my hair whilst in the rollers on medium heat. Once dry I just blast it with some cool air to close the cuticles and then when I took out the rollers I simply combed my hair into a ponytail and out the door I went.

During the ENTIRE process I lost so little hair that if I actually took the time I would have been able to count them and tell how many are were shed and how many were broken. It has not been like that in I think about a YEAR! Even though the hairloss has reduced slowly but steadily, up and till this morning it has still been a BALL of hair every wash day. I am so freaking happy!!! I have got my balance right, finally! And now I just need to stick to it.

Also, I've learned again that consistency is KEY. For the past couple of wash days my prepoo, shampoo, detangling conditioner and leave in conditioner have all remained the same. The OGX is almost finished, but I don't think it will kill my hair when I switch to another prepoo (which will probably be something drenched with coconut oil, as I know that works fabulously as well) since I think that I will continue doing this overnight prepoo thing - it's awesome!!!

Anyhoo, I am off to Johannesburg, South Africa for the weekend to visit a friend and to go see One Republic live in concert. Anybody else got any travel plans?

Have an awesome Thursday and a great weekend, whenever yours start.

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! 

I don't know what's wrong!

Hey there y'all

Today is the wash day post where I am seeking advice, desperately.

As y'all know, I relaxed my hair 2 weeks ago. Well, I had a wash day this past weekend and all kinds of bad things were happening.

Firstly - my hair was SO underprocessed that I am strongly considering doing a corrective relaxer once I'm 6 weeks post. Secondly, during EVERY stage - detangling, prepoo, shampoo, DC, rollersetting - the breakage was heart attack inducing! The last time I experienced breakage of this magnitude was BEFORE  I started my healthy hair journey two and a half years ago. Thirdly, my hair is DRY! I have been TRYING since wash day to incorporate more moisture, to no avail. And lastly, I can simply TOUCH my hair and I end up with small broken strands in my hands. The shedding has also reached new levels of ridiculous. In total (sorry for the lack of pics) I lost a ball of hair the size of a plum! (sobbing over keyboard)

Quick recap of how wash day actually went:

1. Finger detangled my curls from my flexi rod set whilst applying my prepoo of Tresemme Naturals Moisturising Conditioner mixed with a lot of sunflower oil.

2. Left prepoo on for a good 4 hours, my day became hectic.

3. Shampoo with Tresemme Naturals Moisturising Shampoo, which had my scalp on fire for some reason!

4. DC with ORS Replenishing Conditioner for about 30 minutes.

5. Applied leave ins of MorrocanOil Leave In Treatment and TCB Bone Strait.

6. Proceeded to rollerset, and then left hair to air dry in the rollers.

4 hours of airdrying later I removed the rollers, wrapped my hair and went to bed. My hair looked smooth (I am an expert roller setter) but felt dry, full of static, it actually felt like straw. Since wash day I have been trying to moisturise and seal, using the D&L Amla Legend Wrapping Cream and coconut oil. My hair still feels like crap. It looks okay, but you ladies know looks are nothing compared to the feel and health of our strands.

ADVICE PLEASE!

(Going to go sob into a glass of wine now)

A second pair of hands...

This past wash day went down without a hitch! One thing I realised (again) is that my hair LOVES deep conditioning, and I mean, intense deep conditioning!

Being 28 weeks post (woo hooooooo!!) is not the easiest thing, so I am keeping my hair straight for the most part, protecting it as I go along and then giving it super love on wash day and so far, even though the heat usage have been more than say 6 months ago, my hair has not been hating me. I am becoming a little bored with my pony tail and buns though...So, I've decided that I going to switch it up a bit and give it some Greek rebel flavor:

Naevia - Spartacus: War of the Damned

Naevia from Spartacus. I still need to perfect the trio of flat cornrows for this style. And I need to just get a clip in or two give volume to the ponytail part of the style. 

So, wash day again took a long time but this time it didn't feel like torture. I applied my prepoo of Tresemme Naturals Moisturising Conditioner mixed with a LOT of sunflower oil (ceramides!! Lovely ceramides!) with my hair in about nine sections. I then covered my hair with a plastic cap and a scarf and out the door I went. I felt a little self conscious with my head covered whilst in the shop but then I remembered - this is Africa baby! No one cares! Especially not if they can't see what's happening underneath the pretty scarf, lol.

I then headed to my friend's house - we decided to collaborate on Sunday lunch and do our hair together. So when I got there I started with my dish (a thai inspired chicken stir fry) with my hair STILL being conditioned by the prepoo. When I finally rinsed it off I think two hours have gone by.

In any event, I then shampooed with my Organics Shampoo for Dry/Damaged Hair. My hair felt SO soft and fluffy! The prepoo really gave it a big shot of moisture. I then applied my DC of ORS Replenishing Conditioner, my hair still in sections. I again covered my hair with the plastic cap and scarf to trap heat and then we proceeded to have Sunday lunch. After that, I treated my friend's hair. She has a type 2c curl, but her hair is very thin. She likes to joke that she only has 3 hairs on her head. So deep conditioning treatments after a shampoo leaves her with oily looking strands. But her ends started looking like straw. It wasn't split but it was clearly very dry. So I grabbed her treatment mask, which was the L'Oreal Fibrology Moisture Masque, mixed in a good two table spoons of glycerin and applied to her dry hair like one would a prepoo. Shen shampooed with the Fibrology shampoo and instant conditioned with the Fibrology conditioner. Her niece Andrea then roller set her hair, which she then left to air dry in the rollers. Once dry Andrea flat ironed her hair and she was happy as a clam! The dryness that she had the last two inches of her hair was GONE, her hair was super shiny and it was flowy and not oily or heavy at all.

I then proceeded to rinse my own DC after sitting with it for 90 minutes (it is such a staple, it is not even funny! ORS should bring out 1.5 liter bottles of the stuff!) and then Andrea roller set my hair as well after I applied Avon Soft as Silk Serum with silk proteins as my leave in and protectant. Since I make a point of detangling at every step she had it quite easy despite the 28 weeks of new growth. She was gentle but fast! I lost next to no hair during the process, but she was still DONE in TWENTY minutes!!!! Remember, it took me TWO HOURS last week! I give credit to her fast hands AND the fact that my hair was like butter after the two intense deep conditioning sessions.

I left my hair to air dry in the rollers after which Andrea flat ironed it with a GHD straightener. My hair felt awesome!! Strong, soft, no breakage and ready for the week to come. I neglected to take pics on Sunday and I promise to remember my next wash day. Point is though - even with the heat, the fact that my hair was so super conditioned cancelled out the potential heat damage from the straightening process.

Regardless, I realised that having an extra pair of hands can really pay off, because even though the wash day stretched through out the day I didn't feel like I was torturing myself. The second thing I realised is that I should NEVER EVER skimp on the deep conditioning. My hair has been happy all week so far, and I don't see a change in the status quo any time soon even though my next wash day is only this coming weekend. The last thing I realised is that I might continue my relaxer stretch until summer at least. And only THEN decide whether I am going to relax or not. I'm kind of proud of myself for stretching for so long already, so I figure I might as well see how long I can go. Who knows, I might decide in September to touch up. I might decide to continue stretching. I might decide to start transitioning. The one thing I know for sure is that I need to stock up on my DC's and I may NEVER wash my hair without deep conditioning it, that now officially equates to a hair sin for me.

How has everyone else's wash days been? What have you realised is the most crucial step in your wash day routine?

Have a happy Wednesday y'all, we're over the hump!

I did it myself...and it was a struggle.

Hola everybody. Yes, I know, I have been "off the air" for a bit. Multiple reasons - for example I went to a workshop in the bush cut off from civilization. During that week I realised that I truly am a city girl and NOT a country girl. I like the outdoors as much as anyone but can we limit it to 2 days and can we have wifi?

Also, the Soccer World Cup is finally over and thus life can return to normal. Yes, I am a rugby girl, but for this World Cup I decided to strap in for the ride and just enjoy. And it has been oodles of fun, this I admit.

In any event, regarding hair related things, I have been feeling a bit of a disconnect when it comes to my hair. I still do everything that is required on a daily basis - I moisturise and seal, I sleep with a satin scarf AND satiny pillows, I wear my hair in a protective style 95% of the time (either a French or Dutch braid, or a bun or a high pony) and I'm gentle. What I haven't really been doing is my usual wash day routines. Being 27 weeks post (longest stretch EVER) wash days are NO fun. So, I have been going to the salon relatively regularly since I found a stylist that actually cares about the health of my hair. That might also be the reason why I have been feeling a little disconnected...

In any event, last week I was sick (bronchitis) and didn't go to work for a few days. Day 3 of lying at home I decided to wash my hair so that I can feel better even though I wasn't healthy yet. So, I tackled 27 weeks of new growth, which is NO joke. I might actually do a touch up end of this month. I even find styling a chore with hair being as thick as it is now. At the same time I am fighting a bit of an internal battle...I've been surviving so long without getting a touch up, maybe I can push for 7 months...or a 10 months...or a year...or forever?? I don't know...

Anyhoo, I prepooed with a mixture of oils and conditioners - I basically decided to FINISH all those little bottles that only had about a 5th of product left in them. So I mixed up some Dark&Lovely Repairing Mask DC, some cheapie L'Oreal Mint & Cucumber Conditioner, some Coconut Oil, shook it up and then applied to my detangled hair in quadrants, braiding each quadrant so as to prevent further tangling. And BOY does my new growth LOVE single strand knots, d-d-d-d-damn!

Anyhoo, I then shampooed with Organics Shampoo for Dry/Damaged Hair quadrant by quadrant. If I didn't do this I probably would have ended up with a big ball of hair in my hand. Thank the hairgods that breakage was minimal and shedding was also not a problem. I then conditioned with ORS Replenishing Conditioner. I cannot talk enough about how much I love this conditioner. I deep conditioned for about 15-25 minutes. I then rinsed and then blotted the quadrants with my terry cloth towel until it wasn't dripping wet anymore.

I applied my leave in of MorroccanOil Leave In treatment and then detangled my hair quadrant by quadrant in preparation for roller setting. OMG!!! Now, THIS is why I have been going to the salon. The roller setting process alone took TWO hours!!!! Two hours of my life! Spent on getting what seems like a gazillion rollers in my hair, pulling it taught, stretching the roots whilst being gentle. Whilst rolling my hair was drying, so every time that I tackle a new section I would spray it with my water and Avon Quick Touch Leave In Conditioner mix. Hair needs to be wet whilst being placed in the roller otherwise you end up with a frizzed up hot mess.

After FINALLY being done rollersetting it was starting to get late and I was not in the mood to go to bed in the morning hours only. So I whipped out my hair dryer and dried my hair using the cool air setting. Once my hair was dry I spritzed on my Tresseme Heat Protectant and used the blow dryer's heat on  my roots. Even though the rollers stretched it, the roots were still very thick and not easy for my to handle so using the heat to stretch it a little more I can actually handle my own hair. When I was done my arms were killing me but at least my hair was clean, soft and felt strong. I cross wrapped my hair after applying a little Amla Legend 1001 Oils Wrapping Lotion and applied my satin scarf and then I crashed HARD.

This coming weekend I am planning to actually properly PLAN my wash day so that I can do a good job WITHOUT  it taking my SIX hours! I actually have some honey and Apple Cider Vinegar in my kitchen cupboard so I am planning to incorporate one of them in my next wash day, just haven't decided which one yet.

Knots and matting hell!

Hey there everybody. I have had the wash day from hell this past Saturday. My hair is behaving itself now, but trust me, my weekend was NO fun. Except for Sunday evening, which included a live show of Trevor Noah.

Twists still looking cute

Twists reaching expiration date. I got bored AND a  lot of growth, so they didn't look neat anymore. 

As y'all know, I had twists installed at the end of April and on Friday I decided that their expiration date has arrived. So I got home, grabbed my coconut oil, water spritzer, Tresseme Naturals conditioner, a pair of scissors and a plastic bag for all the synthetic hair that I'm going to remove. Friends have been informed that I am unavailable for any Friday night shenanigans and I mad myself comfy in front of the TV. Good thing that the Friday night TV line up doesn't suck - Intelligence, Almost Human and the grandaddy of good tv - Game of Thrones.

I began taking out the twists one by one and once I've removed about 4-6, I would concentrate on detangling that section of hair, using the coconut oil and conditioner and water and then twist it up before moving on to the next section. I don't know what happened - the last time I removed twists the process went rather smoothly and I lost very little hair, whereas this time I lost a hairball the size of a golfball. Murphy decided that my house was a good place to visit - SO MANY KNOTS, SO MUCH MATTING!!! I have no idea where I screwed up as my process was the same as last time...

In any event, I spent the whole night trying to be as gentle as possible, after Game of Thrones I even watched Penny Dreadful (I still don't know if I like this show...opinions out there?) and then I dove into my DVD collections and watched Thelma &Louise and Titanic, all whilst trying to get all the twists out and not cause unnecessary breakage. I finally passed out at 5 in the morning on Saturday, STILL not done, but after ELEVEN hours, I could not keep my eyes open anymore.

The Saturday morning I woke up at 10 o'clock, after about 5 hours of sleep and dove back into my hair. i FINALLY had everything out at noon, and ONLY because my bestie rocked and helped me with the ones at my crown.

See the look of frustration and sadness??!! All twists out, hair mostly detangled, about to receive its prepoo.  So much matting!! Blegh!

Although I made a point of detangling small sections of hair, I could not get all the knots out. So I decided to to prepoo with the rest of the coconut oil and the conditioner in the hope that it would soften the knots so that I can have an easier time getting rid of them.  Prepoo lasted a good 2 hours.

I then shampooed with Tresemme Naturals Shampoo. It may be low in sulfates but it lathers beautifully, without being stripping. I then instant conditioned with the Tresemme Naturals Conditioner and then proceeded to DC with ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner, for a good 90 minutes. I then proceeded to rollerset, and proceeded to lose ANOTHER mini golf ball worth of hair! (Que TEARS of frustration) Being 23 weeks post relaxer is not an effing joke, this I tell y'all! And this is despite being gentle, using my most trustworthy products!

I got myself some faux curlformers and when my hair was halfway dry in my regular rollers I decided I'm in the mood for real curls. It was my very first attempt at using curl formers, and the installation process wasn't too bad. After putting them all in, I left it to airdry completely. The packs I bought didn't have enough long curlformers to I struggled a little bit with my ends. I might try it again, but I need to buy another pack so that I have enough long ones.

End sticking out at places where the formers weren't long enough for my hair. 

The roots are PUFF CITY!!  

Curls immediately after removal. 

SO not impressed with those straight ends sticking out...

Some nice curls, some seriously wonky ones!

I had a date the Sunday evening - Trevor Noah live at the National Theatre, so I thought the curls would be the perfect kind of cute. Unfortunately the curls fell and so I ended up pinning them up into a 50's style pinup with a couple of tendrils around my face.

Curls pinned back, looking good. 

Come Monday and I am NOT happy with my hair. So, I suck it up, and go to the salon. There they detangle my hair and lo and behold, MORE KNOTS!! They were so gentle though, it was awesome. Had me hair washed and deep conditioned with HEAT (that only happens at the salon, I don't own a dryer), rollerset and then blown out straight. 

Almost 24 weeks post and swanging!

I lost very little hair at the salon and today I'm sitting on 3 day old straight hair which is STILL soft and feels strong and moisturised. I'm 24 weeks post, the longest stretch of my life!! And I have decided to see what happens on my next wash day when I'm on the DIY train again. If the new growth kills my soul, then next week I will be doing a touch up. If it doesn't, then I might just keep stretching and I have no conceivable goal regarding how long I want to stretch. I'm just gonna see what happens. Hey, I might end up also transitioning. Or I'm gonna relax my hair next week! Who knows? The beauty of this being a JOURNEY. 

I trust everyone else had a better DIY wash day than mine. It's almost the weekend, I'm looking forward to a much needed rest, so let's strap in everyone!