Scarves! Scarves! Scares! How I Love Winter Scarves!

          I love winter scarves! I love thick scarves, long scarves, smooth scarves, colorful scarves but most of all I love my cheapie pashmina/silk/cashmere scarves. The ones I have are different mix of the three fabrics. 

      But what in the world is pashmina?Apparently, it's not recognized as a fabric in the U.S. But what I really wanted to know was, are they scarves bad for my hair? I know I can't base my answer on how soft and smooth they feel but what I do know is my winter coats are not something I want my hair to rub against. All but one scarf was labeled 70/30 or 50/50 pashmina or cashmere/silk allegedly (I say that because they were a steal in the streets of Manhattan years ago). 

Scarves that just say pashmina could possibly be a blend of a lot of other fabrics. The scarf on the far right is labeled that way, surprisingly it is the softest, however, I have never worn it out.

       My favorite Herringbone wool jacket is great to look at, it keeps me warm and fashionable (lol) but the material is pretty harsh on my hair, to me it's almost worse than cotton. 

        So the final touch before heading out in the cold are my winter scarves. Over the years as my hair got longer, I've shied away from thick wool/cotton scarves. I know they are oh so warm but I worried about how much my hair rubbed against them. 

       When I wear my hair down, I wrap my scarves around my shoulders like a shawl (those scarves can be described as shawls) and make sure my hair is rubbing against my coats. I don't even want my coat to touch he nape of my hair when I put it up, so I usually slip knot my scarf and tuck the ends in my coat (fancy, huh). I get plenty of compliments on the looks and the scarves but really I just want to protect my hair. Whether I flat ironed, did a braid out or twist out, I want to minimize rubbing against tough fabrics. The winter scarves are the closest I get to my sleeping scarf/bonnet/satin pillow case when I'm out for the day.

        

How do you protect your ends when you let your hair down for a night out?

Cut at The Salon ***Picture Update***

        I have been MIA, my apologies. I haven't been great at organizing my time they way I wanted. Still adjusting to some big changes in my life. Welllllllllllllllll last Wednesday, I made a trip to my stylists. I was so excited for this visit, I planned on walking out the salon with new hair and a serious cut. My stylist wasn't jumping for joy when I told her I wanted a touch-up because 95% of her clientele don't get chemically treated. Usually I avoid heat at the salons but this time I couldn't if I was going to take 4 inches off.

       I believe she uses Mazani for touch-ups. Anyways, while I was deep conditioning, my stylist was giving another a girl a big chop. It was amazing to witness,  I felt like I should cut more that 4 inches off my own hair. She came in with chin length thick hair and left with a TWA. It was cool to see.

just blow-drying

        After we rinsed the conditioner out, the dreaded blow drying began. It hurt my heart a little and the flat iron...hurt my heart a lot. After passing a section three times, I was at the edge of my seat. But Aku, calm down, you can go months without any direct heat. She used Kenra's heat protectant, a lot at that, so CALM DOWN AKU!  

          Okay okay, so even after the blowing I could see texture in the back, that back man, so resistant. My stylist noticed the damage and broken sections immediately. Initially I wanted to cut up to the damage but we talked it out and decided it would be a super cut and the rest of my hair is good. Sounds like a lot of my readers (I know you guys were right, I can be so dramatic sometimes). So I will slowly trim that section. Moisture moisture moisture is where I messed up, my demarcation line was not having it. The back middle looked like I never touched and it was declared that I have a 4b texture (not surprised).

          I had almost three inches of new growth over there. That is where my annoyance comes in, had all of my hair been like that then I could have cut it but that rest of my hair is pretty well-telaxed. She joked and said I had enough texture to still big chop. Which made me concerned for how my hair will be when it's not flat ironed. Right now I can run my fingers through it, no problem. It's almost scary because it doesn't feel like my hair. Do you remember those days, right after a touch-up, how flat your hair was? I HATE IT. That is why there are no pictures up until I wash and air dry. I hope my hair is not too relaxed...does that make sense? I know I still saw texture...

About 4 inches

         My ends look like straw in that picture, I think it was partly due to the camera. Anyways after a while of cutting I asked how much and she said 4 inches and I felt my heart pump faster. Why does hair make us crazy? or maybe it's just me. When it was all said and done i was swinging my hair and jumping around saying I want it shorter. No worries, she took control of the situation and told me to come back if I really wanted it shorter.It soon hit me that my braid outs and twist outs would be very short...Anyways no use crying over spilled milk. 

          So far I'm content with the cut but I can't wait to wash this flatness out! I am not pleased I failed at doing my hair myself and in turn damaging it. I really thought third time was a charm when I touched it up in November, but it was sort of too late. I don't know my next move, there is talks about stretching 16 weeks, I've done 12 and it was nothing unusual. This stretch lasted only 8 weeks. So after 16, maybe transition, not sure. All I know is I hate fresh salon relaxed hair. One thing, I wrap my hair for bed, I haven't been able to wrap my hair in forever. I look forward to rollersetting!

It used to go past my chest, I kid you not. The sides are longer
than the back. More damage control had to be done back there.

Peace & Love everyone

Aku

Overnight Deep Condition and Oil Rinse

Two nights ago I clarified my hair using ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo. During my shower I towel wrapped my hair. When I was done I mixed my KeraPro, ORS Replenishing conditioner and AgeBeautiful together and carefully applied it to every inch of my hair. I focused on the back where breakage is still happening. 

This is deep conditioned saturated hair. 

Covered my hair with a shower cap and my new sleeping cap and went to bed(or pretended to go to bed). I loved how my hair felt when I washed it out 12 hours later. Rinse, rinse, rinse and squeeze out excess water and applied my oil mix from root to tip. 

The difference in the middle section compared
to my cooperative hair is mind blowing. 

Once I hoped out the shower, I towel dried very lightly (didn't want to lose the oil) and applied my Lacio Lacio protein leave-in. I t-shirt dried for an hour. Removed the t-shirt and added a little more leave-in. Separated my hair into three sections to try and keep my roots stretched. I didn't use a hair tie for the back because of how fragile it's been. I held it together with two plastic clips. After a while I pulled my blow dryer out to stretch out the roots at the back of my head even more. Cold air of course. I've taking a liking to this step. 

I've been thinking about cutting my hair, like a TWA, but I'm having so much trouble with the mini Afro in the back so what would I do if my whole head was an Afro. I digress. However, I am learning that keeping it stretched and moisturized is a must. 

I don't know what my next hair move is, but the longer I wait, the more the breakage continues. Perhaps the demarcation line can't hang and I need to relax it. I don't think I'll be doing my next relaxer, might have to hit up my old stylist. I'm afraid she'll say there's extensively damage or she could call me dramatic. After all it's just hair right?!

Deep conditioned on top and cold air tension method
 on the bottom

I really don't want a TWA. I'd much rather transition slowly, so perhaps no relaxer? My edges and nape are suffering, that's another post for a rainy hair. Idk if I was using the wrong brush or I over processed my hair but the damage is done. It's very easy to hide but I know it's there. But what about the hair that is thriving. The two front sections are seriously so nice, why should I punish them because other parts of my hair suck?

Also three nights before I washed my hair, I co-washed with Hello Hydration, it was a nice change. Did the same oil routine. I've been trying to incorporate LOC (liquid, oil, cream). I'm very much used to LCO but I like oil rinsing a lot. 

Four twists in the back and I'll probably keep
this loose bun in for two to three days. 

I did apply Organix Anti-breakage serum to the twists before I put them up. 

Hope everyone's New Year is off to great start!

Peace and Love 

Aku

Aphogee 2-Step Protein Treatment

      Finally I gave my hair a hard protein treatment. No prepoo this time, I just wanted to get straight to the business. *Shampooed with Garnier Fructice Fortifying Shampoo. *I got out the shower and applied a good amount (I hope it was a good amount) of protein to my hair from root to tip section by section. Blow dried it on warm. And washed it out after a few more minutes. *Rinsed it out with Aphogee's Balancing Moisturizer. I think I hate this product. I didn't use much of it. *I got out the shower to apply my KeraPro Deep Restorative Treatment. Sat under my hooded dryer for 30-40 minutes. Rinsed it out. I wanted to try One n' only Argon Oil Cream Curl Leave-in (another item I picked up while in New York) but I was strongly advised against it. So I stuck with my Lacio Lacio Leave in and mixed it with KeraPro Deep Restorative Treatment. Sealed each section with my oil mix. I skipped t-shirt drying because it was so late. Put my hair in a wet bun with my scarf and went to bed.

      I used to this every other week back in 2010. I'd rotate with rollers. That's when my hair was superb. I know wet bunning is probably not good but it once worked for me. Almost 24 hours later my hair is very damp, I may skip detangling. It seems, I'm so over my hair for this week.

****Didn't skip detangling this week. Really tried to stretch out my mini fro at the back of my head. Added a little more conditioner and leave-in to the fight the dryness as I detangled.

I really loved how my hair felt with the deep conditioner in it. It felt thick and healthy.
Sigh. I'll keep you guys posted. 

Peace and love
Aku

Week 4 Blog Entry

We finished The Seven Layers of Integrity this week. Pick a few ideas from the first four weeks of our class which stand out for you and tell us about them. The impact can be intellectual, or perhaps emotional, or maybe even behavioral. Often, ideas with the biggest impact have changed you in some way either great or small. Tell the readers of your blog about them. Perhaps the class has had no effect on you at all. If so, tell us why not.

         A few things that really stood out after reading The Seven Layers of Integrity were formal contracts affecting relationships and industry standards. The authors, Jones and Ferrill stated "in essence, the formal contract has a strong impact on the relationship between the parties" (2006, p. 17). As I mentioned before, I had written up a contract with a friend of a friend. She broke the agreement and the relationship has changed negatively. Without the use of the formal contract things would have been more casual and friendly. At the time I was fine with not making friends. I wanted my money returned more than a new acquaintance. 

     
        The authors mention industry standards and the reader learns, when you examine ethical business behaviors, you should know about the environment before you decide what is ethical and what is not. I once worked in the restaurant industry. When I first started, I quickly learned the restaurant standards are a little different from other industries. The relationship between co-worker and co-worker were more flirtatious compared to retail or banking. It wasn't weird for workers and managers to say inappropriate jokes everyday. 

       
         The bond we shared over how we felt about certain guests, were only okay because we worked in a restaurant. I couldn't imagine any office job being like the restaurant I worked in. The standards in a corporate job most likely wouldn't allow it. Human resources would be called everyday. It's just some things are accepted when you work in a restaurant. Lots of stress, lots of people, lots of personalities, lots of drama. 95 percent of the people I worked with have integrity but I don't know if it would work in any other job. It's a different industry. 

       Before reading The Seven Layers of Integrity, I really didn't think much about industry standards. In undergrad, they taught you one way about business. The professional way was the right way. But now I see it just depends on the industry. 

Jones, G. P., & Ferrill, J. (2006). The seven layers of integrity®. Bloomington, Ind.: Authorhouse.

Spontaneous Faux Bob Twist Out

I woke up determined to have a twist out by the end of the night. I brought out my spray bottle, KeraPro Restorative Treatment and my oil mix. The twists I did in the back of my were still in tacked, so I LCO (liquid, cream, oil) the front two quadrants and proceeded to twist. I did LCO on the old twists as well. 

I decided to add the flexirods to get
 some more bigness going. 

The results were not to shabby but I know I'm in desperate need of of a protein treatment so I faux bobbed it up.

All the bouncing around at Dave and Busters, no way I wanted my hair to constantly brush my sweater. 

p&l

Aku

First Post of 2014!

Hi guys!

      I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve. I ended up washing my hair New Year's Eve, no biggie. I had planned on straightening it, but due to the fragile state of my hair I did not flat iron it. Compared to last wash, my hair this time was extra thirsty. 

• Prepooed with Hello Hydration sealed with my oil mix
• Clarified with watered down ORS Creamy Aloe
• Deep conditioned with *Naturally Silk Elements Deep Nourishing Conditioner for an hour
• Rinsed it out and tea rinsed 
• Towel dried and sprayed Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Mist. 
• T-shirt dried for an hour. 

      Now here's where things take a turn for the not so good. In New York I collected some hair products my sister didn't like. One product happened to be Komaza Matani Leave-in. Jen from just Grow Already loves this stuff but my sister hated it. 

      I decide to give it a try...I sealed it with Paul Mitchel Super Skinny. I figured I'd get the best result if I tried Jen's method...I even tried the tension method with a cold air blow dryer. My textured hair was dry, dry, dry. We all know the saying "what works for one might not work for everyone" It was like I put nothing in or on my hair. Sahara Dry. My sister said it did nothing for hair either.

The front will always look good, it's the back
 I'm afraid to look at or show people

        I already felt my hair needed protein and Komaza Matani was a protein leave in. Aphogee 2-Step next wash no doubt. Most products, I give a second chance, but I don't know about this one. 

       I did like the tension method. This is how my stylist would blow dry my hair when I allowed them. No mini fro hiding under my hair.

      *That Naturally Silk Element Deep Conditioner smells divine. That's the biggest reason I picked it up. It looks like Sally's is discontinuing the sale of KeraPro products, I made a mental note to go get my staple DC. I will try Naturally Silk Element again, maybe it wasn't the leave-in that failed me. I know I know I should try one new product during washed, that way I'll know what sucks and what doesn't. 

      Yesterday I couldn't take the way my hair looked. My one sister cut all her relaxed hair a few years back, no more relaxers since. She swears by using conditioners as moisturizers. I've heard and tried this before so I decided to give my horrid hair something. I applied Kerapro Deep Restorative Treatment on my hair section by section and twisted the back into 8-10 twists (why can't I just count them). The front of my hair I twisted into two. I sealed it with castor oil, organic EVOO and grape seed oil. Much better. I don't want to take the twists out ever, but I will. 

      I think I need to incorporate more moisture. But first protein. The breakage at the back makes my eyes tear up. I don't know. 2013 was the worst hair year I ever had. I don't know if 2014 will be better. Is it the relaxer, my scarf, the weather I don't know. And I'm tired of being frustrated. BUT just last week I was loving my hair. I need that feeling again. 

Happy New Year Ya'll!
Aku