Hair Bummer- Touch-up Update Sorta

Hi Readers, 
         I want to thank you all for stopping by and reading, I appreciate it a lot. I've been taking care of my hair for quite some time and everyday I learn something new. I've had hard times and fun times with my hair and overall, I try to keep in mind that I'm not just my hair. 

Sooooooooooooo I gave myself a touch-up two days ago -___- My hair seems to be in shock.

After I drenched it with Avocado Oil

• Porous hair- low or high I don't know anymore?
• Hard water due to 4 month old filter?
• Over-processed?
• Protein overload?
• Severely under-processed?

I narrowed my hair problems to these to few items (it's really a lot of items).
If I had to pick, it would be low porosity, severely under-processed hair and I just ordered a new shower filter. It's just bad. I'm in love/hate relationship with my hair. I've been waiting for the hate to pass so  I wouldn't sound sad blogging.

But it's not my hair's fault. I do admire my hair for it's resiliency, it has seen many bad times and has managed to not completely turn over and die. I love my hair's color and thickness but its resiliency really ties it together. 

I apologize about the poor
picture quality.

Once you begin to take care of your hair, you develop a different kind of relationship for it. You are in charge of what happens to your hair. So I'm pretty bummed with myself, after two days I decided to go back to the hair salon for a corrective relaxer. I want to continue the rest of my wash day at home. I have six weeks to decide. 

In the meantime, I'm going to be really low-key with my hair. The shedding has come back and it's pretty ridiculous. Hot oil treatments and tea rinses will be back. I may incorporate baking soda just once to my deep conditioner.

The first six inches of my hair is just thick, full, dry, tangled and brittle. There's plenty of texture everywhere, putting my hair in a bun or ponytail is a task.  I added a minute or two to my application process but it wasn't enough. ORS No-lye for 16 minutes from start to rinsing off. I keep telling my friends I'm going to cut it all off (I can be dramatic), but I don't think that would make me feel better.

What do you do when your hair gets you down?

I tend to research and obsess. But that doesn't really make me feel better. Happy hair stories make me feel better. 

Peace&Love

I Can't Wear a Helmet, I Just Did my Hair!

Yesterday, I woke after sleeping in and decided to try Bantu knots. This is my first time doing my full head and I immediately thought of KLP, a pro Bantu knotest. 

Looks like I'm going to need some hair products because these barely Bantu'd. I applied my Shea mix to each section and left the knots in for a few hours. It took a little over an hour to install the knots.                                                                                                   Go Karts and bowling were the plans for the day, sweet! But then I was informed that we'd be riding the bike today...but I just spent an hour doing my hair, I can't wear a helmet! I digress. 

                   How to wear a helmet with for long or short hair:

1.  Medium scarf
2. Low bun (pony tail will result in tangled ends)
3. French braids! 
4. Or be like me and say screw wind damage and let your hair blow in the wind (but still wear a scarf)

Of course, these tips aren't written in stone. I've never experienced helmet hair with the tips above, my hair just sort of bounces back to life once I let it out. At the end of the day my hair smelled like exhaust and barely had any waves going on. Overall, I had fun bowling and trying not to get killed on the go kart track. 

I need more defined Bantu knot results.

Peace&Love 

Aku

Wash Day with Homemade Avocado Deep Conditioner

*Long story short, I ended up re-deep conditioning my hair after this wash day*

       A friend mentioned that she used avocado to deep condition her hair. She only had great things to say about the homemade deep conditioner. It left her hair moisturized and it was natural. I did some research and watched a few YouTube videos. What's the worse that could happen? Let's get started!

I'm ready. Oh I went back to tea rinses, black tea
in my Tupperware. 

There are so many variations of avocado mix for the hair. Starting with one avocado and a teaspoon or tablespoon of olive oil. I decided to add more stuff to that mix, (Possible mistake number 1) I added a teaspoon of mayo and a dollop of GVP Moisturizing Conditioner. Sigh...so I mashed up the ingredients with a spoon (possible mistake number 2). 

I should've left the mix au natural and I should've blended the avocado!! I blend all my other fruits! OH EM GEE there were chunks of avocado all over the bathroom floor. I was not pleased but I kept matting the mix onto my hair. I put a plastic cap over it for two hours or so. I spent half the time under my hooded dryer and the other half without heat.

This is my hair with my avocado mix

My avocado mix

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Oh man, I didn't even want to think about washing my hair out. Side eye* I co-washed it out with GVP Moisturizing Conditioner. Towel dried my hair and I knew I didn't like the results. Immediately I wanted a leave-in that would sink into my hair (I don't have one, that's another post for another day). Maybe I didn't make a mistake with the avocado mix, I did use the ORS Creamy Aloe shampoo twice in August.


It wasn't the shampoo because the very next day I applied water and KeraPro Restorative Treatment to my dry hair, sat under my hooded dryer for an hour , washed it out and I felt like my hair was finally deep conditioned. Sadly I finished that $10 jar of DC. 

So I didn't get any great results from my avocado mix but I will try homemade avocado again. I can't knock it just yet. 

I am not a kitchenista...
Has anyone tried avocado or mayo in their hair?
Peace&Love

Search & Destroy

I don't know about everyone else, but there is something so relaxing about searching and destroying split or tired ends. Perhaps I'm just scissor happy and I like the way shears cut tiny pieces of hair. Anyways, I just get lost when I'm doing it. One side always gets more attention than the other because after a while you get tired.

I believe I did a thorough job!

I search and destroy in small sections, I twist my hair to get a better look and slide my fingers around it just to be sure. I caught up on a few YouTube hair videos and watched (listened to) two movies on Netflix. I did eat during the process. I know I had a lot of things to take care of (like homework) but at least I wasn't fully unproductive. :)

I'm happy I sat down and did it. Right after I moisturized my hair with Hello Hydration water mix, I proceeded to do the greenhouse effect with two shower caps. 

This week makes 7 weeks post. I honestly don't know if I want to stretch or if I'm ready for a relaxer (my roots are definitely ready for a touch-up). My longest stretch that I can remember was 11 weeks, I have no shame in wanting to cut it short this time around. As long as I passed a 7 week mark, I'm okay. Out of laziness I want to stretch but my roots are crazy difficult. So I should probably do a protein treatment and clarify a week before...My next wash day I plan to change things up a little- some avocado and a little mayo. 

After the calcium build-up, I was so fed-up with my hair and I planned on relaxing ASAP. I've calmed down since then and learned to deal with my hair better. I've been debating on sticking to no-lye or not, I think I will stick to it because I can't apply the relaxer as fast as I want. Plus I can't deal with scalp burns right now. I plan on getting tough curls to 'relax', my hair can be so stubborn sometimes. 

What are your thoughts on searching and destroying split/tired ends? 

I might be obsessed...

Peace&Love

2 Weeks of Sun, Salt Water and a Little Mud

I'm back, please forgive me for being M.I.A. life gets busy sometimes. 
    So I started my vacation with a flexirod set. That poor set did not last too long once I landed in Florida. No biggie, I was rocking big hair and I didn't care. Vacation was wonderful and I had time to do whatever I wanted with my hair.
    In the two weeks I co-washed my hair 4 times, half-ass deep conditioned, and shampooed onced. Now I love shampoo, I don't know if it was the salt water or the frequent co-washing, shampooing wasn't on my mind. I did do an ACV rinse also. 

The second day of the cruise, post flexi-rod.

        The first picture was about 2 hours before I fell off the banana boat and into the beautiful water. I put my hair in a french braid. Going out on the island or even just relaxing on deck, I moisturized and sealed before hitting the sun. Although Shea Butter and Avocado Oil (did I forget to mention I bought a new oil?) are low in SPF, I felt it was better than nothing!

I really don't know how I dealt with all that texture, I just
did. This is the day I rode a jet-ski and tried to learn
to swim. My hair was originally in a high bun.

       Last day of the cruise, I T-shirt dried my hair like it was a hairstyle I was going for. I left the T-shirt in when I got off the boat and  through lunch. I was going for an Erykah Badu inspired look (I kid). 
      Spent 5 days on the cruise, the next 7 days at a beautiful vacation resort in Kissemmee, Fl. The resort was fully equipped with a Whirlpool in the bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room, washer and dryer. I truly felt blessed to be apart of it all. 

I did have time to do some quick no-heat styles. The day before I applied my KeraPro Restorative treatment, put a plastic cap over it for 2 hours. I wanted to do it overnight but I needed a
 braid-out fast.

         I did a braid-out for B.B. Kings in Orlando and it was a success BUT I had a mudrace to run the very next day. It was a little sad because my hair hadn't been properly deep conditioned in two weeks and that braid-out was everything! However, I am not just my hair. I gathered my hair in a tight bun and put a satin black scarf over it and got down and dirty. 

       This was my first mud-race and anyone that knows me, knows I don't like dirt. I don't want it in my shoes, in my hair, on my face YUCK. Seeing my best-friend/boyfriend complete a harder run inspired me to complete my first one. It was an impromptu run that I hadn't planned for but I did it with a smile. 

        I took a longgggggggg shower after the race. Lots of rinsing. The scarf on my head helped, I couldn't imagine running without it. However, I was drenched in water and mud from top to bottom. The last obstacle was a huge slide that slid into a big pool of muddy water. 

    This wasn't supposed to be a long post, I know I can talk my head off. I just really enjoyed myself and I wanted to share.

       Overall, my hair did great. It wasn't bothersome. I was so happy I brought a handful of flexi-rods. I just threw them in before bed or overnight a few times. Half the time I walked around with air-dried hair, either out or in a bun. Braid-outs, flexi-rods, buns, Hello Hydration/water, oil, shea butter and small satin black scarf were all useful. I had my regular sleeping scarf as well, that's a no brainer for me. 

Oh check this I didn't use a heat pass! I straightened my roots once and after that I was just having too much fun to worry about my hair. 

Share some of your vacation tips and tricks, sharing is caring.
Peace&Love

Fun With Flexi-rods, Chelators and Ceramides!

For the past two weeks, I've been conducting a clarifying vs. chelating experiment. I relaxed my hair with a no-lye relaxer, this relaxer requires some serious chelating before the next relaxer. I researched and researched and found out clarifying and chelating are not the same, first hand. 

But why? They both contain EDTA. My guess is chelators have a higher concentrate of EDTA. Side-note,  I found EDTA in my Powerade.

Clarifying products remove product build-up and chelators remove minerals and chemical build-up. Chelators can clarify, clarifies don't chelate. Oh I learned first-hand. In 2012, my stylist swore she used ORS no-lye, but my hair has never felt this horrible before and I know it's because of the calcium build-up no-lye leaves in your hair. 

In order to chelate, I needed a product with EDTA. Cool, I had plenty, Ultra Swim and Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo. I really didn't want to buy more products and these items already had EDTA. My hair felt clean but a few days later...I had t co-wash. I've probably co-washed 3 times this year. My hair was a mess, I was scared to blog about it. 

It seems I brought my hair stash to about 10 items...however, I've added ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo, GVP Moisturizing Conditioner (Nexxus Humectress) and a 32 oz. bottle of Herbal Essence Hello Hydration. Three new items and I want to add avocado oil to my stash. Sigh, but I needed these items. Is that what we tell ourselves when we buy hair products?

Firstly, I knew one day I had to buy ORS Creamy Aloe. Secondly, this past week I was introduced to ceramides. Again I researched and researched. I found the scientific name(2-oleamido or 1-3 octadecanedio) and checked my stash. No luck. Also I learned companies have different names for ceramides. This product I wanted contains Ceramide 3.

So off to to Sally's I went. I've used Nexxus Humectress before and I loved it years ago, so I decided to try the Sally version because I couldn't find the trail size (I love trail size hair products).

Right: After ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo (my hair had me nervous) Left: GVP Moisturizing Conditioner (Nexxus Humectress)

This wash I kept it oh so simple-

1. Shampoo with ORS Creamy Aloe
2. Deep Conditioned with GVP Moisturizing Conditioner (sunk into my damp hair, sealed with grapeseed oil)
3. T-shirt dry
4. Giovanni Direct Leave-in and sealed it with grape seed oil(ceramide).
5. Six purple flexi-rods, two grey flexi-rods overnight.

I have a flight to Orlando Sunday night. I will be out galavanting for two weeks. I can't ignore more hair for that long. There will be pools, humidity and parties! For my extended vacation (2 weeks) I packed-

1. StyleHouse Curling/Flat Iron
2. Ion Guard heat protectant
3. Hello Hydration
4. Shea Butter Mixture
5. Flexi-rods
6. KeraPro Restorative Treatment
7. Giovanni Direct Leave-in

No shampoo, risky? No. I have apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle!!! Plus I'm sure the hotels will have some stripping shampoo.  I'll probably shampoo once when I deep condition. JUST CO-WASH ALL DAY! NO HEAT STYLES! 

What are your thoughts on ceramides? Flexi-rods? Chelators?

Peace&Love!

What's Happening to My Hair? Breakage?

I'm concerned about breakage. It's definitely a new experience for me. I battled shedding and chronic split ends (I diagnosed myself) and I'm quite proud of myself because I personally feel I have reduced my shedding and my ends look great.

1. I keep my hands out of my hair more
2. Green tea/ coffee rinse weekly.
3. Exercising 
4. I improved my eating habits
5. Increased water intake (slightly)
6. Search and destroy (a lot)
7. Regular trims (1/2 -1 1/2 in.)
   

My hairline has always been like this but
this time it feels off.

My main concern is my hairline right above the ends of my eyebrows. The only thing that is consoling me is the fact that its happening to both sides of my head. So I'm thinking/hoping that it's normal. Perhaps it's presenting a problem to me because it's not bone-straight. I noticed the micro-curls after last weeks wash...other than that, I can't figure out what's going on. 

The breakage that definitely happened a few months back was behind my right ear. I don't know what the culprit was but I can't dwell, I just need to let it grow back. 

I did a hard protein treatment on my last wash after I clarified my hair. I love clarifying! What I will do for my edges is try not to be dramatic. For some reason I got it in my head that soon I'll have no edges and then I'll be bald! Sigh, I must correct before this before that happens

This is what I did with my hair after clarifying and hard
proteining. Two strand twists that I put up in
two purple flexi-rods.

1. Research about edges. 
2. Research about breakage
3. Tie my scarf differently
4. GET A NEW SCARF
5.  Castor oil? (research) 
   

Urghhh I get really tired of my hair problems. I'm thinking about letting a stylist texlax my hair...thinking about that 80 bucks I'll spend. Perhaps I'll just shave it off! Did I mention I can be dramatic?

Any tips?

Peace&Love