Fall Style

Braid out on blow dried hair. Gave myself a good trim, detangled and blow dried small sections on a low setting. I'm hoping to wear my hair like this for two weeks, oiling and moisturizing in between when needed.
+ No washing in the morning
+ No leaving the house with wet hair
+ No shrinkage
+ Versatility (flexi-rod, braid out, twist out, or wrap it and wear it straighter)
-/+ Takes a long time to blow dry small sections, but my morning routine (showering, getting dressed, makeup, hair) has gone from 1 hour to 25 minutes!

I'm not worried about heat damage, I was gentle and used low heat.

What are your hair plans for the fall?

Braid Out Day 2

The other day, after trying out the LOC method, I put my hair in braids and styled my hair in a braid out. I really like the look on day 2 more than on day 1 (no pic featured). To maintain the style, I simply put my hair in 4 loose plaits and place the ends on rollers. I haven't noticed a major difference between LOC (liquid, oil, cream) and LCO (liquid, cream, oil) on day 2, I still had to refresh my hair with a little oil and water. The only difference I notice is that the LOC method imparts more shine than LCO. So 1-point for the LOC method! Maybe I should give it some time before I decide, which method better suits me.

L.O.C Method

 Yes, another acronym to add to the natural dictionary! When I first went natural, I have to admit, I didn't see the point in sealing. My hair was in the twa stage and was relatively easy to moisturize. After washing my hair, I'd just slap on a little leave-in and call it a day. Now that my hair has grown out of the twa phase, I realize the importance of keeping my ends well moisturized and protected. Thus, I never skip the process of sealing my ends after washing my hair. However, to be honest, sealing my ends was always sort of a ritual, based on popularity among the natural community. It was almost a rite of passage to wash, add a leave-in and seal my ends. Unfortunately, even taking these measures did not prevent my ends from being brittle and dry. Thus, weekly deep conditioning and/or baggying sessions have helped me combat dry ends.

Well, lately I got to thinking... "maybe my routine of applying my leave-in and sealing is not doing much for my hair." Ever since I saw this article on Curly Nikki on the LOC method, I've been tempted to try it. The idea behind LOC is that you have a liquid, then oil, then cream on your hair. This is supposed to result in sealing each layer with the goal of maintaining moisture. Today, I tried this method for the first time. It's too soon to say whether there is a difference, however, I will provide an update towards the end of the week. So far, what I can say is that my hair has never looked this shiny after moisturizing. That's already a positive!

Tonight I washed my hair, deep conditioned, then applied coconut oil to my hair in sections. Next, I added a generous amount of my leave-in and detangled, then braided it. I'd like to do a braid-out tomorrow and hope the LOC method will result in more defined and moisturized hair.

Do you LOC?

UPDATES: See my September and October posts for more on the LOC method, which I love by the way! 

Keeping Hair (esp. ends) moisturized

I wash my hair twice per week. There's nothing like the first day when I wash and deep condition my hair, it's always super soft and shiny. As days pass, it tends to get dryer and slightly rougher. To keep my hair soft and shiny past day 1 hair, here are some tips that work for me:

After washing hair and conditioning or deep conditioning sessions, I put in a moisturizing leave in, seal my hair with my oil of choice, paying close attention to the ends of my strands. Style as desired.

Sounds familiar and easy enough to do right? That's because it is. The part of my routine that left me scratching my head was the night routine. I'd ask myself -- How do I keep my natural hair styled so I don't have to manipulate it too much or wash it again the next day? Well, I feel as though I've finally found some answers to this question and have a consistent night time routine.

I either place my hair in mini pineapples, lightly spritz them with water and rub a little EVOO or argan oil on my ends, put on a satin scarf and call it a day. Another method I discovered, which I'm liking a lot is to lightly spritzy my hair, place my hair in four large plaits or loose braids (two on the side, two in the back), rub oil on my ends and put on a satin scarf. The second method is really versatile, because it allows you to stretch your hair. The next day, I can either wear my hair in a braid/plait out or pull it back into a little puff. I find when I braid my damp hair, it maintains moisture and keeps my hair's cuticles slicked down, which equals less frizz. I think I'll be doing more of option 2 as my hair grows longer.

What is your night routine?

xoxo

Braidout on Short Natural Hair update day 1, 2

I've been pretty much wearing my hair like this for the past couple of weeks. I've been running around a lot this week and I find this style is classic and simple. I can wear it like this 3 days straight, refresh with a spray bottle and continue wearing it like this another 2 - 3 day.

However, convenience does not always = fun, so I decided to mix things up a bit and do a braidout. Twistouts have never been my friend. During my transition they never worked or looked good on my hair. Even after I went natural, my twistout results were noting to run home and brag about. Tonight, I decided to revisit my good old-faithful braidout. This is my first attempt on my natural hair.

Here's a pic of my hair all braided, tomorrow I'll unveil the final result. I have a total of about 16 braids and it took about 40 minutes to do. I did the braidout on dry 3 day old hair. I divided my hair in 4 sections. refreshed each section with water and moisturized only my ends with leave-in and argan oil. I'll post pictures of my results tomorrow.
********

DAY 1

 

 

 

DAY 1

 

 

DAY 2

DAY 2

xoxo

Change!

I'm braided and bunned out and tonight I hope to rock the blow out! I've been sporting only braids and buns for the past 5 weeks--- I'm just not that creative when it comes to styling... I hope this will change, but I'm just proud I can achieve those two styles during my transition.

I'm writing this entry, while deep conditioning under the heat of my soft bonnet. My plan is to try a blow out (on super, duper protected and oiled hair) and then set it with rollers to see if I can achieve a looser wave with my flexirods... I'll post pictures later this week!

I just want to say that washing my hair in segments is so amazing!! My wide tooth just glides through my hair! It may be too soon to speculate, but I think this might be love! I dont want to jinx it, bc in one of my posts I mentioned my hair was easier to manage as I approached 5 months, then all tangling hell broke loose. For now I'll enjoy not having to pick up half of my hair out of the shower and not getting the comb stuck in my hair every second!

Peace & Love

Hair Dessert

Recently, I tried some new things out on my hair. I'll just describe the procedure and results.

1. Honey Deep Conditioner:

Method: Mixed 1 TBSP Olive Oil, 2 TBSP Honey, Conditioner. Placed a plastic cap on my head and went under my hooded dryer for about 30-40 minutes. Rinsed with warm water to effectively remove honey.

++ Oh lala, my hair felt immediately moisturized and SO soft. I noticed my new growth was super shiny afterwards and looked so replenished. My relaxed hair responded to this well, however I could really see the results on my natural hair. My next day braid out was very soft, defined and shiny.

2. Under Water Detangling

Method: With hair full of conditioner, lie down in the tub, submerse hair in the water and detangle.

+- Comb did glide through hair a bit easier, however the position required to do this and the effort it takes is not worth it.

3. Wash and Detangle in Sections

Method: Place hair in three sections and hold in place with a clip. Saturate hair with water and co-wash one section at a time (do not rinse), continue until all sections have been conditioned. Return to the first section, add water and detangle, rinse conditioner, repeat for the other sections.

++ This is the only way I'll detangle and condition from now on. Before my hair tangled a lot, so I've learned the key is to work with smaller sections. This reduces tangles and breakage.

4. Tight Curly Method (slightly adapted)

 I read about this method on Curly Nikki, it looked really promising. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure if this method was possible on transitioning hair--- and didn't find any info online. I basically conditioned twice (using the section method), detangled and did not rinse out the second application of conditioner. After this I scrunched a little and attempted a wash n' go.

+- Leaving the conditioner in my hair made it shiny and very soft, I will try this again! The Wash n' go, didn't look horrible, but also didn't look great... think I'll have to wait until I'm fully natural to try to style with this method. However, I do believe it works well as a nourishing leave-in.

Tonight, I simply dampened my hair with a mixture of setting lotion and oils, sealed with coconut and other essential oils, put my hair in three plaits and wrapped it. We'll see if I'm able to maintain the moisture and shine for more than one day.

Other than these new methods, I continue to drink lots of water, eat my fruits and veggies and work out. This weekend, the weather was gorgeous so I went on a hike with a friend. When I got to the top, I had this breath-taking view, which made me feel so small and blessed!

Peace & Love

Product Overdose

I've heard that switching up products is beneficial for the hair. Some argue that using the same shampoo and conditioner all the time decreases its effectiveness. I'm not sure to what extent this statement is true, but today I picked up a new shampoo and conditioner, because I experienced a protein overdose. Yes, that's right I overdosed on protein and actually without even realizing it!

I tend to buy products without much consideration. I often purchase a product if it has a nice design and a convincing short description on the front of the bottle (e.g. 1 minute intense repair). I rarely look at the list of ingredients! Another factor that tends to attract me to a product is the description of whom the product is intended for. I always select products that are targeted towards "dry, very dry, chemically processed and/or rebellious hair". Rebellious hair, what the hell is so rebellious about one's natural hair? Just because one's hair (regardless the ethnicity) has a curl pattern, does not in any way, shape or form mean their hair is rebellious! I mean come on, my hair is already dry, why do those companies have to add rebellious to the description-- works wonders for the self-esteem!

Any hew sorry for the discourse, as I was saying, these bad habits landed me in my current state. My hair is super frizzy, dry, and fuzzy! Did I mention frizzy!? For the past 3 months, I have been washing my hair with products that contain proteins. Protein is not so horrible for the hair. In fact when used in moderation and combined with moisturizing non-protein based shampoos and conditioners, it can actually strengthen the hair. However, I was using protein 2-3 times per week-- not pretty!

I had no idea that my weekly, deep conditioner had protein in it. My hair literally reached its snapping point the other when I did my monthly protein treatment. After the treatment, I decided to deep condition to retain moisture. Not realizing at that time that my deep conditioner also contained protein. Basically, I was double dosing! After washing my hair I saw lots of shedding and it was so dry. On top of it all I discovered my shampoo, which I use once a week is not only a clarifying shampoo, but also contains protein-- I was triple dosing! Many hair gurus recommend using clarifying shampoos once a month or when the hair feels weighed down by product residue, as frequent use can result in stripping the hair of its natural oils. So a cumulative effect of too much protein and over clarifying left my hair über dry.

After this realization (i.e. lots of googling), I went to the center of town to purchase a new shampoo and conditioner. And can you believe it, I fell for it again!! Nivea has a new line called Cashmere, I mean the name alone makes me think of soft, luxurious moisture! I grabbed the poo and conditioner and headed home. When I arrived home, I took out the bottles to examine them and realized right below the word cashmere, in small print were the words "rice-based protein"!! I cannot escape it! Today I went back and returned both items and bought a mild shampoo from Garnier (biodegradable, made of almond and lotus flowers, the bottle says it's safe for the whole family) and a conditioner from Le Petit Marseillais (made with Shea butter and honey, for dry and stressed hair). Most importantly both products do not contain proteins. Yay!

I have been sporting braid outs all week. I'm really horrible at doing fancy twists and braids, so am happy my elementary plaits can achieve nice results.

I plan on shampooing and conditioning, with these new products this weekend. I hope they are ultra moisturizing! Next week, I'll also experiment with a honey and olive oil deep conditioner. I've been reading about all of the positive qualities of honey in terms of increasing moisture, so I'm excited about that.

Honestly, I don't think I could have ever transitioned without the internet! There are so many blogs, videos and forums out there to inform novices like myself! Chapeau to anyone who transitioned pre-Google! Here's a helpful tip I found for identifying whether a product has protein: Be wary of any product that states it's intended to repair, strengthen or restructure--- these usually always indicate protein. If the product contains keratin, silk protein, amino acids, soy protein, collagen or anything hydrolyzed-- well then it's likely protein-based.

Why do I suddenly have the feeling this blog should be called 100 things not to do when transitioning!

Peace & Love

P.S. - I decided to do an itty-bitty, teeny-tiny big chop on a strand of hair to see what my curl looks like without the relaxed end attached to it. I'll admit, I wanted to keep snipping out of curiosity and because of how weak the relaxed strands look, but I was too much of a coward to do so.