Carpe Diem: 9 month update

 

First and foremost, Happy New Year Everyone!! I hope you are having a wonderful start in 2012 and are enjoying keeping up with your resolutions! I for one can already feel spring approaching as the days gradually grow longer. I can't wait, it's my second favorite season next to fall! Can't wait to leave my house and not worry about my hair being damp and it being too cold outside. 

My resolutions for 2012 are:

• To finish my thesis.
• Find a permanent job after I finish my thesis.
• Take a fun class with my husband (we've decided on tango, hope I don't break any toes).
• Exercise at least 3 xs per week.
• Continue eating healthy and to learn a bit about herbal remedies. I've recently started making my own tea using ginger, honey and cloves-- it's great for digestion and circulation (my fingers and toes are always cold and I've noticed results already)!
• Do things I love and do them often!
• Learn to keep an orchid alive, I've killed 2 in a matter of months!

I'm really enjoying my short natural hair! At first when I transition chopped I was so caught up on my hair growing that I almost forgot to enjoy rocking my new cut! The other day I thought to myself, long hair will be so lovely, but boy oh boy is it going to be a big hassle when it comes to washing. So my new motto is "rock what I've got". Besides, my hair can only grow down from here! Well, I guess it can also grow upwards and horizontally too, lol! I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's growing everyday and it's healthy so I shouldn't worry about the length, just let it do its thing.

I really love my curls. I like how they spring back every time I pull them out or how I can twirl my finger around my curl and watch it curl up even more. I really enjoy when my husband leans over and smells my hair and enjoys the scent of my product. I know it's cheesy, but these are the things I enjoy. 

On another note, I realize the other day that although my last relaxer was March 5th that does not make me 10 months natural. Since my new growth didn't normally start to grow/reveal itself until about 6 weeks post relaxer. I will estimate that I am currently 9 months natural. Not very important, but just thought this estimate was more accurate. 

My new regimen is working wonderfully! I've added a bit of an extreme deep conditioner to my regimen, will report more later! Shampooing once a week has also been amazing, it's just what my hair needed! I am going to make one of those little regimen calendars to post it to the blog soon. So yay for good hair news!

Here are some pictures comparing my hair from the beginning of December up until now:

December

            

January

December

January (poofy and loving it)

Hair Regimen Update

I'm a strong believer in listening to one's hair, to decide what it needs. I fell into the traps that some other transitioners may have experienced-- YouTube. It can be a blessing but also a curse! I don't know how much time I've spent watching naturalistas discuss their hair care regimen. I've developed quite a few hair crushes and spent hours imagining what it would be like to have hair like my hair crushes. Sad, but true. I started using the products they used or adopting aspects of their regimens. Bad idea! Last month, this left me with greasy, tangled matted hair that took days to get back to its normal state.

I'm now back to doing me. If I could give any transitioner or even any natural hair beauty any piece of advice it would be the following:
1. Love you, do you, accept you (and your hair).
2. Profit from the knowledgeable advice from others on products and styling, however, tweak it to fit your needs.
3. Be patient with hair growth, since most of us don't want our lives to go by fast and want to enjoy every moment, the same should be true for hair growth. There's no overnight miracle to butt-length hair, so enjoy your hair at all stages.


With that being said, here is my current regimen, which is likely to change as I continue transitioning:
Co wash
2 x week (1 out of the two times, I do a deep conditioner). If I do sports I wash my scalp with water only, to remove any buildup or sweat.
Shampoo
once every other 2 weeks. I typically dilute my shampoo in water (1:3, e.g. 1 cup of shampoo, 3 cups of water) and apply it only to my scalp.
Pre-poo 
Once every other 2 weeks (day before my shampoo). I apply a mixture of oils and honey to damp hair, plastic cap, towel on pillow, go to sleep.
Light Protein
once every other 2 weeks (on shampoo day), follow it up with a moisturizing deep conditioner.
Styles

• Braid outs are still my go to style, they're simple, cute and require low manipulation. I was having difficulties with them in the beginning, because they often unraveled. Someone recommended I roll the ends with flexi-rods, however I wasn't so happy with the end effect. Recently, I got the idea to cut up an old satin scarf into small pieces, I wrap each piece around the end of my braid and fasten it with a clip. This keeps the ends protected, allows a thicker end so the clip stays in place and stops the hair from unraveling. I'll post pictures later. I also now do 8 braids vs. 4, I find I achieve more definition and it dries faster.

• Flexirod sets, I've mastered my technique and am always happy with the results.

• Buns-- I rarely wear buns, because I find they dry my ends out... I'll probably do more buns in the winter and try using a silk hair tie.

Sleep
Satin scarf. I'm on the hunt for a satin pillowcase.

Moral of this post: Your grass should always be greener.

Peace & Love