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

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Oh yes, sun and warm weather are back in my life! Not sure how long this will last, but I'm cherishing every moment. There's nothing better than warm weather in my opinion. It makes you cherish the simple things in life. It also makes smiling contagious. I've already got the summer bug and we just survived February!

I hope everyone out there is experiencing a little spring weather. If not, I'm sending warm vibes in your direction.

Continuing on this high note, can I just express how happy I am that I decided to go natural. I know, I know this blog is primarily about my natural hair and natural, natural blah, blah, blah. However, I do hope that somehow my journey will help someone (if you're reading) who's on the fence about going natural. Someone who's thought about it a million times, but never was sure if they could commit to it. My advice to you, DO IT!

Anyway, yesterday, my ends felt rough, so I decided to give myself a much needed trim. Since my hair has been really frizzy lately (probably due to split ends) I did an online search for dry, frizzy hair remedies. I got the idea to do a hot oil treatment on livestrong.com (love that website). So I whipped up olive oil, vitamin E, castor, honey and a little mayo and warmed all of the ingredients. I applied this to my hair in sections and twisted each section. I then put on a plastic cap and let it sit for about 2 hours. What hole have I been hiding under and why did I not do a hot oil treatment sooner!? My hair feels like a million bucks now! It's shiny, spring and so soft. Oh and best of all, I've experienced less frizz.

Here's a pic, with a new style (well new to me) that I've sporting lately to tip-toe around my in-between stage issue. I pretty much wear this style 5 days a week and wear my hair out 2 days per week. It works well for my work out routine and saves me a lot of time in the morning. I take down the puff at night, wrap the flat part of my hair and throw a satin cap on. In the morning, I get ready, take off the scarf spritz the puff with water and add some whipped shea butter (if necessary).

And now time for some sun:

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.