Protecting the Ends II

I've fallen in love with two strand twists !! My hair feels more moisturized than ever! I put my hair in twists on Thursday and left them in until Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, I took out my twists, which was a breeze. My hair is still quite defined and today is Monday. I'm planning on redoing my twists on Wednesday or Thursday night. It's wonderful to have found a protective style that works for my hair at it's current length. Additionally, my morning routine is über quick now. It took me about 1.5 hours to twist all my hair, but for me it's worth it in the long run. This week, I'll probably leave the twists in longer, at least 4 -5 days.

When my hair was in twists, at night I put the twists in 3 sections and put on a satin scarf. When I took my untwisted my hair, at night, I pull them together or made two sections. I really feel this style works well to keep my ends hydrated. Hopefully, this will help me on my goal to reach APL (stretched) by my 2 year mark (Mar 2013).

How long do you keep your twists in? Do you think twists assist in length retention?

Customized Baggying

Baggying is a method of deep-conditioning, where the hair is moisturized at night and covered in plastic (e.g. saran wrap, shower cap, plastic bag). The hair remains covered overnight and is then rinsed out the following day. It's a great method to moisturize the hair, as the plastic bag creates a similar effect to steaming. The hair cuticles open up, as the bag traps in heat and this allows moisture to enter the hair shaft. Every time I baggy, my hair is soft, defined and moisturized. However, there can be disadvantages if you baggy too much. If the hair is too soft and "over" moisturized from constant baggying, it can also break easily, as elasticity is reduced. This can be remedied by not over-baggying. I typically baggy 3-4 times per month and this seems to be enough for me. Another option is to introduce protein treatments into your routine to keep the hair strong and reduce breakage.

One particular problem I had with baggying, is that my hair, like many naturals, has many different textures and curl patterns. In the back of my head my hair is tightly coiled, thick, easy to detangle, however the ends are prone to dryness. The curls on crown and sides of my hair are looser, easier to moisturize, however prone to tangling. This part of my hair typically is a bit limp and breaks easily after baggying. On the contrary, the back of my head is soft, shiny and healthier after baggying. Thus to counter this problem, I came up with the solution of customized baggying.

Here's how I do it:

• I moisturize all of my hair with olive oil. 
• On the puff in the back of my hair, I add a little conditioner. 
• I cover my puff in plastic by wrapping a shower cap around it and holding it in place with a hair elastic.
• I then put a satin scarf on my head.

This method is great for me, because when I wake up the sides and front of my hair are shiny and moisturized from the oil and satin scarf and the back of my hair is moisturized from baggying. The next day, I rinse only the puff and style my hair.