October Hairdates: Vatika Oil + LOC

What is the current length of your hair?

When wet, the back of my hair reaches my shoulders. My sides are still growing at snail speed. :/ Patience, patience. I hate the mullet look (see 2nd pic) it gives me, so if I wear my hair out, I usually pin my sides back. I threw in a pic of my hair from January (Transition chop) - I've come along way without even realizing it!

JANUARY 2012

OCTOBER 2012

 

September Update: Twists and Giovanni Smooth as Silk

 September 

What is the current length of your hair?

What products are you currenty loving?
Still loving Tresseme Naturals - This not only gives me great slip, but is also super moisturizing!
Giovanni Smooth As Silk - As the name implies, this protein treatments keeps my curls silky, bouncy, strong and moisturized!
Kinky Curly Knot Today - Great slip, nice smell and moisturizing!


What's your current wash regimen?

• Cowash 1 - 2 times per week, depending on the style.
• Shampoo (using my special mixture) twice per month (every 14 days).
• Apply an oil, apply a leave-in.

How have you been styling your hair?
Blown out braid outs and twists. Blow drying my hair allows it to stretch and gives me a bouncier, looser wave pattern. Twists are great for moisture retention and keep my hands out of my hair for about a week. Those are basically my top 2 to-go-to fall stylesl. Besides twists and blow outs, I wear my hair pulled back.

Twists in a bun

Blow out, braid out

Blow out, braid out

What challenges have you faced?
Edges, I've always had thin edges, but I want to make sure I don't put pressure on them . I try oil my edges with castor oil and try to alternate my styles.




Awkward length, unless my hair is stretched or in an updo. I'll be really happy to reach shoulder length unstretched. Patience is a virtue.

Any drastic changes to your regimen or hair?
LOC (liquid, oil, cream) method changed my life! I've been testing out the LOC method a few months. Alternating back and forth between LOC and LCO (liquid, cream, oil). Here's what I've noticed. The LOC method leaves my hair soft, supple --- it feels like butter-- and moisturized, much longer than the LCO method. Although, my curls are less defined with the LOC method, I feel a major difference in moisture, especially my ends. I rarely use the LCO method, unless I'm planning on doing a wash-n-go. My LOC ingredients consist of water, coconut oil, then a leave-in, typically Kinky Curly Knot Today.


Would you like to offer any hair advice for this month?
If your ends are dry and brittle trim them and try to deep condition every time you wet your hair. Now that we're experiencing dryer weather, I make DCs a vital part of my regimen.

Happy September!

Return from Vacation Updates w/pics

I'm back from vacation. I had a beautiful time with fam and friends. I feel relaxed and rejuvenated, besides being a little jet-lagged. I also feel giddy everytime I open my bathroom closet, as it is are now stocked with products! You'd think I'd won a sweepstakes or something!

Being in the States for vacation made me realize, I would be a total product junky if I were living there. I know in my hair goals post, I discussed finding one or two staple products, however, that's easy to say living in Europe, where options are significantly smaller. So when I got home and hit the aisles of Target, Walgreens and CVS, I kind of went wild--- like literally cray cray! I just started grabbing up products as if they were disappearing. Some of the finds that I am loving at the moment are: Tressemme Naturals and Brahmi Oil. I will try Giovanni "Smooth as Silk" for the first time today, I've heard really good things about so I'm excited!

I know in my "gray hair discovery"post, I mentioned that I would henna my hair. I don't know why but there is just a little voice in the back of my head that is telling me not to henna. I listened to it and decided against it. I guess I'm just not ready. I must have a hair committment issue and the idea of having to retouch and re-henna on regular basis makes me a little weary. I did however, decide to get highlights! I wanted a new look and to brighten things up a bit. I got light brown and honey colored highlights only in my crown and the front of my hair. I really love the look and think it adds great dimension to my hair. The highlights didn't at all loosed my curl pattern and I haven't experienced any unusual dryness. I'll upload pics later of my highlights on flat-ironed and natural hair.

Besides the color, I've just been enjoying an easier more laidback approach to my hair in the summer. Twice a week co-washes and pulling it back into a high puff. This was my vacation approach at least, I'm hoping it carries over to my everyday approach. Simplicity is lovely.

I feel like my hair responded so well to the climate back in the States. It loved humidity and salty, moist, ocean air. Everytime I went to beach, I could not stop caressing my hair. Oh well, a girl, or at least her hair, can't have it all, but can be spoiled from time to time with a nice beach vacation.

How are you liking your summer hair routines?

Xoxo

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My hair highlighted and flatironed in an updo.

My summer to-go-to style wash and puff

My highlighted natural hair

My Hair Loves Humidity!

I'm thrilled to be back home and am having loads of fun spending time with the family, especially my nephew, and catching up with friends. My hair has been in humid and dewy heaven here! I'm staying away from humectants and enjoying the sheen and moisture that humidity provides!

I wore my hair in twists for the first 4 days of my trip and on my flight. This worked out really well and my hair stayed hydrated, which is rare when I fly. I'm already in product heaven-- or hell (i.e for my wallet), depending on how you look at it! Today, I'm trying Aussie Moist for the first time and plan on doing a wash and go. We'll see if I still love the humidity as much as I did when my hair was in twists. =)

Here are some products I'd like to test during my stay and hopefully, I'll stock my suitcase with a winner.

• Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
• Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein Balancing Condi
• Hawaiin Silky Leave-in
• Kinky Kurly Knot Today
• Giovanni 50/50 Condi

Any other suggestions for me? What are some of your favorite products?

Hair goals update

Products/ Goals
I am on a quest to streamline my products and find products where I live (tired of having an overweight suitcase). The other day, while shopping at a new store, I found this:

Garnier mild conditioner with avocado oil and shea butter

I had seen the shampoo in my local grocery store, but never the conditioner. This morning I used it for the first time and let me just say, not only was it creamy and moisturizing but it also gave my hair the perfect slip for detangling. Now that's what I call 2 in 1! The leave-in smells heavenly, it's creamy but not too thick or heavy and leaves my hair feeling super soft. I am not sure whether I prefer Garnier's Triple Moisture leave-in or this one, it's only day 1, so I'll give it some time.

Hair goals/ length
Today, I did a length check and was surprised to see that the back of my hair is just past shoulder length, the sides are collarbone length and the front of my hair is jaw length (guess shrinkage in the front is more intense than the back)! So it looks like I've reached my hair goal, before the end of the year. I hope to get 3 more inches before the end of the year, that would be great!

Thick dandruff
I've never had an issue with dandruff, but the past 2 months I've noticed thick white flakes near my hair line and the center of my hair. I don't think it's related to stress nor diet, I have a healthy diet, exercise and try to keep stress to a minimum. My suspicion is that it may be due to product build-up on my scalp.  I've taken measures to combat it head on and so far so good. Here's what I do, to ensure a healthy moisturized scalp:

• While shampooing (1 x per week), I give myself a head massage (using the tips of my fingers, not nails). I put pressure on my scalp and move my fingers in a circular motion, to break up any dirt or grime.
• Make sure I completely rinse out conditioner and shampoo.
• Do not apply any leave-ins or heavy oils near or on my scalp.
• Lightly rub jojoba infused with peppermint essential oil on my scalp 1 -2 times per week. Jojoba is great because it's light  and mimics the sebum found in human skin). The peppermint tingles and refreshes my scalp. Research shows that it reduces itching and dandruff; it moisturizes the scalp and stimulates growth follicles--- again 2 for 1!

Styling goals
I think at the end of this week, I will do a light blow out, then set my hair on flexi-rods. I'm excited to to try a new style!

Hair Goals 2012

 

I like goals! They steer and enhance performance and give us things to look forward to. Every goal we accomplish, the more rewarding the journey is. I always set personal, financial, health and life goals, but rarely do I set hair goals. I simply state healthy, long hair is a goal of mine. So here is my 2012 Hair Goal List. I hope to reach these goals by the end of this year.

Hair length goals
1. Maintain healthy, moisturized, split-end-free hair.

2. Grow hair to a little past shoulders when stretched. Current length is just above shoulders in the back.

3. Speed up the growth of the front and sides of my hair. This part of my hair grows incredibly slow! While the back is almost grazing shoulder length the front of my hair is like ear length. Business in the front, party in the back = no bueno!

4. Protect my hair and look cute in the summer. Accessorize with more hats and scarfs to protect my hair from the heat of the sun, especially between 12-3pm.

Product goals
5. Streamline products

There is nothing wrong with being a PJ (product junky). It helps you discover new products that work for your hair and keep an open mind. However, I'm tired of shopping around. Our city is not exactly a haven for curly hair products. Besides, I'd like to go to the store, pick up the exact product I require and move on. My goal by the end of this year is to have: 1-2 shampoos, conditioners, styling products and oils that work well for my hair and no more!

6. Stop buying things that do not work for my hair.

Case and point, gel. I have a huge tub of eco styler taking over my medicine cabinet. Gels have never worked on my hair and I need to move on and accept this!


Style goals
7. Stop fearing the flat-iron! Words like heat damage and loss of curl pattern, have terrified me from picking up the flat iron. The versatility of being natural is that you can rock straight or curly hair. Of course, I don't want to flat-iron my hair weekly, but I would like to do a blow-out/flat-iron/roller-set every 3 months i.e. 4 times per year.

8. Have a salon experience. I haven't been to a hair salon in over a year! I miss it so much! The chatter, the female bonding, the gossip, having someone else's hands play in my hair. So, I would like to have a pampering salon experience at least once per year. I'm thinking of going to my old stylist and getting a roller set on my trip home this summer or checking out Aveda salon to receive a pampering deep conditioner and head massage.

Will keep you updated on my progress.

What are some of your hair goals?

Semi-Natural?

I once saw a post on Curly Nikki, a question from one follower asking if all naturals jumped off the natural bandwagon, i.e. stopped using all natural products on their natural hair. This post made me realize, now that I am natural and done transitioning, I use fewer homemade products.

Speaking for myself, I can honestly say that when I first decided to go natural, I did have sort of a super hippy/organic moment where I thought I would be natural from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. I would whip up avocado, banana and pumpkin potions to achieve moisture and shine. For a while I thought, this is great! And it was great, however it wasn't for me. I always felt wasteful and guilty when I did such things. You see, I grew up in a home where my Mom reminded me "there are children in some countries, crying themselves to sleep from hunger, eat your mashed potatos." This mentality has stuck with me throughout my life, which is why I cook small portions and married a man with the appetite of a bear coming out of hibernation.

I just can't justify myself, putting edible ingredients such as avocado or banana in my hair, when I can put those things in my stomach and nourish my body. Mmm... wonder how avocado and banana would taste in a smooth? Where am I going with this?!! Sorry, what I'm trying to say is, I consider myself a semi-natural product user. I try to incorporate things such as natural oils or organic products, but that's the extent of it. Although since becoming natural, I've noticed I've stopped using oils in my DC's as much as I did when transitioning, so revisited that today and did the following:
1 TBSP EVOO
1 TBSP of my natural plain yogurt (ate the rest)
1 TSP of vitamin E oil
2 TBSP of my Aubrey Organics Honey-suckle Rose Conditioner

I mixed these ingredients up and applied them to slightly damp hair (I just misted with a little water). Will let you know how it comes out, my hair began to softened immediately, as I applied this mixture.

Have a great weekend!

5 Month Post Update

I'm happy to say that I'm more than 5 months post-relaxer and my hair has recovered nicely from my recent protein overdose. It feels soft and moisturized and is no longer a frizzy nightmare!

 I will probably do a protein treatment again towards the middle of this month, but only if my hair feels prone to breakage. On another positive note, the conditioner and shampoo I purchased a few weeks back are working wonderfully. I was worried when I saw alcohol under the list of conditioner ingredients, but it turns out the specific alcohol, cetearyl has good properties for curly hair. I stumbled across this website, which apparently from the fan base is HUGE in the curly hair community: http://tightlycurly.com/Ingredients.aspx. This is what the Tight Curly Method founder, Teri says about cetearyl alcohol:

"Used as an emollient, emulsifier, conditioner, and thickener. Not the same as SD alcohol or ethanol. This is actually a mixture of Cetyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol [Hunting (Conditioning) pg 142]. This is one of the ingredients I like to see near the top of a conditioner's ingredient list. When left in very curly hair it adds needed weight without being greasy."

I've always been a product junky, but would like to find my staple products (keep my money in my bank account, where it belongs). My new rules of thumbs are:

1. To use the products I have and buy new ones when those run out. I can always add essential oils to a shampoo or conditioner to increase its moisturizing properties.

2. Never have more than 2 of a product (shampoo, conditioner, protein treatment, etc.). I always like to try different things, however if I switch up products too much, I'll never know what works right for me. Not to mention, I'll stop invading my husband's "half" of the cabinet.

3. Experiment with items already in my home such as olive oil, which I added to my cheap conditioner last month and this worked wonders*!

Wonders meaning, my hair felt moisturized and detangling wasn't as horrible as usual, however it is still a task to detangle transitioning hair--- requires A LOT of patience!!

Proof of my product addiction:

Products from my drawer

Products from my medicine cabinet

I'm thankful everyday that I finally decided to stop relaxing my hair and transition! I only wished I had done so sooner. If anyone is reading this and contemplating going natural (big chop or transition), I would highly recommend it. It took me so long to realize how beautiful natural hair is, I feel bad that I've suppressed my curls, coils and kinks all of these years. 

I have also set a new heat goal for myself. In one of my entries I wrote that I flat iron my hair once every month. I don't want to incur damage when my hair is all natural, so I would like to reduce my use of heat. I've read horror stories about people experiencing irreversible damage to their curl pattern due to heat styling tools. My current goal is to flat iron my hair every other month (i.e. 6 times per year). I will use other styling methods such as protective styles and roller sets. When I do flat iron, I am going to try to let my hair air dry the day before and reduce the heat setting on my flat iron.

Tomorrow night, I'll try a homemade honey treatment that I've concocted and a new detangling method....will report results later!

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. 

Almost 4 Months!

Next Tuesday, I will have transitioned for 4 months!! This is so exciting!

My hair is changing every day. I have about 2 inches of new growth (stretched) and the line of demarcation (where the relaxed hair meets its new neighbor aka natural hair) is clearly visible. I was experiencing a lot of shed, so have been proactive in reducing hair loss.

My current regimen and product list:

1 x week shampoo

• Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil and Creamy Aloe Shampoo -- makes my hair shiny and soft, feels as though I've conditioned it. My new growth seems to enjoy it just as much as my relaxed hair, so for now it's a keeper!
• When I flat iron my hair, I use a Keratase Oleo Relax Shampoo (expensive, but a tiny amount goes a long way, I've had this bottle for 2 years)

1 - 2 x week condition (flat-ironed or roller set hair) / 2 -3 x week condition (protective styling)

• Dove Heat Defense Conditioner (not crazy about it, it's hit or miss)... however, when this bottle is finished I'll be on the lookout for a new conditioner.
• Flat ironing days: Keratase Oleo Relax Deep Conditioner (it's so good and again a little goes a long way!)

1 - 2 x per month protein treatment

• Joico Kpak Deep Penetrating Protein Treatment (no complaints thus far, seems to be working even better on my transitioning hair than it did on my relaxed)
• Aphogee 5 in 1 Reconstructor (too soon to critique)

1 x week deep conditioner (10 minutes under dryer)

• Olive Oil Replenishing Condition (works like a charm)
• Argan Oil (excellent, going to be so sad when my bottle runs out, as I bought it in Morocco)

1 x month flat iron to trim hair

• Neutrogena Triple Moisture* (wonderful, makes my hair super soft)
• Mane & Tale Detangler* (too soon to comment)
• Aphogee Green Tea Reconstructor Spray* (too soon to comment)
• Argan Oil (wonderful)

* used during roller set routine as well

2 x month roller set

• Lotta Body Olive Oil Setting Lotion (diluted in water)... under the dryer now using this for the first time, we'll see...

Update... worked incredibly! My hair is so shiny and soft!

Protective Styles

Now that it's summer I wash, scrunch and air dry or on really hot days I just put my hair up in a bun. When I wear my hair in a bun, I wrap it when I go to bed, and the edges are smooth the next day, so I can put it up in a bun again: I often style it with the little 50's style bump for added flair.

Summer seems to be the perfect time for transitioning, I'm just trying to continue to keep my hair moisturized and encourage growth!

Peace & Love