Moisturizing Shampoo Recipe

This month has been loaded with exciting updates, thus I've been blogging more frequently than I thought I would! Guess fall is the season for change and experimentation!

Update on my previous fall style: I was able to wear my blown out braid out for a total of one week! I'm really impressed. I tried to go 2 weeks, but I am finally accepting the fact that my hair cannot go longer than 1 week without washing. It was like this when I was relaxed and it's still the case now that I'm natural.

This is an update on a slight change in my routine. Shampooing. I simply can't go without shampooing. As dry as it makes my hair feel in comparison to co-washing, it cleanses my scalp and removes buildup and grime. Co-washing only just doesn't cut it for me. On the contrary, I hate how drying my shampoo sessions can be. I use a sulfate-free gentle shampoo and it still does a number on my hair.

Recently, I got the idea to doctor up my shampoo as I would a conditioner, when doing a deep treatment. I squeezed some shampoo (Giovanni Tea Tree Tingle) into an applicator bottle, added water (rough measure: add 1/4 - 1/2 the amount of the shampoo used), a big squeeze of vegetable glycerin, a TBSP Neem Oil (you could use your oil of choice) and a small pump of KCKT leave-in/detangler. I shook the contents gently, sectioned my hair into four parts and applied it only to my scalp. The results: a clean and rejuvenated scalp and hair that did not feel to stripped but still clean.What's best my hair did not tangle much and felt soft to touch. I'm happy to have tried this and now I won't dread wash day as much as I used to!

Have you tried adapting your shampoo to make it more moisturizing? What are some of your favorite recipes?

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

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.