Can't believe it's been over a year!

It's been a little over a year since I've been natural and today I managed to put my hair up into a bun/puff with a hair elastic and not a headband.  That's huge for me! I will post pictures later!

I plan on either doing a blow out or flat ironing my hair at the end of May to check the length and trim my hair. I still trim it while it's curly, but it's so dense that I'm sure I miss some areas.

3 day hair with mini pineapples

As promised, here is the video on mini-pineappling. Fast forward to 6 minutes to view the tutorial. Did I already mention, I got 3 day hair? Woohoo! I'm sure my regimen is going to change. I plan on only wetting my hair 2  - 3 times per week now. Snooze button here I come!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F4wW9uFPok

Mini Puffs

I've been trying to perfect my night routine for some time. When I had a twa, I could just throw on a bonnet, go to sleep, wake up, dampen my hair and style in under 5 minutes. Now that was a wash-n-go, literally. Back then, my hair took less time to dry. It also wasn't a big deal to wake up to flat, matted hair, because it was simple to fluff out. Now that my hair is no longer in the twa phase, it's not fun waking up to flattened coils. It takes longer to wet my hair and I have to wash it everyday.

When I searched my online resources for advice on a nighttime routine, most people suggested pineappling. This just isn't an option for me, since my hair isn't long enough yet. Well, recently I stumbled across a Youtube user (will post video later) who suggests putting about 4-5 little puffs or mini-pineapples all over your head and loosely wrapping it at night.

I tried it last night and let me tell you, if you don't already do this and have short hair, you must try it! My hair maintained volume and was slightly more stretched. If I can be frank, it looked better day 2 than it did on day 1! I'm loving the super fast routine and not waiting for my hair to dry all day! I'm going to try it again tonight, to see if I can get day 3 hair!

Reduce Shrinkage

I try not to complain about shrinkage, because I think when my hair is long it will definitely work in my favor. I really want to enjoy the growth. Every time I exit the shower, I'm amazed at how much my hair has grown so much since my transition chop in December. However, after about 10 minutes, one would never know it has grown. And that my friend is shrinkage, my frienemy, who's been there with me through thick and thin.

Recently, I've worked out a few ways to stretch my hair and reduce my shrinkage. Here are some personal tips that work for me. You've probably seen most of these on hair blogs, but here it goes again. Since my hair is short, perhaps it will be helpful to those in the same stage.

Bantu knots
+ really nice wave pattern
+waking up and styling dry hair
--nighttime routine for short curly hair is not optimal, since it is not possible to pineapple the hair (gather it loosely on top). I don't have the time or patience to redo the knots at night.
--time-consuming

Twist-out
+really nice curl pattern
+less frizz (in comparison to the bantu knot)
+easier to style than the bantu knot
--nighttime routine for short curly hair is not optimal, since it is not possible to pineapple the hair (gather it loosely on top)
+-easier to redo twists than bantu knots, but still time consuming if you're a satin cap and sleep kind of girl, like myself.

Clip and Go
This is my variation of a wash-n-go. I wash the hair in sections, add my leave in, seal my ends with oil, then continue rubbing the hair in a downward motion to stretch it out. I place hair pins half-way down, to prevent my hair from shrinking up to the roots. Do this for all sections and let it air dry or blow dry on low. After a couple of hours I remove the pins. My hair shrinks less and I get a looser wave on top and curlier ends.

+Easy
+Fast
+Less manipulation than twists and bantus
+Less shrinkage than twist-out!
+-Have to redo the next day, but it only takes 5-10 minutes to do.

Adventures with Rhassoul Clay

I have a new favorite natural product! In an earlier post, I discussed my interest in incorporating more natural products that are easy to use. Recently, I tried using rhassoul clay as my shampoo (and face wash). The results were amazing! My hair felt clean, yet moisturized. It doesn't feel too stripped, which can often occur with shampoos (even sulfate-free). I noticed that my hair was also lighter and had more volume (not that I need help in that department).

Here's how I applied it: 3 TBSP of clay in an applicator bottle filled with about 1 1/2 cups of water and a couple of drops of essential oil. Sectioned hair, shook up the bottle to blend ingredients, wet my hair, applied the entire bottle to head, concentrating on the scalp, gently massaged my scalp and work the clay throughout my hair, rinsed. Took about 3-5 minutes to wash and rinse out.

warnings: do not place the clay in a metal container nor mix it with a metal spoon, as this could change the properties of the clay.

rhassoul clay in applicator bottle

hair after washing out the clay

the random colors of my hair

Positives:
Soft, clean shiny hair
Noticeably less frizz
Easy to apply
Economical (little goes a long way)

Negatives:
no fragance (remedied this by adding an essential oil)
preparation before showering (only takes about 2 minutes, however)

P.S. - I've also done a cassia treatment on my hair. I will post results after I do a second treatment this weekend. I'm very happy with the results from my first treatment, but want to be sure it wasn't a fluke!

P.S. 2 - It's a good idea to do a vinegar rinse (my recipe = 1/4 c vinegar, 2 c water) after a rhassoul wash, as the ph of rhassoul clay is higher than neutral.