Hair I Grow Again

Review: Sensationnel Goddess Remi Natural Yaki (2nd review)

2011-11-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

What a difference a day (or a year makes). So, if you've read previous posts of mine, I did a review on this hair a little over a year ago. I just went on and on about how great this hair was and how I had reused the hair about 3 times.

Child....let me tell you. It was a totally different story this go around. So, I had been rocking my Creta wig for a few weeks. I still like the wig and even though I said I was going to rock that wig for a long time, I changed my mind. I should never say I'm going to do anything for a long time. I change my mind about my hair like I blink my eyes.

In any case, I really wanted to order some hair online, but I was on the fence about what I wanted to buy and who I wanted to buy it from. I figured I would just go to my "quick fix" hair...Sensationnel Goddess Remi (Natural Yaki) weaving hair since it treated me so well the last time.

Hmph. I don't know what happened, but now I see why other ladies were giving this hair such bad reviews. This batch of hair tangled from the first time I put it in. I've had it in for about a week now and it's horrible. Absolutely HORRIBLE. This thing tangles as soon as you look at it. I wish I could say I was exaggerating, but I'm not. WTF happened?

Now, I know that there is a "shortage" of hair and that a lot of weaving hair these days have been filled with synthetic fibers and animal hairs. That's just what happens when supply can't meet demand. However, for the price of this effing hair (approx $130 for both packs..and that was ON SALE), this was unacceptable. This thing looks like a rats' nest.

I tried washing and conditioning it, just washing it without the conditioner, putting oil on it...everything. It doesn't work. Then the fact that I didn't seal it only made it worse. The thing is shedding like crazy (which was not the case when I used this hair before).

Well, they don't have to worry. I will NOT be using this hair again. EVER. I plan on making myself a wig this weekend and taking this sh*t out.

Unbelievable!

11-4-11 Weekend Plans

2011-11-04T18:03:00.000-04:00

I've been wearing my hair in cornrows under my wigs for the past few weeks. It just makes it easier. I re-braided the cornrows last weekend. I've always liked washing/co-washing my hair while in cornrows because it's way quicker.

I haven't used any type of growth aid, or grease on my scalp this week, so I'm going to use a gentle shampoo or conditioner. I want to mainly co-wash my hair, but I still have that Mixed Silk shampoo (see this review). I want to get rid of it, so I'm thinking I will co-wash with that and DC under my steamer using the Mixed Silk deep conditioner (see Mixed Silk review here). I'm definitely going to add some kind of oil to the DC again. I think I will use the Wheat Germ oil again.

I haven't decided on what kind of leave in I will use on my hair yet. I've noticed some progress with my hair, and don't want to use any products that might cause a set back.

We shall see.

Review: Creta Girl Half Wig

2011-10-31T21:52:00.000-04:00

Since I BC's (again) last month, I decided that I really wanted to try and keep heat out of my hair as much as possible. I went outside of my "comfort zone" and decided to try a wig that looks similar to my hair texture.

In comes Creta Girl by Freetress. Many women have done a review of this wig. This is just my take on it. I did cut it and thin it out (significantly). I think this wig is going to be a keeper.

I purchased it from my local BSS. I think it was $18.99. It came in a color 1B and is a true match for off black. It matched my natural hair perfectly. If you're on the fence about this wig, don't be. You can tweak it to your liking. Plus, it's super cheap so you won't be out a ton of money.

Here's a review I did on the wig. I'm sorry. The quality is horrible for some reason.

Product Review: Sally's Mixed Silk

2011-10-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

Property of Sally Beauty

Since doing the big chop again, I wanted to try products that were specifically "marketed" for us natural girls. I would always hear about Mixed Chicks hair products and how great they were. I would also hear about how expensive they were. Since I'm trying to stick to a budget, I wanted to find an alternative.

In comes Mixed Silk products, made by Silk Elements. I read some reviews on the hair boards and it seemed as if people were divided on whether or not they really liked this product. So, I purchased the shampoo, conditioner and the leave in to see for myself.

Shampoo - It wasn't bad. It did appear to be moisturizing (when I first lathered) and was very gentle on my hair. The thing I loved was that it didn't require a lot on the first wash in order to get a good lather. When I did my final rinse, my hair did feel okay, but I wasn't THAT impressed. However, I won't be using it again because it contains sulfates. I did know that prior to buying it, but I still wanted to try it out.

Deep Conditioner - Yeah. They can keep this. This did nothing for my hair. I DC'd under my hair steamer, and when I washed....SMH. I just didn't like it. I can't even say anything else about it.

Leave In - I didn't like it. It left some kind of weird coating on my head. It would probably be good if you're a person who leaves your hair out to air dry after washing and conditioning. However, if you blow dry your hair (like I do), then this is not the product for you. I will leave your hair feeling sticky and a little bit hard. Maybe I'll try it next time when I plan on air drying my hair (but I really don't do that because I often cornrow my hair for my 1/2 wigs).

All in all, I was not impressed with this line. It's a shame too because I love all of the regular products that Silk Elements puts out. Maybe I'll try the actual Mixed Chicks stuff, but for now I won't be using this as a replacement.

Big Chop...Again

2011-10-21T18:57:00.001-04:00

Hey guys.
I know it's been FOREVER since I've written a serious post. It's just been so hard since I drive so many hours to and from work. That's really no excuse, but please accept my apology.

Ok. Quick update.

In January of this year, I decided to relax my hair. Almost immediately I started to regret it. It's not that I didn't like the relaxed hair, but I realized I loved being natural more. So, after about 8 1/2 months I decided to BC again.

I big chopped on September 1st. I planned to do a video (and actually recorded one), but once I realized that I looked like death warmed over, I decided to spare you all and just take a picture with my face blocked.

Here's the picture (and I've cut a little more since then).

I have a little bit of heat damage in the front (which I always seem to have). I kept that part a little longer (to help cover my 1/2 wigs) and will cut more as my hair grows out.

I'm really excited to go down the natural journey again.

I must say, I did learn a lot about my hair when it was relaxed. I now handle my hair with kid gloves (which I never really did...which is probably why I haven't had any significant hair growth). However, I can admit when I haven't been doing right and vow to do right from here on out.

I Will Be Back In A Few Days

2011-10-11T22:10:00.001-04:00

I promise!!!

Weaving Thread

2011-05-25T21:04:00.000-04:00

This is random as hell, but I hate weaving thread with a passion. I don't know what they're making this crap with these days, but it causes me major issues.

I just installed some Bobraz hair...again (post and video coming soon), and for some reason this thread is killing my scalp. I feel like it's on fire. It's my own fault because I didn't use a net, and the thread is rubbing directly on my scalp. When I cowashed my hair for the first time, I felt like my scalp was on fire.

I can't really put anything on my scalp because I can't let this hair get greasy. I may just have to take the chance and apply something, because this is not going to work. I want to keep this hair in for at least two months (provided I don't change my mind), but at this rate it will be coming out this weekend.

I have to research other options because this is the worst!

/rant

Shea Butter: Good Stuff

2011-05-02T20:26:00.000-04:00

This post has been a long time coming. I'm not really sure why I haven't written anything about it before. Better late than ever I suppose.

I have never purchased shea butter own my own. Someone gave my mother a huge vat (and I mean a VAT) of pure shea butter. It wasn't the watered down, pretty stuff that some stores want to charge an arm and a leg for. This was the real deal. It came in a huge plastic container. It's a slightly yellow color and it sort of...well...hard. It's not rock hard, but it's not something that you can scoop your hands into like a lotion. My mom liked it, but it was way too much for her to use on her own. Luckily she gave the majority of it to me.

I have used it for numerous skin and hair recipes, especially when I was still natural. What I use it for the most now is slicking down my edges. This stuff is UNBELIEVABLE! I will normally slick my edges down at night, throw a scarf on and in the morning, my hair is soft and tame for the entire day! I've slicked both my natural and relaxed edges down with this stuff. It's a keeper for sure.

If you buy shea butter at the store, make sure it's not laced with other ingredients or fragrances. There's no telling what's in the "commercial" stuff. They normally sell small containers of it at the BSS (beauty supply store). Try it and if you like it get a big container to try it out for your skin and hair. It's a keeper.

Review: Shea Moisture Shampoo & Reconstructive Elixer

2011-04-10T21:31:00.003-04:00

Hey guys.

Here's a video I did of two Shea Moisture products. I did a review on here (the blog) of the shampoo, but I also tried their Elixer.

I am REALLY loving these products. I love the shampoo because not only does it work on my own, relaxed hair..it works great on my weaving hair too!

Love this stuff.

Review: Saga Remy Weaving Nape (Part 2)

2011-04-10T21:22:00.003-04:00

Hey guys.

Just wanted to share the update video I did on the Saga Remy Weaving nape. I more than likely will not buy this product. Thank goodness it was sent to me.

Here's the review.

Review: Milky Way Saga Remy Weaving Nape

2011-03-30T20:00:00.006-04:00

Hey guys.

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with this blog. I'm working on it. Bear with me.

In any case, here's a review I did on YouTube of the Milky Way Saga Remy Weaving Nape.

Enjoy!

Review: Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo

2011-03-29T18:39:00.004-04:00

O.M.G! This is amazing! Ok. Let me back up a little.

A few weeks ago, I went on the hunt for a new sulfate free shampoo. I had previously been using Knot Today's Come Clean shampoo (I'll do a review on that later on). I liked that shampoo a lot. However, I relaxed my hair about 8 weeks ago (yeah yeah. I know) and wanted to try something a little different on my hair.

Lo and behold, I walk into Target and see the Shea Moisture line of products. Now, I've seen their products before because the Target in my area have all of the natural hair care products grouped together.

I'm not going to lie. I was a little skeptical about this stuff. There are so many products out there that seem to be a cheap knockoff of Miss Jessie's or other famous brands. Miss Jessie's was at Target too, but for the price she wants to charge for her products, Miss Jessie's can stay at Target (and she did).

I decided to give this product a try. It was $9.99 so I figured it couldn't be so bad. The thing I loved most was that it was all natural.

Sigh. From the first time I opened the bottle I instantly fell in love. I love the smell of it, but I can't explain what the smell is. It doesn't smell fruity or like perfume. It just smells...clean.

Using it? Double sigh. This stuff is heavenly in my (now relaxed) hair. It comes out feeling so soft. The thing I really love is, how it feels on my weaving hair. I did another install (actually this is my third) with the Senghori Shells Relaxed Rhythms hair. The weaving hair loves this stuff just as much as my real hair. The best part is, the hair (real and fake) was so soft, I really didn't need any conditioner! That's a plus in my book.

I don't know how this works on natural hair, but I have a feeling it will be just as heavenly. This product gets two thumbs up in my book.

I can't wait to try the rest of their line.

**** This product was purchased by me with my own money. ****

Hair Steaming!

2011-02-06T10:57:00.004-05:00

I'm back! I know it's been a minute, but I've been so busy moving into my new house.

In the midst of everything, though, I still have found time to do a few things to my hair. For starters, I relaxed it about a week ago. I was natural for about a year and a half. I liked being natural, but at this time in my life, it's not really for me. I am going to definitely try to do the Big Chop again, but at a time when I can deal with it a little better.

I also decided to steam my hair a few days ago. Hair steaming is when you use steam to open the cuticles of your hair. This is generally done while deep conditioning. The steam helps to make the conditioner penetrate the strands of your hair even more.

I've heard some great things about steaming for a few months now, but never had the urge to try it.

I don't have a steamer (yet), but decided to do a makeshift steaming at my house. I washed my hair and then put a mixture of ORS Hair Mayonnaise and Grapeseed oil (I'm also trying ceremides on my hair, but that's another post). After I put the mixture on my hair I used a Towel Turban (from the Dollar store) and put that in a microwaveable bowl. I heated the bowl and towel up in the microwave until it was hot (but not boiling). Then I placed it on my head and covered my head with a plastic bag. I sat under my Pibbs for about 20 minutes and then rinsed under cool water.

I could tell immediately that my hair felt differently, but I didn't notice it until I tried to dry my hair. My hair was acting totally different than it's ever done before when I've tried to blow dry. My hair dried really quickly and it felt really soft.

The real proof, however, came when I moisturized, sealed and then put a scarf on. When I took that scarf off? OH MY GOD!!! I can't even describe how my hair felt. Seriously. It felt softer than it's ever felt in it's life....but it felt strong as hell!!!

That was all I needed. I went out and bought a steamer from ebay. I'm waiting for it to get here. I can't wait! I'll do a review on the steamer, and let you know how it goes. This will ALWAYS be a part of my regimen!

Review: Senghori Shells Relaxed Rhythms

2010-11-16T21:42:00.003-05:00

Hey guys. I purchased some of this hair and did a review on it. You can find it on my YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1-5iRxoa9E

I'm too lazy to write a full post on it (sorry).

I will be back

2010-11-06T09:18:00.002-04:00

Hey guys!

I know I said about a month ago that I was probably going to start doing mainly YouTube videos, but I think I'm going to keep this blog going.

However, I won't be able to start posting until the beginning of the year. I am in the process of buying a house (closing later this month), and will be traveling for work and back home (2 or 3 times) during the course of the next 6-8 weeks! Needless to say, I won't have a lot of time for posting.

I promise I will be back as soon as I can!

You Tube Channel

2010-10-04T20:58:00.003-04:00

Ok. I haven't been posting much on here.

I think I will mainly be posting You Tube vids (but don't quote me on that).

Check out the link if you get a chance.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tyefrmny?feature=mhw4

Supertape - Ugh!!!!

2010-08-04T19:13:00.005-04:00

So, I bought a full lace wig a few weeks ago...actually I bought two (I promise I will do a video on them soon). I didn't want to use actual glue to secure the wig, so I decided to use Supertape. The main reason I purchased it was because people were saying they got (on average) about a 2-3 week hold. Some people actually got a 4 week hold, but that's pushing it for me.

So, I purchased some Supertape a few weeks ago. That stuff does glue your wig down..but mine keeps lifting!!! I'm not sure what to do. The first wig I purchased was too small, so I figured the tape didn't hold because the wig was being stretched across my big *ss head. Fine.

So, I go an buy a wig that actually fits. I taped it down last Wednesday. I was doing okay, but now the entire left side is starting to come up. What the....? I am extra careful not to let water or any kind of oils and/or creams hit the area where it's taped at. So what in the world is going on?

I have to get down to the bottom of this.

...to be continued.

My hair is making me sick!

2010-08-01T08:45:00.002-04:00

Alright.

I know it's been a minute since I've really been up here, but here's what's been going on with me.

About 3 weeks ago I got REALLY aggravated with my hair. I BC'd back in October, but my hair just never seemed to be cooperating with me. It was always dry and unmanageable no matter how many conditioners or products I put on it. I finally got fed up and decided to chop it all off...AGAIN. I figured there had to be a reason why my hair was not being a friend to me.

Well, it was only supposed to be a little trim, but like so many hair dressers I've heard about I got a little crazy with the scissors. I went from having neck length hair to essentially a Halle Berry cut (only it wasn't as cute).

The good thing is, though, when I washed my hair again, it felt a lot better. I came to the conclusion that I must have just had a lot of dead ends, but couldn't tell it. I know you may ask, "How do you not know if you have dead ends?" Well, my hair is completely natural and (believe it or not), I'm STILL getting used to it. I don't wear my hair out, so I'm still trying to figure my hair out. Also, my hair is REALLY REALLY thick (not bragging at all) and extremely coarse (thanks Mom). In certain areas I don't even have a curl pattern...it just sits there.

So, now I'm trying to grow my hair back from an even shorter length than when I started in October. Hopefully this will all be worth it in the end. If not, I just may have to shave it all off and start rocking a Mr. Clean look from now on.

Le sigh.

I'll be back soon!

2010-07-24T10:45:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody!

I know it's been a while. I was on the fence about whether or not to give up this blog. As of right now, I'm going to keep it going.

I will start posting some new stuff soon!

Thinking about getting rid of the blog

2010-05-19T21:01:00.000-04:00

I've been seriously thinking about getting rid of this blog. It's not that I don't like it but since I'm "hiding my hair" I really don't have a lot to share. Plus, I've been putting most of my reviews on my YouTube channel. I'm not sure yet. We shall see.

Review: Outre Super Natural First Lady weaving hair

2010-04-26T20:42:00.009-04:00

Hi guys.

Of course, I have purchased MORE weaving hair. However, it wasn't my fault. The last batch of hair I had didn't really last as long as I would have liked. Yes, I know it was a synthetic and human hair mix, but I thought I might get at least a month out of it. Negative. I got about two weeks (and I'm not sure I got quite that long).

I purchased some other hair in between, but that hair was so horrible I couldn't even do a review on it...not even a bad one!

So, I purchased some of the Outre Super Natural Hair. I bought two packages, but one really did do my entire head (with a little hair to spare). It costs around $34.99 a pack where I live. I think it's worth giving a try.

Here's a short video review I did on it. Enjoy!

*** I am not an affiliate with any company. I purchased this product with my own money. ***

2nd review: Milky Way Que Weaving Hair

2010-04-12T21:55:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to give a quick update on this hair. I washed it tonight (since it's been a week since I installed it). Aside from the fact that I didn't seal this hair, it's holding up okay. I washed it with Ion Clarifying shampoo (which I did a review on before) because I've been using Isoplus Mousse on it all week.

**Note** DO NOT use Isoplus Mousse on this hair. It causes flakes like you wouldn't believe ***

Anyway, I didn't condition this hair (because I felt it would weigh the hair down).

This hair is unbelievably soft. It was soft before, but it's really soft now that I've washed it. The only thing is, this hair sheds like a mug. I don't know if I'm going to seal this hair (if/when I buy some more of this hair). Once again, though, I think it's a good buy for the money if you need some cheap hair to throw it. It will do for now

Review: Milky Way Que Weaving Hair

2010-04-08T17:30:00.005-04:00

Well, I tried. I thought I was going to wear wigs for a little bit, but I got lazy. I can't believe that I'm now addicted to weaves because I don't want to do my hair. Sigh.

Anyway, I went out and bought some more hair. I decided to do something a little different and buy some hair with a bit of wave to it. I actually like it a lot. The only thing is, I didn't seal the wefts. Listen, for $15.99 a pack, I think I can deal with the shedding.

This is a human and synthetic hair mix. It's not bad because you can actually flat iron it (I flat ironed the bang a little bit). Other than the shedding, this hair is pretty low maintenance. All I need is a little mousse to bring the curls back.

Here's a short video I did on it.

All in all, for the price it's a good deal. I'll see how it holds up after washing this weekend and come back with a review.

*** I am NOT an affiliate with any company. I purchased this product with my own money ***

Homemade Growth Aid: Sulphur

2010-03-28T17:33:00.003-04:00

I am not in a challenge for this on the board, but I realized that I have a few products that I need to use up. One of the products I'm going to use is the sulphur and MT that I have.

I made a sulphur mix a few weeks ago that I'm dying to get rid of. It consists of sulphur and oils. Don't ask me which oils because I am not sure. It purchased a container of hair oil from the BSS and just put a bunch of the oil in there with the sulphur. I had it in oil form, but decided that I wanted to make a grease instead. So, I put it in the fridge earlier this morning. I've been shaking it up occasionally.

I don't know if I'm really expecting any kind of significant growth, but it doesn't hurt to try. I don't have any starting pics, but if there's significant growth I will let you guys know.

Review: Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner

2010-03-28T12:42:00.004-04:00

Yeah. Yeah. I know everybody and their momma has probably done a review on this stuff. Well, I haven't. LOL.

My review is probably going to be a little bit different than others, though. Everyone seems to love this stuff. I, on the other hand, am not really that much of a fan. Don't get me wrong. It's not bad. It's an okay conditioner, but it's not the end all be all for me.

I purchased two bottles of these a few weeks ago (just to make sure my analysis of this was correct). I've used it as a co-wash and it's just ok. When I put this on my hair...I mean SLATHER it in this stuff...I still don't feel as if my hair has this great softness to it. My hair actually feels dry while it's wet and on my hair. It pretty much feels like only water is on my hair. This just isn't a great conditioner, for me, on my natural hair.

I think I will use it as a pre-poo, if I ever go back to doing that. I've mixed it before with some other things as a pre-poo some months back and my hair felt pretty decent. For me, that's about all this conditioner is good for.

*** I am NOT an affiliate with any company. I purchased this product with my own money **

Bobraz take down & Outre Mina Lace Front Review

2010-03-26T17:06:00.004-04:00

Hi guys.

I've decided to take a short break from the weaves for a while. I've worn them for about 5 months. Even though I'm in the Weave Challenge on LHCF, I needed just a few weeks of rest from the weaves.

In the meantime, I've purchased some wigs (because I still plan on keeping my hair in cornrows). Here's a review I did about my weave take down and this wig. I actually like it. I was a little taken aback by the fact it wasn't as "full" as I would have liked, but it's grown on me.

*** I am NOT an affiliate with any company. I purchased this product with my own money ***

Bohyme Brazilian Wavy Hair (Bobraz)

2010-03-21T10:18:00.007-04:00

In my last post, I said I was going to buy some Bohyme Brazilian wavy hair for my next install. I did purchase the hair from an online dealer. I installed the hair for about a week, and then took it down. It's not that I didn't love the hair, because I did. It's just that the hair requires a lot more maintenance than I'm used to. Also, I had not found a way to blend my natural hair with the curl pattern of the wave hair.

In any case, here's the video I did on the hair while it was in.

Please excuse how crazy I'm looking in the video. LOL!

*** I am NOT an affiliate with any company& purchased these products with my own money.***

Product Review: Aussie Moist Conditioner

2010-03-16T18:01:00.010-04:00

Yesterday, I went into Target in search of a few good conditioners for co-washing. I purchased and installed the Bobraz hair (review on the hair to come later), and wanted to find a conditioner that would work well on both my natural hair and on the weaving hair.

One of the conditioners I purchased was Aussie Moist. I've heard a lot of the ladies on the forum rant and rave about this product, but never really paid it much attention. A lot of the products don't really work for me, so I didn't give the "reviews" much thought.

OH. MY. GOD.

Where have you been all of my life? There are very few products that I regret not trying earlier, and this is one of them. This conditioner can be considered a drug store find, but is a better conditioner than the high end stuff (IMO). This conditioner goes on sort of thick, but it feels wonderful on my natural hair. If I was wearing my hair out, I don't know if I would use this for daily cowashing. It seems like it could possible cause buildup, but if you clarify often enough it might be okay. Even with that possibility, I would still use it.

The slip for this conditioner is awesome! Most conditioners I have to fight to comb through my hair when wet. Not so with this conditioner. This conditioner is wonderful and when you rinse it out your hair feels like butter. That's a VERY big feat for my hair.

If you don't have this conditioner run, DON'T WALK, to your nearest drug store, Wal-mart, Target, etc and pick some up. You'll regret it if you don't. I did.

*** I am NOT an affiliate with any company& purchased these products with my own money.***

Weaves: My new addiction

2010-03-10T15:31:00.006-05:00

Sigh.

I thought because I would be weaving my hair up for at least six months that I wouldn't become a product junkie. I don't need to put any products in my weaving hair, and I love that. However, I was wrong.

I apparently am now becoming addicted to weaving hair. What the h*ll is wrong with me? I just purchased from Bobraz today. I am really excited about getting it too. Even though I just did my hair two weeks ago, I think I am going to reinstall with this hair. I've seen so many pictures of it, and it looks really pretty.

Now, for those of you who may not know, Bobraz is short for Bohyme Brazilian Wave hair. Here's a pic.

Now, I'm not one for big hair, but this hair is a little different to me. The main reason why I'm buying this hair is because it looks like it will match my natural hair. I work out about 4-5 days a week, and a lot of times I want to wash my hair the same day. The only thing is, with me wearing the relaxed texture weaving hair right now, that's not really feasible. So, I'm hoping with this hair I can get into the habit of co-washing at least every other day. I am also thinking about leaving a little bit of my own hair out in the front for a more natural looking weave (even though someone did think my current weave was my hair - even with all of my own hair being hidden). I've also heard that if you put some kind of product on this hair when wet that they make really nice curls. You can also flat iron this hair.

I am still planning on using a net, though...I think. I'll decide once I actually get the hair.

Stay tuned.

***And before anyone asks....I have not been paid to mention this product. This is just the rantings of a product junkie. ***

Sensationnel Goddess Remi Natural Yaki Review

2010-03-07T02:43:00.008-05:00

**** Please read my second review (in Nov 2011) of this hair here. *****

So, after my fiasco with the Halley's Curls a few months ago, I had to find a quick alternative for weaving hair. In January, I decided to try Sensationnel Goddess Remi hair. Some people have given this great reviews, and others...not so much. I figured I might as well try it since I had nothing to lose.

Let me just say this hair has exceeded all of my expectations. This hair has not, I repeat HAS NOT tangled once....NOT ONCE. This hair is a dream to take care of. It's so simple it's unbelievable. It's easier to take care of than the Halley's Curls hair was.

Not only that, I have reused this hair 3 times now. The first two times I did not seal the hair so I did experience some shedding. This time, I decided to seal the wefts. I also purchased one more pack to fill in where the other tracks had gotten then (due to shedding). Now? No shedding what so ever.

Here's a picture of my self (3rd) install with this hair. This is a full weave with no hair left out.

I love the texture of this hair, and I don't do anything to it. I can't believe I slept on this hair for so long. I think this is pretty good for BSS hair. I plan on using this hair for quite some time. I'm very impressed.

Halley's Curls Gentle Wave Relaxed Hybrid revisited

2010-02-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

Whew! I know it's been quite some time since I've posted anything. It's not for lack of trying. I moved to Metro Atlanta a few months ago, and since then I have barely been able to find time to blog about anything. I decided I was going to make myself write something.

Anyway, here's my review (again) of Halley's Curls Gentle Wave Relaxed Hybrid.

I think I am going to stay away from this hair in the future. At first, the hair was wonderful. It felt like a dream. Then I started to wash and condition it. It held up for about two washes. Then by the third, it all seemed to go downhill. Here's what happened:

Now, the instructions said to put a small amount of leave in conditioner on this hair when you wash it. That's exactly what I did. However, the hair after a a few hours became tangled mess. I could not understand it because I did EXACTLY what the instructions said. Somehow this hair was not holding up.

Then my mom (who used to be a professional beautician) told me that I should not put anything on the hair after washing & conditioning it. I took her advice, and she was right. My hair looked and felt wonderful for about a week. No tangles or anything. I thought this hair was (finally) a Godsend.

Fast forward to the next weekend. The hair started to feel a little dry. So, I decided to use a "deep" conditioner from Mane N Tail (see review here). As soon as I put it on the wet hair, I knew something was wrong. My hair got so hard and stiff it was ridiculous! I immediately tried to do a deep conditioning on the hair (the same thing that other ladies who have had this hair have done). It didn't help. It was no use. This hair seemed to be a goner. Now, I may have to go back and do an overnight DC on the hair with a TRUE moisturizing conditioner, but I don't have that kind of time. So I had to buy some BSS hair to get the job done (I will post a review of that hair later).

Now, I know some people would say, "Well, it's your own fault for putting that stuff on your hair," and you may very well be right. However, I disagree because with the BSS hair that I've purchased, I've done the same things and have had no problems. I'm just going to chalk this up to having a bad batch of hair. Truthfully, the hair seemed to be a problem before I decided to do a DC with the Mane N Tail. I had DC'd before with another product (which was a true moisturizing DC) and the hair still didn't react the way I expected it to.

So, that's my TRUE review on the Halley's Curl GWRH. It was all good at first, but in the end the hair didn't turn out to well for me. I wish I could say I was by myself, but there are tons of reviews from other women who weren't too crazy about the hair either. Oh well. You win some. You lose some.

I definitely lost when it came to this hair.

I'll be back soon!

2010-01-28T20:53:00.002-05:00

I know I've been gone for a minute. I'm still taking care of stuff since I recently moved to Metro Atlanta. Whew! Moving is HARD WORK!!!

Anyway, I plan on doing a review of a few things in the next few days. I will be reviewing the Halleys Curl AGAIN, and some new stuff.

Stay tuned!

Hair Product Review: Mane 'n Tail Deep Moisturizing Conditioner

2010-01-02T11:55:00.008-05:00

I went to Sally's the other day to exchange a few things I had purchased and decided to pick up this conditioner. I've used some Mane 'n Tail products in the past, but I've never picked this one up. Since it said "Deep Moisturizing" on the package, I figured it would be great on my weaving hair.

I got into the shower, and used the Ion Clarifying Shampoo on the weaving hair. Then I applied this for a few minutes while I finished up in the shower.

At first, I thought the hair was really, really soft and really conditioned. So, I let it air dry (as I have done before with this hair).

BIG BIG BIG mistake. The ends of the hair felt hard and lifeless, and my hair will NOT stop tangling. WTF? This is ridiculous! After going on and on about how this hair does not tangle, this crap is making me out to be a liar. This is the worst ever!

I will NOT be purchasing this product again. I am not sure how this works on hair that's not weaving hair, but I'm sure there's a good chance it would have the same affect. My hair feels like an SOS pad. I'm too busy to wash it again, so I will just keep it in a pony tail for now. When I get back home though, IT'S ON!!!!

Sorry Mane 'n Tail. This product is a MISS!!!

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Stearyl Alchol, Cetearyl Alchol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate,

Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane,

Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Dimethicone, Isostearmidopropyl Mopholine Lactate, Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein,

Methylchloroisothiazolinonoe, Methylisothiazolinone, Blue 1 (CI 42090), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Benzyl Salicylate,

Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene

*** I purchased all items with my own money and am not affiliated

with any company ***

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T18:08:00.003-05:00

I want to wish everyone and safe and blessed new year. I hope this year brings everyone their best year ever in terms of health, happiness and wealth. Let's make this year count!

XOXOXO

Review: Ion Clarifying Shampoo

2009-12-28T21:18:00.005-05:00

I was in the market for a new clarifying shampoo when I decided to start from scratch with this weaving hair. I didn't want to use Suave Clarifying shampoo again, only because I wanted to try something different. So, a trip to Sally's was in order (as if I really needed another reason to go).

I really liked this shampoo a lot. It clarifies without stripping your hair like Suave Clarifying shampoo. It does leave your hair squeaky clean. Even when I diluted it to use on the weaving hair, it did a decent job. Now, I wouldn't recommend this on my own hair, only because I don't like using sulfates, but if you're looking for a decent clarifying shampoo for weaving hair(or your own hair if you don't mind sulfates), then this is it.

Ingredients: Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocoamidopropyl Dimehtyl Amino Acetate, Lauramide DEA, Tea-Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Red 40, Pathenol, Water Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf E, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract

You can pick up an 33.8 oz bottle of this baby at Sally's Beauty supply for $9.99.

Hair Product Review: Halley's Curls Gentle Wave Relaxed Hybrid Weaving Hair

2009-12-27T00:31:00.004-05:00

Alright. It's been about a week and half since I ordered my hair from Halley's Curls. Now that enough time has passed, I feel that I can give an honest assessment about this hair.

I LOVE THIS HAIR!!! At first, I hated it. I had the worst problems ever with this hair shortly after I purchased it. It would tangle something horrible after just a few minutes. No matter what I put on it, the hair would just tangle. I tried everything I could think of.

Finally, my mother told me not to put any product on this hair what-so-ever. I told her the directions said to put a lea

ve in on the hair, but she told me to listen to her instead (needless to say I felt like a 10 year old again...but that's another issue).

So, I started from scratch by washing and conditioning my hair. For some reason, I decided to apply some Mega-Tek to the hair as well. I talked about Mega-Tek in an earlier blog post, but I'll do another review later. Anyway, I washed my hair with clarifying shampoo, then I applied MT for about 5 minutes. After I rinsed it out, I applied a conditioner on my hair for about 5 minutes and rinsed. When I rinsed anything out, I just blow dried the hair.

Oh.My.Goodness!!!! This hair was wonderful. It was soft and flowing. Not only that, IT DIDN'T TANGLE and hasn't tangled since. This hair flows and moves like you wouldn't believe. I love love love it. Now that it doesn't tangle, it also doesn't shed. I've lost about 3 strands since then.

Now, I see why people love this hair. I was really scared because I thought I had spent tons of money for nothing. I can easily see how I could get a year's worth of use out of this hair.

I am very happy with my purc

hase.

Here are a few pics of my self install. Excuse the back of my head. I can never really curl the back of my hair too well.

Hair Product Review: Africa's Best Organics Texture My Way Curl Keeper Moisturizing Hair Lotion

2009-12-12T13:12:00.007-05:00

My hair hasn't arrived yet (note to self - order from Halleys Curls wwaaaaayyyy ahead of time before you need it. LOL), but I decided to start getting prepared now. By prepared, I mean buying needles, thread, etc and those items that I will need to protect my hair underneath the weave.

I went to the BSS yesterday looking for a new moisturizer. I originally wanted a liquid moisturizer so that I could easily apply it when used in a nozzle bottle. I thought about S-Curl, Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 and other products along those lines. Although I liked them, I still wanted to try something else.

I ran across this product by Africa's Best Organics. For some reason, I didn't see that it was labeled as "Curl Keeper" until after I got up to the register, but I figured I would try it anyway. My hair is natural and it's going to be braided up underneath.

Let me just say. I LOVE this product. It smells really nice and has sort of a fruity smell. It is pretty creamy, and is a light purple color. I put some in my hair an just left it overnight. When I woke up this morning, I could still feel how moisturized my hair was from the night before. The product just melted into my hair, and it feels very smooth. Let me stop here and say that I'm wearing 1/2 wigs until my hair arrives. So, the front of my hair is out and is flat ironed. If you're relaxed, there's also a good chance you will love this product. The straightened portion of my hair feels so soft. I applied some to my natural hair, and that feels just as soft. This product can be applied to both wet and dry hair (see specs below).

I will definitely be trying this product out when I put my weave in. I put it in a nozzle bottle, and I did have to make a bigger hole at the tip of the nozzle. Additionally, I needed to add just a little bit of water to make it a little thinner so that it would flow easily from the nozzle top. It worked like a charm. I will moisturize with this and seal...coincidentally with another product by this line. I will do a review on that next.

SPECS:

Ingredients

Water- Aqua, , Propylene Glycol, , Polyquaternium-37, , Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, , PPG-1 Trideceth-6, , Panax Ginseng Root Extract, , Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, , Silk Amino Acids, , Soybean Oil- Glycine Soja, , Glycerin, , Dimethicone, , Cetyl Alcohol, , Stearalkonium Chloride, , Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copo, , Lanolin Oil, , PEG-40, , DMDM Hydantoin, , Corn Oil- Zea Mays, , BHT, , BHA, , Methylparaben, , Propylparaben, , Fragrance- Parfum, , Red No. 33, , Blue No. 1,

Directions:

Apply generously to wet or ry hair. Gently massage into scalp and work through hair from roots to ends. Style as desired.

*** I am not affliated with the company mentioned in this blog post. I purchased this product on my own. ****

Body Product Review: Philosophy's Falling In Love line

2009-12-10T21:40:00.012-05:00

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I was watching AM Style on QVC, and they were selling Philosophy gift sets. I was on the fence about buying one, but I decided to just go for it. The set included what you see above, but it also included a bar of soap. They had a choice of three fragrances, and I chose the fragrance called 'Falling In Love." I looked online at the reviews, and mostly everyone said it smelled nice. The only bad thing mentioned was the fact that the scent didn't last for a long time. Of course, I read these reviews AFTER I purchased it (which I normally never do).

I got my package and it came in the gift box shown above...sooo cute! It also came with body lotion, hand lotion, perfume and body wash (which you can also use on your hair). Additionally, because it was a special, they also included a bar of soap. Now, this is on auto delivery, so every 90 days they will send this same package to me (minus the bar of soap). It's also on easy payments (love love LOVE easy payments).

When I smelled the fragrance it smelled vaguely familiar to me...a little too familiar. After having it on for a short time, I realized that it smells exactly like my Escada Moon Sparkle. The only difference is, this is a lighter scent. It smells "cleaner." I wish I could find some other way to explain it, but that's all I've got for right now. I can see why this is a best seller for QVC and Philosophy. It does make you feel like falling in love. I can also see why men would like the scent.

For my next auto delivery, I can keep the same scent or choose from "Amazing Grace" or "Pure Grace." I think I will go to Sephora to smell those two and decide if I want to switch. Until then, I think this will be my signature scent for now.

I ordered some hair!

2009-12-10T07:39:00.005-05:00

This is just a really short post to say that I'm so excited.

I ordered my hair from Halleys Curls this morning. I can't wait to get it. They have gotten pretty good reviews. Of course, they have gotten some bad reviews as well. That's to be expected. Some people mainly complain about the customer service. I haven't had a need to call them, so I will keep the faith that everything will go right.

I ordered the Gentle Wave Relaxed in 14" and the matching Silk closure. I will post pics once I receive them.

I can't wait! Merry Christmas me!

2010 Weave Challenge on LHCF

2009-12-03T20:17:00.002-05:00

This was right on time. Someone has posted a weave it up challenge on LHCF for 2010. This is great because I had already decided to keep my hair in weaves for 2010, so needless to say I was extra excited when I saw this challenge. I'm going to try and stick to this challenge. I will do it for at least 6 months. I know I will do it for longer that that, though.

Here is my in detail regimen:

Wash once a week in the shower with diluted shampoo.
Deep condition weave and my own hair underneath once a week.
I am thinking about cowashing at least once a week as well, but we shall see
Apply some kind of mixture to my scalp (may try Mega Tek again, may do just essential oils. I may do both. We shall see)
Apply a moisturizing cream to the braids
All of the above will be done with a nozzle bottle.
Take out and reinstall weave every 6 to 8 weeks at the longest

I am really excited to do this, especially since I already started.

Now, if I could just decide on the weaving hair I want to use. I was pretty much sold on Halleys Curls, but when I was looking at a few installs with the Extensions Plus hair, I fell in love with them all over again. I need to make a decision and quickly.

Looking for new weaving hair

2009-11-29T12:16:00.002-05:00

Since I'm going to be wearing my hair in weaves this year, I need to find a decent brand of weaving hair. Last week, I purchased some cheap weaving hair just to get back into the swing of wearing weaves. Since I'm going to make the big commitment to wearing them in 2010, I'm going to need some hair that will last for months.

When I was younger, my mom used to buy hair from a place called Adorable's in NYC. She used it for weaving and for braiding (she used to be a beautician). This hair was so good you could use it over and over again. Over the years, their quality has gone down so I really don't want to take that chance and use them.

I have been looking online at Extensions Plus. I first heard about them a few years back when Gabrielle Union mentioned that she uses them for her weaves. I really like their hair (from what I can see online) and the women on BHM seem to really like it. You can use the hair for several installs (some of the ladies have worn the same batch of hair for over a year), but the hair is really expensive. I'm not sure that I'm willing to put out that much money just yet.

Then I did some research on BHM on Halley's Curls hair. Many of the ladies love this hair for the quality and the fact that it's cheaper than EP (Extensions Plus). I went on their website last night, and I must say that their prices are really good. For about 4 oz of hair it runs around $80-$88. This are not exact prices, so don't quote me on that. They also sell realistic looking closures. One of the ladies on BHM posted pictures of her hair with their closure. Her hair looked BEAUTIFUL. She's the reason that I've decided to actually buy from Halley's.

I will order some tomorrow, but I won't be able to actually do my hair until next weekend since I won't be back home in Atlanta until NEXT Sunday. By the time I get home, I think I will be too tired to do my hair that night. So, I will either have to do it after work one day or I will have to wait until the following weekend (which is two weeks away). Honestly, I don't think I can wait that long. LOL.

So, once I get the hair I will post pics. I will also see about posting pics of the install. If this hair works out, I will wear it all year long. That's just what I need to give my hair a break. I'm so excited!

Weaves - My new protective style of choice

2009-11-28T11:51:00.002-05:00

I used to wear weaves a lot about 10 years ago. I would sew them in, but eventually I had to stop because my scalp would itch terribly. It wasn't the regular scalp itch. It was a scratch your skin of your head kind of itch. It would only happen when I had weaves. I finally determined that it was the thread that was making my scalp itch. When I would sew the hair on, the scalp would be directly touching my scalp. It was awful. I vowed that I would never wear weaves again.

Well, maybe not never, but I vowed I wouldn't wear them for a long time. I guess times have changed because I am sitting here with a weave in my hair right now. The itching this time hasn't been too bad. I think it's because when I sewed the hair on, I made sure to not have the thread touching my scalp too much. I figured at this point that I would try to make this my protective style for the entire year of 2010.

I really hope I can stick to this.

My Hair Goals for 2010

2009-11-28T11:28:00.003-05:00

I know we have a few weeks before the end of the year, but I've been starting to think about what my hair goals are going to be for the upcoming year. Believe it or not, I had to put a lot of thought into it, but I finally decided on what I want to do for 2010.

Keep my hair in weaves for the majority of 2010
Take care of my hair and scalp while in weaves.
Find a way to deep condition my hair at least twice a month while in weaves
Cut my hair a little bit at a time until I have the same length all over
Cut down on my pj-ism (lol)
Drink tons of water
Take a multi-vitamin and chlorella
Exercise several times a week
Develop healthier eating habits

The last three things on my list are not really related to hair care, but I they will definitely contribute to a better head of hair.

I'm also on the fence because I have some hair vitamins that I purchased a few months ago, and I'm wondering if I should start taking them. I really just don't want to waste them because they're in a brand new bottle. I think I will take them just to get rid of them because I would hate to waste them. If they just so happen to help with my hair growth then so be it.

I'm making a lot of changes overall for my health in the coming 2010 and I want these changes to extend to my hair care too.

I'm excited for this new year to come.

Back to the braids (again)

2009-10-09T09:56:00.009-04:00

I have been wearing lace fronts for the past few months, and I've been very happy with them, but as usual I get bored quickly. So, I'm back to the braids.

I've decided again to use the Batik Braiding hair. This time I used the Deep Wave bulk braiding hair. I actually like this better than the braiding hair I used the last time. It actually has a little bit more of a spiral curl type quality to it.

This time, I did knot the ends of my hair. I don't know why. My hair normally doesn't unravel too much with human braiding hair. This hair did okay the last time, but I decided I didn't want to go back and rebraid the bottom parts of the braid a few weeks later like I normally do with all of my braids. So far, so good. We shall see how this hair holds up.

I've been making sure to keep my hair moisturized. I'm really trying to keep it simple and take care of my natural hair.

I BC'd!!!!

2009-09-09T18:12:00.005-04:00

I debated for a long time as to whether or not I should BC or not. One night a few weeks ago, I was so frustrated with my hair that I was just going to cut it all off, but I chickened out. Actually, I was just too lazy to follow through with it.

On Labor day, while driving home from my mom's house, I decided that I was just going to do it and get it over with. I looked up online on how the other ladies did their BC. Most of them did it themselves. So, I decided I could do the same thing.

I started off by washing my hair. Then I deep conditioned it under the Pibbs for 20 minutes. When I finished DC'ing, I could clearly see the difference in the two textures. I started in small amounts with a really sharp scissor. I won't lie. After I cut the first piece I felt a small amount of regret and fear, but I had already started and couldn't stop at that point. So, I just kept cutting in small amounts until I reached the line of demarcation.

I got in the shower and rinsed out the DC. Then I cut the remaining straight ends. At that point, that was it. It was all over. I felt good to be relaxer free. I then blow dried my hair. It was SURPRISINGLY easy since I didn't have to fight with two textures anymore.

I am happy that I finally bit the bullet and got rid of the relaxed hair. I only wish I had done it sooner!

Here are a few pics!

Review: Andis 1 inch ceramic flat iron

2009-08-15T20:22:00.005-04:00

I decided I'm going to wear my hair wrapped for a week or two under my wig instead of braiding it. Honestly, I was just too tired to braid it.
I pulled out my old faithful flat iron and decided I had to do a review on it.

I bought this flat iron....dang. I don't even remember how long ago. That's how long I've had it. I remember buying it from my BSS for around twenty something dollars. I've purchased 3 or 4 other flat irons during that time (which I will do a review on at a later date), but this one has been the best to date so far.

Features
Ceramic Clamp Flat Iron features fast 30 second heat-up
20 professional high heat settings provide precise temperature control for all hair types
High temperature- heats to 400°
Rounded ceramic plates for smoothing or curling hair
Ceramic plates that protect your hair's moisture, luster and shine
Clamp style holds hair tight for quick results
Great for straightening thick or fine hair
Tangle-free swivel cord

My take on it
For starters, this flat iron is durable. I am VERY bad about dropping my flat irons on the hard floor. Hell, I dropped this one two times today when flat ironing my hair! Out of all the many times I've dropped it, it did not break or crack once. That to me is VERY important.

Also, I rarely have to go over the same section numerous times to get it straight. Out of habit, I go over my hair twice, but with this flat iron, I really do not need to. I also do not need to use the highest heat temperature (even though I do sometimes...on those RARE occasions that I use it). It even straighted out my new growth very well. Because it's ceramic, it leaves my hair VERY smooth...much smoother than other ceramic irons I have. I actually have a tourmaline flat iron (also from Andis) that did not straighten my hair as well as this one. Once again, I will do a review on that at a later date.

It heats up VERY fast and retains heat. With many flat irons, you have to stop for a little bit to let it heat back up. I never have to do that with this flat iron.

The other thing that I really LOVED about it, is that it's the only heating appliance I have that was actually able to curl this synthetic lace front I've been wearing. The lace front has Futura hair, and the label says it can be curled. However, every time I've tried to curl it with certain curling irons, it doesn't seem to hold a curl. The lace front actually held a curl (and is still holding the curl) with the curls I put in it using this flat iron. That's a definite plus!

All in all, I will also keep this flat iron. I may purchase a brand new one just because I've had this one for so long. It has some product build-up on it (which is my fault because I'm terrible at taking care of my flat irons), but even with the product on it, this flat iron provides results.

This is definitely a keeper!

www.andis.com

Hair observations

2009-08-15T20:13:00.005-04:00

I washed and DC'd my hair today. I was going to DC with moisture, but it's been so long since I've DC'd with protein that I decided to use that today.

I am realizing that my natural hair is not really a big fan of protein. The relaxed ends felt great, but the 4+ inches of new growth on my hair wasn't really feeling it so much. Silicon Mix normally works great for me. It's not that it wasn't great, but it's not great on my natural hair. I am realizing that I pretty much will probably have to stick with moisture from now on (or if I do protein again, mix it with a moisturizing DC).

It's weird how you realize so many things about your hair when it's in its natural state. When I kept a relaxer in my hair, I didn't really know what my hair liked or disliked because the bonds of the hair had been broken down. As long as the hair was "coated" with something then my hair always felt soft and smooth. With my natural hair, I can't "BS" it. If something's going to work on my hair, then it's going to work on my hair. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and I know RIGHT away because I can tell by the way my hair feels. When my hair was relaxed many times I had to use a product over and over again before I knew whether or not it truly worked for my hair.

Another lesson I've learned from my natural hair.

Review: Salon Pro 30 Second Daily Hold Lace Wig Bond

2009-08-13T07:07:00.020-04:00

I've never worn my lace fronts with any kind of adhesives because I didn't really need to, but I decided to try and use some this time around.

I purchased this adhesive online from Texas Beauty supply. I purchased a 1 oz bottle for $10.58. At first I thought this was pretty expensive for such a small amount of product. However, when I finally used the product I could understand why. You're DEFINITELY getting your money's worth because you don't have to use that much. A little REALLY goes a long way.

Label Info

FOR PROFESSIONAL USE EASY TO APPLY, WATERPROOF, AND LONG LASTING (2 TO 6 WEEKS) FOR USE ON FRONTAL AND FULL HEAD

Prepare the hair for the process. Use an alcohol swab to remove oil and make-up from the area around the front hairline from one ear to behind the other ear. If applying to a full head, use the alcohol swab around the entire perimeter of the hairline including the back of the neck.

DIRECTIONS: Apply in an upward motion a thin layer of Salon Pro 30 Second Hold Lace Wig Bond 1/4 inch from the front of the hairline backwards. Let dry for 2-5 minutes while bond becomes tacky, but not sticky. Affix the lace netting to the bond by pressing the bond into the netting until the wig is securely in place. Let dry for 5 minutes before styling.

Remove only with Salon Pro 30 Seconds Lace Wig Bond Remover. Keep out of reach of children. Keep cap tightly closed. Do not use a relaxer immediately prior to the Lace Bond application or directly after a Lace Bond Remover application.

Results

Ok. I did this pretty much as described. I used an extremely small amount because I only wanted enough to hold this thing in place at the top of my hairline. Let me just tell you, though. This stuff has a VERY STRONG smell. It's...whew! If you don't have a window in your bathroom, make sure you used this stuff quick and close it up immediately!

Other than that, the hold is okay. It was a little shiny, though. I made sure to put a little powder foundation on those areas. It says on the bottle that the hold can be from 1 to 7 days. I will see what happens at the end of today.

I purchased the remover as well. It says to only use their remover, but I'm going to pick up some 99% alcohol as well. The remover comes in 2 steps. If you can't remove the glue with step 1, then you're advised to use step 2. They smell like nail polish remover to me.

I think I will use this for about a week or so and see what happens.

The new Lace Front

2009-08-10T11:21:00.011-04:00

Ok. So I always talk about these wigs that I've purchased, but never post any pictures of these darn things. All of that changes today (as if you cared. LOL).

Anyway, here is a picture of one of the lace fronts that I purchased from Hairsisters. This is a LF by Equal made by Freetress. It's called Kelly.

Pardon me and the stupid smile. I had to sneak and take this picture at my desk on my Blackberry.

All in all, I like it a lot. I had to cut a little from the back, but not too much. It was a little shinier than I liked, so here's what I did to cut down on some of that.

First, I soaked it in a cup of vinegar and some warm water for about 15 minutes. Then, I rinsed it off and soaked it in some more warm water and two cups of Downy fabric softener. I rinsed it a little (not much) and the blow dried it. This wig is made of Futura hair so you can use heat on it (up to 400 degrees). I tried to curl it some, but I was having some problems with it, so it didn't curl. After I messed with it, I realized that I didn't need to curl it because it dried back into the hair style that it came in. Soaking it in the fabric softener also made the lace itself softer.

It's not attached with any glue (because stupid here didn't buy any). However, I did buy some this weekend. I think I will try to attach it with glue for a day or two. With the other LF's I had, I didn't need glue, but this one is a little loose at the top. When I get the glue and attach it, I will take pics.

Here's the link for the wig.I might actually purchase another one since it's still so cheap!

http://www.hairsisters.com/ver2/ViewDetail.php?product_id=9758&searchOption=0&viewOption=1&position=0&limit=30&value1=kelly&value2=0&value3=0&search=0

Random talk about my growth rate

2009-08-02T09:07:00.009-04:00

When I wear my hair in cornrows, I measure how quick my hair grows my how long it takes for the braids to become looser (if that makes sense). I don't braid my own hair tight, but I braid with enough tension that the braids don't move when I attempt to pull them away from the scalp.

I cornrowed my hair a little over a week ago, but I left some of the front out in case I wanted to wear half wigs. As I am pulling on my braids I notice that my hair is looser in the middle of my head. On top of my head (towards the front) there is still the same amount of tension there as when I first braided my hair. However, on the sides of my hair (towards the front) the tension has loosened up as well.

I say all of that to say that I can say (with confidence) that my hair grows slower in the crown. Well, that makes perfect sense because my hair is always the driest and tends to break in that area. Ironically, though, when I flat iron the crown of my hair it looks great because it's the strongest part of my hair. Go figure.

As frustrating as this is, it's good to finally start to realize what is going on with my hair. I said a few weeks ago that I was going to get serious about my hair care, and this is one of the things that I needed. I was never really good at paying attention to my hair. I'm still learning what does and does not work on my hair, but I'm getting there. This is truly a learning experience.

More wig talk

2009-07-31T17:57:00.006-04:00

Man, I am hot as hell. See? That's why I should have followed my mind in the beginning.

Ok. Let me back up a bit. So, like I said in my previous post, I was going to make a wig with the Outre Duby hair that I planned on buying from the BSS. Well, that didn't work out at all. They only had the Duby hair in two toned colors (which I don't do anymore). They didn't have any human wrapped hair (like the Duby hair) in solid colors. WTF man? Everybody doesn't want to walk around with two colors on their head. There are still some of us out there that just like regular stuff. SMDH.

So, I decided to make this wig with synthetic yaki hair. It looked real enough on the wig head (which of course was in two toned colors). I figured I would get two packages of 1B (off black) and call it a day. Not so much.

I got in the car and examined my hair. It's pretty damn shiny. I'm almost certain I would be able to see my reflection. Sigh. Well, what did I expect? It was only $8.99. I am going to still make the wig.

It's a good thing I ended up buying this wig in addition to the weaving hair. It's synthetic as well and also looked good on the mannequin. Which was also in two colors...and notice the picture...TWO COLORS!!!!

Anyway, I purchased this in 1B as well. It was also pretty shiny until I took care of that with some baby powder. In actuality, this wig is almost exactly like the one I want to make. I had to make a few minor adjustments, though. I combed more hair from the sides and back to the front and then cut them into longer bangs. I also cut the sides and plan on cutting the back. I actually like it a lot. When I put some makeup back on (which will be tomorrow) then I will take pics.

D--n! I should have just bought the hair online like I was going to do in the first place.

Making another wig

2009-07-31T13:46:00.007-04:00

I've decided that I liked the first wig I made a few weeks ago. The other thing is, I made it on a stocking cap and used glue to attach the tracks. It looked nice at first (and it still does), but I’m thinking I want to try a more permanent attachment method other than glue.

So, I decided to actually buy some more hair and an actual wig cap and try sewing the tracks on instead. I will be going to the BSS today to buy the stuff. I initially was going to order everything online, but it was going to take a long time to get here when I could just drive the 30 minutes to the ONLY BSS by me and purchase the stuff.

I do not want to buy the weaving cap that looks like a mesh stocking cap. Hopefully I will find a weaving cap that looks like the one on the right. It looks like it will be sturdier and not ride up on me (like other wig caps have done). Additionally, it looks like it will be gentle to my hairline (which is the main thing I am looking for).

I am also looking to buy some more of that Outre Duby hair. When I went to the BSS a few weeks ago, I saw that they sell this brand of hair as well. I really liked it when I made my first wig.

I will post pictures after I make it.

I can’t believe I’m this excited about making a wig.

I really need to get a life.

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream

2009-07-30T07:01:00.008-04:00

For the past few weeks I have been moisturizing with Wave Nouveau finishing lotion. I like it a lot, but I was still looking for something else. I'm not sure why, but I still felt like something was missing out of my routine.

In any case, I decided to order a jar of the Cantu Shea Butter Leave in. On the forums, I have heard the ladies have nothing but good things to say about this product. For some reason, though, I always thought they were talking about another product by Cantu...the one that comes in a small bottle that looks like grease. LOL.

It comes in a jar about the same size as a relaxer container. It is white with a creamy consistency, BUT it is not thick. It's almost a little runny, for lack of a better word. When I put some in my hands I thought to myself, "This crap isn't going to do sh#t for my hair. There's more money down the drain."

Well, I was PLEASANTLY surprised. I put some on the front part of my hair (which I left out since I will sometimes wear half wigs). As soon, and I mean as soon, as I put this stuff on my hair, my hair was the softest it has ever been. I'm not even exaggerating when I say this. My hair was soft. So soft that it almost felt like my hair wasn't there. Seriously. The great thing, though, is that it wasn't over moisturized. It was PERFECT.

However, the real test was going to be how it held up on my hair AFTER it was wet. Per the directions (which I will post below), it can be used on wet hair because, duh, it's a leave in conditioning cream. So, I cowashed my hair and then slathered this stuff on. It made the hair a little soft even though it was wet. I put my scarf on and went to bed.

I woke up this morning and my hair was VERY VERY moisturized. It was soft and manageable. Also, you could tell that it was not going to break...not that I was suffering from breakage, but I have to be careful with two textures on my head. I was not worried at all about my hair breaking at the line of demarcation. It was wonderful.

I think it's safe to say that the Wave Nouveau is a wrap! It's over! Done! Fuggetaboutit! I can honestly say and make the declaration that this product will be a staple of mine (and I don't have many). If you don't have some of this RUN to go and get it!

Promises:
Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream Stops and Mends Hair Breakage.Leaves Hair Soft, Shiny, and Manageable
Formulated for Severely Damaged, Dry, or Coarse Hair16 FL OZ (473 ML)Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream is an intensive deep penetrating leave in cream conditioning treatment that is made with pure shea butter and other natural oils to stop and mend breakage, repair split ends, and add manageability and shine with every application.When used daily, Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream helps promote strong, long healthy hair.

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair cream helps…
stop and mend hair breakage
repair split ends and reduce frizz
protect hair from heat damage
hydrate and moisturize with shea butter and natural oils

Ingredients:
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium 37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG 1 Trideceth 6, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Stearalkonium Chloride, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Panthenol, PPG 1 PEG 9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Lanolin Oil, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Benzophenone 3, BHA, BHT, Zea Mays Oil (Corn), Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

Directions:
Daily Styling – Apply to towel dried hair. Work a generous amount of product into hair beginning at the roots to the tips. Comb through for even distribution. Do not rinse. Apply more to longer hair at the ends or problem areas.
Leave In Treatment – Apply as directed for “Daily Styling” just after shampooing. Re-apply and cover with a plastic cap overnight for maximum absorption and intensive conditioning.
Frizz Free Hair – Apply daily to split ends or damaged areas. Comb through and let dry naturally

Admissions and Hair Vitamins

2009-07-29T07:12:00.005-04:00

I need to own up and admit to the fact that I am a PJ. Plain and simple. No more dancing around the issue, trying to say that title belongs to someone else and not me. That’s just who I am, and I’m okay with it.

I say all of that to say, I purchased yet something else. UGH. I wanted to try something else. I stopped taking my GNC HS&N vitamins because they just didn’t seem to be doing it for me. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe there was something that I was doing wrong, but they weren’t cutting it. So, I decided to try something else.

I was looking around and found some Maxi Hair vitamins that a few people have been talking about. I decided to go ahead and purchase a bottle just to see how it would turn out. They’re time released and they’re pretty cheap (about $9 for 90 pills). I am going to try these for two months and see what kind of results I get. Also, I am looking to remove my multi-vitamin from my daily mix.

Right now, I am taking Equate (Wal-Mart’s brand) of the One A Day Weight Smart. Both brands are supposed to give you energy in addition to helping you maintain your weight. Well, I’m definitely maintaining my weight alright….ALL OF IT. This includes the several pounds of excess weight that I shouldn’t have to begin with (but that’s another story). I had to stop taking the One A Day brand, though, because they made me too jittery. I felt like Spiderman getting ready to jump off the walls. It was totally ridiculous. The Equate brand gives me energy, but I’m not ready to jump out of my skin with them.

If these Maxi Hair vitamins give me energy, then I can cut the regular multi-vitamin out all together. We shall see.

Review:Sams24-7.com

2009-07-28T07:15:00.002-04:00

I started using Castor oil about 2 weeks ago, but I've only been using the cold pressed, regular one from Whole Foods. I decided that I wanted to try actual Jamaican Black Castor Oil. The only place I knew of (off the top of my head) to buy JBCO was from Sams24-7 online. I had heard one or two bad things about them...mainly that they used someone's pictures on their site without permission. Anytime, I hear horror stories about a vendor, I'm very reluctant to buy from them. However, since they were the only people I could find that sold the product, I decided to give them a try.

I ordered from them on Friday afternoon. It had to be around 6 or 7pm. It was not early at all. I chose Priority Shipping (like I mainly do), so I expected the package to be here around Thur or Friday of this week, considering the fact that I ordered on a Friday evening. I actually thought it would get to me later than that because packages these days arrive like they're being delivered by carrier pigeons.

Well, somebody (like the mailman) was on crack when they delivered it to me. I came home yesterday afternoon and the Castor oil was sitting at my doorstep. I didn't even think the package was mine. I was really trying to figure out what it was that I had ordered because there was NO way that the package I had ordered was there already.

I was pleasantly surprised and the package was well packaged so that the bottles did not break. I am pretty sure I will order from them again in the future.

What I'm doing to my hair now

2009-07-26T17:03:00.003-04:00

I've decided to take a break from the buns for a while. As usual, I was getting bored. I've decided to take a break from the buns and do protective styling while in wigs and half wigs.

I made a half wig last week, and I really love it! I have been wearing it every day. I'm going to rotate it with one of the ones I wore (as shown in my previous post). I've left the front part of my hairline out and braided the rest up. I'm moisturizing and sealing the braids at night and applying Castor oil to my scalp. I plan on keeping the braids in for at least two weeks before taking them out and rebraiding again.

I'm hoping that since my hands are out of my head that I will obtain some length. I'm trying to REALLY keep it simple. Even with the buns my hands were in my head because every morning/night I had to redo the bun.

We shall see what happens.

YouTube Hair videos

2009-07-25T11:23:00.003-04:00

I am constantly on YT looking at all the different channels. I used to look at mainly makeup videos, but I'm more on hair videos these days. I like watching what other people use on their hair and also watching them actually doing their hair.

Anyway, there's one or two things that really work my nerves when watching some of these videos. I mean, it's so annoying that I will more than likely turn off the video.

I cannot STAND when people have music blasting over their videos. I know that you want to bring something a little different to your videos by having some music playing, but it's always either

so loud that I can't even hear what the YT poster is trying to say in their own video

the YT poster cussing like a sailor.

Now, I cuss with the best of them (sometimes on this blog), but when every word out of your mouth can be bleeped out, it's too much. Sometimes I see a combination of the two above. The music is blasting AND it's a rap song with nothing but cussing in it. I have no idea why people think it's okay to have that on a YT video. Sigh.

Just my two cents.

Hair pills - Are they really needed?

2009-07-23T07:21:00.004-04:00

For about 2 months now I've been taking supplements. I've been taking A LOT of supplements (in my opinion anyway). About 2 days ago, I forgot to bring my pills with me to work and had to take them later that night.

However, I started thinking about the ladies on the board that have gorgeous hair. From what I can remember, I don't think a lot of them take supplements at all. I know a lot of them take Biotin, but for the most part they're not taking hair pills.

I've been taking the Hair Skin & Nails vitamins by GNC. I initially thought about getting the Hairapy hair vitamins, but the HS&N vitamins had the exact same ingredients and actually a higher dosage of them. I remember I needed to supplement somthing (I think it was Biotin), so I purchased a separate bottle of Biotin.

Honestly, I have not noticed a difference in my hair growth. I've noticed a difference in my nails. With the Biotin that's already in the HS&N vitamins and the extra Biotin supplement, my nails have really taken off. The only thing is, I'm not sure if I want to keep continuing these pills just for long nails. I'm not sure.

In any case, I don't think I'm going to be taking all of these vitamins anymore. I already take a B complex, a regular multivitamin and some other pills in addition to the HS&N and the Biotin. I think I am about to DRASTICALLY reduce the amount of vitamins I'm taking.

I think it's all a part of me keeping it simple as far as my hair is concerned. It's braided up (with a little left out in the front). I am going to cowash (with something OTHER than the V05) and DC at least once a week for both. That's about as simple as it's going to get, and me taking all these pills like I have a drug addiction is NOT the business.

Starting today, I am only taking my Multi-vitamin, my B complex and my Ginko Biloba (because I can't remember sh*t to save my life right now). I'll decide later if I want to still do the Biotin or not.

Sorry V05 Moisture Milks...I tried

2009-07-22T22:12:00.004-04:00

Even though the majority of my hair is braided while I wear this homemade wig, I decided that I'm going to try and cowash (I know. I know. I keep trying to cowash when it doesn't seem to be working). I figured since my hair has been feeling so moisturized with the last two DC's I had that I would cowash to add a little extra moisture. If nothing else, but to get my scalp wet.

I used V05 Moisture Milks (because I still had a few bottles left due to my PJism).

Man..WTF? I FINALLY realized that it is specifically the V05 Moisture Milks that makes my hair feel like sandpaper. I only have a little bit of my front hair out. My hair felt HORRIBLE. The NG? HORRIBLE. The relaxed ends? HORRIBLE. This is the ULTIMATE wrap on this stuff.

I am so done with V05 right now. I have no idea what happened. I've used it before (shortly after relaxing) and I was fine. Now, my hair just doesn't like it.

So, sorry V05. I gave it my best shot, but SAYONARA (rat bastard).

Elasta QP DPR -11 DPR

2009-07-22T13:37:00.001-04:00

I used this the other day when I was getting ready to cornrow my hair to wear under my wig. I wanted to do a fair review, so I used this product by itself after washing my hair.

Container Info:
11 Plant extracts, essential oils and vitamins penetrate hair. Moisturizing emollients renew moisture depleted hair, giving strength and elasticity. Peach Blossom Oil and Vitamin E soothe the scalp.

Directions: Apply to hair. Comb through. Place client with plastic cap under warm dryer for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and proceed with styling. For extremely damaged, over-processed, or breaking hair, follow procedure above, and process for 25 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Let me just say, this product is EXTREMELY thick. It is much thicker than the CON Nourishing and Strengthening treatment. You can easily hold the container upside down and NOTHING is coming out. I needed to use a little less than 1/2 of the container on my head because of the NG. I could not comb my hair with this product on my head so, word of advice....detangle PRIOR to applying. I would also suggest applying this to the hair in sections (which I don't always do).

I stayed under my Pibbs for about 20 minutes and rinsed out. My hair was moisturized, more so than when I DC'd a few days ago with the CON and ATOne. My hair felt pretty strong after that point, and I no longer have that rough NG that I was complaining about a few weeks ago.

For now, this will be a keeper with the CON Nourishing & Strengthening treatment. After I try the CON DC by itself (without mixing with the ATOne) then I will be able to make a decent assessment of both. For now, I like them both equally as much.

Am I ever going to relax my hair again?

2009-07-21T17:36:00.003-04:00

Today makes 8 months exactly since the last time I relaxed my hair. So far, i have about 4 inches of new growth. I personally think I should have more length, but that's besides the point.

I've been trying to think if I want to relax my hair at some point in the near future or just keep going. I also need to decide on whether or not I'm going to go fully natural (and just chop it all off) or not. I can't seem to make up my mind. .

Right now, I don't want to cut my hair because I don't have enough to wear in a pony tail as of yet. I can't go to work with a TWA. I'm not putting braids back in for a while. Last night, I made a wig. I did braid my hair up under the wig and for now, I'm leaving it alone.However, I keep feeling like I need to make a decision in the near future as far as going fully natural or relaxing again.

Decisions. Decisions.

Elasta QP Leave In - Where have you been all my life?

2009-07-20T22:10:00.006-04:00

I am constantly looking for a good leave in conditioner. What I'm looking for is one that (obviously) conditions, but also has great slip. However, the MAIN thing I'm constantly looking for is a leave in that actually makes drying my hair much easier.

Well, my search is OVER. Tonight I tried Elasta QP's H-Two Leave-In (after seeing Sunshyne talk about it on YouTube). Let me just say this is the product I have been looking for!

I was very skeptical when spraying this on my hair. It's very watery, so it's nothing like Hawaiian Silky or S-Curl, which are both a little creamy. I didn't think it would do the job since it sprayed on my hair like water. Now, I have to use a lot of product on my hair these days because of how much NG I have. It was no different with the Elasta QP. I had to use a lot to make sure my entire head was covered. After a while, it started turning into what looked like soap. I was like, "Ugh. Here we go."

I was totally wrong. When I combed my hair, there wasn't that "slippery" feeling but I did have slip. It was EXTREMELY easy combing through almost 8 months of NG. In addition, my hair dried very fast (about 10 minutes down from 20...no joke), and my hair dried very straight (I did use a comb attachment). After drying, it looked exactly the way it did a few weeks after I had a relaxer.

I will use this forever (unless something drastic happens). I wonder what the equivalent of this is in their other product lines of Kenra and Elucence? Not that it matters. This stuff is pretty cheap. I purchased mine for around $4 online, but I've seen other sites that have it for around $2 and change. Of course I see this AFTER I purchased mine.

Don't sleep on this product!

CON NOURISHING & STRENGTHENING TREATMENT AND ATONE RECONSTRUCTOR CONDITIONER

2009-07-19T10:47:00.041-04:00

Since I've been struggling with dryness for this massive amount of NG that I have, I've been on the search for a decent DC. I need something that will provide sufficient moisture for my relaxed ends and my NG. I ordered Elasta QP's DPR-11 last weekend, but it didn't show up in time, so I needed a replacement in the meantime.

When I was looking at CoilsKinksCurls YT video (see previous post), she mentioned using CON's Nourishing & Strengthening treatment. She said she likes the CON better than the DPR-11! I figured since she's natural, if it works on her hair then hopefully it will work on mine.

CREME OF NATURE NOURISHING AND STRENGTHENING TREATMENT

Certified organic repair for damaged, weak or stressed hair. Enriched with jojoba, olive and coconut oils, shea butter, cocoa butter and wheat protein to: Mend damaged ends, reduce breakage, increase hair strength, infuse moisture and protect against thermal and chemical stress.

DIRECTIONS: For best results start with Creme of nature shampoo. Apply treatment liberally throughout hair. Cover hair with plastic cap and place client under a warm dryer for 15-20 minutes. Proceed with desired styling.

The consistency of this product is creamy, but it's not as creamy as I thought it would be. You can't really hold this product upside down and not expect it to fall out of the container (which was what I had expected). Honestly, I was a little concerned that it wouldn't fully do the job. Since I didn't think it would fully be able to pull off the job, I purchased AtOne with Nature Botanical Reconstructor Conditioner.

AT ONE WITH NATURE RECONSTRUCTOR CONDITIONER

Detangles
Repairs Damage
Controls Breakage & Shedding

Botanical Reconstructor is a nutrient rich hydrating conditioner which restores natural moisture balance. It revives dry hair with a moisture rich complex containing seven different conditioning agents. Assists with the reconstruction of damaged or weakened areas inside and along the outer hair shaft. Natural emollients and botanical extracts leave the hair with elasticity, body and shine.

DIRECTIONS: apply to clean dry hair after shampooing with AtOne with Nature Hydrating Shampoo or Itchy Scalp Shampoo (which I didn't have). Leave on for 3-5 minutes, rinse thoroughly. For a more intensive treatment, leave on for 10-20 minutes depending upon hair condition and texture.

Both of these products are moisturizing deep conditioners.

I mixed these two together, put them on my head, put a plastic cap on and sat under my Pibbs for about 20 minutes.

RESULTS

When I finished rinsing these products out, my hair felt...weird. I can't really put my finger on it. It felt soft, but it felt (for lack of a better word) strong. It's a feeling that I've NEVER felt before. I LOVED the feeling, but it was weird. Honestly, I think it was the AtOne Conditioner.

I know someone may ask how can I tell the difference between which product did what since I used them both for the first time at the same time. However, we all know our hair. I could tell it wasn't the CON conditioner, at least not by itself. I really did love the way my hair felt, even though I was a little alarmed at first. LOL.

In the future I will try them each individually but for now, I'm pretty sure I will be using both in the future.

I PREPOOED YESTERDAY

2009-07-18T09:59:00.038-04:00

I've seen a lot of people do prepoos on their hair. I've only done it once or twice before, but decided the other day that if I want to bring my hair back to health, I would need to start doing this as part of my regular regimen.

So, what is a prepoo or prepooing? I like to think of prepooing as a conditioning treatment that is done BEFORE you shampoo. You apply the product(s) you're going to prepoo with ON DRY HAIR. Many people do a prepoo with just oils. Some will do it with a cream conditioner. Others, like me, will use a mixture of conditioner and oils for their prepoo.

When I first heard about prepooing, I thought it was the dumbest thing in the world. I mean, why would I want to put something on my hair first and then wash it out? I was always taught that you shampoo first and THEN condition, not the other way around.

As it turns out, conditioners actually work better on dry hair. When you do a prepoo treatment prior to shampooing, your hair is able to absorb the conditioners immediately. Even though you shampoo your hair, the prepoo conditioners have already been absorbed into the hair shaft first. When you shampoo, you're essentially washing off the excess conditioner that did not get absorbed into the hair during the prepoo process. After prepooing you then shampoo and DC like normal.

My prepoo mixture yesterday consisted of Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner, Olive Oil (I didn't have EVOO) and honey. I mixed them all together (I didn't measure), put them in the microwave for a few minutes and then applied them to my hair. I put on a plastic cap for about 30 minutes (no heat) and then proceeded to wash/DC. I cannot take credit for all of the ingredients in my prepoo. I was going to use the EVOO & Honey, but was watching this video by CoilsKinksCurls and decided to add the Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner (all of which I already had because of my PJism).

OMG! As soon as I rinsed my hair I could tell the INSTANT difference. If you've been reading, you know that I've been suffering with MAJOR dryness of new growth. This took care of that IMMEDIATELY. I LOVED the way my hair felt. Like I said, I've prepooed before, but I wasn't consistent with it. I will be doing this EVERY time I wash my hair.

If you've never prepooed give it a try!

TGIF!!!

2009-07-17T07:09:00.009-04:00

I am so happy it's the weekend. Even though I'm still wearing my hair back in a bun, my hair is starting to look a little rough right now. I'm ready to pamper my hair.

What I will be doing this weekend:

Well, I had planned on DC'ng with the products I purchased online, but they haven't gotten here yet (When I use them, I'll do a review). In the meantime, I will have to find a moisturizing DC for my hair. Since Sally's didn't have what I originally wanted for a DC (and it doesn't look like they carry it anyway), I guess I will pick up some of the Silk Elements Moisturizing deep conditioner.

People keep talking about this stuff and how wonderful it is. I tried it (I think) last year. I wasn't THAT impressed with it, but it could have been because of the state that my hair was in. My hair is not in the greatest of states now, but I need something that's going to provide some moisture. The rest of the conditioners I have at home are all protein, and I'm REALLY trying to stay away from protein right now.

I think I will mix the Silk Elements conditioner with some Roux Porosity Control. I used this a few times last weekend, and I must say it did help my hair out a lot. I'm not surprised, though. This product has been out for a LONG time. How long, you ask? Well, my mom was a beautician back in the 70's. I was telling her last year about how my hair was somewhat damaged. SHE was the one who actually recommended the Roux products to me. This stuff has been around for LONG time!

I would like to try a new shampoo. I'm thinking about purchasing some CON Detangling shampoo. I've heard some great things about it. I'm really hoping that it will work on my hair since I'm almost 8 months post. The great thing is that it has no sulfates, so that's always a plus. I am really trying to stay away from shampoos with sulfates. The only time I will use them is if I need to clarify my hair, and even then I don't want to use it

I can't to leave work so I can get started!

What I've bought so far

2009-07-16T17:16:00.026-04:00

So, I'm sitting around now waiting for my hair that I ordered last week to come. I swear, every time you're waiting for something it seems like it takes forever and a day to get to you.
I really want these to hurry up and get here so that I can wear these bad boys in addition to me bunning. I like bunning a lot, I just need to be able to wear my hair in other ways too. I change my mind so much, it should be no surprise that I wanted to wear wigs in addition to bunning.
In any case...

I have been looking for this wig for a while. This was actually the first wig I had ever purchased. When I wore it, it looked NOTHING like in the picture. I purchased it in 1B (Off Black) the first time, and I loved it. I wore braids all the time so when I took my braids out and wore this wig, everyone thought it was my hair. When I went to look for the wig again, either no one carried it or they didn't have it in my color. I was finally able to find it online this weekend and had to purchase it. It says it's a 3/4 wig, but I wore it as a half wig. It was $17.99.
http://www.hairsisters.com/ver2/ViewDetail.php?product_id=791

I've seen this wig around for a while, but never took the chance on buying it. I normally don't buy wavy/curly wigs. I saw someone on YouTube do a tutorial on it, and it looked pretty good. I figured for $17.99, I could at least try it out. We'll see what happens. I liked it mainly because it's not too long. I like somewhat natural looking wigs. I didn't want to come into work with hair
flowing down my back. I mean, people may know it's not my hair, but there's no need to over do it! I purchased this in 1B as well. http://www.hairsisters.com/ver2/ViewDetail.php?product_id=2559

I'm really curious to see this wig when it gets here. It says that it's a half wig, but it looks like a whole wig. I liked the bang a lot. I'm hoping this one looks okay. I bought this one off of EBay because they didn't have anymore on eBay. The seller had a great feedback rating, so I might just add them to my favorite sellers in the event I have problems finding other wigs on Hairsisters. Of course, I purchased this one in 1B, even though the color int he picture is not too bad. I'm just not one for changing up my hair color too much.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ViewItem&item=370164477645

Now, I know in looking at this some people would say, "Ok. NOT feeling that one. I wasn't either. Good thing it's not a wig. This is actually track hair. It's called Duby by Outre. I saw a few people on YouTube do tutorials on this. They either made a stocking cap wig or they sewed it in.

The hair is already wrapped, so when you sew it in you don't have to curl it. You can curl it if you'd like if you want a little more body. It's human hair. Also, because of the length, when you put it in, it's already in a layered style. I can't wait until it gets here. The GREAT thing is? This hair was SUPER CHEAP. It was $13.49 a box on sale on Hairsisters. I purchased two boxes.In what else? 1B...of course!
http://www.hairsisters.com/ver2/ViewDetail.php?product_id=6960

Here's a video that shows a weave using this hair. This is by the same company, but a slightly different cut. I think it might be shorter, but I'm not sure.It's NOTHING like how I want to wear it (in a bob), but it gives you an idea of how it's already wrapped. I was on the fence about posting someone else's "personal" YouTube video so I posted one by the company. Notice how the hair comes wrapped around Styrofoam in the package.

Let me know what you think!

Today's bun

2009-07-15T09:01:00.008-04:00

Nothing much to report. Just posting another picture of my bun. I don't know why I keep posting these pictures. I guess it's just a way to keep me motivated on my hair journey. It's nothing special. I just pulled it back, wrapped it around and put a scruchie on it. I can't wait until my own hair is long enough to do this.

I am truly happy, though, that I did flat iron my hair this weekend (because of the issues I was having with the NG). It has made doing my hair SO much better. It's much easier (as I knew it would be. I was just trying to stay away from the heat).

I am really starting to like the Wave Nouveau and the Hollywood Castor oil. My hair has been EXTRA soft these past few days. I make sure to do it at night AND in the morning. I also started applying Castor Oil to my scalp (you know I had to try it. I've tried everything else). I don't have the Jamaican Black Castor oil (JBCO). I just used a regular brand from Whole Foods. It wasn't going to be used for my scalp, but now that I've straightened my hair, it's too heavy. We'll see if I get this growth that everyone has talked about.

Not sure if I mentioned this in another post, but I ordered three more wigs this weekend. One I ordered from Ebay, and the other two I ordered from Hairsisters. I also ordered 2 packages of weaving hair from Hairsisters. The hair I ordered was Duby wrap by Outre (I pretty much love all their hair...bulk, human, synthetic). I've never tried their weaving hair before (because I normally don't wear weaves.

I was thinking about making my own stocking cap wig, and saw a few videos with the Duby wrap hair. I LOVED it. I'm going to make my own stocking cap wig with this hair (once it gets here). The thing I loved about the hair was when you actually put it in (or glue it on), it's already precut so that as you keep placing the tracks on your head it comes out in a layered cut. Also, it's already "bumped" so you don't have to use a curling iron if you don't want to. In all the videos I've seen, the hair looks EXTREMELY realistic, so I can see myself rocking my homemade wig for a LONG time (provided I do it the right way).

It's too soon. The tracking numbers aren't even online yet (on Hairsisters) so I can't stalk the UPS or USPS man.

Sigh. This is TORTURE!

Today's bun

2009-07-14T07:35:00.004-04:00

I don't really have much to report. Just wanted to post a picture of my bun today. I decided to use a set of chopsticks that I purchased from Sally's a long time ago.

To create the bun, I just took small sections of the ponytail and kept wrapping them around the base of the ponytail. I secured with hair pins and then put the chopsticks in as you see. Pretty simple.

Starting off the new week

2009-07-13T06:50:00.010-04:00

I had a much better hair day this morning (as far as doing my hair). It was nice to not have to fight and fuss with it first thing in the morning. I didn't have to make sure the edges were lying down or apply more gel to make sure everything stayed in place. This morning I just got up and left (well, after attaching the hair to the ponytail. LOL).

My bun isn't too fancy today as you can see. After I attached it, I split in in half, with one part being on top and one part being on the bottom. I then rolled the top part in my hand (kind of like winding a rope) and then wrapped that around the base of the pony tail.

Then I took the bottom half section and did the same thing, but wrapped it around the base in the opposite direction. Then I secured with hair pins. I took two headbands on and that's it.

My hair feels EXTREMELY soft this morning. I know it's because I straightened it, but even with it being straightened it feels great.

I think it's because of what I moisturized and sealed with. Last night I moisturized

with Wave Nouveau Finishing lotion and then sealed with Hollywood Castor

oil. I especially made sure to focus on my ends (which many times I forget about. My hair feels so soft. I am going to try and use this stuff up (at least the Finishing lotion). I have so many products (and had the nerve to order more this weekend). I have got to use them up.

Well, let me get this day started.

Frustrations and Realizations

2009-07-12T21:56:00.005-04:00

Today I was thinking about my hair journey and I had gotten really frustrated because I have not obtained as much growth as I would have liked. It occurred to me that I had to come to some serious realizations about my hair and hair growth (or lack there of). I think that once everyone comes to accept their hair, then they can move forward and obtain the length they're looking to achieve.

I can't have wet hair all the time - I would like to be one of those people that can cowash daily, but the realization is...I can't. My hair does not do well being damp all the time, at least not at this time. Wet hair all the time is really damaging for me.
My hair likes being straight - After I washed my hair today, I made the decision to straighten it with the flat iron. It occurred to me that I do better with straight hair. That's not to say I'm going to relax it (haven't made a decision on that yet), but for the time being I will have to wear it straight.
I can't take a lot of product on my hair - My hair just doesn't do well with a lot of product on it. It's not only weighs it down, but it's damaging. Some people can pile tons and tons of stuff on their hair. I'm not one of those people.
I have to keep my hair in protective styles - For now, I can't wear my regular hair out (not that I was doing so anyway). I have to do buns or wigs. This weekend I purchased three 1/2 wigs (in addition to one I bought last weekend). I have to hide my hair if I want to make it grow.
I mainly can't do anything that other ladies do - In looking at all of the products and/or regimes that other ladies do I realize that the majority of them I cannot do. They don't really work for my hair. It's as simple as that. My hair is very coarse - I essentially knew this, but fighting with my hair these past few weeks have REALLY made me see it. I get that from my mother (sigh. Thanks mom).
I need to give time for a product to work - So many times I think a product has worked a miracle on my hair only to find out a day or two later that it hasn't. I've decided to try and give a product at least a few days before I make a final decision.

Now that I can actually face what's going on with my hair, I think I can move forward. Sometimes you have to be realistic when you want something really bad. I wasn't' doing that, hence why I wasn't receiving any growth.

Let's see what happens in the next few months.

Relax or BC?

2009-07-12T08:15:00.017-04:00

I'm on the fence. The last time I had a relaxer was 7 1/2 months ago. I can't believe I've actually gone this long. I've gone for a long time without a relaxer, but never THIS long. I must admit I'm a little proud of myself. No, I'm REALLY proud of myself.

However, I haven't made an actual decision on what I want to do with my hair yet. On one hand I want to see how long I can do this for and possibly become natural. I look on the forums and see the number of women who have such success with their natural hair. I get so jealous sometimes.

Then there are times when I want to relax SOOOO bad. I miss having relaxed hair. I miss it being straight with minimal effort. Right now, if I want straight hair it takes a VERY long time. It takes at least 20 minutes to blow dry my hair now. It takes much longer to flat iron it. I have pretty thick hair. I know a lot of people say that and they really don't, but I'm not one of those people. My hair may not be the longest, but it's VERY thick. It always has been.

Sigh. I'm really hating my hair at this moment.

Today is the day I get SERIOUS about hair care

2009-07-11T09:37:00.014-04:00

If you've been reading along, you'll probably think I'm out of my mind for saying this. What's the sense of having a hair blog if you're not serious about hair care? Well, let me put it this way. I've always liked the idea of having longer hair, but I've never been "ride or die" serious. I would use the products, but I wouldn't really baby my hair when using them. I would be kind of rough with my hair and not baby it like I should.

So, I've decided today that I am going to handle my hair with kid gloves. I am going to be VERY gentle.

Right now my hair is up in a scarf. I am getting ready to take it off, moisturize and seal my entire head and then put the scarf back on for the entire day. I don't plan on going out anywhere. I also think I will baggy my ends because they need some much needed moisture.

If I want to do this, REALLY do this then I have to do it right. If other people can grow their hair out (from damaged and broken to long and beautiful) then so can I.

Here we go.

My Friday bun

2009-07-10T08:59:00.007-04:00

I don't really have a lot to report as of yet for today. I was going to wear chopsticks in my bun, but for some reason they didn't look right. I decided instead on this pink flower.

I really like these flowers (I think I've said that before). Until I joined LHCF and started seeing other people's buns, it never really occurred to me to put anything in my hair.

I went to Sally's yesterday to try and find some more things to put in my hair, but I didn't really care for the selection. I think I am going to try and buy some online this weekend (as long as the price is right). Hopefully I can find a few more things to add to my stash!

I'm such an idiot!

2009-07-09T13:11:00.014-04:00

I'm a totally idiot. So, I've been having problems with my new growth feeling dry and crunchy. My dumb @ss figured since I had been cowashing for the past few weeks and my hair FELT soft that my hair was getting moisturized. When my new growth ended up hard and rough, I said in my previous post that it MUST be the result of too much moisture (like an idiot). It couldn't be anything else but that because I had been cowashing, even when in braids. I had also been spraying my hair with my own mixture that I made up (see previous posts).

Well, well, well. I started thinking today (actually last night), that something didn't quite make sense. I was thinking that if my hair was truly craving moisture, then shouldn't my hair feel limp and soft, not dry and rough? It wasn't making any sense.

So, I started doing a search on protein overload. As soon as I read a few of the websites, I realized, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, what the problem was. It was the cowashing...sort of.

Why was it the cowashing? Because of what I was cowashing with.

I had been cowashing with the V05 Moisture Milks....and what does it say on the front of the bottle? SOY PROTEIN.

HELLO! NOW I get it. I have friggin' protein overload from the V05! That's the only thing I had been been using on my hair CONSISTENTLY. That coupled with the fact that I was using MT for a little bit AND spraying my leave in mixture of V05 and water on my hair. No wonder my hair feels like a Brillo pad. SERIOUSLY.

I feel stupid because I knew this already. There was a time before when my hair was extra rough (although not THIS rough). I had to do DC after DC after DC and finally nursed my hair back to health. Why didn't it click for me this time? I think what threw me off is the fact that I have so much NG. I attributed all of my "issues" to the NG (because I'm not really sure how my hair is supposed to react now that I have so much NG) as opposed to the products.

So, I am still going to use the Jane Carter stuff because I LOVE it, but I need a MOISTURIZING conditioner. Cholesterol is not going to cut it. The AO condish I used yesterday was great, but it's protein. I need moisture and nothing but moisture.

I'm such an idiot.

The Jane Carter worked!

2009-07-09T07:13:00.002-04:00

I am SOOOOOOO freakin' happy it is unbelievable!

I woke up this morning and my hair was/is like silk. My hair is so soft and moisturized. The Jane Carter Nourish and Shine is the greatest product I've run across in a LONG time. This will DEFINITELY be a staple. It's really expensive, though. However, you do get what you pay for (sometimes). This is one of those times. Like someone said on Youtube, I am sure someone can make the same thing themselves. However, I am not one of those people.

Later on last night, after my last post, I went back and sprayed a little more of the leave in conditioner on my hair and then sealed with a little more of the Nourish and Shine. This morning my hair is soft, smooth and shiny! I love it. I just hate that my hair (right now) is in such bad shape that I have to use so much of it. I can't wait until my hair gets back under control and I am able to use just a little bit of it. It's $22.00 a jar so I REALLY need that stuff to last.

I would take a picture of my hair for today, but I can't right now because I am at work. Two of my co-workers are already here and I don't want to be asked any questions about what I'm doing. Hopefully tomorrow I can take a picture or two (just to show the shine). I will say this much, though. My hair looks MUCH better today than it did in the pics yesterday (not that my hair yesterday looked that great, but it looks MOISTURIZED).

Jane Carter products

2009-07-08T19:54:00.004-04:00

Today for some reason, I got the urge to BC. I don't know why, but the scissors were calling me (at work). I decided I was going to buy a few more natural products to use on my natural hair after the BC.

Apparently, I have a very inflated view of the way my hair really is. For some reason, I thought after I cut my relaxed ends that I would have a very nice head of curly hair. Not so much.

While in the shower, I was looking at the line of demarcation and where I was going to cut. It occurred to me if I cut my relaxed hair just yet, I would be taking a step back into the 80's. The only style I would be able to rock would have been a flat top. It wouldn't be a fade, but....let's just say the cut would NOT have been the greatest. I didn't even have enough long hair up front to cover a 1/2 wig. Needless to say I did NOT BC. Maybe next time (or never).

In any case, I went to Whole Foods and purchased a few Jane Carter products. I must say I was really impressed.

I washed my hair with the Jane Carter Shampoo. Then I used Aubrey Organics GBH conditioner. They did not have the Jane Carter condish, so that's why I purchased the AO. My hair still felt rough, but not as bad as before I used the Silicon Mix last night.

Wow! That stuff is as good as the Honeysuckle Rose condish. As soon as I put it on my hair it just melted. I had to work it in there for a long time to reach every part of my hair. My hair felt a little better.

Then I used the Jane Carter leave in and the Nourish and Shine. My hair, ALL OF IT, felt nice and soft. It's the softest it's been in a long time, even with cowashing...before everything went wrong.

I put a little Fantasia IC gel on and then put a scarf on for a little bit. About an hour or two later, my hair felt so so wonderful. So, I put a little more of the Nourish and Shine on and mixed it with some of the Castor Oil. Now, some people say not to use too much Nourish and Shine, BUT I actually had to. It took a decent amount to get it to feel as soft as it did. Until my hair gets back to it's regular state, I will need to use as much as possible.

We'll see how everything holds up tomorrow when I get off from work. If my hair still feels nice and soft then the Jane Carter products will be staples. I need something to work FOR A LONG TIME. The PJ in me is getting out of control.

Today is a much better day for my hair.

2009-07-08T07:02:00.010-04:00

This morning I woke up and my hair was in much better shape than it was last night. Now, it might have something to do with the tons of product that I put on my hair, but right now I don't care. My hair was in such bad shape at work yesterday and looked so bad. I could NOT step foot back in this joint looking like a "tackhead," as my mother would say. LOL.

In any case, yesterday I wore two headbands (like I did in my earlier bun post). Today, I wore a black flower. Here are some pictures.

These aren't the greatest pictures, and my hair looks slightly dry, but it's A MILLION time better than it was yesterday. I really love that black flower (not just on me. I mean in general). I can't wait until I wear the other ones I have that are different colors. I have a pink one, blue one, I (think) a sort of brownish/gold one. I have to buy some some hair ornaments this weekend. With these buns I need to jazz them up. I also need to buy different kinds of earrings.

We shall see how my hair will end up tomorrow. I have been working out in the evenings, but as I stated on my other blog, I've decided I will have to start working out in the mornings. I will have to be EXTRA careful with my hair while in a bun. I will need to make sure my scarf is darn near glued to my head while working out and when I'm in the shower.

Also, I don't think I will be cowashing (with a moisturizing conditioner) again anytime soon. I think I will buy the Motions Silk Protein conditioner. I REALLY did love that stuff when I used it last year. It gave me incredible slip. Now, I wasn't 7 1/2 months post, but I still have a decent amount of NG and it made the NG very very smooth. In any case, I think I may have to take the cowashing down to about twice or three times a week. I don't think my hair can take that much manipulation. I think I REALLY have to keep it simple. I'm not even going to take it out of THIS bun (I don't think) for a few days. I will just refresh it every night before going to bed.

I so want to reach for that creamy crack right now. Things were so much more simpler when I had over processed/dry/unhealthy hair. LMAO!

Just kidding.

Ok. My hair is gonna make me cut somebody.

2009-07-07T20:24:00.005-04:00

I am getting really aggravated. I had one hell of a time with my hair tonight.

So, I went to Whole Foods at lunch and got some Jojoba oil and Castor oil. I figured I would just mix it with the Shea Butter Cholesterol. When I get home, I rinse my hair out (no shampoo) and then slathered on a mixture of the Shea Butter Cholesterol, Jojoba oil and some Kenra MC. I get out, put a shower cap and stocking cap on. Then I work out. After I finish working out, I sit under my Pibbs for about 20 min. I go upstairs and wash it out.

Everything was fine...at first. I rinsed the stuff out of my hair, but OMG! My new growth was so dry. I lie to you not, in less than 3 minutes the NG in the front and middle of my hair was dry, not damp BONE DRY. I tried to put a little Castor oil on it to soften it up. NO DICE.

I had to get back in the shower and start from scratch for some reason, I realized at that moment that I had too much moisture and needed protein...BADLY. So, I had to use Suave Clarifying Shampoo. Then I used Nu-Grow Shampoo. Then, I slathered on Silicon Mix. I have a HUGE jug of that stuff. I've only used it once or twice and had a whole lot left. By the time I finished slathering it on my head the huge container was almost gone. I massaged it into my hair for about 5 minutes. My hair was so rough, even with water running on it. The Silicon Mix got it to tame down some.Then I rinsed it out. I put on some Giovanni Direct Leave in and some Lacio Lacio (because I needed more protein). My hair finally started to feel a little better. However, I had to blow dry it out because it was so out of control wet. I put on a little Hawaiian Silky, a little S-Curl a dab of Castor oil and some Shea butter. Then I used some gel to lie everything down. My hair FINALLY felt better. I know someone may ask, "How could it feel better with all that stuff you had on your hair?" I just know my hair and know what it feels like even under the product.

I am now sitting back under the Pibbs to speed this thing along. I'm not taking the scarf off tonight, but I don't want the hair to be damp at all tomorrow. I am leaving my hair alone for the next few days.

This is the 2nd time I've tried cowashing on the regular and it didn't work for me. Maybe I need to keep using Silicon Mix until my hair strengthens back up and then we'll see, but damn! Why do I have to be the oddball out and not be able to cowash? Sigh. Maybe I'm just cowashing too often, but I started working out daily. I plan to keep up with it. What am I going to do? I don't want to don that half wig I bought just yet, and I don't want braids right now. Sheesh.

In other news, I realized that my hair is not really retaining the length that it should (at least I don't think so). I could be wrong because of the massive amount of new growth. I think what it COULD be is the fact that my nape has not been this long in a LONG time. I have about 3 inches of new growth that's underneath where my longest relaxed layer is. I think the new growth is pushing up the lowest layer so my hair looks shorter. I don't know. I'm just grasping for straws right now.

I can't cut my relaxed hair yet because 1) I'm STILL not sure if I want to and 2) I need hair that's long enough to get into a pony tail. My natural hair is not that long yet.

I'm having hellafied issues.

Alight, what's going on with my hair?

2009-07-07T08:16:00.010-04:00

Ok. Now I'm getting pissed. Day one of the bun was great. I had no problems. Yesterday I wasn't really paying attention to how my hair was reacting because I worked out and had a lot of extra junk on my head (I hadn't cowashed/washed in about 2 days), so I knew my hair wasn't going to act that great.

This morning, however. WTF? My hair is just as dry as it wants to be. I put a lot of moisturizer on my hair (S-Curl and Hawaiian Silky). I sealed with Shea Butter and I put that Ecostyler gel on it. I had to put the gel on it because my hair will not lie down without it.

This morning my hair felt soft, but it didn't look that great (IMO). I have to figure out what to do. I'm wondering if I MIGHT have protein overload. When my hair was in braids, I would wash, but condition my hair with Silicon Mix (which I love). Then I started cowashing with the V05 Moisture Milk (which is a light protein). Then last night I did the LeKair Cholesterol (more protein). I think tonight I will cowash and deep condition again. I will use moisturizing conditioners for both. I'm wondering if I should clarify. Nah. I won't do that. I don't really want to strip my hair. I think I will just deep condition every night this week with moisturizing conditioners. I may add some oil to the mix.

I think I will prepoo with condish, put a plastic cap on and then work out. Then I will rinse, and POSSIBLY DC under the dryer for about 20 min. Then I'll see what happens. Sigh. Now to find a moisturizing conditioner. Off to do a search on the forum.

This hair thing is hard work.

What I did to my hair today

2009-07-06T20:13:00.002-04:00

Today, I let the water run through my hair for about 5 minutes. Then I applied the LeKair Cholesterol Plus. I figured I would try that one first since most of the ladies seemed to like that one. I used a lot of this stuff. My hair was really dry. I could tell that my hair was starting to soften up as soon as I applied it, but the were some areas that were really really dry. I had to SERIOUSLY part each and every part of my hair to reach every part of my head.

Then for some reason I applied Roux Porosity Control Conditioner and then sealed with Brahmi oil. Why Brahmi oil? Because I'm trying to use up all this crap I have (which includes a bunch of Ayurvedic oils).

I sat under my Pibbs for about 30 minutes. Then I rinsed. After I rinsed all of that out, I decided to cowash. I used up the end of one bottle of V05 Moisture Milks conditioner and Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner (once again, I'm trying to use up this crap I have). I must admit, my hair felt pretty soft.

I sprayed that Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 on my hair, especially the new growth. Ummmm, it wasn't bad. It's very creamy and it felt "ok" on my hair. I'm still on the fence on this one. I realized, though that my hair was NOT laying down at all. I have 3 to 4 inches of new growth and I needed something that was going to lie that stuff down. I sprayed some S-Curl on it and I could INSTANTLY tell the difference, even with it being on top of the Hawaiian Silky. I sealed with some melted unrefined Shea Butter. Then I used Ecostyler Gel. I realized that I had to actually part my hair and put the Ecostyler gel in the middle of my hair as well. THEN my hair finally started to lie down. I put my hair back (very gently), then I wrapped the perimeter of my head with Sanek Neck strips. Finally, I put on my silky scarf and then put the elastic band around the tail of my scarf (which had the ends of my hair inside). I essentially had a ponytail made of a scarf I did this to help my hair to lie down.

To help it along, I sat under the Pibbs again for about 40 minutes. I will see what happens in the morning.

On another note, I have A LOT of new growth. I had so much new growth that it looked like I had more NG than relaxed hair. The ONLY reason why I didn't BC is because I need enough hair to still pull in a pony tail. However, if there's a way for me to slick all of my NG into a ponytail, I might get the urge to BC when I cowash again. I also need something that is going to seriously moisturize my NG. I mean, SERIOUSLY. Even with all this stuff on it, it STILL feels somewhat dry. Hopefully it won't feel like that when it's dry, but I need to figure out why my hair feels rough when it's wet.

What I bought today

2009-07-06T17:54:00.005-04:00

On my way back home, I stopped in Sally's and picked up a few things. I purchased:

I heard a lot of ladies on the forum talking about this. Most people said it was the best, so I figured I'd pick up a jar and see how it does. It was CHEAP too. I think I only paid $1.89 or $1.99.

I also purchased Lustrasilk's Shea Butter Cholesterol. I also read that the ladies liked this one as well (even though LeKair won out). This one was pretty cheap too. It was around the same price as the LeKair. I figured for that price It can't be too bad.

Then I purchased the Hawaiian Silky 14 n 1 Miracle Worker. You KNOW everyone raves about this, so I figured I'd pick up a bottle. It's funny because that was the most expensive thing. I think it cost $4.69. I remember it was over $4.50. I could have SWORN I purchased a bottle of this years ago and wasn't crazy about it, but I'm not too sure.

Last thing I got was the Silk Elements Glossing polish. I only purchased a trial size of that. I bought that to give my own hair a little extra shine. I like my bun, but my own hair tends to look a little dry from time to time. I'm hoping that will do the trick. If it does, then I will buy the larger size.

We'll see what happens (next post).

Why don't people want to share?

2009-07-05T22:44:00.003-04:00

I was looking online at another forum (don't know why I stray from LHCF. LOL), and was looking at different profiles. I ran across a few different profiles where people had posted pictures of a new lace front they had, or a new weave they had gotten.

In these different threads, people asked the original poster where they had purchased something from....SEVERAL people asked. Each time the original poster gave such limited information, I wondered why they even posted pictures of what they bought. It was apparent that they did not want to share the information. They didn't want to say where they bought it from, how much it cost, nothing!

It makes me wonder why people don't want to share? Why don't you want to share where you got your hair, your lace front, your hair products, etc? There are 50 million people running around with the same thing. Why don't you want to share the info? It seems to me like that's some high school crap. I'm trying to figure out what the purpose is? You're showing it off because you apparently you want people to see it and possibly admire it. So, you want them to admire it, but you don't want them to be able to look good too? Uh ok.

Officially starting to bun (yet again). Sigh

2009-07-04T16:46:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, I went to the BSS and purchased a few things so that I could start bunning my hair. I bought some synthetic weaving hair, but the kind that you can use a curling iron on. It was Yaki textured hair. I thought that would do the trick.

I was wrong. When I put it in my hair, it did not match at all (even though I thought it would). I'm normally really good about matching up textures of hair, but this time was a bust.

So, I went back to the BSS today and bought some human weaving hair with a much coarser texture. In stead of sewing the tracks in the middle of my head (like I did yesterday), I just decided to wrap the track around my own ponytail, and attach it along the way with hair pins.

OMG! I LOVED this bun. I normally don't like my buns (on my natural hair), but I loved it this time. Here's what I used (as if you cared):

One 1/2 package of Motown Tress Yaki weaving hair , 14 inches. I bought that length in the even that I wanted to do a high ponytail (but I know I probably won't).

A regular brush (I was VERY gentle)

S-Curl (I slept on this for soooo long, but I think this might become a staple. I was apprehensive because every time I see the bottle I just think of the old days when people were running around getting Jerri Curl juice on everything.

Melted Shea butter. My mom has loads of this stuff so I melted some and applied.

Ecostyler gel (the pink one). This was an extra firm hold formula.

Neck strips (to help the hair in front and back of my head lie down)

Various elastic headbands.

I used the above products and then put a satin scarf on my head for a few hours. Here's the result:

Can I just say I am IN LOVE! I have never loved a bun as much as I love this one. Now, I'm not saying this bun is the best in the world because it's not. I just liked the way the bun felt. The weaving hair matched the texture of my own hair (which is almost 7 1/2 months post relaxer). I have waves for days and I needed something that was going to blend in with my own hair. Also, my hair felt SOOOOOO freaking soft (did I say that already?)! I think...no I KNOW the S-Curl and the Shea butter did this. I will be using this every time I bun.

The other thing I love about this bun is the fact that the headbands actually helped to keep my nape and edges in line. It's applying LIGHT pressure to push my hair back. WHY THE F*CK DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT BEFORE (bashes head on keyboard)???!!!

Now I need to decide on if I'm definitely going to cowash every day (which was the main reason why I was doing this), or if I'm going to do every other day. I'm not sure. I will decide once I go back home. I'm not touching it again until then. I will wear my scarf at night (of course), but I'm trying to be as low maintenance as possible. With THIS bun, now I see how all the ladies are retaining length. When I wore buns in the past, I hated them so much that I just kept taking them down and messing in my hair. With this bun, I don't want to do anything but leave it alone.

Long hair, here I come!

Going back to bunning (I think)

2009-07-03T13:02:00.004-04:00

I think I'm going to go back to bunning. I'm talking about bunning my own hair. I really want to be able to cowash daily. I can cowash daily now and I LOVE my braids, BUT, it takes so long for the braids to dry. That's my only complaint. I don't mind have a little bit of damp hair, but with the amount of extra hair that's in my head, it seems like my hair is always damp.

I am thinking about taking my braids out, adding some track hair to the middle (just about 3 tracks) and then bunning the hair. That way, the hair will be long enough to be in a decent bun without really having to add on a phony pony. I had clip on extensions before when I was bunning, but I wasn't crazy about them. It didn't occur to me to actually sew in the tracks until I was reading about it on LHCF in the phony pony thread. I will cornrow about 3 rows of my own hair and then sew on a few tracks. That way, I can wear my hair up in a pony tail if I want to or in a low bun. I will also make sure to cowash daily (or at least every other day).

I hate that I can never make up my mind, but I think I know what it is. There are just times when I want to feel my own hair and scalp. Not that I'm not feeling them now with the braids...it's just hard to explain. I just want to be able to wash my own hair without anything covering it. Yeah, I know I will have tracks in my hair, but that's only going to be in a certain part and not all over the head.

Sigh. I just really need this hair growth to be kicked up a notch. LOL.

I'm getting tired of changing my mind

2009-07-02T23:02:00.006-04:00

Sheesh. I can't believe I am ready to take these braids out already. WTF is wrong with me? Why can't I just stick to one thing? Sigh. For some reason, I just want to bun my hair after I cowash...my real hair. The only thing is, cowashing was great for a while, but after a bit I didn't do too well. My hair seemed to be real mushy.

I'm reading posts on the forum, and I think I found out what the issue is. A few other ladies said their hair was mushy as well. It was suggested that they use a protein conditioner once a week. They said you have to increase your protein conditioning when you increase your cowashing. I never even thought about this.

Now I'm wondering if this will make a difference. When I wash my hair once a week now, I make sure to use Silicon Mix once a week. It's weird because I don't suffer too much with mushy hair (even while in braids). I didn't put two and two together until just right now.

Now I have to think if I want to start doing the cowash/bunning thing with my real hair.

Sigh. Decisions. Decisions.

Baggying for Braids

2009-07-01T07:35:00.012-04:00

I was surfing the board last night and watching a few YouTube videos, and after watching the lovely ladies show how they baggied their hair for the night, I decided to try to baggy my hair as well. I'm trying to do essentially the same thing everyone else is doing to their hair, but while I'm in braids. I do have to be a little careful because I don't want to manipulate my hair too much.

In any case, last night I moisturized with Wave Nouveau. I still LOVE the V05 mixture, but I'm trying to use up some of these products. I have so many of them. Sheesh.
Then I sealed with Hot Sixx oil (I LOVE that stuff on my real hair, but have to be really light handed on my the braids.

Anyway, I put a shower cap on my head and then put one of these caps on. Then on top of that I tied my regular scarf on. These Spandex caps are really nice, but sometimes they slide off your head, so that's why i put on my regular scarf.

When I woke up this morning my hair was still slightly damp, but that was okay. It had moisture to it, and that's all I cared about. I think I will do this nightly. Because I had the spandex cap on top and my silk scarf, my braids were not fuzzy at all. That's the main thing I was concerned about. I think I may keep doing this for a while. If I can keep treating my hair (while in braids) the same way others treat them while out then I will be all set. The ladies who are keeping it simple this way are achieving tremendous growth, and that's what I want!

Oh, and I also used my Mega-Tek mixture last night on my scalp. I might cowash tonight, but I'm not sure. I might just wait until I get to my mom's house and then cowash. We shall see.

Hair Jewelry

2009-07-01T07:19:00.010-04:00

I've decided to try and wear my hair in buns for the next few days. The only thing is, to me, buns are kind of boring sometimes. I needed to try and find a way to jazz things up a little.

A few months ago, I had purchased some flowers for my hair. They're on an elastic band and they came in different colors. I got them from the BSS and I think they were about $1.00.

Here is a picture of the one I wore today to work (excuse the desk). I really like the flower, I think I might purchase some more when I go home this weekend for the holiday. They were pretty inexpensive. I'm certain I could make them myself if I wanted, but I don't want to. LOL.

I'll have to see what else I can use to jazz my hair up with. I had purchased some chopsticks a while ago from Sally's. Maybe I'll try them next.

My regimen as of 6/30/09

2009-06-30T18:58:00.007-04:00

Currently I am wearing human hair braids, but here is my regimen.

Wash at least once a week. I will use Dr. Bronner's Castile soap or some kind of clarifying shampoo like Suave. I am trying to stay away from shampoos with sulfate, though.
Co-wash at least once a week. For my co-washes I have been using V05 Moisture Milks.
Mega-Tek mixture applied to scalp at least once daily. I have a mix of Mega-Tek and Nu-Gro. I really only mixed the two to get the most out of both products.
Moisturize and seal. I am using a mixture of V05 Moisture Milks Conditioner and water in a spray bottle. At night, I spray my hair until damp. Then I seal with coconut oil. I put on a satin scarf and go to bed.I may possibly start moisturizing and sealing in the morning, but I'm not sure yet. We will have to see.

Itching for a new wig

2009-06-30T09:54:00.006-04:00

Well, I've only had my hair in this new set of braids for about 2 1/2 weeks and already I want to take them out. It's not that I don't like them, because I do. I just want to do something different. In all honesty, that's probably why my hair is having a hard time growing (IMO). I keep wanting to do different things with my hair. I really do need to keep it simple.

A large part of my problem is I keep seeing wigs and half wigs that I really like, and then I want to try them out. For example, Ateya posted a video of this wig on her YouTube channel.

Now, in the picture the wig doesn't look that great, but on her? OMG! It looked TOTALLY different. It looked wonderful! Then I started getting that itch for new half wigs. Earlier this year, I went a little crazy and bought quite a few. I didn't wear all of them because I'm not a big fan of looking like a different person every day of the week. I need to be taken seriously at my job, and showing up with short hair one day and long hair the next is not the business. I don't care what's in fashion!

Now, I'm wondering if I should take the braids out and get a few wigs. Then, I know me, I will start itching for braids again and then will want to go that route. This is torture, especially when you know how to braid your own hair. Sigh. Decisions. Decisions.

Cowash day & minor length check

2009-06-29T22:43:00.015-04:00

Today was a cowashing day, but this time I did something slightly different.

This time I used a mixture of diluted conditioner when cowashing. I was reading on LHCF that some ladies do that. I've heard of diluting your shampoo when wearing braids, but it never occurred to me to dilute the conditioner.

My hair still feels about the same as when I normally cowash, so the diluted method might be the way to go for now.

I wanted to do my hair so that I would have waves tomorrow, but I'm too tired. I will try to do it tomorrow.

In other news, I took a braid out in the back of my hair to take a look at my nape.

This is the current length. It's weird because this is the longest my nape has been in years. I'm really happy. All of that nuturing I did to it last year and this year apparently made a difference. I am making that I keep moisturizing the back of my hair still, even in braids.

Day 3 of using V05 as a leave in

2009-06-28T10:33:00.009-04:00

I am totally SOLD on using this V05 mixture as a leave in. I did the same thing last night as I had done for the past 2 days. I sprayed on the V05 mixture and then sealed with coconut oil. My hair (the part that's braided and the part that's left out) feels so soft and moisturized. I can't stop putting my hands in my head.

I took out a braid last night and felt my own hair. My own hair felt soooo soft. My own hair is staying so moisturized with this stuff. I also don't feel like I need to do anything with my hair. Even when my hair is in braids, I feel like I need to still do something to it sometimes (put more stuff on it, curl it, etc). Now I feel like those ladies who wear their hair out and keep it simple. I only feel I need to spray this stuff on and put my hair back in a bun. Hilarious. I'm bunning in braids. LOL.

I can't wait to take progress pictures, but it's going to be a while before that happens. I won't be taking my braids out until August sometime (probably before the fall semester starts at school). I can't wait.

Hair Vitamins

2009-06-28T09:51:00.005-04:00

About 3 weeks ago, I started taking different vitamins. I have been taking some sort of vitamin all along, but I decided to start, again, with some hair vitamins. Here is the list of vitamins I have been taking.

GNC Hair Skin & Nails - I was taking GNC Ultra Nourishair last year. It was okay, but when I looked at the back of the bottle for the HS&N vitamins, I saw they had more nutrients in them.

GNC Biotin - 2500 mg. I'm going back to the GNC brand because when I used the brand they sell in Wal-Mart it broke me out something awful. I have not broken out so far with this brand. There is already about 3000 mg of Biotin in the HSN vitamins. I have just upped my water consumption (which I wasn't drinking anyway)

Omega 3 Fish Oil - Someone at my job got fired, and we ransacked his desk. He had a huge, brand new bottle of Fish Oil so I took it. It's not like he was coming back for it.Iron - 65mg. I'm anemic, so I really need them.

Vitamin B Super Complex - Just thought it would be nice to throw this into the mix.I just braided my hair two weeks ago, so I can't take any pictures to show my current length. When I rebraid my hair I'll take pics.

Walmart Weight Smart vitamins - I had been taking these before for energy.

I haven't seen any change in anything yet (that I can notice) except for my nails. My nails have become noticeably stronger and longer. Even when I don't have nail polish on, my nails seem to be pretty hard and still growing. I knew they were working because one day (actually a few days) I hit my nail against a hard object. Normally my nails would break, but they didn't break at all. I think it's the HSN vitamins. I think I will keep these in rotation all the time.

Second day of using V05 as a leave in

2009-06-27T09:11:00.014-04:00

Ok. I think I am officially sold on the V05 mixture as a leave in. I did the same thing last night before going to bed as I did the night before. I my V05 leave-in mixture (water and V05 Moisture Milks conditioner) on my braids. I made sure my hair was pretty much damp. Then afterwards, I sealed with coconut oil. I didn't use a lot of oil, just enough. I also made sure to do this all the way down to the ends of my hair.

My hair is still unbelievably soft. I can't even explain it. When I would spray on leave in's and put on the coconut oil, my hair would still be a little greasy and I couldn't really curl the braiding hair that well. Not the case with this. My hair feels light, soft and really good. When I was getting ready for work yesterday morning, I curled my the braiding hair and it held a really nice curl.

I think I'm going to have to stock up on the V05. I LOVE cowashing, but I'm not sure I will need to if I'm doing this. My hair feels just as moisturized as it did when I cowashed. This is a lot less effort.

I heart V05 Moisture Milks!

V05 as a leave in?

2009-06-26T08:47:00.007-04:00

I was reading on LHCF about the praises of V05 Moisture Milks. Well, you didn't have to tell me about how great it was (see previous post). LOL.

However, a few of the ladies were saying how they use it as a leave in. I never thought to use it as a leave in. Some said they mixed it with a few things and used it that way. I wondered if this would work as well for me.

So, last night I washed and conditioned my braids with Silicon Mix (as usual). When I got out of the shower, I sprayed a mixture of the Moisture Milk (Passion Fruit) and water. Then I sealed with coconut oil.

Oh Em Gee! I couldn't believe my hair this morning. It was unbelievably soft! I can't take my hands out of my hair (seriously). My own hair and the braiding hair feels wonderful. It feels even softer than whenI use Silicon Mix by itself.

Dare I say this might actually replace my StaSof Fro? I have to think about this.

My hair growth rate

2009-06-25T07:34:00.006-04:00

The last time I braided my hair (about two weeks ago), I tried to measure how much growth I had gotten since the last time I relaxed. At the time, I was about 6 1/2 months post relaxer.
I looked at the new growth and was able to "eye" about how much hair I had grown.

I am happy to say that I had approximately 3 inches of new growth. Now, I wish I had more hair growth, BUT I was happy because after all this time, I finally had an idea of how fast my hair grows. It appears on average that my hair grows about 1/2 and inch per month. That's good to know. Now I have something to reference.

I am interested to see how much hair growth I will have when I take these braids out again. I don't plan on taking these out until August sometime. I also plan on exercising (which others have said will increase your growth rate). In addition, I have also been taking vitamins AND I've been drinking a lot more water (which helps everything grow).

Like I said before, I will make sure to take pictures.

Sta Sof Fro

2009-06-24T07:38:00.008-04:00

Ever since I last relaxed my hair (over 7 months ago), I have been trying to keep my hair moisturized. It has been really hard finding a moisturizer that would actually penetrate my hair and not just sit on top of it.

Since I've been in braids, I've REALLY been trying to make sure my hair stays moisturized. Befoire I knew better, I never took care of my braids. Now, I'm making sure that I take care of my hair as much as possible.

Lately I've been using Sta Sof Fro. I heard a lot of the ladies talk about it on LHCF, but I never really paid any attention to it. So, I purchased some a few months ago, but like all the other numerous hair products I have, I used it for a while and then stopped. About 2 or 3 weeks ago, however, I decided to give it another try. Also because I need to use up some of these products (just like the Megatek).

I have to say I am somewhat impressed with this stuff. It does keep your hair pretty soft. I am wearing human hair braids now. However, when I was in synthetic braids a few weeks ago, I could definitely tell how soft it was making my real hair. The only thing is, it's SO moisturizing that it was weighing the braids down. Now that I'm wearing the human hair, the moisture content is just right. I spray my hair until it's damp and then seal with coconut oil. Then I put on a silk scarf for the night. WhenI wake up, my hair feels really soft.

In addition to this, I have been using the Wave Nouveau moisturizer, but I don't use it that often. The Sta Sof Fro defintely keeps my hair more moisturized. This may become a staple!

Megatek

2009-06-24T07:25:00.007-04:00

Earlier this year, I purchased a bottle of Megatek. I never wrote anything about it because I wasn't really writing blogs at that time.

In any case, I have started using this stuff again while I'm wearing my braids. I'm actually using it just to try and use up some of these numerous hair products that I have. I have mixed it with some shea butter and some Nu-Gro moisturizer. I didn't really mix them to make a more powerful mixture. I really just added them to thin out the Megatek in the event that I wanted to spray the MT on my scalp as opposed to applying it like grease.

It's too early to say if anything has changed with my hair as of yet. I'm not sure if I have increased hair growth because my hair is braided right now. Also, I have been co-washing my hair and I MAY have some slippage, so I'm not sure. I will have to see when I take these braids out (which will be a long time from now). If I do have increased growth, I don't think I can attribute it all to MT because I'm taking supplements as well. We shall see what happens.

Co-washing

2009-06-23T20:10:00.003-04:00

Last week I co-washed my hair about 2 or 3 times, and I loved it. I rebraided my hair almost two weeks ago. This time I used human hair. I liked the Batik hair, but it was too slippery for my tastes.

In any case, I co-washed using V05 Moisture Milks. It worked really well, and I loved it. I was cheap (only $1.00) from the Dollar Store. My own hair (and the braiding hair) is really really soft. I think I will co-wash again tomorrow.

I am trying to keep my hair as moisturized as possible. I noticed that my nape and sides grew really quickly when they were moisturized, so I'm going to keep at it.

I will make sure to take really good pictures of my own hair when i take my braids out.

Washing Batik Hair

2009-05-24T15:01:00.003-04:00

Ok.
After I wrote the last post, I decided I did want to wash my hair because it felt so weighted down. I was reading a few posts about how to wash synthetic hair (especially Batik). A lot of women were saying to use liquid fabric softener on the hair (to keep it soft and hold the curls). I wanted to try it, but after awhile I started thinking about how I didn't want liquid fabric softener to touch my real hair. Also, I didn't have any liquid fabric softener in the house. LOL.

In any case, I decided to just look on the directions for the hair. It said it could be washed and conditioned and that even leave-in conditioner could be used. I figured I would give it a shot. If it didn't work out and the hair frizzed up, I would just wear it in a ponytail until it was time to rebraid it.

I sectioned my hair into A LOT of sections. I think there were at least 8 sections, but I truly can't remember now. I used those tiny black rubber bands (the ones they put on the end of braids) and put those on my hair down to where the braids stop, but where the hair is loose (if that makes sense. Essentially, I didn't want the braids to come unraveled while I was washing them.

I got in the shower and wet my hair. I used Dr. Bronner's soap and diluted it with water.

I put the diluted shampoo on my scalp and very gently massaged it in. I was barely touching my scalp, that's how gentle I was. Then I poured the remaining shampoo down the length of the braids. I very carefully rinsed my hair out.

Then, I used Silicon Mix on my hair. I applied it to the length of my hair and then I showered my body. After I finished rinsing off, then I went back and rinsed off the Silicon Mix. I spent A LOT of time rinsing the hair. I then applied a cheapie conditioner (White Rain Tropical Conditioner) to the ends of the braids only). Then I rinsed.

I got out and squeezed the moisture out of my hair with just my hands. Then I went and gently squeezed the water out with a towel.

Then I sprayed Aphogee Reconstructor (mainly on the braided part because that's where most of my real hair is). I also used their Pro-Vitamin leave in on the entire length of the braids.

I did NOT comb my hair at all or really manipulate my hair with my hands. I mainly threw my head back when I wanted to spray the stuff on my hair.

I then threw my head back so my hair was going all the way back. Then I put a stocking cap on and sat under the dryer (which I am doing now). Halfway through, I took the stocking cap off and let my hair hang down while drying so the "inside" of my hair could get dry.

My hair is SOOOO soft AND the curls are still there. I think I will be able to wash my hair every week with this hair just like my human hair. I also think this hair is going to be a keeper for a long time. This is great because I don't have to put any direct heat on my hair and I can keep it moisturized. I think I may just keep using that Wave Nouveau moisturizer on the length of the braids. I'm not sure if I will be able to seal it. I may end up just going back to regular braid spray. We shall see.

Ugh

2009-05-24T13:19:00.003-04:00

Okay,

So I didn't stick with the Ayurvedic. What else is new, right? I liked the idea of it, but it was just too much work for me. The mixing, straining, etc. I just didn't want to do all of that.

I went through a phase for a few months this year wearing half wigs and synthetic lace fronts. I LOVE the synthetic lace fronts, but the lace on synthetic wigs are so hard and rough. They started damaging the edges of my hair. I couldn't deal with that.

Then I had an issue (with all of the wigs) where the combs in the back of the wigs were damaging the nape of my hair. UGH! I essentially had to do damage control on my edges and my nape. I made sure to moisturize my hair EVERY night. I mean SERIOUSLY moisturize. I would put moisturizer on my hair unti it was wet and then seal with oil. I mainly used Hot Sixx oil, but I've also used shea butter, coconut oil, Vatika oil....just as long as the moisture was sealed in I also used Dr. Miracle's Nape and Temple Balm. That stuff REALLY does work. Those two things helped my nape and edges to grow back.

I finally decided in March to braid my hair. I didn't want to relax it again (I'm really trying to stretch it) and I didn't want to deal with my hair anymore. So, I decided to do what I always do. I braided it up. I made sure to wash my hair at least once a week. I have been using Nu-Gro on the scalp and moisturizing the length. I kept the braids in for about a month and a half. When I took the braids out, I could not BELIEVE how long my nape had gotten. My nape was the longest it has been in YEARS. It's at least 2 inches long! I was (am) so happy.

So, I went and rebraided my hair again last week. I used Batik Deep Wave hair this time (I used wavy human hair the last time). I just so happened to have a lot of the Batik hair (for some reason). I had bought about 5 or 6 packages of the hair (braiding and weft), in the event that I wanted to use that brand (I had heard good things about it). This is what it looks like.

So, since i had the hair I thought I would try it. It's not bad. I have to remember, though, that synthetic reacts differently than human hair. I knew/know this, but I'm always reminded after I actually put the hair in my head. I've been using Nu-Gro on the scalp and trying to moisturize the lenghth, but I have to be very careful because I don't want to wear the synthetic hair down and mess up the curl pattern.

Last night, I used Sta-Soft-Fro on the length of my hair. I didn't do it all the way down to the ends, just the braided part. This morning my hair feels kind of heavy. I think I'm going to wash it in a little bit because it feels TOOO heavy. We shall see.

In any case, when I take my hair out again I will take pictures and post comparisons from August of last year until that time period. I know my hair has grown, but I want to see it side by side.

We shall see what happens.