Wash Weekend, YAY!!

I am so very ready to wash my hair! My hair feels kinda slick - like oily slick. Maybe I overdid it with the daily moisturizing? Each night I have been using Vatika oil. I read some of your comments stating that it was drying. I My hair doesn't feel dry - just slick. I don't like this feeling one bit. Maybe using the oil for two weeks without washing was too much.

I did mix in some other oils and butters with the use of the Vatika oil. If I wore a bun for more than a day I would use hair butter. If I planned to wear my hair out I would use the Olive and Clove oil - mainly because of the scent. I need to test out the Vatika oil in a more controlled environment.

The next post will show how I wore my hair each day of the week.

Roller-set Review - Week 1

Braidout

The first week was almost too challenging because of the rain that the east coast experienced throughout the week. I almost forgot that I couldn't just walk causally in the rain without and umbrella.

To make it through the week, my everyday hair style was a bun. Each night I oiled my ends with either Africa's Best Organics Olive and Clove oil or vatika oil. Twice during the week I massaged my scalp with Vatika oil (I will review the Vatika oil at a later date). I have been wanting to incorporate scalp massages into my routine for a while now but they can be hard to when my hair is curly and they tend to result in a lot of tangles for me. The roller-set makes the massages so much easier.

It's kind of strange to end a week and not wash my hair. I was itching a little mainly in the crown area but the itching decreased significantly when I "greased" that area with some hair butter. If you were reading my posts last year around this time you may remember that I experienced itching in the same place this time last year and throughout the entire fall/winter seasons. Maybe this is my growth season (?).

Lessons learned this week:
1. I don't really need to use so much oil if I plan to oil my ends nightly. I had a shiny neck for the first 2-3 days of the week. I am heavy handed with product.

2. A braid-out on straight hair takes needs to set for at least 2 days I want a nice defined braid-out.

3. Straighten hair can get tangled so take time to properly prep at night.

Protective Styling Challenge: Roller-setting

Since I can't make a decision for this fall/winter season, I am going to try all the protective styles. That should keep me from getting too bored with one look this fall/winter season. Also, this is a way for me to see what works for me and what I have time for. I am not too concerned about retaining additional length. This year I just want to maintain what I have.

First up:

For the first 1 month I am going to attempt to roller-set my hair each week, style in a protective style, and only wear my hair out on weekends.

I will adhere to the guidelines of my Fall/Winter regimen*:

• Pre-poo with Castor and Jasmine Oil (I love this combo)

• Shampoo (product unknown*)

• Deep Condition (product unknown*)

• Roller-set with leave in conditioner and coconut oil

• Sit under the dryer on medium heat or if time allows, air dry.

• Throughout the week (at least 3 times) I will apply more coconut oil to my length, paying special attention to my ends.

*I will do all steps that involve the shampoo process because I will only wash my hair every other week.

The reasoning I have behind roller-setting is to stretch out my length and keep the ends from curling on themselves and forming SSKs. So I am not trying to achieve a super straight look, just a good stretching. (I really just to use those rollers more - no need to waste $$ that has been spent.) I may flat iron my hair once during the month just to see where I am with length.

To determine if this challenge really makes a difference I will do a length check in the beginning and one at the end to see if a retain additional length or just maintain what I have. I will start this on 9/24/2010 and end on 10/24/2010. {First day of fall is 9/23/10}

*The products I plan to use is unknown because I refuse to buy anything new until I use up what I already have. I may end up mixing if I don't have enough of something to make it through the month. I will update as I purchase

Twists pinned up

I recently joined a twist challenge on CurlyNikki. Back in January 2010 I wore twists for one entire month (never removed) and had a lot of SSKs. This time I am taking my twists down at the end of the week (Saturday or Friday night) and putting them back in on Sunday (while watching True Blood, LOL). So it takes me one hour to re-do my twists.

I section my hair into 4 sections and put 6 twist in each section. I am hoping that by taking my twists down weekly that I will not experience a repeat of the amount of SSKs I had back in January.

Hair Diet Summary

Well June is over and I made it the entire month without silicones or sulfates. My hair feels fabulous!

During the month of June, I used:

Dudu-Osum Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni SAS, 50:50, and TTT

Kimmaytube Leave In Conditioner (with Giovanni Direct leave in)

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

I also did a henna treatment during the month of June.

The verdict:

The combinations of these products left my hair feeling soft and moisturized. I experienced less itching with my scalp and my shedding also decreased (strange??). My hair was also more manageable and easier to style. I am very satisfied and would recommend the use of natural/organic products to anyone.

I looked at my product stash last night and debated about repurchasing many of the items on the shelf. I am thinking that I would love to only use the products listed above or the ones that fall into the natural/organic category. This will require a complete re-haul of my stash. My non-natural/organic products far outweigh the amount of natural/organic products that I already own.

ugh....I need some coupons

Still on the diet

My postings have been slow because I am still doing the cornrow challenge and still on the hair diet. The combination of those two make for a very boring hair story.

This week my cornrow style was inspired by CurlyNikki.com Glam Hair Idol Catrina. She has some fierce cornrow styles in her FOTKI albums.

This weekend I will be washing my hair with Dudu Osun Herbal Shampoo. I am really starting to like this shampoo and this diet just might cause me to make a permanent switch. Then I will deep condition with Giovanni Smooth As Silk(SAS). I like SAS because it gives me results that are similar the results I get from using Herbal Essences HH.

The only downfall of this diet is the fast frizzes. I read on someone's blog this week that it's the silicones that keep our hair from frizzing so quickly. I usually take what I hear and read on the web with a grain of salt but I am starting to believe this theory.

Happy Friday!!!!!

-Tia

Hair Diet: What I've noticed thus far.

While wearing my updo that was styled using only sulfate-free, 'cone-free, and natural stylers:

○ I'm still getting itchy at the end of the week (that sucks) - no change here

○ My twists get frizzy faster - I still only touched them up once (pure laziness)

○ Uber softness! So soft that when water hit my hair it was immediately soaked and usually I have to work the water through to get it nice and drenched

○ I was afraid I was going to see a lot of damage that the 'cones were hiding but so far I am very satisfied with what I am seeing and feeling.

I am going to keep this up the rest of the month. As of now I am unsure if this will be a permanent change in my regimen.

Cornrow and Hair Diet Challenge - Week 1

The first week of the month long cornrow challenge. One of my goals is to do cornrow styles that are as feminine as possible. This week I started with this style:

To achieve this style I first shampooed my hair with Dudu-Osum Natural Shampoo. Then I conditioned with Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat for about 15mins. I used Shea Moisture Shea Butter conditioner for my leave in and then let my hair air dry in two braids. I styled with Shea Butter and used Kemi-Oyl Conditioning spray to moisturize.

I'm going on a diet!!

LOL, I know someone just said some explicit....but I am not going on a weight loss diet, I am going on a Hair Diet: No 'cones or sulfates.

While on my self imposed cornrow challenge I have decided to add another element. I am only going to use sulfate free and cone free products for the month long challenge. I've never noticed a differenc in my hair with product before but then again I did not use any of the sulfate free and cone free products consistently.

I choose my products after examining these lists:

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=34009

http://sites.google.com/site/ladylonghair/'cone-freeconditioners

I will be using:

Dudu Osun Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat conditioner or Giovanni Smooth As Silk

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

Protective Styling Challenge: Cornrows

I like challenges, they keep me consistent.

This time I am doing a self imposed cornrow challenge. When I was in college I wore cornrows (no weave) all the time and it was so convenient. Presently, I do them often but typically not more than a week at a time. I was motivated to do this challenge as I browsed through the FOTKI album of Forevercurlycatrina and watched some of the YouTube vids of LongHairDontCare2011. Forevercurlycatrina has some awesome cornrow styles that are cute and very feminine. LongHairDontCare2011 has some impressive length that came without complicated regimens.

Cornrows are super low manipulation and low manipulation = length retention. :)

My regimen will be as follows:

Prepoo

Shampoo

Deep Condition

Apply leave in condition

Style using only oils

Remove braids and let hair rest overnight before re-braiding.

My concerns:

Getting carried away and braiding to tightly

Roughly handling my hair while braiding

(If I can avoid those issues I think I will do okay with this challenge. )

I wanted to start this month long challenge on June 1 but with the last weekend in May being a busy holiday weekend I will start on May 30 with a fresh set of cornrows.

Castor Oil Challenge Weeks 1-3

I wanted to do weekly summaries but, I have been so distracted by and busy with school....can't wait until it's all over and done with.

End of Week 1:

I noticed that my scalp did not feel as dry as it usually does and that was great. I started the first week with oiling my scalp using my fingers twice a week.

End of Week 2:

I decided to up my oiling to 3 times a week just because it feels so great and the oil absorbs so fast and so well. As long as I am not feeling like an oil slick I am okay with more than twice a week. My scalp was still feeling great. After washing I didn't not have any flaky dryness after my hair dried. Yes!

End of Week 3:

This week has been weird. My scalp has been sore and itchy in only one spot (the crown). The itchiness is normal for me - one day I hope to figure out the cause. So I added a few drops of tea tree oil to help with the itching. This may also be due to stress because this week has been sorta hectic. When I was in undergrad and I would get really stressed my hair would start graying at a fast rate and my shedding would increase. I thought I would losing my hair but it stayed thick and I didn't have bald spots. I try to relax when I feel myself getting stressed but that is not always easy. I am hoping to get a break sometime this weekend, hopefully after I am done with my papers for school.

How is the challenge going for you?

Castor Oil Challenge: Day 1

As I saw styling my hair for the week I made a part in the front and the appearance of my scalp made me sad. It was kinda "ashen" and it flaked really bad where I parted. This is not usually noticeable but this time after washing, I let my hair air dry completely without applying shea butter from root to tip. This challenge is right on time. I oiled my scalp very lightly with the Castor oil mix and and today my scalp looks a lot better already. I am ready to see the affect this will have on my scalp in the long run.

Castor Oil Challenge: Castor and Avocado Oil Mix

This is very very simple. I put 1/4 cup of Castor Oil and 1/4 of Avocado Oil in a container, mix, and it is ready to be used. If you put your mixture into a container with a tight lid you can shake the to mix.

Recap: January '10 Protective Style

During most of January (5th-30th) I wore two strand twists. It was great not having to worry constantly about styling but it was a struggle to fight through the boredom. I am used to changing my hair every week. When I finally took the twists out, I had a TON of shedding. This was expected since I did not comb or detangle my hair for nearly one month. I knew they were shed hairs because they we long and I could see the white bulbs on top. I didn't look at all of them but I did examine a good number of them just to make sure I was suffering from a ton a breakage. I feel like I retained a lot of length from wearing the twists all month but I didn't think to do before and after pics so I have no way of checking that assumption.

I learned that tea tree and aloe vera are GREAT for the itches. The first two weeks of January I used a water/conditioner mix for moisturizing and my scalp was itching like crazy. The last two weeks I used the aloe vera spray with some tea tree oil and my scalp felt sooooo much better. I also learned that my hair LOVES getting moisturized and sealed nightly. The shaft of my hair feels stronger but yet softer than it did in December. When my scalp felt a little too dry I used some coconut oil and that absorbed right in with no problem.

My routine with the two strand twists was fairly simple. Moisturize & seal nightly, co-wash (while twisted) in the middle of the month, and oiling the scalp when needed. I continued to wear my twists up because most of my length retention would have been lost if I would have allowed my twist to brush against my clothing or constant exposure to the dry winter hair.

Castor Oil Challenge: My Planned Routine

Castor oil is really thick and some even say that it smells (I don't smell it *Kanye shrug*). You may find it beneficial to mix the Castor oil with a carrier oil. Carrier oils include:

Sweet Almond Oil	Kukui Nut Oil
Apricot Kernel Oil	Macadamia Nut Oil
Avocado Oil	Watermelon Seed Oil
Meadowfoam Oil	Jojoba Oil
Borage Seed Oil	Sunflower Oil
Seabuckthorn Berry Oil	Hemp Seed Oil
Tea Tree Oil	Sesame Oil
Peanut Oil	Hazelnut Oil
Cranberry Seed Oil	Pecan Oil
Evening Primrose Oil	Pomegranate Seed Oil
Coconut Oil	Grapeseed Oil
Rose Hip Oil	Olive Oil

You can find the majority of these oils in any health food store. Olive oil will probably be the easiest to find-it is in almost every grocery store. From previous information I have read-the greener the olive oil the better. But to be honest, my hair response the same way to olive oil no matter the color.Mixing the olive oil with a carrier oil can be tricky.

If you look at some homemade hair product recipes out there you will notice that when Castor is used, the same amount of carrier oil is used. Some people apply the Castor oil straight with no chaser. The choice is yours. Listen to your hair and give it what it asks for.

The rules of the challenge say to apply at least twice a week. Castor oil has anti-fungal properties so if you have a serious dandruff problem you may want to consider a few additional days a week. The challenge will be going on for a while so feel free to start off slow and adjust your application if needed.

My plans for this challenge (and some things you may want to ponder):

Participation time frame: 2 months (Feb 1 -Apr 1)

Brand used: Walgreen’s Castor Oil and then Home Health Castor oil for the rest of the challenge

Mixing: Castor Oil and Avocado Oil (equal parts of each oil)

Application: Twice a week. Sundays and Thursdays, Sunday is my wash night.

Overall goal for this challenge: Healthier scalp, I put a lot of care into my strands but don’t really pay a lot of attention to my scalp.

I have pledged some serious dedication, I hope I can stick to it. Hold me accountable!

Castor Oil Challenge

Recently, I have came across a few videos on YouTube regarding a Castor Oil Challenge upon further investigation I discovered that quite a few of the ladies got this Challenge from Black Hair Media (BHM). The claims from the challenge include growth, healthier scalp, and less split ends. Sounds interesting huh? Well because I am more about maintaining length the healthier scalp and less splits intrigued me. So I decided it's worth a shot. I am going to follow that same rules posted on BHM. Once again, curiosity is getting the best of me. However, this challenge utilizes products that I already know that my hair loves. Therefore, I assume that no harm will be done.

I plan to try this starting on Feb 1 and going until April 1. The ending date also happens to be the date I plan to slow down on protective styles. The air should be moist again-April Showers :)

If you want to join me, I hope this gives you enough time to purchase your Castor Oil and your mixing oil.

My previous post highlight all the other benefits that can be gained from using Castor Oil.