Braid-outs: My New Year's Resolution

Hey guys!

As the title states, I have made a personal NY resolution to do more braid-outs, which is my most hated hair style. I hate them basically because I haven't figured out how to make them look good on me. I see them on other people and catch hair envy real quick, lol. My hair is weird--the tight curl pattern makes for a good styling base, but my overall density and weight of my hair is all over the place so I have to tweak styles to hide that. So it is always a production to style my hair. Yes, having FINE HAIR is a joy *rolls eyes* lol.

But anyway, I want to start liking braid-outs because I like the pattern they create and they stretch the hair out more than twists (on me).

Here's a pic of the braids I put in

That part down the back of my head is the bane of my existence lol...

Products used:
ABBA Pure Gentle shampoo
Paul Mitchell Super-charged Moisturizer (sat under the dryer for 25 min or so)
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Kukui Nut oil

Results:

I was super-duper lazy so I kept the braids in for 2 days. I had such a hard time unraveling these darn things!! I think I braid too fast because I always have these small strands get tangled up when I take the braids down. They twirl around inside braid so it's a PITA when they come down. So it's frizzy before I even get to separating them. I coated my hands with the kukui nut oil prior to separating...I needed to separate them pretty much completely to fill in the parts (that back center part esp!!) but I like that it's shiny and soft.

All in all, I am okay with the results. I will keep practicing.

If anyone has any tips for a successful braid-out, feel free to share. Also how long do you keep it in before you re-do it? Night-time maintenance?

xoxo,
A.

Twisty-turvy snapshot

Here are just a few pics on my twisting attempts. I have decided that this is my favorite way to wear my hair besides the wash n go. I didn't want to admit it to myself because I used to do these so much back in the day, but they really "work" for me.

11/20/2011 set

11/20/2011 set

12/3/2011 set

12/3/2011 set

Right now I am using Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream, Avocado butter, and FOTE Aloe Vera gel to do my twists. Since the December set, I decided I will continue to twist on blown dry hair (tension method). Doing this keeps the length stretched for a longer time and makes twisting go faster. (The November twists were done on damp hair.)

Seriously...when I calculated the time it took for me to re-do my wash n go every few days and compared it to how much time it took me to put the twists in, it was a no-brainer--twists all the time.  Ironically after I took this set down around Christmas (and since then b/c I haven't done them again yet), my wash n go takes less time and lasts longer, lol. So I don't know which I like best at this point. I'll probably switch back and forth between the two styles often--still haven't perfected the braid out yet *sigh*

xoxo

My Current Product Staples List (as of 5/21/11)

These are the current products I find myself reaching for on any given day to maintain and style my hair.  Because I have so many products in my stash, it's been challenging to try out some of those others because these have worked so well for me that I don't want to chance having a "bad" hair day. But how will I know if I don't experiment, right? Lol. Without further delay, here are my current "go-to" products:

Product Staples List (as of 5/21/11)

Shampoo (I'm only shampooing 1-2x/week)

MOP Hydrating Shampoo

Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo

Rinse-out Conditioner (daily)

Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner

MOP Hydrating Conditioner

Nature's Gate Aloe Vera Conditioner

Leave-in Conditoner

MOP Leave-in

Paul Mitchell The Conditioner

L'anza Daily Leave-in

Deep Treatments (protein weekly, moisture as needed)

Joico K-pak Reconstructor

Joico K-pak Intense Hydrator

Paul Mitchell Super Strong Treatment

Kenra Nourishing Masque

Paul Mitchell Super-Charged Moisturizer

Gels

Joico Joigel Medium

Redken Soft Spin

Fantasia IC

Styling Lotion

Joico Joilotion

Paul Mitchell Round Trip

Moisturizers (as needed)

Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream

Pomades (as needed)

Qhemet Biologics Tea Tree & Grapeseed Therapeutic Pomade

Qhemet Biologics Amla Oil Nourishing Pomade

Also, I have a few curl creams that I've been using, but none have really made my day so there aren't any listed yet. I think I won't really like them until the weather cools down a bit. With living in such a humid climate and having fine non-porous hair, it doesn't really benefit me to have a butter based cream as a styling product...

Will update list as needed.

xoxo,

A.

Hair Update: 2 months post

Hey peeps! More hair update pics, Month 2. I am really enjoying the whole wash n go thing.  I've been continually trimming straight ends and rinsing and conditioning daily...And my curls keep getting curlier! Loves it.

I get quite a bit of shrinkage, but not quite as much as I remember getting when I went natural the first time, though that was years ago so it's hard to really think back. The nape area and sides have bigger curls (about 3c, I'd say) and finer/silkier there, so there is some heat damage, but I'm not too concerned with it. The rest of my hair is quite kinky (4a) and shrinks a ton, so I while I try to air dry most of the time now, I do still like to stretch the length with my blowdryer when it's dry, for more volume and shape.

Hair Update: 1 month post cut

Ok, so it's been one month since I chopped the relaxed ends and have been fully natural.  Things have been going very well, maybe better than the last time I was natural.  I feel that using salon quality products this time is a major factor, especially as far as moisture levels in the hair are concerned.  I have been doing a "wash & wear" or "wash & go" routine, and it's been working well for me.

Here's what I've been doing: Twice a week (every 3-4 days) I shampoo with Kenra Moisturizing shampoo, then condition with Kenra Moisturizing conditioner (love this!). On the days I don't shampoo, I just rinse my hair and scalp with water and then condition the hair with Kenra conditioner. I don't "co-wash" or mess with my scalp any other time except on shampoo days; I just don't see rubbing conditioner into my scalp as being useful. I also deep condition every or every other weekend, alternating protein reconstructor treatment** (Joico K-pak) and moisture deep treatment (Paul Mitchell Super-charged Moisturizer, Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm, Kenra Nourishing Masque, etc).

**Even though my hair is natural now, I want to continue to ensure the strands stay in good condition, considering I did blow dry and flat iron every week for over a year prior to cutting...

To style, I choose from a variety of products, but my faves are: Joico Curl Definer Creme, Redken Curl Wise, Joico Joigel Medium, Hair Rules Curly Whip.  Each of these produce consistent results. After applying product to very wet hair, I airdry-- or if I don't have time, I diffuse dry--and then stretch curls with the blowdryer for more curl length and volume. Depending on the product and if I need it, I'll layer a leave-in conditioner (like Paul Mitchell The Conditioner, L'anza Daily Leave-in, or MOP Leave-in Conditioner) underneath the styling products, but most of the time I don't.

At night, I sleep in a satin bonnet, on a satin pillowcase :)

I can't wait for my hair to get longer so that I can get my hair in a ponytail. I can make a "puff", but I want a real ponytail :-) Patience is a virtue, though. So I'm enjoying the journey.

Here are some pics I've taken so far...

 

As I continue to rinse and condition daily, I've noticed the hair is getting curlier, which is awesome. It helps me cut off more straight ends as I find them.

Hair Update: Transition Over!!

Um...yeah, I went to wash my hair after that twistout and it was so ugh...LOL! So I thought why not. Glad I did it, cuz I missed my curls/coils. Being that I did this in my bathroom by myself (!) I still have some more straight/relaxed pieces to cut off but overall it turned out just fine :) I transitioned a total of 15 months I think.

<3

Happy New Year!!! And Updates

Hi guys!
I know I have been gone for a little while, and am a bit late, but I hope everyone's having a great New Year thus far!!

Real life has been super crazy with the holidays, and I have just started my final class before I have to drudge through the internship process, so while I am very excited to be 91% complete with my Master's degree, I have been super stressed.

So here are some quick updates going on with me:

Nails:
As I've said before, just because I'm not posting doesn't mean that I'm not taking NOTD pics. So here are a few to check out:

 For Christmas, I decided to re-awaken my American manicure side (since I had the length for it, albeit short-lived, lol).
Here's Essie Marshmallow and Mademoiselle

Pretty good for freehand, right? LOL.

Essie Angora Cardi. I loved this one so much, I went back and got Island Hopping too but haven't worn it yet.
Something about plummy colors this time of year. Can't resist.

This is OPI Suzi Sells Sushi by the Seashore. Love. Perfect for everyday.

And here's my New Year's Eve Mani. I was apprehensive to do a "Glitta" nail because I hate the removal process in general (despite the beloved foil method), so this was a nice compromise. I started out with Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm and was putting China Glaze Dorothy Who? on the ring finger as an accent. It was so pretty, I decided to put it on all the nails. It was a fun, festive mani for me.

Blurred this pic to show the glittery-ness, lol.

And here's my current NOTD, OPI Over The Taupe. Very surprised by this one. Undercover hit.

Ok, now for Hair:
As of this past weekend, I am officially 12 months post relaxer (whoo-hoo!). I don't have pics at the moment because I am in need of a trim, and have been going back and forth for the past few days on whether I should trim or just cut the relaxed ends off. They are ranging anywhere from 1-3" in length, so if waiting I have roughly another 6-8 months to go.  Part of me thinks it is silly to keep them at this point, since in 6-8 months my hair is going to grow regardless (and possibly more easily if I cut now?), but then the other part of me thinks there is still no rush.  My BF of course is ready with the scissors and a joke at every turn, haha. Plus with this extremely cold weather, I kind of want to wait...but then I'm not really out and about too much lately because of classes so it shouldn't matter. So, I'll keep you posted.

Skin:
I had to modify my regimen last month because I was still breaking out right before my period which was interfering with my clear skin mission (to fully rid myself of all dark spots).  So I picked up my old copy of Dr. Baumann's book to re-hash the regimen. Then I picked up Murad's Clarifying Cleanser to use at nite and continue using my Prescriptives wash in the morning. I am not using the Murad T-zone gel at all and have not broken out yet!! Coming into month two. I literally just cleanse and moisturize, and use a scrub when I remember (maybe every 2 wks!) and my skin looks great. Moisturizing with Clinique's Age Defense AM and PM moisturizers. Oh and using Bliss All Around eye cream day and night. Love that stuff, but it's looking like it's been discontinued?! Sigh...Again no pics, since I haven't been doing makeup or anything, but hopefully will take some soon.

Whew! I think that's it for right now.  Like I said, things have been crazy, but thanks so much for reading my blog, gentle readers!

Take care :-)

I almost BC'd this weekend, lol!!

I had a hair crisis after yet another failed braid-out attempt (pics to follow) and texted my BF to come chop all my hair off!! I'd had it with the tangles and was (kinda) ready to look like a boy again (not!). But I took a deep breath, got my detangling comb and some clips and proceeded to blow dry instead. Thank goodness I have my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum and Relaxing Balm. These two products smooth my hair out immediately once I blow dry with my paddle brush. Add in my FHI and all is well in the world.

Here are the pics my braidout experience. My last one for a long time, hehe

Rocking my braidout and Becca lip gloss :-)

Um, yeah...I sectioned my hair off and braided it this way as opposed to cornrows, which I refuse to do. I hate them. Mainly because I don't have thick hair. Yeah...While it did turn out better than when I do cornrows, all that detangling and braiding and sitting under the dryer biz is for the birds. I don't know I used to do this every week in the past. Crazy. I couldn't be bothered nowadays.  BF said if I try it again next time to use setting lotion, which worked famously for my flexi-rods (lasted forever!!) so if I do, I will follow his advice. His brain is so smart ;-)

Seriously, I have the blowdry/flat iron process DOWN. It's a science when I get in the bathroom. I've got it down to 2hours, from start (shampoo) to finish (combing out to wrap or go on about my day). No other styling method can beat that for me at the moment. I make sure to sufficiently condition and deep condition regularly, so my new growth isn't "heat trained" at all. Which is great for when I do want to do wash n go's next year.

So yeah, basically, I just rationalized to myself that since blowdrying/flat ironing is working so well for me, there really is no point to BC. I'll just continue to grow it out and trim relaxed ends as needed...No need to over-complicate this process at all :-)

Holla <3

A.

Hair update: 9 months post

Wow, I can't believe it's been 9 months since my last relaxer. I never really thought I'd make it this far, lol. The last time I went natural I waited 8 weeks and then did the big chop. But I was much younger and more daring back then (the way 18 year olds are, lol!)

Here are some close up pics of my wet hair--this is the bottom back half of my head, ie approximately the nape area:

 Here's the very bottom of my nape, it's mostly natural on this side so I took pics of the curl.

Most of my hair is the penspring type of 4a, but I have 3c (as you can see) in my nape, and some unidentified wiry stuff in my crown. It might be 4b, but I'm not sure I would really call it that.

I also got a trim earlier this week. My BF is a master stylist, so I asked him to do it for me because I was LONGGGG overdue. It had been 6 months since my last haircut!! I know, I know, so bad. But my hair actually was looking good and still had its shape all that time, so I didn't stress it. It wasn't till the last couple of weeks, that I realized I had run out of time. My hair's shape was drooping and was lackluster, so I decided to trim.

And now all is well in the world :-)

My regimen is still pretty simple. Washing twice a week, deep conditioning once a week.  I still blowdry and flat iron, just because it is more manageable for me throughout the week.  It stays straight and doesn't puff up too bad with me at the gym working out heavily and all. And I just threw out a ton (!) of hair products from my PJ days, and am streamlining my favorite brands, so I can get some closet space back. I hope that getting to 1 year post relaxer will come by just as quickly. I thought I might BC at that time, but I think I want to wait for more natural hair to grow in. Maybe by spring or summer...

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!!

Vitamin Regimen 2010

I have been taking vitamins for health and beauty reasons for a few years now, off and on these past 6 months or so, but I swear by a few items that I'll list below. Consistency is one of the hardest things I struggle with on most things, but vitamins are super important so I try to make extra effort on this. I even set the alarm on my cell phone to remind me to take them lol!

GNC Ulta Mega: This is my basic one-a-day multivitamin/multi-mineral supplement. If I am being lazy, I will only take this and I'm fine. I've researched a lot of brands out there, and this one is what I found that has over 100% daily intake for most of its ingredients and it's vegetarian. Been taking it for 2-3 yrs.

Flaxseed Oil: This is important!! It helps keep the body functioning properly (joints, blood circulation), but on the outside it will keep your skin buttery soft and your hair shiny. I try to take 2000 mg/day.
Country Life Maxi-Hair: This is my hair/skin/nails vitamin. I take this to support the high levels of B vitamins I also take below so that no one B vitamin level is "out of whack".  The best I have seen in stores at a reasonable price ($18, I think). I take 2 pills/day.

Biotin is the best for hair, skin, and nails. Biotin and the other B vitamins create more sulfur in the body, which is responsible for cartilage.  So for strength, this is great to use. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months to see results, but the results last up to 6 months after you stop (at least in my experience). I normally take 5mg (5000 mcg)/day, but I have taken up to 12 mg daily with no ill effects (vitamin B is water soluble).

 
B-5/Pantothenic acid: This is great if your hair strands themselves are skinny. Thickens them right up. Remember, though that only the roots will be thicker as new hair grows in so over time your overall hair length will thicken up (with consistent use). I take 500 mg 2x/day.

I started off following the Bargello Regimen (Google this for more details...), but there are so many to take that over time it was too much. I do want to get back to that level though. Eventually :) The benefits were great (at least in my head)

Note: As with everything that goes into your body, please consult a physician prior to establishing a supplement regimen. The supplements mentioned here can be purchased at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe .

xoxo,
A.

Quick Hair Update: 6 months post

Hey peeps!

So I'm still transitioning out of my relaxer, and am currently 6 mos post. Things have been going fine so far. I got my hair cut in late April, and I think I will get a trim soon. The only thing that bothers me is how much new growth I have. I mean, I thought I would have more by now, lol. I guess I feel weird about it because I am eager to get this over with. I want to have roughly 6-8 inches of new growth before I big-chop (BC). Although...if the transition continues to not be very annoying, I may just continue to the transition until I only have a couple of inches of relaxed hair left.  Who knows at this point, right? Just taking it a day at a time.

Here's a close up of my hair wet. I laugh at the kinky new growth roots. I normally wear it straightened so I don't have to worry about tangles.  But lately I have been experimenting with flexi rods...

Here's a few pics of my flexi rods...practice definitely makes perfect with these.

So, because this style is pretty manageable and I don't have to do much everyday to keep it up, it's what I've been doing. Anyone else transitioning? What styles are your faves?

Take care,
A.

Back to Basics...I've decided...

I've decided to transition back to natural. Yeah!! I was natural all through college (maybe like for 4-5 yrs...) and relaxed back in 2005, but I think I want to be natural again. For me, relaxers are played. I get tired of getting touch ups and working so hard to replace what relaxers take away...I also miss the versatility...I do plan on wearing my hair straight most of the time, and am *possibly* considering doing research on the BKT, but for right now, I just want to stop relaxing and focus on other things...

I am currently 8 weeks post relaxer this week, and will be getting a trim this weekend. I hope to transition one full year (so up to Jan 2011) and possibly do the Big Chop at that time.

Wish me luck!! Of course I will update throughout my new journey :-)

Hair Update: Jan 2010

A little late, but better late than never, right?

I got my relaxer on 1/9 after 12 wks, and got a trim too so all is well.

It's growing out well since the cut in May and the setbacks all through last fall.

Earlier tonight I found some old pics from 2008, and pissed myself off so bad!! Ugh, I hate that I've had to go through so much drama and issue over hair, but I guess that's what the journey is all about. In any event, I'm come out the other end much stronger and wiser about the decisions I make for my hair, regardless what anyone else's opinions about it are.

*sings Destiny's Child "Survivor"*

Next Update: Apr 2010

xoxo