HOT Fail!!!!!!

First off let me say this...I...Do...Not...Like...Pre-pooing...With...Oil!!!!!! I don't know if I did it wrong, or maybe my hair just doesn't like it. Either way, I did not like anything about the way my hair felt or the way my hair looked. Immediately I could tell something was different about my hair, and not in a good way either. This is what I did:

Wash Day:

1. Prepoo'd overnight with EVCO using the saran wrap method

2. Rinsed 

3. Shampooed with NTM

4. Applied Roux PC

5. Light protein with Aphogee 2-Min

6. Rinsed

7. DC'd with Silk Elements MegaSilk, glycerin, AVJ, EVOO, almond oil and avocado oil with steam (no cap)

8. Rinsed

9. Applied cheapie conditioner and rinsed

10. Applied Cantu Shea Butter Strengthening Repair Leave-In & sealed with EVCO

11. Air dried

This was my worse air dry ever. My hair still felt oily even though I shampooed twice. Like I said, I don't know what went wrong. I couldnt detangle using my normal method. My hair felt tangly and weird. I was still hoping it would come around so went ahead and wrapped it up for the night. In the morning my ends felt WONDERFUL but the rest of my hair felt like crap. Well...my NG felt nice, can't really describe it. It felt put together, I could definitely feel the curl/texture definition in my NG...I've never felt that before. But I couldn't finger comb my hair and that was a deal breaker, never going back to that much manipulation. Tonight I got ready to M&S like normal and I just couldn't take it. I freaked out and jumped in the shower for a quick wash. Nope! My hair definitely wasn't having none of that. I tried shampooing with just NTM but I could still feel the weirdness in my hair. I had no choice BUT to clarify. And no, I did not have time to DC :(. I did a couple quick applications of GVP Conditioning Balm (which I just discovered has some pretty good slip) and went ahead with the rest of my routine. Man...I'm truly disappointed in the outcome. Maybe my hair isn't a fan of EVCO, not everyone is. Tonight when I seal I'll be trying what I have left of my grapeseed oil (mostly used in DC). Hopefully my hair won't turn out too bad tonight. Prepoos will be conditioner/oil mix like usual, you ladies can keep those HOTs. I'll be doing an emergency DC only tomorrow as soon as I get home from work. My hair just makes me wanna UGH!!!! 

Can't Believe This Is My Hair!!!!!

Seriously! I really can't believe this is my hair.  Sunday I decided to stop mixing different conditioners together for my DC and my results amazed me.  This is what I did:

1. DC'd w/ Silk Elements MegaSilk, glycerin, aloe vera juice and oil (EVOO, avocado oil, almond oil and JBCO) with heat for 1 hr and 2 hrs w/o heat
2. co-washed w/ Tresemme Naturals
3. applied Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream and sealed w/ tiny bit of EVCO
4. air dried
5. finger combed when hair was 80% dry
6. lightly detangled w/ shower comb
7. moisturized w/ mix (S-Curl, aloe vera juice and glycerin) and sealed w/ EVCO
8. oiled scalp (JBCO, Wild Growth Oil and macadamia oil)

I didn't see any results immediately.  When I rinsed my hair it didn't really feel that good.  It felt a little tangly but I decided not to detangle using my shower comb.  I used my fingers instead.  I co-washed and my hair still didn't really feel any different.  After air drying to about 80% I started to detangle my hair using my fingers instead of my shower comb.  It was SUPER easy! No breakage!  And I only had a few shedded hairs in the shower and after detangling.  My hair was soft and it actually FELT moisturized.  So I thought it was a fluke so I tried it again...and yep! same results.  This is going to be my new go-to for DC'ing and detangling.  I'm still trying to bounce back from that relaxer set-back so I still have thin sections.  I'm doing my length check on 19 Dec at the salon.  The plan is to pre-poo at home, get hair washed, DC'd and flat ironed at the salon.  I'm bringing my own products and flat iron.  I'll be taking a picture before & after my trim.  I won't allow more than 1 inch, the goal is just to get even ends so I can monitor whether my hair is breaking or not.

Anyway, check out my pics from today's DC:

Regimen Overhaul...AGAAAIN

So I'm back to my old tricks lol buying new products I probably don't need and adding new techniques I probably won't stick with lol.  Either way, here I am...

I joined new groups and challenges on Hairlista.com: 

- Ultimate Bunning (Cycle 6)

- 6 Inches in 6 Months 

- Baby Those Ends

So to be quick and easy, basically I have to protect my ends, low manipulation, consistently use growth aids and rock my bun.  Let's talk about this a little tho... Lately I've been experiencing "stealth" breakage and my hair has been feeling slightly brittle and not retaining moisture :(... but noooooo sheeeeedding lol.  Gotta be thankful for something.  I really need to get this under control tho.  My hair seems to be retaining length still but my ends are HORRID!!! I mean, I keep clipping those ends but it doesn't help.  Something has to be done smh

Step 1: SIMPLIFY my regimen so that I can do step 2

Step 2: Figure out what my hair is liking and NOT liking

Step 3: Adjust regimen and continually monitor for positive and negative results

Simplified Regimen:

Sun, Weds

- DC w/ heat

- co-wash

- apply leave-in & seal w/ EVCO

- massage scalp w/ JBCO

- air dry & finger detangle

- BUN

Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri

- moisturize w/ moisturizing spritz (w/o detangling or combing)

- baggy

Sat

- pre-poo

- wash

- light protein

- DC w/ steam

- apply leave-in & seal w/ EVCO

- massage scalp w/ JBCO

- air dry & finger detangle

Growth Aid Schedule:

9 Dec - 15 Dec (1 Week)

- Inversion method w/ JBCO applied to scalp every other day

16 Dec - 25 Jan (1 Month)

- MegaTek & Wild Growth oil mixture applied to scalp every other day

- MegaTek conditioner every other wash day

16 Jan - 22 Jan (1 Week)

- Inversion method w/ Liquid Gold Hair Growth Oil every other day

23 Jan - 21 Feb (1 Month)

- Green Magic applied to scalp every other day

- MegaTek conditioner every other wash day

22 Feb - 28 Feb (1 Week)

- Inversion method w/ JBCO applied to scalp only on co-wash/wash days

Length Check Schedule: 

- 19 Dec 13

- 17 Jan 14

- 16 Feb 14

- 07 Mar 14 (TEXLAX @ 6 months)

2013 Texlax Schedule (every 4 months):

- 07 Mar 14

- 07 Jul 14

- 07 Nov 14

Products:

Shampoos: CON Argan Oil Moisture & Shine Shampoo, KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo, Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deep Moisture

Moisturizing Deep Conditioners: KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner, CON Nourishing & Strengthening Treatment, Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Treatment

Protein Deep Conditioners: QH Cholesterol, ORS

Co-washing Conditioners: HE Hello Hydration, HE Totally Twisted, HE Tousle Me Softly, Suave, VO5 Moisture Milk

Light Protein/Reconstructors: Aphogee 2-Min Reconstructor, Joico K-Pak Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor

Moisturizing Leave-Ins: Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch, Elasta QP H2, HE Long-Term Relationship

Protein Leave-Ins: Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Reconstructor, Cantu Shea Butter Conditioning Repair Cream

Moisturizers: Silk Elements Silken Child, S-Curl No Drip, Bee Mine Déjà Milk

Sealants/Oils: EVOO, EVCO, JBCO, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, almond oil, Wild Growth oil, jojoba oil, Liquid Gold Hair Oil

Deep Conditioner: conditioner w/ added oils (EVOO, avocado oil, almond oil)

Pre-Poo: EVCO w/ heat 

- Only trim after relaxer

- Heavy protein (Aphogee 2-Step) every 6 weeks

- No direct heat unless it's a special occasion or length check
- Finger comb ONLY (daily)
- Detangle only on co-wash/wash days after finger combing

HARD WATER!!! :(

So I think I fiiiiiiinaaaaally figured out why my hair is hard after washing, co-washing or DC'ing.  I'm not talking after it dries...my hair is soft most of the time.  It's immediately after the water hits my hair and more when I step out the shower that I feel the stiffness in my hair.  I've watched numerous YouTube videos on air drying and their hair doesn't seem to have that stiffness, theirs actually moves when wet. This would explain a lot...from what I've read so far on hard water, it can lead to mineral build up on the hair, prevent moisturizing agents from actually penetrating the hair, increase tangles and cause drying in both the hair and skin lol.  Wow!  The skin thing really has me wondering...I was diagnosed with eyzma after arriving to Japan (started in Korea), my skin on my elbows gets really dry and itchy but I couldn't figure out why.  Now I'm wondering...hmmmmm is hard water the culprit?  Either way, since the creams don't work and my hair seems to not like the water in Asia I decided to purchase a water filter for the shower.  I can't wait till it gets here, my elbows are killing me and nothing the doctor prescribed seems to work.  In the meanwhile I'll be switching up my routine a little...I'll be clarifying once a week and doing a final rinse with bottled water.  LMAO!!!! That's just what I'll have to do for healthier hair!  Shouldn't take but a week, maybe a week and half to get my filter.  If after rinsing with bottled water my hair retains the slip and moisturizer, I'll KNOW that water was hard lol.  Wish me luck!!!! :)

Switch Up - Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion

I decided to try and use some of the products in my stash that didn't quite work with my hair before. Wave Nouveau was the very first moisturizer I tried and I didn't like it.  It was probably because I used too much lol, actually I'm quite sure I did.  I've been using it now for a couple days and my hair seems to like it now.  My hair feels a lot more moisturized but I'm finding that I need to moisturize twice a day because my hair SUCKS up whatever moisturizer I put in my hair...severe damage :(.  I plan on using the rest of the bottle and wait for the results.  If I see a lot of progress on my next length check then I'll order more.  

Last night I added aloe vera juice to my DC and steamed.  My hair is responding well to detangling before air drying and applying my leave-in in sections insteading of slopping it on where I can :) who would've thought? lol. I noticed that when Ido that my hair takes A LOT longer to dry...I think that's a good thing? 

Besides that, I haven't changed anything, I'm still DC'ing 3x a week and sticking with the JBCO every other day.  I'm hoping to see some really positive results in a couple weeks.  If I make it to December (my next relaxer) and don't wanna cut my hair all off I think I'ma stretch another month...and another :) Tryna push this relaxer as long as I can. 

Next clarifying shampoo: 23 Nov 13

Next heavy protein treatment: 23 Nov 13

Could't Stop Myself

So I couldn't stop myself from co-washing again smh.  My hair just felt so brittle and my new growth was impossible to comb thru even though I applied JBCO and my moisturizing spritz.  I ended up co-washing with Neutrogena Triple Moisture Conditioner.  I also decided to detangle on damp hair and apply my leave-in in sections.  Let me say...it was a lot easier to detangle than I thought it would be.  I just grabbed sections of my hair and sprayed Elasta QP H-2 leave-in on the roots and Cantu Shea Butter leave-In Conditioning Cream on the rest of my hair...and my detangling comb slid thru it like butter baby :).  There was only two strands of shedded hair :) and nooooooo breakage, which amazed me.

After detangling and applying leave-in

Wash Day

After a long day volunteering at the Kadena Special Olympics (it was fun tho!) I prepoo'd as usual but since I was sooooo tired I left it in while I slept.  I ended up waking back up at 1 AM and decided to finish up.  I'm officially out of KeraCare :( hopefully my order comes in before my next wash day Saturday.  I washed with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning and did a light protein treatment with Aphogee 2-Min.  This time I rinsed my hair with luke warm water...and it made ALL the difference :)!!!! My hair wasn't hard or stiff after rinsing.  Also, I didn't see but maybe 3-5 strands of shedded hair while washing and rinsing lol usually I'm pulling it out my crack LMAO TMI I know!  This is major progress for me.  When I asked my momz what my natural hair texture was like she said it was thick.  Unfortunately I've never seen my hair thick.  Hopefully with the proper regimen I'll be able to see it for myself :).  

Hair After Pre-Poo, Wash & Protein: As you can see my hair is still thin on one side from my last relaxer :( #NOTdiscouraged

New Growth 03 Nov 13

After M&S

Ok...so I don't think I like Roux Porosity Control in my DC.  My hair felt unusually hard a d very difficult to detangle in the morning.  I even think my shedding increased, still not shedding like it was before but way more than a couple days ago.  This morning when I woke up my hair didn't really feel dry, but it definitely didn't feel wet.  It was a weird feeling.  No more Roux Porosity Control in my DC, I'll stick to using it with after my relaxer.  

I just ordered a KQC flat iron from Flat Iron Experts (flatironexperts.com) and a few other items: 

DC's:

- Elasta QP DPR-11

- Queen Helene Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream

- KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioning NEW!

Oils: 

- Wild Growth Oil

- Sunny Isle's JBCO Extra Dark

- La Tourangelle Grapeseed Oil NEW!

- Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil NEW!

Heat Protectants: 

- Nioxin Bliss Thermal Protector NEW!

- Organic Root Olive Oil Profesional Thermal Protect & Shine NEW!

Protein:

- Aphogee 2-Step Protein Treatment

- Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer

- Aphogee Intensive 2-Minute Keratin Reconstructor

Moisturizing Additions: 

- Lily of the Desert Certified Organic Aloe Vera Juice

- NOW Solutions Glycerin

Supplements:

- Nature's Bounty Odorless Garlic 

Other:

- Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gelly NEW!

Hunting for a DC with MORE slip.  Still love DPR but I think I'ma need a little more once I hit 10 weeks post.  Any suggestions???

Checking In

My new regimen is the ISSSSSSSSHHHHH!  Forreal :). My hair is loving DC'ing 3 times a week, the heavy protein every 6 weeks, the light protein every week, the switch to Elasta QP DPR-11 DC abd the switch to Silken Childs moisturizer.  Even the chop, my hair is sooooooo much easier to detangle.  And the protein treatments have significantly slowed down my shedding, I wish I'd discovered this a long time ago, my hair would be alot thicker.  I'm seeing about 8-20 strands daily, it's barely noticeable.  I remember only a couple weeks ago I was shedding so much that I was clogging my shower drain :( and now I'm only seeing a couple strands go down the drain.  It's magic! lol. 

My hair likes Silken Childs waaaaaaaay better than Luster's S-Curl, I feel like my hair stays moisturized way longer and I don't feel like I have to use a lot to get the job done...S-Curl makes my hair feel damp and makes it more fragile. Good thing too...cause the new S-Curl formula sucks booty!  I tried to pawn it off on a friend and she didn't like it either lol.  My DC mix has changed also, instead of using Silk Elements I went back to using KeraCare Humectress but now I mix it with Elasta QP DPR-11, glycerin, honey and essential oils...my hair LOVES it!  Soon as I apply it my hair feels so silky and looks so shiny, the DC glides on like butter, with very minimal shedding.  Two DC's during the week I DC on dry hair BEFORE my co-wash.  My hair seems to like that better.  Right now I'm trying out Suave but I think I might go back to my V05 Moisture Milk since Tressemme changed their Naturals formula.  Istopped wearing my sock bun until I find a silk sock to use as the outer layer, my hair was drying up.  

I'm now wearing a ponytail with the loose hair wrapped around in a circle and secured with a bobby pin.  This style keeps my ends more moisturized, my ends more tame and orderly and makes it way more easy to detangle at night.  

I stopped doing the inversion technique, I don't feel like it's necessary but I'm still doin the castor oil challenge.  I'm way less afraid of my blow dryer, on days when I get off too late to sit under the dryer/steamer I just DC over night, rinse and co-wash in the morning, air dry till my hair is mostly dry then I use my dryer on the cool setting.  I don't do this often but it's definitely a time saver.  I'm maintaining my ends after my chop :).  As bad as I didn't want to let those RAGGEDY ends go, it was definitely necessary and I can tell the difference.  

My edges are growing back, the left side way more than than right but I'm hitting it with JBCO daily (rest of head every other day).  Next time I relax I'm aiming at a texlax and not bone straight.  My new growth is still manageable at this point (almost 2 months post).  When I do relax I'm not relaxing my edges, I'm going to try to hold out for a year (HELP!) so they can grow back strong.  Stay tuned for my next length check, I'm going to get my hair straightened at the salon (no relaxer!). 

Baggying: I'm Officially IN LOVE!!!!!

Last night I decided to really give baggying a chance, and I definitely wasn't disappointed.  Instead of only baggying my ends I decided to do my entire head lol, my hair really drinks up moisture.  After pre-pooing, shampooing, a light protein treatment and DC'ing, I moisturized my hair the same way I normally would I twisted my hair up and put on a conditioning cap.  I immediately felt the bag steaming up.  When I got ready for bed I still wore my silk scarf. The next morning my hair was DUMB soft!!!!!!  I couldn't believe it.  The only thing I did that morning was seal and style in a bun. 

The only things I'd change in this process are:

- Baggying soon as I get home for 3 hours instead of overnight.  I prefer to M&S at night instead of in the morning.  

- Baggying in 4 sections instead of in one twist.  This will allow me to seal easier and allows for my nightly castor oil scalp applications.

I plan on doing this nightly for a minimum of 3 hours so I can maaaaaaybe prevent my ends from needing a major chop.  By the way, my ends are looking great, my hair is still shedding A LOT less than before the Aphogee 2-Step protein treatment and my shower comb is STILL gliding thru my hair.  As for my Castor Oil Challenge progress, I haven't measured but I think I have 1/4 inch of new growth at 1 month post relaxer.  Slow progress but I'll take it lol.  I really need to buy a measuring tape :)

Last Night:

- Pre-poo

- Wash

- Light protein

- DC w/ heat

- Air dry

- Moisturized

- Bag'd entire head

Checking In

Haha!!!!!! Just stopping by to give a quick update.  This was really a TRUE aha! moment :) The shower comb works wonders when detangling, even with my new growth and castor oil applications.  It's really like butter.  The protein treatment significantly decreased my shedding, today I detangled before M&S and I shed less than 10 hairs!!!!!!!!! Dang! I wish I'd figured this out before lol.  Lastly the protein seems to be helping my hair retain moisture and the castor oil is making my new growth feel...well, lets just say, I can't keep my hands off it.  Heavy protein will be a staple from now on.  It's a slow process but I'm learning :)

To Chop or NOT to Chop???

I was up real late last night reading hair blogs and watching YouTube videos...way past my bedtime lol. Ulovemegz has a bomb video on how she tames her hair at 12 weeks post relaxer, it was very inspiring.  In the video she used two heat protectants I just ordered :) and a Chi flat iron that is currently discontinued :(.  From the video it looked like that flat iron would have been the ish for getting at that new growth.  So after searching...and searching and searching some more trying to find that flat iron I decided to do a little online shopping for flat irons.  Right now I have a Chi that I've had for almost 3 1/2 years and an ISO that I never really liked.  After going to Folica.com and reading their tips on buying a new flat iron I made up my mind to make that plunge again.  I don't ever really use heat but I'm thinking that since I'm choosing to stretch for 6 months this time I better update my hot tools :).  I usually looooooooove shopping for hair products (I'm what you would call a "product junkie") but lately I haven't really been feeling up to it.  I think I finally narrowed it down to my top 3: GHB, Sedu and Chi. I'm dying to try out that GHB iron but I'm leaning more towards the Sedu.  The Sedu has a ton of positive reviews but the few (compared to the number of positive) are making me nervous.  Most of the negative reviewers all say that that their iron stopped working well before the two year mark.  At $160 a pop I'd be PISSED lol so I guess my search continues.  

So why heat all of a sudden?  I actually plan on tracking my progress each month.  I've been on my journey for two years now and I'm not seeing nearly as much progress as some other ladies.  Now I know that everyone's hair is different, but at two years I expect to be at least BSL, come on! lol. I figured that I need to actually see how my hair is doing after each month so that I can adjust my regimen when needed, pictures and verbalizing your results actually help.  So I plan on allowing one heat pass monthly for a length and health check.  Occasionally I might even blowdry my hair just because I feel like it's easier to manage and my job takes up a lot of my time during the week.  I ordered some of the heat protectant Ulovemegz usedin her "How I GetMy Hair Laying" video: Nioxin and Olive Oil Stimulator, can't wait to get that in the mail :).

But anyway, back to my hair...Like I said in my last post, Im currently in two Hairlista.com competitions: "Grow 1 Inch in a Week" and the"Castor Oil Challenge 8".  Both require that I use castor oil on my scalp.  Let me just say, I have a love/hate relationship with that oil.  I have very fine/thin hair and it seems that no matter how much I use or how often, it just seems to make my hair oily and very tangly :(.  But I do LOOOOOOOOVE how thick and moisturized my roots are.  It seems like my hair is growing so fast :), can't complain about that but sheeeeeesh!  I just want to be able to manipulate the tangled mess into a bun after using the darn oil lol.  I hear ladies all the time talking about low manipulation and how they finger comb into their desired still after M&S, I don't see how they do it.  How do you do it ladies???  I can't get my hair into anything remotely neat until I pull out that comb lol.  So instead of using my normal wide tooth detangling comb for everyday styling I decided to switch up and use an actual shower comb.  I have to say, that made ALL the difference! :). My hair is easier to detangle and noooooo breakage.  Bad thing, it seems like from the middle of my hair shaft to my ends are dry but oily.  I don't even know how to explain it, it's not "snap, crackling and popping" lol but I can definitely feel the dryness underneath all that oil.  So today I'm switching up from my normal DC to a more moisturizing mixture (I think anyway lol).  Hopefully this corrects it <crossing fingers>.  Right now I'm sitting under my Pibbs dryer and my hair feels sooooo moist.  I don't know if it was the KeraCare or the DPR but I could see the moisture and feel the difference when I applied it.  Also, I decided not to leave my hair in four sections after applying my DC, I just smoothed it into one ponytail...of course, no band lol and I kind of massaged the DC into my new growth.  

Tonight's Routine:

- DC w/ heat for 40 mins

- Co-wash

- Air dry to 50-60% w/ Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship

- Blow dry w/ heat protectant

- Trim (maybe 2 in chop but definitely search & destroy)

- M&S

- Apply castor oil to scalp & massage

- Inversion

I gotta make sure that I take a picture and measure my new growth from the scalp.  I don't know how ima do it but ima get it done :). 

1. After blow dry 2. After trim 3. Length check w/o straightening (front) 4. Length check w/o straightening (back)

Soooooooo!!!!! :) I'm happy with the trim!  I didn't loose a lot of length at all.  And with most of my raggety, tangled, dead ends gone I'm not experiencing the usual snagging that I experience when I detangle.  This is gone be a regular thing for me.  No more being afraid of cutting off that dead limp hair, at the rate of growth I'm experiencing now I know my hair will grow back soon.  Still APL too! :p. My hair feels fuller, stronger (probably because of the protein) and a lot softer, that KeraCare and DPR mix is the ISH!  And even better (drum roll please) my hair isn't tangling after applying my nightly castor oil.  HHJ!!!!!!! 

New Thang

The comb I was using to detangle seemed a little hard on my hair. I don't know...it didn't seem like my hair was breaking but when I tried one of my shower combs I had an "AHA!" moment lol.  It glided thru my hair like butter.  I'm also trying out moisturizing my new growth with my moisturizing mix of S-Curl and vegetable glycerin and I think my hair likes it.  Unfortunately my hair feels like it's not retaining moisture as much as I'd like :( so I think I'll be hitting it with more and more moisture until it gets right.  Luckily it doesn't feel hard, so I don't think I have a protein overload or anything.

Yesterday I DC'd with steam & co-washed. I decided not to detangle in the shower again lol bad choice, I think I'll detangle in the shower and let my hair completely air dry before I manipulate it any more.  Also I decided not to use my Cantu leave-in any more, I just discovered it was protein ugh!  Going back to my moisturizing mix as a leave-in until I can get more Neutrogena leave-in.  

On another note. I joined two hairlista.com challenges yesterday: castor oil challenge and grow 1 inch in one week.  I joined the castor oil challenge at the advance level which means I'll be using castor oil on my scalp every day.  And since the other challenge requires oiling of the scalp I decided to join both at the same time.  The second one requires me to do an inversion every night for 4 mins a night for 7 days.  Ok sooooo lol inversion isn't that hard but I think ima try it on the couch tonight instead of off the bed like last night, I kept feeling like I was gone slide off the bed.  

New growth at one month post relaxer

Heavy Protein

Today's the day 19 Oct!!!! :) I'm finally trying the Aphogee 2-Step Protein again.  I was so scared I stayed up all night the night before researching methods to apply it and not loose any hair, that was my major concern...I didn't want to rinse my hair and my hair come out in clumps lol.  Reasons for the heavy dose of protein?  I recently got a "professional" relaxer and afterwards I discovered my hair was breaking really bad.  Plus I've been experience some heavy shedding since I've been stationed in Japan.  When I looked on shorty2sweet's blog she recommended the heavy Aphogee treatment for both shedding and breakage so I decided to give it a try...again lol.

I detangled my hair into four sections and washed with Aphogee Damaged Hair shampoo in those same four sections.  It was easier that way because I didn't have to worry about sectioning my hair when I got ready to apply the protein.  I used a spray bottle like shorty2sweet recommended and it worked out fine.  I only ended up sitting under the dryer for like 3-5 minutes and my hair was solid as a rock lol.  I hopped in the shower and let the water run thru my hair for another 3-5 mins and lightly touched my hair to see if it was still hard.  Once the protein was completely rinsed out and my hair wasn't hard I applied the Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer to each section and left it on for 2 mins and rinsed out each section.  I detangled each section after rinsing out the balancing moisturizer, applied my DC mix and sat under the dryer for 40 mins.

I could immediately tell that my hair was a lot better, a lot less shedding and my hair felt fuller after applying my DC.  I also hit it with conditioner after I washed out my DC just in case lol. 

I let my hair almost completely air dry before I tried to detangle, that definitely made all the difference.  My hair felt soooooo soft and strong at the same time, I couldn't believe this was my hair :).  I moisturized with my Elasta QP Mango Butter, sealed with coconut oil and oiled scalp with castor oil.  I was finally able to use a brush on my hair without fear that I would break my hair.  I'm excited! 

After applying leave-in

After air drying

After M&S

LONG Stretch

So stretching it is! lol I'm so mad at my hair right now...and a tad bit sad.  I've come sooooo far only to see my progress cut short because of a bad stylist.  I'm currently 1 month post relaxer and have a lot of new growth :) that's the good part.  But I'm also experiencing a little breakage, not much but the scary thing is it might be breaking a lot more and I just don't know it yet :(.  I didn't notice that my hair was breaking badly until I got ready to trim so it's reasonable to think it might still be breaking without my knowledge.  I been hitting my hair with so much TLC it's crazy lol.  Right now I'm sitting under the dryer and doing a DC, crossing my fingers that I'm doing the right thing.  After I DC ima co-wash and air dry. 

So what's been happening with my hair, besides the massive amount of breakage I recently discovered (tear) lol?

- I haaaaaate DC'n my hair! Seems like I can't wash or DC without seeing shredded hairs.  And I'm so freaked out that the hair is actually broken hair.  I don't know why I'm shedding or if it's an unusual amount but I know I don't like it. So I'm back on my garlic supplements to try and slow it down.

- Seriously thinking that my hair actually needs LESS moisture and not more.  My hair hasn't been soggy but that would be my only guess as to why I'm still having breakage issues.  

I'm still using castor oil on my scalp every other day.  And I decided to stretch until the end of December, putting me at about 15 weeks post.  I needed to order me a hair softener/texturizer/kiddie relaxer because thin hair, that's NOT what's up lol.

Oh, and I almost forgot...I'ma try my Aphogee protein again, the harsh kind but only every 6 weeks and my light Aphogee 2-Min Reconstructor every co-wash (2x week).  I'm really scared that I will do something wrong with the harsh protein but I'ma give it try Saturday :).

Anyway, below are my pics from this DC and co-wash.

Sticking With My Regimen

It's hard lol.  I'm so tired everyday but I've experienced the benefits of sticking to your regimen so I know this is what I have to do, no questions about it lol.  I think the hardest part of my regimen is sticking to my prepoo's on my wash days.  It's sooooo much easier to just wash and DC but that extra step is killing lol especially on the days when I'm in a rush to do my hair.  I'm finding out that DC'ing on dry hair is the way to go.  One reason is because detangling on wet hair is detrimental to it's health plus it's a lot harder to do.  Today because I'm in a rush I had to detangled on damp hair (not wet but not entirely dry), I'm literally kicking myself right now.  Since I chopped my ends I feel like my hair is shedding a lot less, maybe it has more with me adding garlic supplements back to my regimen, who knows lol.  So this is what I did to my hair today:

- prepoo

- wash

- protein k-pak

- DC w/ steam

- applied leave-in 

- air dried to 80%

- applied heat protectant

- blow dried on cool

- M&S

 

Today is supposed to be 'awesome lady day' and I'm running late as usual but I still gotta take care of my hair :).

DC'n With Added Co-Wash

I'm following shorty2sweet's regimen and incorporating DC's before co-washes and starting to really use my dryer more.  It's way too early to actually tell the benefits (if any) but I have HIGH hopes :).  Since I cut off about 2 inches the other day I've notice less shedding.  I don't even know how the two are connected but I'm grateful lol.  One of the things I dreaded the most while following my regimen was moisturizing my hair & seeing the shedded strands in my hands :(.  Hopefully this change is more rule than exception.  I decided to stretch till December of this year instead of relaxing in November at 12 weeks, I think I miss the feel of my new growth lol.  After I posted pics of my 'chop' (but not really, more of a deep trim) I received a ton of support from my Facebook friends.  I also got a lot of questions as to why I did it.  I thought the picture of my breakage would say it all lol but I guess people are just as hesitant as I was about cutting their hair, no matter how damaged it was.  Those ends needed to go well before I discovered the breakage.  They were completely dead :( they would barly hold a curl, a clear sign that they were damaged.  And a two friends of mine are starting their journies this week too :).  The more the merrier! 

After DC

Air dried 

After M&S (used a brush to make sure each strand got a little moisture, thanks shorty2sweet!)

Stealth Breakage

:(!!!! I don't know what happened.  I've been following pretty much the same routine, haven't really deviated that much...but for some reason I'm experiencing breakage in the back of my head.  I haven't even noticed it.  I only noticed it when I started ti trim my hair tonight and took a before picture.  The only thing I can think of is the relaxer smdh.  I decided to start getting "professional" relaxers earlier this year, seemed like a wise enough decision but I did notice a few things about the process that turned me off.  The stylist wasn't that aggressive when washing it out of my hair and that reaaaaally freaked me out.  They tend to focus more on the top of your head but not giving much attention to the back, it's more like an after thought.  This is so discouraging, if I choose to cut to the breakage point I'll loose sooooo much length.  Not only am I switching to a texturizer I'll start relaxing my hair again.  It just sucks that I've made so much progress and get sent right back to square one when you call yourself doing the "safe" thing.  I guess the only person who truely cares about the health of your hair is you. UGH!!!!! :( 

I'll be stretching this relaxer until December which will put me at 16 months post.  After doing my hair a couple days ago I remembered the reason I stopped using castor oil lol.  My thin hair can't handle that heavy oil.  Today I washed with Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo, did a light protein treatment with Aphogee 2-Min Reconstructor and conditioned with HairOne conditioner.  Instead of using a cream based moisturizer I went back to my oldie-but-goodie moisturizing mix.  I did use castor oil on my scalp but A LOT less than I did last time, I can definitely tell the difference.  I can always tell when I use too much, my hair feels soggy (over moisturized) and greasy, also it gets very tangled.  

Since I discovered this breakage I'm going to start some serious hair rehabilitation:

Monday:

- DC w/ oil under heat for 30 mins

- Co-wash

- Air dry

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

- Castor oil on scalp

Tuesday: 

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

Wednesday:

- DC w/ oil under heat for 30 mins

- Co-wash

- Air dry

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

- Castor oil on scalp

Thursday:

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

Friday:

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

Saturday:

- Prepoo 

- Shampoo

- Aphogee 2-Min Reconstructor (light protein)

- DC w/ oil under steam for 45 mins

- Air dry 

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

- Castor oil on scalp

Sunday:  

- Moisturize w/ moisturizing mix or cream

- Seal w/ coconut oil

* Clarify once a month

* Texlax every 16 weeks

* Trim every relaxer

The breakage: After relaxer, when I realized breakage (today) and after chop :(

Prepoo Mix

I'm trying the whole prepoo thing again.  I tried it again for the first time in months yesterday and my hair LOVED it!  Below are the ingredients in my prepoo mix:

- Herbal Essence Conditioner
- AtOne Botanical Reconstructor
- EVOO
- Coconut oil
- Almond oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Avocado oil

I don't use exact measurements when making my mix, I usually just eyeball it.  I use enough conditioner for one application and about 4 spoonfuls of each oil.  Make sure you really mix it good so that the oil will be evenly distributed.  Also, make sure you apply the prepoo evenly, getting each strand.  I leave mine on for a minimum of 4 hours but sometimes I leave it on overnight. 

Regimen Overhaul

So I have to admit...with my busy BUSY schedule I haven't had much time to really stick to my regimen and believe me, my hair is screaming at me.  After my last relaxer in Aug I noticed that my hair was thinning out badly on the ends, making me realize how badly I need tostart clipping my ends.  I'm frowning as I'm saying this...no one wants to lose length but in the end I have to think of theoverall health of my hair.  I also stopped taking my vitamins, no real reason why but I'm back on it now :).  So to the point of this post, because I'm so busy I decided to make my regimen a little less time consuming lol SIMPLE is always better.

I started watchn Shorty2sweet59's youtube channel and reading her blog for inspiration.  Her hair is amazing!  It's soooooo thick and long and her regimen is simple that it will encourage even the laziest folks (me) that we can do it too.  So I adapted her regimen with products my hair likes and will continually update my blog with results.  I can already say my hair loves her prepoo advice.  

Last night I prepoo'd for about six hours and clarified my hair.  I've been experiencing problems with itchy scalp, seems even at my old age I still can't seem to wash my scalp properly lol.  This time I massaged my scalp for about five minutes to make sure it was clean.  I am still experiencing a little itching but that might be because I haven't oiled my scalp yet.  I DC'd with heat for the first time in months and followed it up with a conditioning rinse.  After I got out the shower my hair felt different, in some ways better and in some ways bad.  It took longer than usual to air dry but I felt like I had lost less hair due to shedding.  I plan on keeping this up for my current stretch. 

New Regimen: (inspired by Shorty2sweet59)

Nightly Routine:
1. Moisturize w/ Elasta QP Mango Butter Moisturizer or moisturizing mix
2. Seal w/ coconut oil
3. Apply JBCO every other day

Shampoo Washes (2x/month):
1. Pre-poo
2. Shampoo w/ moisturizing shampoo
3. DC w/ heat for 35 minutes
4. Rinse w/ moisturizing conditioner
5. Apply leave-in w/ coconut oil
6. Air dry

Clarifying Washes (1x/month):
1. Pre-poo
2. Shampoo w/ clarifying shampoo
3. DC w/ heat for 35 minutes
4. Rinse w/ moisturizing conditioner
5. Apply leave-in w/ coconut oil
6. Air dry

Co-Washes (2x/week):
1. DC (alternating between heat & steamer)
2. Co-wash w/ moisturizing conditioner
3. Apply leave-in w/ coconut oil
4. Air dry

* No direct heat!

14 Jul 13 -- Update

Before my relaxer

I finally got my relaxer! After a 17 week stretch :) my longest stretch so far.  It was tough, my hair was tangling sooooo much towards the end of my stretch, I couldn't wait for it be relaxed lol.  During my stretch I didn't notice much breakage, it was very minimal.

After relaxer :)

 

I decided to bring my own relaxer to my hair appointment: Olive Oil Relaxer, and my own neutralizing shampoo. The only bad thing I have to say about the relaxer and stylist was that he relaxed my hair bone straight.  I never liked bone straight hair, mostly because my hair is already thin, but this could be a good thing.  Bone straight hair could allow me to stretch about 12 - 16 weeks without experiencing the issues I had during my last stretch (i.e. massive tangling & frustration caused by the tangling).  Currently my stretch goal is 12 weeks, right now I'm almost at 4 weeks with no sign of new growth.  I also received a minor trim, about 1/4 inch all the way around.

Since my relaxer I've used heat twice, once at the hair appointment and once about 2 weeks later.  I have to say lol the stylists freaked me out when they started flat ironing my hair, they were making soooo many passes with the flat iron.  All I could think was 'I've come so far with my hair, made so much progress only to get heat damage' lol.  But in the stylists defense, they used ample heat protectant and I was on watching for even the faintest smell of my hair lol.  And I prepped my hair thoroughly for the appointment, giving myself a light protein treatment a week prior and following up with a good DC.  I was so nervous after the appointment that I immediately DC'd my hair the following week.  I also noticed that my hair is shedding, not much really but it's noticeable.  I think we shed about 50 - 100 hairs per day and I'm definitely NOT seeing that, it's far from that but my hair is not thick so I don't wanna even lose that much lol.  So I'm hitting my hair with regular garlic treatments in either my shampoo or DC to try and prevent this.  Also I noticed that my hair doesn't lather at the scalp as well as it did before I got my relaxer, I find that this makes it a lot harder to shampoo my scalp and co-wash my hair.

I'm wearing my hair in very loose ponytails for work (not wrapping holder no more than 2 times).  It's working, no snapping & no breakage :).  I'm working out about 5 - 6 days per week so I'm co-washing a lot more than usual and I'm considering clarifying my hair either once or twice a week.  Also, I stopped using castor oil on my scalp and replaced it with coconut oil, I think I'm going to go back though lol, trying to get my thickness.

So this is my updated routine:

Saturday:

- Wash

- Light protein treatment

- DC (either overnight or with steam or heat)

- Apply leave-in

- M&S

- Air dry

Sunday:

- M&S

Monday - Friday:

- Co-wash

- Apply leave-in

- M&S

- Air dry

23 APR 13 - HHJ Update

Hmmmmmmm seriously thinking...is it time for a professional trim? Yesterday I decided to take a break from the two-strand twist, mainly because the new growth while in uniform was not a good look lol. Don't get wrong, I definitely LOVE the texture of my new growth but the protective style just made me look 'homely' lmao! So after co-washing I decided to do a length check. This of course involved actually straightening my hair, I opted for a light pressing, using a heat protectant of course :). This was my first use of heat in about 2 months, I blow dried on cool setting and pressed. I didn't loose any hair and my shedding remained minimal, probably due to my change in moisturizing and sealing technique. I noticed my hair was uneven, I know I'm in need of a professional trim, I am sooooooo cared to let someone near my delicate tresses lol. I decided a while back that I would get my next relaxer done by a professional so I guess I'll let them trim a half inch off too smh.

Next relaxer: July/Aug '13 (@ 5 months post)
Current: 7 weeks post relaxer

Below are pictures of my growth since Oct/Nov '12 - Apr '13

07 Apr 13 DC'ing & Protein Treatment

Still extra busy...but still finding time to take care of my hair :). I'm finding it a little more easy to stick with my regimen, maybe the positive results I've been getting is pushing me a little lol I don't know. Yesterday I prepoo'd overnight with a mixture of Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Conditioner (trying to use up the three bottles I bought), coconut oil, EVOO and macadamia oil. I was so tired that I didn't get up to finish until the next morning...

Today's Routine:
- washed w/ Aubrey's GPB Balancing Shampoo (kinda made my hair a little hard so I went back
to my Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo that I added garlic to)
- light protein treatment w/ Joico Intense Hydrator Treatment for 3 mins
- DC'd w/ mixture of Keracare Humecto Conditioner, AtOne Botanical Reconstructor, Roux
Porosity Control Conditioner, honey, vegetable glycerin and oils (coconut, EVOO, macadamia,
avocado) w/ heat for 45 mins
- ACV rinse then rinsed for 3-5 mins
- applied leave-in (Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Hair Repair Cream)
- air dry
- M & S (using moisturizing mix and coconut oil)
- 2-strand flat twists

While washing I noticed a lot of shedding, not sure why. When I prepoo next week I'm only leaving it in for 3 hours tops lol. I've noticed that my hair retains moisture way better when I wear flat twists instead of buns!!!! :) It has also reduced my daily shedding and I see no breakage! It might not look cute lol but it's keeping my hair healthy. My edges are growing back...left side is almost all the way repaired but the right side seems to be taking its sweet time. Also, since I'm not wearing buns it has cut down on the amount of time I have to spend doing my hair, I don't have to worry about getting it straight :) I just air dry and go!

I really need to do a length check but I really don't want to risk any damage by straightening my hair. It's been a month since my last check and that check wasn't really a TRUE check...I texlaxed my hair so it wasn't as straight as it should have been. I guess I'll do that my next week...it will count as my one heat pass :).

Forgot to mention...I'm using wild growth oil on my scalp daily with no noticeable increase in growth. I think I'll start adding a little more JBCO to the mix to help stimulate more growth.

23 MAR 13 - WASH DAY!

I know I sound like a broken record lol but my hair LOOOOOOOVES these flat twists!!!!! :) But anyway...today is the first wash day of the week and also the first time I'm DC'ing with Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner. Back in 2010 when I wasn't on a HHJ I loved Keracare products, they made my hair feel so soft and weightless. When I started my journey I stopped using it and started using other products I read about on hair blogs...the price and accessibility of the product were the main reasons I decided to switch up. I gotta say thanks to Hairlicious.com for recommending a reputable online store that sells Keracare products for a reasonable price :).

Today's plan:
- prepoo'd for 2 hours
- washed with Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo with added garlic
- light protein treatment with Aphogee 2-Min Reconstructor
- DC'd with heat for 30 mins
- ACV rinse
- applied Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream
- air dried
- M&S with moisturizing spritz and coconut oil
- applied Wild Growth Oil to scalp

Pre-Poo Mix:
- Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Conditioner
- Burt's Bees Avocado Pre-Shampoo Treatment
- coconut oil
- EVOO

DC Mix:
- Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner
- AtOne Botanical Reconstructor Conditioner
- Roux Porosity Control Conditioner
- vegetable glycerin
- honey
- coconut oil
- EVOO

So let's talk ingredients...

21 MAR 13 - DEEP CONDITIONING/ CO-WASHING CHALLENGE STATUS

It's 11:04 PM and I'm beyond tired but I can't slack...too many goals lol. I recently joined a hairlista.com deep conditioning journey and I have to admit...IT'S BEEN HARD!!!! lol By the time I finally make it home and eat I'm usually way too tired to have the slightest desire to mess with this hair but I've been consistent :). The goal is at least two co-washes, two DC's and one wash per week with a prepoo. I can't lie...my hair is definitely thanking me for it! Since I started the challenge I've changed a few things:

- upped my protein in-take to once/wk with Aphogee 2-Min Reconstructor only on wash days
- added Roux Porosity Control Conditioner and garlic to my DC
- started doing ACV rinses religiously on wash days
- added Omega-3 to my list of supplements
- stopped wearing tight buns and only styling hair in flat twists
- stopped DRENCHING my hair with moisturizer
- started using Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Repair Conditioning Repair Cream and Elasta QP
H-Two Leave-In as my leave-ins
- reduced direct heat to once/month (blow dryer on cool air)
- starting heating my coconut oil for easier application
- using a big rake comb for every day detangling

Since the changes to my regimen I've noticed:

- my hair is a little stronger
- the shedding has considerably slowed down
- retains moisture longer (probably also due to flat twists)
- hair is softer
- MINIMAL breakage (1-3 short hairs)
- edges are growing back stronger
- using less oil and hair doesn't have a greasy feel

I guess a little TLC is what my hair actually needed. I recently attempted a texlax and my hair turned out VERY underprocessed, definitely not what I wanted...considering I have a whole five months until the next relaxer :(...learning experience. I am seriously considering getting my hair professionally relaxed next time (bringing my own relaxer with oil added lol). I still have a lot of new growth in a lot of areas but co-washing and DC'ing are helping. I'm still missing my neat, tight bun but that's the price I'll pay for beautiful HEALTHY hair :).

Today:

- co-washed with Tressemme Naturals Conditioner
- detangled in shower
- DC'd with Silk Elements Moisturizing Treatment, AtOne Bontanicals Reconstructor Conditioner,
vegetable glycerin, Roux Porosity Control Conditioner, garlic and EVOO in sections with steam
- ACV rinse
- applied Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Repair Conditioning Repair Cream and Elasta QP H-Two
Leave-In
- air dryed
- moisturized in sections with moisturizing mix (S-Curl No-Drip, vegetable glycerin and aloe vera
juice)
- sealed with coconut oil
- style in two flat twists

HHJ ladies!!!!!

16 MAR 13 TRYING OUT NEW PROTECTIVE STYLE

Buns buns buns! I've been wearing buns for a whole year now and my hair seems to be at a standstill. I haven't noticed any breakage but when i touch the top of my hair I definitely feel shorter hairs on top which equal breakage :(. I have to admit, despite all the advice given by you bun rocking ladies I haven't really been listening lol:

- Rotate that bun: Because my hairline is thin I couldn't wear a high bun
- Don't sleep in the bun: Just being lazy
- Don't make that bun too tight: Personal preference

All these things have helped to cause more damage to my hair. So while watching YouTube videos I came across the flat twist, thanks Shlinda1 (http://m.youtube.com/user/shlinda1) and Sidnetra23 (http://m.youtube.com/user/sidnetra23)!!!! And hair LIKES!!!!

Benefits:

- Less breakage
- Less manipulation
- Less stress
- and for me, less shedding (not sure why)

Saturday was my wash day this week, this is what I did:

1) Prepooed with mixture of Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Treatment, Neutrogena Triple Moisture Hair Mask and EVOO for 30 minutes
2) Washed with Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo with added garlic for shedding
3) Light protein treatment with Aphogee 2-Min Keratin Reconstructor
4) DC'd with mixture of Silk Elements Moisturizing Treatment, GVP Biolage Conditioning Balm, AtOne Botanical Reconstructor, vegetable glycerin, honey, EVOO, coconut and grape seed oil with heat for 30 mins
5) ACV rinse to lock in moisture
6) Applied Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Treatment and Elasta QP H-Two Leave-In
7) Air dryed
8) Moisturized with S-Curl No-Drip, sealed with coconut oil and applied Wild Growth Oil to scalp and hairline
9) Flat twisted hair

Also discovered that heating coconut oil and applying it to hair is the best way for me to seal with it :) I'm so stupid at times lol!

* Added Omega-3 to routine

04 MAR 13 RELAXED AFTER 18 WEEK STRETCH!!!!

So I finally gave in to the creamy crack lol and relaxed my hair after an 18 month stretch. I'm very happy with the outcome, the goal was to just soften my new growth and retain as much texture as possible. I watched a couple of YouTube videos on texlaxing, thanks Short2Sweet59 (http://m.youtube.com/user/shorty2sweet59) for the tips and inspiration! I decided to use Olive Oil relaxer regular strength and add 1/4 cup of EVOO to it. I must say I LOVE IT! From now on I'll be adding oils to my relaxers on top of coating my already relaxed hair with coconut oil. After neutralizing, DC'ing and air drying my hair felt great...it was way easier to manage and I didn't lose any texture.

23 FEB 12 PROGRESS

Surprisingly I've been sticking to my hair regimen :). My new regimen consists of DC'ing 2-3 times/week and co-washing 1-2 times/week. I also incorporating baggying into my regimen. I have to say my hair is LOVING it!

Hair Changes:
- more manageable
- SIGNIFICANTLY less shedding
- almost no breakage (saw a strand today)

I recently clipped a little less than a 1/2 inch off my ends and my hair thanked me for it lol. Clipping my ends made my hair a lot easier to manipulate. I guess eliminating some of those scraggly ends minimized the possibility of them getting tangled on each other, which in turn reduced breakage. I plan on clipping my ends at least every other month or as needed so I doubt if I actually see much growth.

I tried Tresseme Naturals Conditioner on a co-wash day, it was decent but I think I like HairOne better because of the slip it provides. I think I'll switch off between the two on co-wash days.

I'm considering not wearing buns to sleep at night. That broken strand I saw today has me kinda freaked out lol. I just M&S and decided to comb my hair back as if I was going to put a bun in my hair but instead twisted it into one big twist and pinned it up. I can definitely notice the growth compared to back when I was consistently doing that.

I am still opting to use LIGHT heat on my hair (blow drying on cool setting and pressing) I am not as good as other ladies are when it comes to air drying while stretching past 2 months. I find that my hair sheds SOOOOO much while I'm air drying and it increases the chances of breakage...at least for my hair.

I have to admit, I haven't been COMPLETELY following my regimen lol I haven't had time to incorporate the black tea scalp rinse. It's just so much in-and-out the shower on DC days already as it is. Plus my shedding is not even an issue at this moment so I don't really see the need. I am still giving my hair light protein treatments weekly, either as a prepoo or adding a little to my DC. I haven't experienced any hard hair since my 1st and last protein overload :).

As for vitamins, I'm currently taking fish oil, vitamin C, biotin, garlic and iron supplements daily. I need to up my water intake smh lol if I ever remember to actually buy some lol.

BAD RESULTS...

I guess the old saying IS true...what's good for goose is not always good for the gander (I think that's the saying lmao). Well I tried the Hairlicious DC recipe and it did not work (see the previous post).

When applying the DC my hair felt wonderful and felt the same after applying heat but when I began to wash out the DC I could tell immediately that I my hair would be hard to detangle...and I was right :(. After rinsing I applied the ACV but that only seemed to make it worse! I could not comb thru my hair even with running water. I was horrified...and even more so when I started applying my leave-in and realized that I still could not comb thru my new growth. I tried spraying my moisturizer mix...didn't work...tried Mane 'n Tail Detangler...did not work :(.

After reading more blogs and soliciting help from my DC buddies I realized that I had been using too many ingredients in my DC mix. Main reason this can turn out bad is because you are not aware how some ingredients in different hair products will interact with each other. I also discovered that the main ingredient of my DC mix is NOT a moisturizing conditioner...sounds familiar eh (remember my Olive Oil conditioning fail? lol)? I had been using Silk Elements Megasilk Cholesterol Conditioner as my main ingredient in DC's for over a year and never really noticed any problems...only now when I'm 4 months post relaxer and desperately in need of a TRUE moisturizing conditioner that has a ton of slip. Lol in my defense, I was getting this conditioner confused with the Silk Elements Megasilk Moisturizing Treatment smh...thoughts of how much damage I have caused not knowing. Luckily I ordered some of the real thing two days ago along with a 5lb tub of Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner :). I plan on using ONE deep conditioner in my DC mix from now on...wish me luck!

PROTEIN TREATMENT & DC'ING WITH OILS

So I told you I joined a hair challenge (Deep Conditioning Challenge 2013) on Hairlista.com...this is the first challenge I joined that I actually am finding motivation & dedication to stick with it :). I posted the regimen I plan on using...YES I plan on DC'ing at least twice a week lol. This is going to take a lot of my time but I know it'll feel worth it once I'm done and see the results of all my hard work, patience and time.

Today I did a protein treatment using JOICO Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor and DC'd using Hairlicious's recipe...this is the first time I've DC'd using measurements and more than one oil.

I'm also thinking about trimming my ends today...???