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.