How did I do with my April Goals?

Another month has come and gone. Time to see how I did  with my goals.

April Goals

1. Drink 4 bottles of water daily - I pretty much had between 2-4 bottles of water daily. I think I did pretty good with this one.

2. Exercise 3 days a week - I exercised twice this month. So...yeah

3. Drink 3 glasses of carrot juice a week - I had two cups of carrot juice. 

4. No heat during the month of April - No heat touched my hair this month

5. Make sure to clarify this month - Used my Cocoa and Rhassoul Shampoo Bar to clarify this month
6. No new product buy (only if replacing a product) - I did not purchase any new products this month

Ramble: Finally Found It

You all know that I am really loving the color in my hair. I have been on the hunt for another box since I had it done. But this color system has been very elusive. According to some of the comments left on Shea Moisture's Facebook fan page, a good number of the Target stores that Shea Moisture says has their color system no longer have it in stock. But I got lucky and was able to snag a box from the new Target store in Downtown Chicago. I remember seeing the color there over a month ago. I was shocked that it was still there. I'll be retouching my color in August and I'm saving the box this time around. lol

Silk Dreams Avocado Pudding Silky Conditioning Cream Review

I have heard so many good things about the Avocado Pudding conditioner from the ladies on Hairlista. I finally decided give it try. Check out my intro post about it here

Taking the lead from my fellow Virgo, Age in Atl, I decided to use this product after a shampoo wash and a co-wash. I would have never thought to do that. lol

Shampoo Wash:

This past wash day I used the Shi-Naturals Olive and Almond Oil Softening Shampoo. Which did exactly what it said it would. It left my new growth soft and easy to manage. I skipped the rinse out conditioner step and went straight to deep conditioning. I T-shirt dried my hair for about 10 minutes then proceeded to apply the conditioner. I was not feeling how this conditioner was going onto my hair. When it comes to the Vanilla Silk, Chocolate Bliss, and the Mocha Silk Infusion they melt right into my hair. So much that sometimes I tend to go overboard. That was not the case with the Avocado Pudding. This conditioner sat on top of my hair. Not cool. 

This is my hair after I sat under the dryer for 20 minutes

This is my hair with the conditioner into before I sat under the dryer.

All that conditioner just sitting on my hair. I thought that maybe sitting under the dryer would help. After sitting under the dryer for 20 minutes I rinsed the conditioner out with cold water or at least cool as I could take it. It took a little while to rinse out. I sat with a t-shirt on for about 30 minutes. After removing the shirt, my hair felt ridiculously soft and easier to detangle. I did run into some knots but that happens. With the softness that I experienced I can see why the owner says this conditioner can aide in making stretching a little easier.

Co-Wash:

I didn't care for this after co-washing. My hair felt just ok. The conditioner went on better and didn't sit on top of my hair nearly as much as it did after the shampoo wash. I sat under the dryer for 20 minutes with the wash as well. The softness that I experienced DCing after shampooing was not there after co-washing. 

What's the verdict you ask? It's still up in the air

Despite the softness of my hair after the shampoo wash, I don't know if I would repurchase this simply because I don't like how it just sits on my hair. I like conditioners that melt into my hair. I will finish the jar that I have and make my final decision then. I will say that this conditioner worked better for me after a shampoo wash and that is the only way that I can see continuing to use it. I can't stress enough how soft my hair was after using it. 

Hair Inspiration 3

I love Teasa! Please listen to her message.

My Day and Night Time M&S Routine

Now that my hair is double processed I make sure that I stay consistent with my moisturizing and sealing. Before I could get away with doing it once a day and if I missed a day it was no big deal. I can't afford that luxury now. I am m&s twice a day.

From left to right:
Bee Mine Deja's Hair Milk
Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum
Shi-Naturals Creamy Leave-In (chocolate scented)
Shi-Naturals Protein Balance Leave-In
Shi-Naturals Moisture Balance Leave-In
Cream of Nature 100% Pure Argan Oil
Shi-Naturals Kurl Pop

Day and Night

I alternate between Moisture Balance and Protein Balance Leave-ins. Spraying my edges and nape then rub that in. I take the Kurl Pop and apply that to my edges and hairline smoothing it in with my fingers then gently brush it in. Once that is done I take one of the leave-ins and spray my new growth. I seal with either the anti-breakage serum or the Argan Oil. On days that I don't use the spray leave-ins I'll use the Deja's Hair Milk or the Creamy Leave-In then seal. It might seem like a lot but since I bun everyday I like to get my edges moisturized. My new growth and texlaxed hair tend to get really dry and doing this helps to combat that. 

Night Time

The only difference at night is I tie my edges down with the regular and the mesh wrap. Then I pin my ends up in a faux bob style and put on a bonnet. Unfortunately, none of this stays on at night but my edges stay laid though. Go figure. lol

Wraps

Faux Bob

That's it.

A Little More Hair Inspiration

I was browsing through Instagram yesterday and came across this picture. I loved it. Yes, relaxing your hair doesn't mean that neck and shoulder length hair will be your terminal length. With the PATIENCE and proper care you can have the long healthy hair that you desire. The ladies pictured above and many others  have proved it. I hope to prove it if I decide to continue texlaxing. Still on the fence about it.

TreSemme Naturals...Making it's Co-washing Comeback?

As I mentioned in an earlier post I stopped using TreSemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner as my co-wash conditioner because my hair stopped liking it for whatever reason. I stopped using it for awhile but it found its way back into my regimen as my leave-in/detangler. I was happy to find an alternative way to use this really great conditioner. Recently, I decided to try it out again as a co-wash conditioner. The first time, I used it was a couple of weeks ago and it was just ok. I gave it another try this past Tuesday and my hair felt amazing. Very soft. I believe that what made this particular wash day different was that I didn't use the No-Poo Cowash conditioner from  Shi-Naturals before using TreSemme Naturals. Maybe these two conditioners don't play well together. All I did was rinse each section with water, applied the conditioner and let it sit while I finished my shower. I'm going to give it a few more tries before I say with certainty that it is going to be one of my co-washing staples again. But it is definitely heading in that direction.

Mini Color Update

It has been almost a month since I had my hair highlighted. I am still loving it. All of those worries that I had before about breakage and having a setback because of the color are no longer around. My hair has been thriving. I have been keeping it moisturized by stepping up my m&s and sticking to deep conditioning twice a week. I also incorporate some protein into my regimen as well. The Mocha Silk Infusion (mild protein conditioner) from Silk Dreams is a fav and so is the Protein Balance Leave-In from Shi-Naturals. I can definitely say that I will be highlighting again in August if I can find another box of the color. My only complaint is that Shea Moisture's distribution sucks. They need better communication with the Target about keeping their products on the shelves. Anyway, I would love to post an updated pic of my hair but a picture of my bun/ponytail would be a bit anticlimactic. lol I am really happy to report that my hair is thriving and that with a lot of TLC you can have color treated and relaxed hair, if you so choose.

Wash Day Chronicles: 4/13/13 and I really want a steamer!

I usually shampoo wash my hair on Fridays but since my Saturday plans changed I went ahead and pushed it back. This wash day I wanted to be pretty quick or at least as quick as I could make it. I started the night before by adding a detangling step. I parted my hair into 4 sections. Going section by section, I sprayed my hair with the Protein Balance Leave-In just enough to dampen the hair. Then lightly finger detangled my hair. I did this to help make washing easier and it kinda did. I'm thinking about purchasing the Mega Detangling Hair Spritz from Shi-Naturals since I'll be adding the extra detangling step. The next day, I clarified with the Bobeam Cocoa and Rhassoul Shampoo bar, lathering twice. I love how this shampoo bar makes my hair feel. It cleans my hair very well but leaves it feeling soft. I'm extremely happy with this product. I skipped the instant conditioner step because I just didn't feel like doing it. As much I enjoy my wash days, I'm not feeling how long it takes to wash my hair. Moving on to deep conditioning. I was going to use the Avocado Pudding dc from Silk Dreams but decided not to. Chocolate Bliss was more my speed. As usual my hair came out just fine after sitting under the dryer for about 25 minutes. I went ahead and applied my leave-ins, detangled, and let my hair air dry. All done! lol 

On to some rambling. Last weekend I attended the Black Women's Expo here in Chicago. This expo covers everything from health and fitness, to hair, and entertainment. I was able to see Faith Evans perform and wish I would have seen Tamala Mann but I didn't go the day she was there. I had a really nice time. Of course my eyes were fixated on the hair products. Curls Unleashed, As I Am, the creator of Camille Love Rose was there with her products, and a few others. I didn't purchase one thing. I am proud of myself. lol  One booth, who I can't remember the name of, fueled my thirst for wanting a steamer. They had a steamer on display and I was finally able to see a steamer person. If it didn't cost $99.00 I would have bought it right on the spot. I am hoping to have my hands on one by the summer. Just feeling the steam and thinking about how it could help me in this "indefinite"stretch made me want one even more. Yes, ladies the thirst is real. lol Can't wait to get my hands on a steamer.

At A Crossroads With My Hair Journey

Transitioning to natural has been on my mind for a long time now. I was even going to continue stretch out my last relaxer but went ahead and relaxed anyway. It seems like a lot of the ladies that I looked to for relaxed hair inspiration are either transitioning or have big chopped. There are still some left though like Prettywitty77, Jen @ Just Grow Already, UloveMegz, Traycee, and EverythingMich. These are just the ones I could think of off the stop of my head. I know that I shouldn't base what I do with my hair on what other's are doing to their hair. But the force has been strong lately. lol I am curious to see what my natural texture is like but moreso I want the thickness that I lack. I love playing around with my new growth. lol No I'm not stretching to find myself or to get into with my roots. I'm doing it simply because I have the option to do so. I'm not claiming team natural. Hell, I don't even claim team relaxed. That teams stuff works my nerves. Let's get back to the topic at hand. I am going to see how this 22 week stretch goes and if it goes well I will continue to stretch. If I get the urge to want to my hair straight I'll just go to the shop get it blown out. Simple, right? Maybe not but I'm up for the challenge. I'm not big chopping because I hate short on me. I had to cut my hair really short back in my freshman year of college (could of went natural then if I knew any better) and I was not feeling it. Also, I still have length goals that I want to attain. Once I reach a length that I am comfortable with I will start trimming away the bone straight ends. I will stick with Shi-Naturals and Silk Dreams as my main product lines especially the Shi-Naturals Shi-Smooth Transition Kit. That kit helped me to get through my last stretch. I feel that with using quality products and perfecting my detangling technique that I can get through this. So right now I am stretching for as long as I can. Crossing my fingers that it goes great.

Mission: Grow My Bangs Out

My bangs have always been the slowest growing area of my hair and also the shortest. I am so tired of it. With them being shorter than the rest of my hair makes my hair look funny on the sides to me. Although I have seen a significant amount of growth since they were cut back in August 2011, I'm still not satisfied with them. After I finished with my year long sew-in protective style stint, my bangs were cut to right above my eye brows because that area was left out and was thin because I didn't know how to blend that area with out using heat. My new goal is to get my bangs to chin length this year. I believe that will be the longest my bangs have been at least that I can remember. Mission grow my bangs out has officially started. lol

Another No Heat Challenge

I am currently 11 weeks into a 22 week stretch. Since I texlaxed back in January, I have only used heat once and that's when I had my hair highlighted almost 3 weeks ago. So now I am going to do another "No Heat Challenge". Basically between now and June 29th, I will not use direct heat on my hair. No flat irons or blow dryers for the next 11 weeks. It won't be hard because I don't use heat on my hair anyway but I do get the urge every once in awhile to straighten my hair. I am by no means anti-heat. I believe that, when used sparingly, heat usage is just fine. I want to see how the health of my hair improves and also how much length I can retain. I am on mission to see reach BSL this year. So limiting my heat usage and also keeping up with my deep conditioning sessions. I don't doubt that I will see BSL this year.

Here is my starting pic. I don't expect to see a dramatic difference but we'll see after the challenge is over.

All Natural Product Challenge Has Come to an End

I know you all forgot all about this challenge. lol It ended the weekend that I had my hair highlighted. This challenge lasted a full 2 months and it was a success. Shi-Naturals and Silk Dreams were in full rotation during this time. I didn't use a lot of the non-natural products as much as thought as would. When I wanted to use a protein product instead of using the 2 Minute Reconstructor, I did use it maybe once, I used the Silk Dreams Mocha Silk Infusion. I did use the Proclaim Olive Glossing Conditioner as my rinse out but mostly used the Curls Unleashed No Restrictions Conditioner. The TreSemme Naturals and Garnier Fructis were used to help detangle every wash day.

Overall, I am loving the condition that my hair is in. My hair has gained a good amount thickness and is healthier than it has ever been. This is no longer a challenge for me. I am sticking to using mostly naturals products from now on. As long as Shia (Shi-Naturals owner) and Jorien (Silk Dreams owner) continue to make these great products they will always have a customer in me. I think that you can see the difference in my hair from the picture below. Consistency is key!

April Goals

April Goals

1. Drink 4 bottles of water daily

2. Exercise 3 days a week

3. Drink 3 glasses of carrot juice a week

4. No heat during the month of April

5. Make sure to clarify this month
6. No new product buy (only if replacing a product)

March Goals... Did I meet them?

Stay consistent with my regimen - I definitely stayed consistent with my regimen. I shampooed and co-washed every week and kept up with my moisturizing and sealing

Drink 4 bottles of water daily  - I wasn't consistent with this. I drank water daily but I didn't drink my 4 bottles a day.


Exercise at least 3 days a week - Yeah...that was a completely neglected this. 


Drink at least 3 glasses of carrot juice a week - I didn't have any carrot juice during March. I had an allergic reaction to something at the beginning of the month. The only thing I did different was drink the carrot juice. I might have over done it. I was drinking 2 cups a day. I'm gonna get back on it in April but only have 1 cup 3 days a week.

*All in all I sucked with my goals for March. Time to redeem myself in April.*