Co-Washing

When I first started my hair journey, I was confused about what exactly the point of co-washing or conditioner washing was. My thinking was that conditioner was suppose to put moisture back into the hair after shampooing. Not to cleanse the hair like I have read over and over again. Well a lot has changed over the past few years since I started my hair journey. I have broken down co-washing into two catagories.

1. Instant Conditioners:

 

The conditioners pictured above are just a few of the conditioners that are used to add moisture back into the hair. I have seen a lot of ladies, especially in the beginning of my hair journey, that only co-washed their hair. That is not the case. The purpose of these conditioners are to add moisture back to the hair that shampoo has taken away. Nothing more, nothing less. They will not, I repeat, not CLEAN YOUR HAIR. These conditioners are great for quick washes after working out. Just rinse your hair with water to remove as much of the sweat as possible, add the conditioner, and rinse. Also, if your hair is feeling a bit dry use them to add a boast of moisture. I have also seen people use them to deep condition with. If you do that and it works, more power to you, but the molecules of these types of conditioners are not small enough to penetrate the hair like conditioners that are designed specifically for deep conditioning. Your hair isn't getting a true deep condition with these. These conditioners are very thin in consistency and because they care also water based they wash away pretty easily.

2. Cleansing Conditioners

Now if you want conditioner that are suppose to cleanse these are your best bet. 

The last couple of years or so have brought on a myriad of natural products. Clearly companies have been keeping a very very close eye on hair boards, you tube videos, and blogs to see what is going on in this booming hair journey world. As a result, cleansing conditioners have been added to plenty of hair care lines. They are used by ladies who are saying no to drying shampoo and opting to use these products to remove build up from their hair but still keep their hair moisturized. I use the As I Am Coconut Cowash regularly but I still use something to clarify my hair every once in awhile.

Cowashing is a very helpful aspect of our hair journeys but it is also not a MUST. If co-washing's not for you then don't do it. Do what you feel is best for your hair. 

BonBons Cheveux Hard Candy Bonnets

*http://store.bonbonscheveux.com/*

I first heard about BonBons Cheveux bonnets from Babilon Kay on YouTube. I entered into her giveaway contest and lost. lol I also enter into Virtuous Athena's giveway and lost that one too. So I decided to go ahead and spend the money myself. I bought the plastic lined Hard Candy Bonnet called Birthday Cake (pictured above) and also a regular bonnet. But this post is about the hard candy bonnet. The bonnets come in different colors and prints. The hard candy bonnets are pricey. Like 30 bucks pricey but if used on a regular bases: worth the price. I will be getting my money's worth now. 

I revisited this bonnet because I didn't feel like steaming my hair today or sitting under the dryer even if it was for only 10 minutes. So instead of grabbing a plastic cap and my hair wrap I went for the bonnet and I'm glad I did. I forgot how much I liked this thing. It fits very snug on my head and traps heat very well. I just rinsed the inside of it with water and wiped it down to clean it. Just that simple. My hair felt like I gave it a mini steaming session. I will not be purchasing another plastic bag to deep condition with. On days that I will not be steaming, I'll use the bonnet.  

First Impressions: Silk Hydration Leave-In Conditioner by L. Jones

I have been following LaToya Jones' blog for a little while now. She is a stylist based in Birmingham, AL who recently introduced her very own product line. I wasn't really looking to try out her line but the leave-in caught my eye. Her line is called Silk Hydration by L. Jones and aside from the Leave-In Conditioner, her line includes a clarifying shampoo, moisturizing treatment, and a daily conditioner.

I've only used this product a couple of times but I must say that I'm liking it so far. The first time I used it I co-washed with my TreSemme Naturals Condtioner. Then deep conditioned under my steamer with Shi-Naturals Coconut Creme Conditioner. After t-shirt trying for about 10 minutes or so, I started detangling my hair in four sections. Going section by section, I sprayed the leave-in on my hair and started detangling. I like that it is in a spray bottle but I don't like that it doesn't spray in a mist but I can just switch that out. Anyway, once my hair was completely air dried, my hair was very soft and smelled really nice. It smells a fruity. It sticks around for awhile but it's not strong at all. I've had some serious hand-in-hair syndrome this week. lol I'm going to do a follow up post on this product once I am a bit further into this stretch to see how it works when it comes to detangling. Right now detangling is pretty easy since I am 3 weeks post. The consistency isn't too thin or thick, it's just right.

Latoya's Blog and Webstore:
http://www.latoyajonesblog.com/
http://www.latoyajoneshair.com/apps/webstore/

Here are the ingredients, the direction, price, and description:

Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-7, Fragrance, Cyclopentasiloxane (and) Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Aloe, Panthenol

Directions: Spray on wet hair and comb through. Do not rinse. Style as usual.

Price: $12.00

Description:
This leave-in conditioner is used to add extra moisture and body to the hair.

Hair Growth Myth...Does you hair grow faster when natural?

I follow the Healthy Hair Journey Facebook page. I really enjoy the tips and pics that they post on a daily basis. Yesterday they reposted the picture of CourtneyNaturalHair's that showed her 4 year growth comparison. Of course, you had your naysayers who said that her hair was a weave for various silly reasons. Some ladies said that natural hair grows quicker than relaxed hair. I personally don't believe this. Your growth rate doesn't magically speed up because you aren't relaxing your hair anymore. A good percentage of ladies transition or big chop because they didn't know that you have to put in work to keep up with your relaxed hair. Now because of this they experience breakage that keeps their hair at the same length for years. I was one of those ladies but I decided to stay relaxed and work on my hair. Others, like I said, go/return natural and experience great length retention. Not because they are natural but because they have been TAKING BETTER CARE OF THEIR HAIR. If they had put the same amount of time and energy into their hair when it was relaxed as they do now that is natural they would more than likely have the same results. This is my opinion but ladies what do you think? Does natural hair grow faster than relaxed?  

30 Day Healthy Living Challenge

I have been trying to loss weight and better for as long as I can remember. I start and stop my weight loss so much that it's ridiculous. I've even gone as far as to get a personal trainer for a bit. My issue is food. I eat whatever I want when I want. Knowing that it's bad for me. Fruits and veggies are not a staple in my diet and my body is showing it. It's time that I take seriously take charge of my weight and life style. I turned 30 week and I don't want to continue to look and feel horrible. Although I would like to be 5 pounds lighter by the end of the month that will not be my main focus. I tend to get discouraged when I focus on the number on the scale. Below are the goals that I want to meet by Oct 1.

1. Eat breakfast daily....I have never been big on eating breakfast but that will change. I will start getting up early enough to make sure that I am able to fix breakfast.
2. Make sure that I have fruit and veggies everyday
3. Exercise 4 times a week
4. Drink 4-5 bottles of water daily...drinking water hasn't been an issue for me but it can get better.
5. Utilize Myfitnesspal daily
6. Take my lunch with me to work...I work in downtown Chicago where the food choices are limitless. lol I tend to pick the not so great choices. Doing this has also taken a toll on my bank account because everything is more expensive downtown.
7. No sweets...I am a self proclaimed chocoholic. I love me some chocolate.
8. Make sure to have a 1 protein shake a day.
9. Limit my cheat day to Saturdays ONLY.

Feel free to join me in this challenge if you like. Time to get it together.