Wash Day Fun: 61 Weeks Post

{1} Did an overnight pre-poo treatment with my deep conditioning bonnet using three different oil blends. Why so many you ask? Because I couldn't make up my mind up on which one I wanted to use. First I applied Talisha's Secret 100% Pure Organic Hair Growth and Repair Oil on my scalp and had a mini scalp massage session. Next, I grabbed the SM Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Complex to the length of one section of hair. Then I decided to use TGIN Argan Oil Replenishing Hair and Body Serum and added that to the length of my hair in the other 3 sections.

{2} While rinsing the oil out in the shower, I did my usual light finger detangle and I loved it. My hair released tangles and shed hair so much easier. My hair pulled apart with so much ease. Then I went ahead and shampooed my hair with the Lemonade Shampoo. I reached for this because I felt using a cleansing conditioner wasn't going to be enough. The shampoo did what I wanted. It cleansed my hair perfectly.

{3} Applied Pink Grapefruit Punch conditioner and let it sit on my hair for a few minutes. Like last time, my hair was very soft and the moisture was restored.

{4} After rinsing the conditioner from my hair, I T-shirt dried for about 10 minutes. Then I brought out an old favorite to deep condition with; Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Dream Moisture Dream. Sat under the steamer for 20-25 minutes, let my hair cool then proceeded to rinse the conditioner out. I am still in love with this conditioner. I love the smell, how it melts into my hair and how soft and hydrated it leaves my hair feeling.

{5} Next up I applied my leave-in and oil, Silk Hydration by L. Jones Leave-in Conditioner and the TGIN Replenishing Oil. I detangled, added the Kurl Pop to each section and put my hair in twists to stretch it out. I air dried the twists for about an hour then pulled out my blow dryer with the concentration nozzle to speed up the drying time since I was headed out. I bunned as usual. That's it!

Next week's wash day will be done at Huetiful Salon. I figured I got my hair done for my birthday, why not get it done for my love's birthday. lol I will be getting another trim depending on how my ends are looking. I know I've said that I want to trim each time I go to the salon but I feel like I'm seeing some growth progress. If that is the case I am not doing it because I've gotten my hair trimmed quite a bit this year. Oh but you better believe that if my ends are looking raggedy, I will get a trim with the quickness.

Adding Pre-Poo Treatments

Pre-poo – Preparing your hair prior to shampooing. You do this by adding a moisturizing conditioner or natural oils into the hair . You can do this overnight or 30-40mins before you shampoo. This helps keep the moisture in your hair after you shampoo or clarify. Prepoo-ing helps keep that moisture in. (Hairlista)







If you have asked me a few years ago, I'd even give you a few weeks ago, if I would be adding pre-poo treatments to my regimen. The answer would have been resounding no. After incorporating them into my regimen the last three wash days, I decided they are beneficial. Pre-pooing with oils have made detangling in the shower soooo much easier. Pulling the hair apart in the shower has been much smoother. I also noticed during this weeks wash day that I lost less hair in the shower. 


This weeks wash day, I used a few oil blends on the fly. First I used Talisha's Secret 100% Pure Organic Hair Growth and Repair Oil on my scalp and massaged it in. Next, I grabbed Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Complex to add to the length of my hair. That only lasted for one section because I  decided to use the TGIN Argan Replenshing Hair and Body Serum to the rest of my hair. I haven't used this oil in a long time. I am definitely happy with using these oils for my pre-poo treatment. I will also be adding Coconut Oil. I've neglected my coconut oil as of late. Time to pull it out and put it to good use. Can't wait to see what the long term effect of it would be since I am over a year post relaxer.

Do you pre-poo? Have noticed any benefits from it?

Wash Day Chronicles: 14 Months Post (60 wks)

{1} Pre-pooed overnight with the Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Complex Serum. I said that I wasn't going to this again but I'm glad I did. It made the in-shower detangling much more easier.
{2} I shampooed with the Silk Hydration by L. Jones Extreme Clean Shampoo. I purchased this shampoo around the time I purchased the Lemonade Shampoo. It does exactly what the name says. It extremely cleaned my hair. I would say that this conditioner could be more along the lines of chelating shampoo. At least that's what it felt like. There was not a drop of moisture left in my hair  after using it. The great part about it is that it did not tangle or matte my hair at all. This shampoo would be used every other month to get rid of product build up and possible mineral build up.
{3} Followed up with the Hairitage Hydration Pink Grapefruit Punch conditioner. I used A LOT of this conditioner in each section to help restore moisture to my hair after shampooing. It was well worth it. After rinsing the conditioner, I t-shirt dried my hair. After taking off the t-shirt, my hair felt absolutely great. Very moisturized.
{4} Applied Hydratherma Naturals Moisture Boosting Deep Penetrating Treatment as my dc of choice. This conditioner goes onto my hair smoothly. The texture of my hair in the back is very loose. The conditioner defines that section something fierce. I love it. lol I did 2 deep conditioning sessions under my steamer. After rinsing out the deep conditioner my hair felt very hydrated. I would repurchase.
{5} Next, I used the Silk Hydration by L. Jones Leave-in Conditioner to detangle, the Intensive Hydration Complex to seal, and I added the Kurl Pop to twist my hair. I love how the Kurl Pop help to stretch my hair and it also gives my hair great definition. This would be my go-to product for twist outs in the future, (I think I mentioned that before lol)

That's it! Another good wash day.

Wash Day Chronicles: 59 weeks Post (10/10/14)

After dealing with extremely dry hair for the week, it was time to tweak the products I had been using. No matter how much I moisturized and sealed my hair it was dry and dull looking. Just a hot ass mess. I couldn't even achieve a semi-sleek bun. Well I never really could but at least sometimes they are decent. lol Ooooh but yesterday's wash eliminated all of that. So let's break it down.


{1} I decided to try a pre-poo treatment using the Shea Moisture's Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Complex. I applied the oil to my scalp first and then the length of my hair. Put on my deep conditioning bonnet and slept in it over night. The oil felt really good on my hair. It's very light weight and smells really nice. I don't think that I will do this too often especially overnight. It was very annoying.

{2} My hair was parted into 4 sections and I clarified with the Shi-Naturals Lemonade Shampoo. I've used this shampoo once before about 2 years or so ago. The consistency back then was very watery and didn't have much lather. So once that bottle was gone I didn't purchase it again. After the hair week I had I went ahead and revisited it and I am extremely glad I did. The consistency of the shampoo has changed. It's thicker and has more of smooth gel consistency which makes much easier to apply. The lemon sent isn't very strong. More importantly, it clarified my hair very well but it did not mat or tangle my hair. Which I have experience once before with a sulfate clarifying shampoo. Oh and the lather is GREAT for a sulfate free shampoo.

{3} After rinsing the shampoo, I applied Hairitage Hydration Pink Grapefruit Punch conditioner. I did finish a bottle of the Pink Grapefruit conditioner during this wash (yay!) and started on another. The consistency of the conditioner in the new bottle was thicker.

{4} I deep conditioned under my steamer for a about 35 minutes with the Shi-Naturals Peppermint Stimulating Conditioner. I love the cool feeling my scalp gets when I use this deep conditioner. This should be another product empty next week. I'm not playing around this time guys. lol

{5} After rinsing the conditioner, I applied the Leave-In Conditioner by L. Jones (not pictured) to detangle and the Intensive Hydration Complex to seal. Once I m&s each section, I applied Shi-Naturals Kurl Pop and twisted each section. The Kurl Pop really helped to stretch my new growth and elongated each twist. It actually made me excited to try twist outs sometime in the future. Kurl Pop helped to stretch my new growth to the point that my bun was actually really neat. It wasn't super sleek but there was no bang area fly a ways. I would choose the Kurl Pop over the Eco Styler Gel any day right now. lol

Clarifying my hair was the absolute best thing I did for my hair yesterday. I had a lot of product build up on my hair from m&s and applying gel. Using a cleansing conditioner to wash my hair is all good and even my shampoo bars are good but clarifying is your best friend. I'm glad that I found a natural clarifying shampoo. My hair feels so much better.

Cream and Coco Feminine Care Product Review

Let's take a break from the hair talk and focus on something a lot different shall we. I found out about Cream and Coco from the Mane Objective blog. When I read that one of the soap bars that I will review I had to try them out and have been addicted ever since. Now that might be some TMI moments but we are all ladies who go through the same feminine issues. Anything, that I can do make it easier on us I have no problem sharing. lol


Pink Cookie Soap Bar
Price: 5.50 per bar/ 35.50 for the PC Soap Log (It sells out FAST)

This bar is very specifically formulated for a woman's natural pH. Our mildest soap yet to gently cleanse even the most sensitive lady parts. Moroccan red clay for its amazing absorptive properties to refresh and naturally absorb odors. The clay also makes the bar fabulous for bikini shaves and provides a lubricant for your razor. Pink Cookie is organic Greek yogurt for the probiotics to maintain your natural pH and prevent "lady issues". 

Lastly, and why this bar is just so fabulous, organic white vinegar. Vinegar helps maintain the natural acidicity of the vagina and can minimize odor. Please ask your Grandma about vinegar, but I assure you, you will thank us. 

FEATURES:

• Greek yogurt to help maintain healthy flora
• Vinegar for odor prevention
• Pink clay to absorb odors and lubricate for shaving
• Creamy coconut soap to naturally cleanse without drying
• Shea butter to moisturize delicate skin 

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5-5.5oz bar

ingredients: saponified oils of soybean & coconut, olive oil, soy butter, shea butter, rhassoul clay, organic greek yogurt, vinegar

My view: I have been searching for a feminine cleanser for a long time. I was using Summer's Eve wash for a bit but that was garbage. I used black soap for awhile and was okay. It cleansed but it is nothing compared to what the Pink Cookie does. This soap leaves you feeling really fresh and clean all day. It doesn't have much of a smell which is good for our sensitive va-jay-jay area. lol I have been hooked on this soap since I first used it. It sales very quickly. I've gone awhile without because it was out of stock. Luckily they have other feminine care items that I used until I was finally able to reorder. When I reordered I got the Pink Cookie Soap Log. The soap log will last you a very long time. I won't be worrying about reordering for a long time. Check out Cream and Coco for all the other feminine care and various other products.

Pink Cookie Soap Log

Wash Day Chronicles and A Couple of Issues

{1} I decided that I wanted to clarify my hair. So I used Naturelle Grow Lemon and Mint Detoxifying Cleansing Conditioner. This cleansing conditioner uses 100% natural lemon to deep cleanse strands and remove product build-up. This is a decent conditioner but it didn't deep cleanse my hair for me. It felt clean but not like a clarifying cleanse.
{2} After rinsing, I applied two different Hairitage Hydration conditioners to my hair, Sticky Honey Hash and Grapefruit Punch. They both left my hair moisturized after rinsing. I finally finished the Sticky Honey Hash conditioner. Yay! Brings me one product closer to clearing my stash.
{3} I deep conditioned under my steamer using the Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Masque. My hair was nice and soft.

{4}Once the conditioner was rinsed, I t-shirt dried for a bit, added my leave-in, sealed in the moisture, detangled and used the banding method to stretch my new growth. Not my favorite method. I'll be going back to twists on my next wash day. I'm even contemplating Curlformers again now that my natural hair has grown out quite a bit.

Here is one of my issues, I have never been one to say that the change in the weather affects my hair but maybe it is. My hair seems dryer this week. After I moisturize and seal, my hair feels moisturized for only awhile.. It could be the change in the weather or it could be product build up. I know that I said that I wasn't going to buy any new products but I don't have anything to help test out my theories. So I went back to my trusty Shi-Naturals products. I purchased the Lemonade Shampoo as my clarifying shampoo. As much of a fan as I am of my spray leave-in/moisturizers, I need my Creamy Leave-In. It's one of the best cream moisturizers/leave-ins I used on my hair journey. I'll see if clarifying my hair helps me out.

Second issue, I am completely style challenged. I cannot style my hair in the least. Hence why my hair stays in a bun. This is what is making me want to go and book an appointment to get my hair done. For some reason I can't combat the puffiness at the top of my head. Since my natural hair is the shortest in this area, no matter how much gel I apply and no matter how long I keep a scarf on, it continues to puff up throughout the day. Being at work with that mess is a mess. Now for awhile, I will say, that it worked and some days are better than others. So I am hoping that the Shi-Naturals Kurl Pop helps. It is an aloe vera gel based product. I need all the help I can get to make through this 30 Day No Heat Challenge and also to get through my personal goal of no heat until the end of November. It's been four weeks since I last had heat applied to my hair and I have about 7 to 8 weeks left. I will say that I will continue to try my hand at twist-outs and even braid-outs and like I said earlier in the post even Curlformers. I'm desperate ya'll. lol

Nobody's hair journey is without it's issue. Just try to pinpoint the problem and do what you can to rectify it.

How is your journey going?

I have officially joined the 30 Days Without Heat Challenge hosted by the ladies from Just Grow Already, Relaxed Thairapy and Grow it Girl blogs. I already do not plan on using heat until the end of November. But with me being style challenged, I will go to the salon in a heart beat to get it done. So this challenge is perfect for me to keep up with my goal of being heat free for 2 months.

My plan:

Deep Condition weekly w/steam
Moisturize and seal everyday or every other day.
Continue Air Drying in twists or even try the banding method

That simple. Anybody else join the challenge?