Wash Day Chronicles

Despite my ongoing battle with my hair believe it or not I actually enjoy washing my hair.  Even on days that washing it isn't going the greatest. Today's wash day was one of the great ones. I just hope my twist out reflects that. lol

1. Instead of co-washing or shampooing my hair I reached for my Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay (purchased from Vitamin Shoppe). I put 3 spoonfuls of clay into bowl and mixed it with distilled water. I ended up with a chunky consistency. That wasn't what I was going for but it didn't make a difference. I applied it to my hair in sections to make sire that every strand was covered with the masque. I let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once it was rinsed, my hair felt very clean and soft. My coily hair was very defined. No shampoo or co-wash defined my hair like this clay did.

2. Next I applied Naturelle Grow Mango and Coconut Water to my super soft hair. lol Sat under the dryer for 20 minutes then rinsed the conditioner out with cool water. I forgot how much I enjoyed this conditioner.

3. On damp hair, I applied Creme of Nature's 100% Argan Oil to seal in some moisture. I proceeded to use my leave-in of choice for the day, Kinky Curly Knot Today to detangle my hair. I used a little of my Mane Choice Doesn't Get Much Butter Than This Hair Butter to flat twist my hair. My hair will air dry over night in hopes that I will have a nicely defined twist out by then. They have been hit or miss lately. One day it's nice and fluffy the next it's a frizzy mess.

This is what the clay mixture looked like. I made way too much. I think that 2 scoops will be fine next time. I'm gonna use it again at the end of December. After that I will do a full review of the masque. I use it as a facial masque as well.

How have your wash days been going?

Averting Another Hair Crisis

I have been over manipulating my hair lately. Twist outs, braid outs and the like are low manipulation styles. I average re-twisting my hair almost daily for the last two weeks while trying to get these twist outs together. Doing that is no where near being low manipulation. My goal for the week is to pull my hair back in a loose ponytail to (1.) stretch my hair and (2.) to preserve my twist out for the week. My hair isn't long enough to pineapple. I will wash and redo the twist on Friday and start the process all over. I am doing what I can to not cause any damage. If I continue to re-twist at that frequency I will undoubtedly cause damage again. 

How do you preserve you curly styles? Any tips?

Taking A Break From Bunning...Finally

I love my buns. That's all that I do with my hair. With my hair being shorter now and the shrinkage being out of control, it makes putting my hair in a bun a difficult. I have been trying my hand at flat twists and regular two-strand twists. They have been the bane of my existence. lol Enough of the dramatics. But they have been difficult to master. I believe I have figured out what my obstacle has been. Doing twists on wet hair doesn't work for me. The back of my hair was always super frizzy and undefined. I am 3 months heat free and want to keep it that way for a bit. I will make an exception for using the tension method. Doing that has changed my life. lol This is the first time that I have been confident enough to wear a curly style and not put it directly into a bun.

 

Earlier this week, I dampened my hair and then used the tension method to stretch it and did two strand twists. My hair turned out pretty good. I wanted a bit more definition. So I used the following products to reset my hair and give flat twists a try (pictured above). The twist are by no means perfect but they are a work in progress.

I spritzed my hair with a bit of distilled water and then applied Camille Rose Naturals Curl Love Moisture Milk to make my hair pliable enough to flat twist. I did a total of five flat twists.

This is a picture of what my hair looked like earlier today. (I know it's not the best picture) I've worn my hair in this style majority of the week and have gotten compliments from a couple of the parents at my job and also a few coworkers. I look in the mirror and I can honestly say that I liked my hair. Styling has been a major challenge for me during this journey. I swear that at least once a day I have the urge to relax again just so I can have an easy styling day. Just so I can wear my hair straight and go on with my day. If I can perfect this style. I think that I will be ok. After my hair was blown out, I loved the fullness of my hair. I can't wait until I straighten my hair so I can see how my hair looks like with this shorter cut.

I'm happy that I have found a way to cure my hair styling woes. I should have done this a long time ago. Would have saved me some headaches.

Mielle Organics Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner

I finally got my hands on the Babassu Oil conditioner from Mielle Organics. I have been wanting to try this and now I am. I attended the Living No Lye Tour Chicago stop last month and the M.O. team was there. They weren't selling anything but I got a business card from one of the Reps that had a discount code on it. That night I ordered a bottle.

Description: Our Babassu Oil Mint Deep conditioning protein/moisture replenisher will restore dry/damaged hair. This native Amazonian palm fruit is high in sterols and tocopherols which are healthy for the hair and scalp. Enriched with fatty acids that provide a rich softness to the hair. Derived from natural oils and cetearyl alcohol which helps reduce frizz and fly aways. This deep conditioner is filled with two complex amino acids from wheat and soy and other natural sources that actually mimic the function of hair amino acids helping ton restore the function and moisture to damage and dry hair. Safe to use on color treated hair.

My thoughts: This conditioner has a 50/50  moisture/protein balance. It has a medium thick creamy consistency. The smell of the conditioner is very minty with a hint of citrus. It's a bit strong for me and it lingers for a couple of days. But the softness that I get from it is worth it. It goes onto the hair very smoothly and it helps with detangling. I love conditioners that melt into my hair and this one does just that. A little bit goes a long way. The first time I used it I was good and didn't use a lot of it. Oooh but the second time I use way too much. lol If I use a light hand with it I can get another 3 to 4 uses out of the 8oz jar. Both times I sat under the steamer for about 20 minutes and it left my hair very soft. It probably did strengthen my hair but it felt more moisturized than anything. I love this conditioner. It has been added to my list of favorite conditioners to use.  

Have you tried it? What are your thoughts? Let's chat.