Sunday, October 12, 2014

Progress...

Well it's been a while since I "chopped" my hair and began to work through the damage ends that I had. To clarify, I did not cut my hair, only trimmed a few inches every few weeks as it continued to grow out. I was already 100% natural at this point, but had scaggly, broken off ends. I still do in some sections, but this is the state of my hair so far.





For the length check I simply twisted, then retwisted my hair and then used a hair straightener on a low setting to stretch it out a bit in the back, rather than press it out completely. I did not want to straighten my entire head because the goal was merely to check my length, as I will putting my hair in a protective style for the next two weeks (twist). It's getting cold and I am getting lazy and I do not want that to negatively impact my progress. In the process of stretching my hair two things became very apparent. First, the left side of my head is much thicker ( and a bit longer) than the right side. Not just on the back, but in the side and front as well. I am really puzzled by this discovery. I can understand the sides of my head being different length and thickness because I sleep on my right side. This tends to stunt hair growth a little bit. However, the back and the front *scratch head*? I don't get that at all. I will try rubbing some JBCO on that side to see what happens. I actually planned to do a 6 month JBCO challenge between Oct 12-Mar 28 (details to follow), so I need to figure out how to adjust that for this issue if I hope to see a difference. My hope is that it will help thicken up my hair some since I do not think it really works as a growth aid.

The second issue I notice with my hair is the fact that I have a "gap" around my nape. If you look closely, you can see it looks thin right in the middle. That is because the nape is spotty. I am not sure how to fix that, but I will do some research and see what I can do. Beyond that, I am pleased with my progress. I completed a hot oil treatment this weekend and my hair felt really good after I did my final rinse (e.g. shampoo, DC, etc). Changing my regimen has done wonders for my hair. It feels softer, looks shinier and I am experience less breakage and dryness. 
                                 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Hits & Misses 2014

As a new year gets underway I am thinking about my future hair goals. I have had some success with products in the last year, but I need to keep it going if I hope to reach BSL by January 2016. Here are a few products (and techniques) that created magic as well as a few disasters for my hair over the last year (note: some of these products have moved around as the ingredients seem to have changed slightly and my hair appears to be changing)

Hits
Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo (modified)
Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner (modified)
Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner (modified)
Aubrey Organics White Camellia Ultra-Smoothing Conditioner
Homemade Banana/Coconut Milk Mask
Weekly Herbal Hot Oil Hair Treatment
Herbal Scalp Oil Treatment
Detangling prior to shampooing
Adding oils and hydrolyzed protein to my conditioners 
Finger combing 
Sleeping with a satin scarf and satin pillowcase
Washing hair in twisted sections
Deep conditioning based on porosity levels
Protective styling for 99% of the time (to reach goals)

Misses
Applying and aloe vera juice as final rinse

Neither Hit nor Miss/Just There:
Argan Oil (+in conditioners - as a sealer)
Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream (modified)

What I learned about my hair and products in general over the last year:
  • Treating hair based on porosity level makes a huge difference 
    Well that's me and my journey thus far. Happy New Year to all my subbies...and may you achieve all your many hair goals in 2015!!!!!!

                                     

    Saturday, October 4, 2014

    Mini Hair Goals Revisited

    I was reviewing a few of my older post while I was cleaning up some of the bugs on the blog and I came across a post that I posted at the beginning of my journey (when I was relaxed) and that it helped me a lot when I was trying to get over that hump from jaw length to shoulder length. I am currently stuck at SL at the moment and I really want to move on already! 

    Anyway, the process requires me to sit down and really organize my thoughts Smileys. What am I trying to achieve? What are some of the issues I have with my hair right now? Basically, what I was trying to do was come up with some mini goals, so that in time I would be able to achieve my overall goal of beautiful healthy hair. 

    This is what I came up with:
    1. Increase moisture 
    2. Retain length
    3. Reduce single strain knots and breakage
    4. Improve and maintain a healthy scalp condition
    When broken down in this way, it really isn't that hard. So how do I achieve success with each goal? What products or tools will I use?

    Increase Moisture
    1. Drink more H20  (minimum 2 litres/day) 
    2. Use a moisture balance shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner at a pH of 5.0
    3. Spritz hair with a specialize mix for porosity level every other day 
    4. Apply a protein conditioner as needed (biweekly for high porosity; once a month for low porosity) to fill in gaps in hair shaft
    5. Apply herbal oil treatment once a month
    6. Use a moisturizer with a pH of 4.0 and seal with shea butter on high porosity areas 
    7. Use a hooded dryer to assist in deep conditioning
    Retain Length
    1. Finger detangling. My hair is just too tightly coiled to comb through, even with a wide tooth comb.
    2. Minimize manipulation by utilizing protective styles 100 of the time for longer periods of time (e.g. 2 weeks) for a period of 6 months.
    3. Tie hair with scarf and sleep on silk pillowcase
    Reduce Single Strain Knots and Breakage
    1. Minimize manipulation by utilizing protective styles 100% of the time for longer periods of time (e.g. 2 weeks) over a period of 6 months.
    2. Finger detangling.
    3. Allow for enough time to do hair routine to avoid rushing
    Improve and Maintain a Healthy Scalp Condition
    1. Apply herbal growth every other day
    2. Daily 1 min scalp massages

    I'll keep you posted on my hair progress.

    Happy Hair Growth!

    Hair Update

    Since I've made a few changes to my hair regimen based on my hair's porosity level, I have noticed a difference in my hair. It retains moisture a lot better, it feels softer, there is less breakage. 

    Some of the things I have done to adjust my products to help my hair along:

    Shampoo (5.5 pH):
    1.5 tbsp conditioning shampoo 
    1.5 tbsp water
    1/4 tsp lemon juice
    3 drops tea tree oil and 3 drops of lavender (for alleviate scalp ailments) 

    Conditioner (5.0 pH):
    per 2 tbsp conditioner
    1 tsp aloe vera juice
    1/4 tsp of EVCO, EVOO, Argan and Avocado oil
    (3/8-3/4 tsp hydrolyzed wheat protein if doing a protein conditioner)

    Leave in (4.5 pH):
    1 tbsp Knot Today
    1/2 tsp aloe vera juice
    1/2 tsp Jojoba oil
    1/2 tsp castor oil

    Styler (4.5-4.0 pH):
    1 tbsp Camilla Rose Jai Almond Twisting Butter 
    1 tsp aloe vera juice
    1/8 tsp lemon juice (to lower to 4.0 for high porosity areas)

    Spritz as needed (4.0 pH):
    high porosity
    1/3 cup water
    3 tbsp aloe vera juice
    2 tbsp veg glycerine

    low porosity
    1/2 cup + 1 tbsp water
    1 tbsp veg glycerine 

    These adjustments seem to be working for my hair so far. I notice my hair responds by clumping and curling really well. Little to no frizz and moisture that last for days and it feels very soft. I am also trying to stick with a set a product for a period of time to really give this new regimen a chance. So far so good because I notice if I deviate from this process even slightly I will get different results. I've also been able to learn which products do not work well.