Saturday Night Wash

Yesterday was a pretty easy wash day. I did a pre-poo with EVOO for about 12 hours. I then washed with a new shampoo I got a few days ago L'oreal Everpure Hydrating Shampoo. It's sulfate free and is sold at Target and Walmart. I got tired of looking for a sulfate free shampoo near my home. I decided to try this out after seeing it several times in the store. I will not give a review until I have used it several times.

I DCed overnight with ORS Replenishing Conditioner. I hate DCing overnight b/c I don't like sleeping with a damp head. I especially hate waking up with one. I had to DC overnight because my son was ill and he wanted his mommy. I did apply my DC differently than usual. This time I sectioned my hair vertically into about 6 parts and applied the conditioner from the root to the tip. I felt this way was better because every part of my head was thoroughly conditioned. I love this conditioner. It makes my hair instantly soft and it melts into my hair!! Love it!! I put on my cap on and a scarf and that called it a night.

The next day (mid-day) I rinsed out my conditioner and t-shirt dried my hair for about 30 minutes. I forgot to do a final rinse with cold water. I then applied my LTR leave-in, detangled using my wide tooth comb and sealed with Argon Oil. I air dried using a scarf to lay down my edges and the top of my head. I really have to do a post soon on the benefits of air drying. I love the way my hair looks after I air dry!

After I air dried to 100% I decided to do a flexi rod set. This was my first time doing one and I was pretty excited. I watched several YT videos to prepare me for this.The products I used were:  Lotta Body Wrapping Lotion diluted with water 1:4, wide tooth comb, and fine tooth comb. At first I diluted the wrapping lotion 1:3, but noticed it was a bit sticky after putting in a few rollers.  I used almost 3 bags of purple flexi rods (16 total) to do my set. It took me about 30 minutes maximum. They are really easy to put in! I sectioned my hair into four sections with my fingers so I could minimize parts when I combed out the curls. I did the front two sections first and then I did the back two sections. I used my fingers to make vertical subsections and sprayed each section thoroughly. My hair was already detangled well, but I did ran through each section with a wide tooth comb before doing so with a fine tooth comb. I wanted to prevent any breakage. I did not roll in an angle that would give me longer curls. Instead I rolled the hair as if using a magnetic roller. I used this video as a guide. This is what my hair looked like once I was done setting.

I put on a head scarf and bonnet and let it dry overnight. Sleeping in the flexi rods was very uncomfortable, but I made due. There were several times throughout the night that I wanted to get up and take them out. I took the rollers out mid-morning and there were about 2 or 3 still a little damp. I didn't bother to re-roll them so I expected a little frizz when they dried.

Before finger combing

One side is longer than the other. Longer side are the pieces that didn't dry

**Updated**

I will not be using lottabody Wrapping Lotion. It left my hair hard and dry. I will be going back to a foam lotion. I'm so happy I only bought the sample size. I  have heard this in reviews, but I had to see for myself. I'm not sure what brand I will be trying next, but I know it will be a foam. Foam seems to work much better for my hair.

The War Between Natural and Relaxed Hair

I'm so over the debate between natural vs relaxed hair. I seriously roll my eyes when I see videos on things so-n-so says about relaxed/natural hair. I get that it's suppose to be funny, but all I see is self-destruction within the African American community. Yes, I took it there. This is just another way we, Black women, bash one another. First it was color coalitions and now we have migrated to the way people choose to wear their hair.

The way a person chooses to wear their hair does not make one superior over the other. It's just hair!!!! Instead of focusing on hair we should be uplifting one another. It's bad enough that we have it hard already! Then we let something as superficial as hair add to it! Just because ones hair is relaxed does not make them better. Just because ones hair is natural does not make them more black or cultured.

It's fine to be happy and proud of your hair, but don't let this become something negative. So relaxed ladies stop trying to pressure relaxers on the naturals. Naturals stop trying to pressure going natural on relaxed women. This does not mean you can't give information on your preferred method of hair. Just accept when someone declines the information or shows no interest. Whether you wear your hair natural or relaxed it can still be healthy and grow! If you think otherwise then you are misinformed!

Hair of the Day

My first hair of the day post! Today I didn't have a lot of time to do anything to my hair so I opted for a high messy bun. It's fast and cute. I moisturized with ORS Moisturizing Lotion and sealed with Coconut oil. This will probably be my style of choice for the next two days. What are you hair plans for the week?

A Quick Co-Wash

Today I decided to co-wash. What is co-washing? It is basically washing your hair using a conditioner. It is very beneficial for the hair because for one it cleans your hair and secondly it keeps the hair moisturized. You can co-wash daily without worry about a shampoo drying out your hair. I like to co-wash when I workout. I chose to co-wash today because I still have not been able to find a sulfate free shampoo. I've been looking for Creme of Nature with Argon Oil Shampoo (That may not be the correct name). I can't find it anywhere. If you know where it is sold please let me know.

I pre-pooed with EVOO with a plastic cap for a few hours. I co-washed my hair with Pantene Pro V for Relaxed and Natural Hair. I'm almost done with this bottle thankfully. It's ok to co-wash with because it gives excellent slip, but I don't like how oily it leaves my hair. It weighs it down too much for my liking. I used Cantu Shea Butter for my leave in and sealed with Argon Oil. I wanted to set using flexi rods but I didn't have the time. *insert sad face* I will be doing a flexirod on dry hair later this week. It will be my first time doing one and I'm excited. I put my hair in a ponytail and let it air dry with a silk scarf.

*Sorry for no pictures. I'm blogging from my phone while on the road*

Relaxer Day

I started the day of basing my scalp with EVOO. I wanted to use vaseline, but my new growth was so thick I could not part it. I have not been combing my hair this week and I didn't have time to detangle my hair. This was the biggest mistake I made!! I'm shuddering just thinking about it. I put my hair in a pony tail and went to class.

When I got to the shop I warned my beautician that my hair was thick with new growth. She grabbed a comb and proceeded to rip through my hair and part it. Yes I said rip!!! After she parted my hair she started raking my hair with a comb. Something felt wrong so I tilted my head to see what type of comb she had. To my horror she was attempting to comb 16 weeks of new growth with a FINE TOOTH comb!! I politely asked of she had a wide tooth comb. She replied that she using a wide tooth comb would not help. I told her please do not comb my hair with a fine tooth comb. I told her would detangle it of she needed me too. She then told me that stretching my relaxer was a bad idea because when you comb your hair then it would "pop" right off. I then shared with her the art of detangling!! She stopped combing and started applying the relaxer. The amount of hair in that fine tooth comb made me sick to my stomach.

Before I started my hair journey I would have recommended her to anyone. Now I would only recommend her with a disclaimer. I can not believe that all this time she was tearing hair my from head. I now regret not self relaxing. I will definitely be self relaxing next time!!

I got a protein treatment and sat under the dryer for about fifteen mins. I then got a bubble wrap (silk wrap) stressing the fact that I did not want direct heat on my hair. I'm afraid of what her process is for flat ironing. I'd probably notice other things that would make me gasp. Well after rinsing out the conditioner in my hair she attempted to "detangle" once again with a fine tooth comb. She started from the roots and made her way to the ends. I started praying at this point for me to get out of this shop with a decent amount of hair. I literally felt as if all my hard work was going down the drain. After she applied the relaxer and she was half way through the smoothing I told her I was starting to experience a little burning in the back. She asks if I can hold out a few more mins so the relaxer can sit it. I say just log enough for you to finish smoothing and then u must rinse this out. I remember back when I though burning meant the perm was taking a little better. I will definitely make time to base with vaseline before I relax in the future.

She rolled my hair as we had a conversation about natural hair and relaxed hair. She explained how she had started transitioning two months ago and her hair was tight due to the way it was growing from her scalp. Truthfully I had no idea what that meant. But just from the ten minute conversation l realized that she was no aligned with my hair care regimen, goals, and what I wanted for my hair. At that moment I decided I would only go back to her if I decided I wanted a salon trim.

The wait was awful as always. I hate going into a salon and spending 5+ hours when there aren that many people in there. My beautician is slow and does not honor ur appointment times. I'm convinced she takes you by who comes in the door first instead of by appointments.

Overall I am very pleased with the results. I'm just mortified with the process it took to get there. I can't see myself going back for a relaxer, especially if I'm 16 weeks post. I do plan on stretching to about 16 weeks from now on unless I experience breakage or I get tired of the new growth. My next relaxer day is estimated to be on or around May 2nd.

Shedding update!

My golly I think I got it! I probably just butchered that saying. But as I was saying, I have noticed a reduction in shedding since I've done the garlic pre-poo on Monday. There is still some shedding of course, but it's manageable now. I just hope I can keep this up! I usually shed a lot of hair while M&S. Tonight when I M&S I only had about 2 shed hairs. I don't know when the last time my shedding has been under control! I'm beyond ecstatic! This pre-poo will definitely be added to my regimen once a month. The only con I can think of is the smell lingers for a few days. It's not a very strong smell, but more like a hint. Today is the first day I didn't notice a hint of the smell.
*does happy dance*

The Battle with Shedding: Round 2

So are you know I've been battling serious shedding post pregnancy. This is due to decrease in hormones after you deliver. Well my shedding has been out of control for far too long and I have made the decision to decrease this shedding once and for all.

Well round one took place with the black tea rinse. I only tried it once and I didn't see any improvement with my shedding. The process was messy and I decided I didn't want to try it again unless absolutely necessary. I've been doing done extensive research and I have seen a few remedies. Some that come to mind are black tea rinses, garlic conditioners and shampoos (Alter Ego and Nutrine), and garlic oil treatments. I decided that my next battle will be garlic conditioner. 

My next option would be to make my own. So I went on a hunt for garlic capsules. This would be the easiest way for me to open the capsules and pour the powder in my conditioner. Well that hunt did not go well. I found gels, but no capsules. So a thought came to my mind; I wonder if I can use garlic powder from the kitchen? Well low and behold I found a recipe on LHCF. I decided to do it as a pre-poo so I could mask the smell of garlic with my shampoo, conditioner, and leave it. I was hoping something would eventually mask the smell. So I went to work.

My Garlic Conditioner pre-poo

 Pantene pro V for natural and relaxed hair- enough to saturate my hair

2.5 tsp of garlic powder

 About 1.5 tsp of EVOO

I applied it as if applying a relaxer. I sectioned my hair and added it to my scalp, new growth, than entire strand. I put on a plastic cap and let it sit for about two hours. Call me crazy but I think I had considerable less shedding than I was having. I will give you an update as the week progresses.

I clarified my hair and did a light protein treatment. I d/c without heat for about 3 hours then I did a braid-out. The products I used are listed in my regimen tab.

To Self-Relax or not to Self-Relax?

That is the question!!! I really don't know if I want to relax my own hair or go to the shop. Here are the pros and cons I came up with for self relaxing.

Pros
1. I could save money
2. Money saved could be added to my dryer fund.
3. I'd have total control over what happens to my hair.

Cons
1. Time consuming!
2. I want my hair trimmed. (I am considering doing it myself since I've watched enough YouTube videos).
3. I don't have a dryer to sit under to DC (I could always use the towel method).

So what are your thoughts??

I 'HEART" One n' Only Argon Oil and ORS Moisturizing Lotion

The title says it all. My hair loves both of these products. I've been using the Argon Oil for a month now. At first I wasn't impressed and didn't think I would be purchasing this item again. But after a month of using it I noticed how shiny my hair has gotten. I use it as a heat protectant before I blow dry and/or flat iron my hair.  I also use it to seal with nightly. I've even read reviews of women using it on their skin. I have not used it for my skin, but I can imagine the results! It's a very light oil and a little goes a long way. It has a light fragrance that is even allows me to use it on my son's hair. I also used this product on my scalp a few times, but noticed it was too light. I personally prefer EVOO on my scalp. I put the oil in an applicator bottle and never used the actual  spray bottle.

The ORS Moisturizing Lotion leave my hair moisturized all day! It's funny how I returned the ORS product before trying it because I thought it was too heavy for my hair. It's not heavy at all and it smells really good. I think it smells a lot like ORS' Replenishing Conditioner. I think I even like this product better than LTR. To me it last longer! I only purchased the sample size, but I will definitely be purchasing the standard size!

Eve of NYE Wash Day

I pre-pooed overnight with honey! I love this stuff. It makes my hair so soft and manageable! Can't wait til my sisters come for my graduation in May do I can share it!

I washed and DC with the heating method described in a previous post. I used the Hair One sample pack I got for Sally's. I can't really give a good review b/c I only used it once, but I wasn't impressed. I originally wanted to try the Creme of Nature Argon oil shampoo, but they were sold out in the two places I went.

I air dried my hair til it was about 50% dry. I then used a blow dryer on cool to dry til 90%. I used heat to dry the rest. I then flat ironed my hair.

Products used:
Hair One Shampoo with Olive Oil
Queen Helene Cholesterol
Argon Oil
Cantu Shea Butter as a leave in

E.L.F. and hair care haul

So I went to Target and Sally's Beauty Supply store with the purpose of getting some eye make up and a few hair care items. I still needed to get some ORS Replenishing Conditioner, ouchless hair ties, sulfate free shampoo, and Aloe Vera Gel. That was the hair care items. I ended up leaving the store with this:

I had a $5 off any order $5 or more at Sally BSS. I decided to get the lotta body wrapping lotion to try it out for my roller-wrap challenge I'm in. I've been so busy I didn't get a chance to blog about that. I promise to have a blog dedicated to that next week. But I got the ORS lotion for my son and I. I have been needing something alcohol free to slick down my edges. Thus is why I picked up the regular ecostyle gel. I also got the one with Olive oil to reach my min amount.

I've been watching YouTube lately and it kind of encouraged me to try make up. Im not trying to do the entire face just eye make up. So I went out and got some eye shadow, brushes, mascara, water proof pencil liner, concealer, and tinted lip gloss. Let's just say my first attempt at applying eye make up was an epic fail!!!! Part of the reason could have been that I was rushing. I was almost discouraged from trying again. But I decided practice makes perfect so I will give it another shot.

To have everything I need for my hair regimen I need to get some ORS Replenishing Conditioner and some sulfate free shampoo. I guess I'll try the Hair One and see how that goes.

First Challenge: 6 Month Roller Set Challenge

First I want to start off by saying Happy New Years!! I'm not really big on new year resolutions, but I will have new new hair resolutions. Just quickly I will share my hair resolutions. I promise not to take too long because I know you are dying to hear about the 6 month Roller-set challenge.

Hair Resolutions for 2012
1. Stick with a hair regimen (Sticking to what works and discarding what doesn't).
2.  Retain length
3. Aim for thickness (I want my hair thicker, yet I don't want to textlax. Is this possible??)
4. Learn at least 5 new styles and get them perfected!
5. Reach APL (Ultimately by Feb 2013)

So about a month ago I decided to join EbonyCPrincess' 6 Month Rollersetting Challenge. The challenge starts today January 1, 2012 and ends June 21, 2012.

Rules

• You must rollerset your hair at least once a month.
• You must wash and deep condition your hair at least once a month.
• You may do other styles, you are not limited to wearing rollersets exclusively.  For example, if you do a silk/roller wrap you are not restricted to wearing straight hair until your next wash day.  You may then pincurl, braid/bantu-knot out, or refresh the look by wearing rollers on dry hair overnight.
• Rollersets may be done on wet or dry hair.
• When setting wet hair, do it no more than once a week.  We want this to be LOW manipulation so our hair will flourish!
• Check in at the VERY least monthly here on Longing4Length but you can also update as often as you like on your own blog or YouTube channel, or by Tweet Pic (just as soon as I figure out how to use it! lol)
• Flat ironing is permitted FOR YOUR ROOTS ONLY!  If you are unsure how to rollerset and flat iron just your roots, check out this awesome video by Lonei (esp at 9:40).  This applies to naturals, relaxed, transitioners, long-term stretchers, all of us!
• You may use direct heat only twice in the entire 6 month challenge.  The point is to limit direct heat usage.  Of course, hooded dryers do not count but you may also use a diffuser with a blow dryer to quickly dry an area that may be damp after rollersetting.
• There will be an official monthly check in here with prizes given each month - so please stay plugged in!  I have some FABULOUS prizes in mind!

*Taken directly from her site*

My Goals

1. Reduce my amount of shedding.
2. Grow and retain at least 2 inches.
3. Thicker hair
4. Perfect Roller wrapping
5. Gain direction into my HHJ

There are some great prizes that will be given away every month. I hope to win at least one! I have my eye on a few that remain nameless. Here are my official starting pics that I emailed ECP. 

The pic below is a more accurate starting pic b/c my hair was straightened with some very great ceramic flat irons that I got for Christmas. The above pic was taken with my hair straighten from some cheapie flat irons. I'm looking forward to the challenge! I'll definitely be posting progress pics. My relaxer date is set for Jan 7th. I'll be getting a roller wrap then!