Operation Terminate Postpartum Shedding

Dirty hair before washing. I'm in need of a trim!

Unfortunately the monster known as postpartum shedding has arrived with a vengeance. During my last wash day I noticed an increase in shedding. My hair was shedding double what it normally does. I won't go as far as to say it was coming out in clumps, but it was above my comfort level. For those of you know don't know what postpartum shedding is, let me explain.

During pregnancy you have an increase in hormone levels. One of those hormones is called estrogen. The increase in estrogen causes your hair to shed less. On average we normally shed about 100 hairs a day. During pregnancy many will see a significant decline in this number, hence fuller hair during this time. After you give birth your hormones start to balance out and your hair enters a resting phase. You then notice an increase in shedding. Not all women experience this. I am a part of the "lucky" few who is/has.

After having my son I shed significantly for over a year. At that time I was going to a salon on a biweekly-monthly basis. My then stylist recommended protein treatments monthly. I'm not sure what products she used, but it did not decrease my shedding. After a while the shedding became "normal" to me and I stopped trying to fix it. This lead to thinner edges and uneven broken hair. Now that I know better I plan to do better. I immediately ran to my local BSS and picked up a few supplies. I purchased Queen Helene's Garlic Shampoo and ORS Hair Mayonnaise. While there I also discovered they sold Alter Ego Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Mask. These items ranged from $21.99-$29.99. I was tempted to purchase the hair mask, but decided to give the Queen Helene a try first. After all I only paid $3.99 for the Queen Helene.

Last Saturday (8/30/13) I decided to try out my new products. My first impression of the shampoo is that is is extremely drying to the hair. I had to follow up with a lather of my EverStrong Hydrating Sulfate-free Shampoo to add moisture back to my hair. This dryness almost made me not want to follow up with the ORS Hair Mayonnaise because I figured it would make my hair even more dry. After all it is said to be a medium protein treatment. Well I'm glad I decided to use the ORS Hair Mayonnaise because it left my hair super soft and moisturized. So far I am impressed with this product. I will be giving a full review of both products after a month or so of using them. I will say that the shedding has slowed down a little. I also noticed a decrease in breakage! Now that it is the end of the week I'm noticing the shedding has picked back up, but I will be using the Queen Helene shampoo on my next wash day. I will be keeping you posted on my quest to slow down this shedding.

Have you or anyone you know experienced shedding? What action did you or they take? Suggestions are greatly appreciated. Until next time happy hair growing!

Battling My Breakage

Found on google

I know you are thinking that is seems I'm always going to war with my hair. First it was shedding, then detangling, and now breakage. Well these are just minor obstacles one may face when on a hair journey. As I've stated in several previous post I have been experiencing some breakage. Between my last wash day and today I have noticed a significant decrease. Believe it or no I can not take the credit. I have not washed my hair in over a week (I'm currently pre-pooing) and I stopped M&S a few days ago besides when I "do" my hair for the day. I have been walking around the house looking very unattractive. I decided it was past due for a wash day.

As for my breakage, I have been doing tons of research on a fix. I know that my breakage is probably due to several things and I have a plan for solving them all.

1. The first is improper detangling. I have come up with a plan and I'm currently implementing this plan. So for now this is not an issue I will stress about. 
2. The second reason in texlax hair=DRY!!!! After texlaxing for the first time I noticed my hair is much more dry. To solve this issue I plan to M&S nightly! I can not afford to slack on this as I have done in the past. I will be investing in a couple of new products: Aphoghee Keratin and Green Tea Reconstucturizer and Organix Coconut Milk Anti-breakage serum. 
3. Mishandling my new texture- I will make sure I will not manipulate my new texture too much. This means no combing unless it's wash day. This also means only combing my hair when it is saturated with product.

With this plan I feel as if I can overcome this breakage issue. I will keep you updated on my progress. You all continue to stay blutiful and blessed!