Rebuilding My Regimen

I know you have heard many transitioners or naturals talk about how their hair and its needs have changed over time. I can now attest to this. Products that use to work for my hair no longer work or don't work as well. Techniques that use to work are also no longer valid.

Here is an example: I use to wash my hair in one big section. As I got further into my transition I realized this method did not work as well for me. I experienced more breakage and tangles with this method. I learned quickly that I had to change my technique of detangling my hair to sectioning my hair into 2-4 sections depending on my hair's current state.

Because of changes in the state of my hair I realized I needed to rebuild my regimen. Figuring out what your regimen will be can be quite complicated if you make it. So many questions may run through your mind. How often should I wash my hair? What products do I use? Should my regimen change with the seasons? The truth of the matter is that you may not always know the answer to these questions right away. It may take some trial and error to discover what works for your hair. Your regimen could and should change over time. Keep in mind your should be consistent with your regimen to have a fair evaluation of what works for your hair and what does not. Remember no two head of hair is alike and what works for someone else may not work for you.

Some key components and steps that should be the basis of every hair regimen (in my opinion) include:

• Cleanser (shampoo or co-wash)
• Deep Condition
• Leave in conditioner
• Moisturizer
• Sealant (Butter or Oil)

Some things that you may want to include in your regimen, but may not be necessary for everyone includes:

• Pre-poo or pre shampoo treatment
• Hot oil treatment
• Tea rinse
• ACV Rinse
• Henna
• Clear rinse
• Steam treatment
• etc.

For my regimen I have had time to discover what works for me and so my regimen was created. These are the steps that will almost always be completed on my wash days:

1. Co-wash every two weeks. Clarifying my hair will replace a co-wash at least 1x a month.
2. Tea rinse at least 2x a month to reduce shedding
3. Deep condition either before or after co-wash/shampoo. When using a clarifying shampoo I will always deep condition after washing. When deep conditioning before I co-wash, I will follow up with a conditioner rinse. Conditioner rinse is referring to a 3-5 minute conditioning treatment to put moisture back into my hair.
4. Apply a leave in leave-in and possibly follow up with moisturizer (Note: My leave in may also be my moisturizer).
5. Apply a sealant which will more than likely be an oil.
6. Style as desired.

A few things that I may incorporate whenever I feel necessary will be clear rinses, pre-poo treatments, hot oil treatments, and oil rinses. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about my new regimen let me know. Again, thanks for following my journey! 

Emergency Co-wash

Source: Google

This blog post was written 9/27/12. I just didn't have the time to post it. I've been busy setting things up to relocate so this has been a super busy time. I probably will not be posting much until I get settled in. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may see some updates. I appreciate all of your support and patience as I make this transition in my life.

My hair has been feeling extremely dry these past two days. I tried moisturizing my hair with Hawaiian Silky 14-n-1 and Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter moisturizer to no avail. Yesterday I went to a farewell dinner for my Hunny's co-work as well as being my my Hunny's birthday. My hair needed some serious TLC so I decided to co-wash my hair. Before I co-washed,  I pre-pooed with EVCO and Hemp Seed Oil as "suggested" by ECP's latest post. I will say that this combination was amazing. It left my hair feeling very soft and moisturized! I miss pre-pooing with oil. I now DC on dry hair to prevent having to jump in the shower twice. It just seems to cut out a lot of time on my wash day. I co-washed with HH Hello Hydration Conditioner. I love the smell of this. It doesn't give me as much slip as the V05 did so I will not be purchasing the regular size.

 I applied CON's Moisture and Shine Leave in and GVP's Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum before blow drying on cool. This takes sooooo much time! I just didn't have the time to air dry. After blow drying I added Fantasia IC heat protector to my roots only and flat ironed ONLY my roots on low heat. This made my new growth much more manageable. I styled my hair with an EZ Comb pic (due to lack of time I didn't take a picture).

After blow drying my hair yesterday I realized how thick it has become due to stretching my relaxers and texlaxing. I'm loving it! The only thing I have to get use to is trying to get my hair into a ponytail after air drying or blow drying. I will try to remember to take a picture of my hair after I blow dry next time. In the mean time enjoy the picture of my hair taken a month ago.

Check out the thickness of my hair. I should have texlaxed long ago!

                              

Great News, Co-Wash, & Nail Haul

First off I will would like to share my great news! Last Friday on July 20th I took the NCLEX, which is the exam to become licensed as a registered nurse. I'm very proud and excited to announce that I passed!!! It took 110 questions and 2.5 hours for me to officially add BSN, RN behind my name! This a dream come true and I'm ready to start my career as a professional! 

Monday night my Sweeties (SO and Son) took me out to celebrate. It was somewhat last minute so I had to do a quick co-wash and blow dry. I co-washed with V05 Passion Fruit Moisture Milks Conditioner. I detangled in the shower. I towel-dried for about 7 minutes and add my leave-in and Serum/heat protectant. I used CON Argon Oil Strength and Shine Leave-in and GVP's Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum. I started off blow drying on high heat, but became a little apprehensive of heat damage and turned it down to medium heat. I used a little tension to straighten my hair a little. After blow drying, I added a little argon oil for shine and out my hair into a low bun. I was very pleased with the results. My hair was very smooth, soft, and shiny!  Sorry I didn't take any pictures. I was rushing to get out of the house. 

Lastly, I have a nail polish haul to share with you. Sally's had a 50% off all clearance items so I decided this was the perfect time to invest in some quality nail polishes. I have been the only who always went to a salon to get my pedicures. But as of lately, I've been on a DIY kick so I decided to learn how to polish my own nails. This would also save me a ton of money. Besides I've been noticing my polish chips within a day or two of me getting them done at a salon. It's almost becoming a waste of money. 

A few weeks ago I went ahead in invested in my first Essie nail polish. I purchased Play Date, which is a light purple color. I had in on for 2 weeks before it chipped. Yes, I said 2 weeks. I was living and breathing my NCLEX study material. What made me go out and purchase the polishes at Sally's BSS is my BF's kind of serious joke. He said that I would have purple polish on for a month. I had to prove him wrong. So without further rambling here is a list of the polishes and pics.

ORLY: Mysterious Curse and Grave Mistake

Finger Paints: Picasso's Puce, Beach Bound, Bauhaus Burgundy, Go Van Goghi

Essie: Play Date 

Co-wash

I don't co-wash a lot. It's not for any particular reason. I just find that washing my hair several times a week to be a bit much right now. My hair was feeling a tad bit on the dry side so I decided to co-wash.

For those who don't know what co-washing is, it's just washing. Your hair and scalp with conditioner. It's usually done with a cheap conditioner. I use whatever I have on hand at the time. This wash I used V05 Moisture Milk. I believe the scent was tropical smoothie. Before I co-washed I DCed with NTM Daily Conditioner. My hair likes his much better than DCing after washing. I still will not be repurchasing this item, but I now know how to to finish the product. After co-washing I applied my Cantu Shea Leave-in, put my hair in a pony tail, and went out the door.

My hair loved the co-wash. My hair was much more moisturized than when I shampoo even though I use a sulfate-free shampoo. I think I will co-wash more. Maybe once a week. I'm still enjoying the way my hair feels!! I just may change up my regimen.

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*

Product Junky?

Who knew starting a HHJ could cost a pretty penny. This is especially true if u don't have a lot of hair products. I'm so use to going to the shop for just about everything. I noticed that I might be turning into a product junky. Well I wouldn't go that far. But now I notice I can not go in a store that sell hair products without going for a browse. I pay extra attention to the products on my wish list or those that I've seen a ton of reviews on. I almost always pick something up. I have this bad habit f trying a product in the store b4 I buy it. Well not really trying it but I do put a little on my finger (mainly conditioners and shampoos). I did that with Herbal Essence's LTR and I had to buy it. It had my hair sooo moisturized! I may be Speaking too soon but I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a staple.

Well today I plan to co-wash, deep condition, and straighten or curl my hair with heat. This is my first time using heat on my HHJ. I will use Argon oil as a heat protectant. I want to try out the new curlers my Love got me for Christmas. Well I'm gearing up for Longing4Length's roller wrap challenge. It is my first challenge and I'm looking forward to winning some cool prizes! Yeah I'm claiming it. But I'll post very soon about the challenge and my goals for the challenge.