I'M BACK

Hey guys, I am back from my little hiatus. I have gotten into sort of a rut as far as my hair is concerned. I am trying to stretch my relaxer three months this go round. Nothing in my regimen has really changed. I still conditioner-wash once a week and do a braid-out or bun and wash/deep condition and roller-set once a week. When it gets hotter I may increase the conditioner washes to 2 times per week. We'll see how that goes. My goal is to have my hair touching my bra-strap by the fall. I will be posting pics soon when I do a braidout.

Smooches,

Dee AKA

Salon-Style products vs. "Cheapies"

There is an ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of expensive salon-style products vs. cheap "drug-store" products. I use both for different things.

In my stash, I have both V05 and Suave conditioners. I use these mostly for "conditioner washes" Occasionally, I have also been known to use Pantene, Sunsilk, and Garner Fructis. I am happy with all of these products.

For my deep conditioner, as stated before, Nexxus Humectress is my staple. This conditioner has never steered me wrong. I also often purchase conditioner packs such as Organic Root Stimulator from the Beauty Supply Store.

Aphogee is also a staple for Protein Treatments. This should be done at least once a month to curb breakage. This can also be done with eggs or mayonnaise. (More on that later)

Often, I add honey, salt or oils to my deep conditioners.

In my opinion, because Afro-textured hair is so delicate, it should be treated like a delicate flower. It needs water (moisture) in order to thrive. I currently conditioner wash my hair once a week and wash with shampoo and deep condition once a week.

I would've never though for a minute that I would ever let water touch my hair more than once a week but my hair has thanked me for it. I would recommend anyone to try it. You might like it.

Winterize your hair!

I have noticed in the Winter time my hair is so much drier. I never thought that I'd be doing braid-outs in the winter, but since I am nearing relaxer time I have been doing them at least twice a week. If I am not doing braidouts I am using rocking a bun or some sort of twisted updo.

It is important to spray your hair at least once a day to add in moisture. Cathy Howse has a good one named "The Dew". I also use Frederic Fekkai, or Care Free Curl Gold. Or, you can make your own. Here is a sample list of ingredients:

Water (of course)

Glycerin or Aloe Vera Gel

Jojoba or Coconut Oil

You can also use these products while baggying. More on that method in a later post.

Stretching relaxers

Currently, I relax every 8 weeks. That is a big stretch for me because when I began this journey I used to relax every 6 weeks. In my younger days, I even relaxed at every 4 weeks. That is totally ridiculous! You should try to stretch your relaxers at least to 8 weeks to prevent from overlapping the already relaxed hair. In my opinion, the ability to stretch depends on the texture of your hair. Coarser textured hair is more difficult to manage than looser textured hair because of the vast difference between the two textures. Furthermore, often the hair begins to break at the demarcation point, which is the point where the two textures meet.

How do I manage the new growth you may ask? Well towards the end of my relaxer cycle, like after the 4th week, I do a lot of braidouts. Moisture helps me with maintaining the new growth. At this time, I do a lot of conditioner washes. After the conditioner wash I apply a leave in and braid in sections. I then let this air-dry overnight. In the morning, I combine Aveda Brilliant moisturizer with S-Curl and apply to the hair.

I will post pics of a successful braid-out in a later post.

Care Free Curl Activator

Believe it or not, this is one of my staples. After co-washing my hair, I apply a leave-in conditioner and air-dry overnight in a ponytail with the ends braided. The next morning, I unravel the braids, mix a quarter sized amount of this with my moisturizer (Aveda Brilliant is one of my faves) and run it over my hair paying special attention to the ends. I then seal with coconut oil. I also use the Care Free Spray for moisture also. It is also good to use these products with the plastic cap for an added moisture boost.

Trust me, these products are the truth! Remember back in the Jheri Curl days everyones hair was long. That moisture is the key. It makes your hair stronger and more resilient thus allowing you to maintain the length. Less breakage equals longer hair. It's not rocket science ladies.

Protective Styling

Afro hair does grow, if it didn't there would be no need for relaxers every 6-8 (or more) weeks. The problem is that our hair is very dry and breaks so we are unable to retain the length.

One of the keys to growing Afro hair long is to keep the ends protected from the elements and from rubbing against our clothes.

Protective styles such as the donut or sock bun at the left (that's not me in the pic) are key to helping protect the hair.

It is good to use a moisturizer and seal the ends with oil prior to placing the hair in a bun. Be sure to change the position of the bun to prevent from breakage.

Oils

Oils are very beneficial to afro-textured hair. I combine a few of these oils and use on my scalp daily. I also use these oils to seal in the moisture in my hair after using moisturizers such as Elasta QP Mango Hair Butter and Aveda Brilliant. Beware of using oils in the hair when wearing hair out as it can make the hair look stringy and oily. I only use oil on the hair when I am wearing hair pinned up in a bun or in a ponytail.

Oftentimes I do an "honey-oil rinse" after shampoo or conditioning. This is simple to do, just mix equal parts honey and oil, (coconut or olive is good. Also Profectiv Mega Growth, (pictured here) is good also) work through hair, then rinse. Honey is a humectant and the oil seals in the moisture from the honey. After this, you can style as usual.

I sometimes add oils to my deep conditioners. Olive, Castor and Avocado are good for this. My new favorite oil is Coconut Oil, it is so light, and is not heavy on the hair at all.