Washday | Same Ol Same Ol

Unfortunately this week I don't have any pictures of voluminous curls to show you because I did not wear my hair down one day. The in laws were in town so I spent the week spending time with them and this past weekend was spent running errands and being completely lazy. It was awesome! Needless to say between all of that I wasn't left with my enthusiasm for styling my hair so I just rocked a bun jazzed up with a bang and kept it moving! Here's how my super late washday went:

• Rinsed my hair with warm water for a few minutes and proceeded to shampoo with my Keracare Hydrating Detangling Sulfate Free Shampoo.
• Rinsed and shampooed a second time to ensure that I had no product buildup left.
• Used my turbie twist for about 25 minutes to soak up most of the excess water.
• Deep conditioned with my Keracare Humecto conditioner on the length of my hair and Giovanni GPB conditioner on my ends (I found a sample packet that I'd never used!) for about 25 minutes.
• Rinsed and applied a small amount of the generic version of the Matrix Biolage detangling conditioner.
• T-shirt dried my hair for about 30 minutes.
• Detangled with my Mane N Tail and applied my leave ins using the LCO method (Chi Keratin Mist, Kimmaytube Leave In Mix, GVP Smoothing Serum).
• Blow dried my hair on cool until my hair was about 80% dry.
• Moisturized and sealed using my beloved Giovanni direct leave in and coconut oil and applied JBCO to my scalp.

Style: A bun jazzed up with a bang (I promise to take pictures next time!).

Thoughts: I think I'm going to go back to detangling my hair prior to shampooing. I've only switched up my detangling routine recently because I'm only 2 weeks post relaxer, however because I don't really 'comb' my hair during the week I don't want to create a detangling nightmare as I get further along in my stretch! Also, as of lately I've been on a kick of using protein conditioners on my ends to minimize breakage and ensure strength. This week I will be doing a full protein treatment though just to be safe! Lastly, I've seriously been loving my hair since I got my bangs back and trimmed away those thin ends that appeared. Because my hair is layered I feel like that extra trim has given my hair a chance to catch up and I swear my hair feels thicker!

How was your washday?

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I Finally Reached APL! Now What?...

It feels really good to finally say that I've officially reached APL! I've been so focused on reaching APL that I haven't thought of what Mini goals I want to achieve next. For those that don't know my ultimate goal is BSL (Bra Strap Length), but since I'm about 4-6 inchese away from that I'm going to set mini goals for myself. Here's what I've come up with so far:

• When my hair is pulled forward I want it to reach my Arm Pits (my ultimate goal is for it to reach boobie land, but baby steps! 
• My hair is cut into layers and my shortest layers only reach my neck. I would like for these layers to reach shoulder length. 
• I would like for my hair to reach the top of my length check shirt. I have about 3 inches to get to that point.
• When my hair is curly or flexi rodded I want it to be shoulder length. I swear I suffer from shrinkage even though I'm relaxed because the minute a curl hits my hair it shrinks like nobody's business!  

Those are my top mini goals that I will be focusing on during my journey to BSL land. Having mini goals really helps me to stay on track and not get discouraged. What goals have you set lately?


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Why I Still Go To The Salon Even Though I'm On a Healthy Hair Journey

     When I originally began my hair journey back in 2010 I was a serious 'bandwagoner'. You know...the girl who's new to the healthy hair scene and is so desperate for results that everytime she finds someone with hair results that she wants she tries to replicate their regimen down to the letter! Yeah...I used to be that girl. In the midst of trying to force my hair to adapt to what everyone else likes I convinced myself that self-relaxing was what I needed to do. Now I will admit that moving after graduating from college also helped to convince me because I no longer had a hair stylist and the very thought of trying to find someone I could trust was exhausting. In preparation for the big day I watched every self relaxing video I could found. I read countless forumns about the topic and read hundreds of blog posts detailing how to self relax. In the end I ended up with tons of breakage and severely underprocessed hair. The damage that I'd done to my hair while still trying to be a bandwagoner was undeniable.
     For a few months I still held on until one day I looked in the mirror and saw this.

 I was aboslutely devastated at the state of my hair. It was then that I decided to seek professional help. After asking around I eventually found my stylist. I'd seen her work first hand as she'd turned the health and length of a coworker's hair all the way around. Even though I'd seen her work I was so nervous the night before I met her that I couldn't even sleep good! I knew I needed help, but was still a bit leery of trusting someone else with my hair. I mean let's be honest. I think many of us have a hair stylist related horror story that we can share, but that's neither here nor there :/.
     Meeting Tera was like a breath of fresh hair. She was on time and before she let anything touch my hair she gently parted it with her fingers and did an assessment of the state of my hair's health and let me tell you it wasn't pretty. However instead of berating me and making me feel like I'd failed she gently told me what I needed to, how much I needed to cut, and then asked me if I would be okay with that. That was the begining and now almost 1.5 years later my hair has flourished!

     I totally admire ladies who self relax and even understand why many do. Most of us are probably jaded by a stylist experience whether it was a trim gone wrong, an hour long wait, etc. What I had to realize for myself is that going to a stylist works for me on my healthy hair journey. I can't do it alone and finally have no problems admitting that I needed help! Not to mention sometimes it feels so nice to let someone else take the reigns while I kickback and relax!

Are you looking for a hairstylist, but have no idea what to look for? Check out my YouTube Video here to get tips on How To Find A Great Hairstylist!  


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Relaxer Update, Length Check Sneak Peek, & Edges Update!

This past weekend I got a relaxer at 8 weeks post. As I've mentioned before I am currently not a long term stretcher yet ironically enough I still had a ton of new growth! I guess I can credit that to my consistent protective styles and continuous application of my JBCO. Overall my salon experience was awesome as it always is. My stylist is phenomenal and together we've helped my hair to make a complete turn around from where it was a little less than 1.5 years ago! As usual I used the Mizani Butter Blends Sensitive Scalp relaxer. I've been using this relaxer system for the year and a half and have had nothing, but great results! This relaxer always leaves a bit of texture in my hair and never leaves my hair feeling dry or like straw. In case you couldn't tell I LOVE the Mizani Butter Blends relaxer system.
Also, you guys may remember me mentioning my personal edges growth challenge that I created for myself after removing my senegalese twists. My edges are coming along nicely and although they aren't where I'd like for them to be they are certainly well on there way!

Now let's get to the good stuff...Pictures!

Based on the measurements of myself and the boo I'm only about 1/2 inch away from officially reaching APL!!! Length check comparison pictures will be coming next week! For more info about my relaxer update check out my video below!

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7 Tips To Successfully Stretch Your Relaxer

I think it's safe to say that I have successfully been stretching my relaxers for the past year or so. When I first started my hair journey stretching my relaxer for any length of time would send me into a frenzy because I was convinced that my hair was not capable of going great lengths of time without a relaxer. So instead of learning how to deal with my hair I relied on braids to get me through every stretch. Well once I graduated from college and moved away from home that was not an option any more. With a lot of trial and error and a bit of frustration mixed in between I've finally learned how to successfully stretch my hair. I've put a lot of thought into these tips and believe that they can work for anyone trying to stretch their hair whether it be for 8 weeks or 6 months.

1. LISTEN to your hair. Your hair will let you know what it needs when it needs it. It's up to YOU to listen. Sometimes while stretching your hair may need a bit more moisture or a bit more protein. Or maybe it just wants to be left alone with minimal manipulation. The signs are always there. Learning to listen and figure out what your hair needs can make a huge difference in length retention and avoiding setbacks. 
2. Be CONSISTENT! I can't stress this enough. Early on in my hair journey I was constantly trying a new method, a new wash day routine, the frequency of my washes, etc. I was so all over the place that my hair was not growing and thriving to it's maximum potential. Now I'm not saying that you can't try a new product or method every now and then, but your hair needs consistency. If you want to try some new products or methods I would suggest only trying one at a time. This way you'll be able to monitor any changes both good or bad in your and immediately be able to pinpoint the cause if necessary. 
3. Eliminate Excessive MANIPULATION: The further you get along in your relaxer stretch the more difficult it may be to manipulate your hair. With that increased difficulty comes a greater risk of breakage, unnecessary shedding, and possible thinning. For me personally the easiest way to avoid this is to manipulate my hair very little within the last few weeks leading up to my relaxer.  Combing, brushing, detangling, and even styling can all be considered forms of excessive manipulation if you're not careful. My advice is to do them in moderation with care and patience. 
4. Deep Condition Regularly- I don't think there's anybody's hair whether it be relaxed, texlaxed, or natural that doesn't enjoy Deep conditioners! What deep conditioning does for the hair during relaxer stretches is it helps to soften the new growth while leaving the hair smooth, soft, and manageable. I think weekly deep conditioning treatments are definitely necessary to have a successful relaxer stretch. 
5. Be PATIENT! Stretching your relaxer is not always an easy process and definitely can have it's frustrating moments, but adding a little bit of patience to the mix goes a long way. 
6. Know Your Hair's LIMITS: Just because someone else can stretch with no damage for 85 million months does not mean that you can. Find a stretch time that works for your hair. For example, I've tried long term stretches (3-6 months) and found that my length retention was a lot less than when I just stretched for 10 weeks. So now my stretch time is 10 weeks. 
7. What Works For Your Relaxed Hair May Not Work For Your New Growth! I found out early on in my hair journey that just because my relaxed hair loved my moisturizer didn't mean that my new growth did. Often times, my moisturizer of choice would leave my new growth feeling sahara desert dry. Currently I use Giovanni Direct Leave in for my relaxed hair and a castor oil/EVOO mix for my new growth. 

Mastering relaxer stretching can take some time and practice, but I truly believe that following these 7 tips make the process much easier. Happy growing :)

Length Check #1!

I've finally posted a video on my first official length check! As I've previously mentioned I only plan to do length checks twice a year and this is the first one that I've done since my major cut. To say that I'm happy with my progress is an understatement! I believe consistency and simplicity has played a huge role in my success so far! Check out the video below :)

How I Overcame My Setback...

So as I was reading one of my favorite blog's Longing4Length (Heyyyy  EbonyCPrincess!!!) and I stumbled upon her post about her setback and how upset she was at the time and it brought back not so old memories about how I felt about my own setback. It took me a very long time to accept my setback and figure out what to do in order to move forward. I've narrowed it down to these following things:

• I had to come to grips with the fact that I'd had a setback. I was in denial for the longest, but every time I  looked in the mirror the truth was looking right back at me. *sigh*

• I figured out exactly what caused my setback. In my case this was a bad attempt at self relaxing and removing braids and not detangling properly. The water hit my hair and it was a hot matted mess. I had breakage everywhere. 

• The next thing that I did was let go of the damage. At first I tried to cut away at my damaged hair every relaxer, but after 6 months of cutting and still not seeing the health and thickness that I wanted I got fed up, found a stylist (that I love by the way) and got a professional cut (about 4" total). I cringe every time I think about the amount of hair that was cut, but it was absolutely necessary.

• I set new realistic goals for my hair. My first goal is to reach full APL, hopefully by August 2013 *crosses fingers* By setting realistic goals it gives me something to work towards without putting so much focus on my ultimate goal of having BSL-MBL hair. 

• I revamped my regimen and cut out all of the experimenting with different products and methods that I know for a fact hadn't worked for my hair in the past. I developed a very simple regimen that was easy to follow and fit into my schedule nicely. Now don't get me wrong I've experimented and adjusted along the way, but for the most part my hair has been experiencing consistency and is really enjoying it. 

• I decided to stop having length checks so often. I've currently narrowed my length checks down to every other relaxer or twice a year. As tempted as I am to look at length comparisons I know it will drive me crazy. I'm more focused on maintaining the health of my hair. If I can do that then I know length will come! 

I think the most important thing that my setback taught me was to enjoy my hair at all stages. Before I was so concerned with making it to BSL as quickly as possible that I forgot to appreciate the little things like being able to make a bun, or having full thick ends, or enjoying a fabulous caruso steam rollerset. I'm enjoying the health of my hair. I know that if I stay focused my goal length will come and when it does as Kanye says "You can't tell me NOTHIN!" Until next time...