Last Relaxer: 10/30/2009

Hair Problem:

BREAKAGE!

What I need to do to fix this problem:

UP my protein treatments and baby my ends.

Current length:

Shoulder length

Products I am currently trying:

BioSilk Line - Shampoo(R), Leave in Conditioner (M) & hair serum (L).

Wash Day!

What do you like about washing your hair?

For me, it is the idea of doing something right and beneficial for my hair. Also, I have a TON of products to choose from! So it can get exciting. lol

My current stash:

Hair frustration

I almost caved in and got a sew in...

Thank goodness I did not! I tend to like to wash my hair every 3 days or so. I tend to like the illusion of wearing a half wig. It is a better option and I can take it off that same day/night. I tend to like the idea of my real hair growing to waist length without the care of a stylist...just my little own tender loving care.

Cheers to hair frustrating moments and dealing with the ordeal of "black" hair. *sigh* I hope the outcome is great.

Arm Pit Length hair by April 2009!

Hair Porn

Starting over. Back at shoulder length. 6 weeks post relaxer. Hopefully I am armpit length by April 2009. We will see...

Wet Hair Picture:



Dry Hair Picture:



Products used for wash:



Products used post wash:




Next hair porn scheduled for 12/09.

Question: Why are my pics so broad?!

Vatika Oil

It is the truth! Best thing since slice bread! DEFINITE staple. Today was a good wash day! :~) Next wash day: Sunday

Ingredients in Vatika OIl:

Coconut oil (Cocos nucifere oil)
Neem (Azadirachta indica Leaf extract)
Brahmi (Centella asiatica Plant extract)
Fruit extracts of Amla
Bahera and Harar (extracts of emblica officinalis Terminalia belirica and Terminalia chebula),
Kapur kachri (Hedychium spicatum rhizome extract)
Henna (Lawsonia inermis leaf extrac)
Milk (lac)
Rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officinalis oil)
Lemon oil (Citrus limonum oil)
TBHQ (t-butyl hydroquinone)
Fragrance

Combing only on wash days!

Pros:

Less Manipulation (combing, prepping, styling...the wear and tear)
Better chance of retaining hair length
Less breakage

Cons:

Tangled hair if you did not do a good job detangling after washing.

Heat Caps are a waste of $$$$$$$$$$$$$

I had mine for less than 4 months! The cord in the back of the cap has rubbed so thin that the electric wires are showing! It is irritating to use now. I get tiny electric shocks on the back of my neck when it is plugged in. I literally have to hold the cord up and away from my neck when trying to give myself a deep conditioning treatment!

Next stop: Steamer.

Take a look at the cord:

Hair Mayonnaise & Nioxin

It smells like a cheap fragrance! I will not be purchasing this product again. Besides, it does nothing for my hair.





It has that tingle effect that feels great on your scalp. It left my scalp with a "clean" feeling. System 1 by Nioxin is in the runnings to become a part of my permanent regimen. Quite a staple product...maybe. A few more tries and I will know for sure.

Oh! I HAVE to add that it made my hair SUPER soft at over 2 months post! Yep, definitely in the runnings.

Thickness before Length

...I am content with that.

I started Cathy Howse 6 inches in one year plan in May and I am finally seeing results! My hair is gaining thickness before length. My husband noticed a couple of days ago and I am still beaming at the fact someone else besides myself is seeing the results of healthy hair care practice!

I am doing a 3 month stretch. My last relaxer was at the end of May next one will be in September. I will take a hair picture then and start documenting my progress.

Stay tuned for influential hair porn and hair growth! :~)

What I learned from Cathy Howse

1. Wash your hair every 3-4 days to keep your scalp clean.
2. Use a stimulative product. (peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, tea tree oil, menthol, scalp massages etc.)
3. Deep condition with every wash.
4. Hardly use heat.
5. Moisturize your hair every day.
6. Do not brush only comb; with a wide tooth comb.


HAPPY GROWINGS!! :)

Victoria's Secret So Sexy Hair care line!

*Instant detangler ingredients (in order):

Water, Amodimethicone, Oat Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Wheat Germ Oil, Wheat Gluten Extract, Chamomilla Flower/Leaf Extract, Rosemary Flower Extract, Sunflower Seed Extract, Shea Butter, Silk Amino Acids, Fragrance, Glycerin, Absorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Biotin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Sclerotium Gum, Trideceth-12, Butylene Gylcol, Laureth-23, Laureth-, Polysorbate 20, oleth-20, PEG-12, Dimethicone, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxyamo-dimethicone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Cetrimonium Bromide, Benzophenone-4, Propylene Gycol, Cetylpyridinium Chloride, Triethanolamine, Lactic Acid, Niacinamide, Citric Acid, Methylisothiazolinone,

* I am going to split this bottle. I have an empty spray bottle that I am going to use and pour half of the Victoria's Secret mixture in and add rose water to it. Again, diluting the chemicals with a natural and beneficial ingredient. So technically, this one bottle will be broken down into two bottles that have been upgraded with the adding of rose water.





*Conditioner ingredients (in order):

water, cetearyl alcohol, fragrance,behentrimonium chloride, PEG-180, Amodimethicone,Helianthus Annuus-sunflower seed oil, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Rosemary Flower Extract, Chamomile Extract,Silk Amino Acids, Phytantriol, Tocopheryl Acetate,Panthenol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Trideceth-12, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Esters, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Methyparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylpropional, Alpha-Isomethyllonone, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Coumarin, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal,Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxalde-hyde, Linalool.

*To balance out the chemically created ingredients in the conditioner, I add a good amount of Organic Honey and Olive Oil to it. (as a way of diluting all these chemical ingredients that can't be good! Shit, I can't even pronounce them!) Then I will use it as a deep conditioner.


I really do not care about the vitamins that are in the products because vitamins do not penetrate the hair. I am more curious about the oils and herbs in the conditioner and detangler. Oh...and it smells so good! Real grown and sexy.

Dabur Vatika Shampoo

Claim: Henna cream conditioning shampoo enriched (term which means taken out an technically processed back in) with Henna,Shikakai,and Green Almonds. It is suppose to be mild on the hair while leaving it soft, silky, and radiant.

Review: When I checked the ingredients the only ingredients I saw and recognized was Palm Oil & Herbal Extracts. The herbal extracts are henna(Lawsonia enermis), shikakai(Acacia concinna)and green almond(Prunus amygdalus).It smelled great but did not do anything for my hair. I wouldn't buy it again. It has SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate)which is a detergent found in common household and beauty products that may also cause cancer risks. The bad ingredients in Vatika shampoo outweigh the good.

Ingredients in order as it appears on the bottle;normally the first 5 should be the best that is what separates the good from the bad.

Water, SLS(derived from palm oil), cocamidopropyl, betaine, cocamide DEA, polyquaternium-7, Herbal extracts -extract of Acacia concinna, Lawsonia enermis, Prunus amygdalus, trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Laureth-7 and Laureth-5, Fragrance, Glycol Stearate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride

Colors: D&C Green No.6, D&C yellow No.11

Hair Rule #1 - Never buy a product that has a name that you can't spell much less pronounce...better yet, a name with more than 10 letters!

TJ Maxx finds!

If you live in NY, check out the TJ Maxx in White Plains on Central Ave. $30 hair supplies are being sold for $5-$10! The deals are fabulous!

I am getting ready to wash my hair. I will be doing a hot oil treatment (coconut oil & olive oil)as a pre-poo, shampooing with CON (creme of nature moisturizing shampoo) then deep condition with silicon mix (see prior post) mixed with honey.

Once that is done, as a leave in, I will use CHI Keratin Mist & Lacio Lacio.

Sounds like alot but each product has a different property.

Without further ado, here are my TJ Maxx finds.

CHI Keratin Mist - Retail price: $14.00 TJ Maxx price: $7.99
Carol's Daughter Shea Body Lotion - Retail price: $20.00 TJ Maxx price: $4.99
Carol's Daughter Jamaican Punch Sea Salt Body Scrub - Retail price: $28.00 TJ Maxx price: $7.99

Silicone & Glycerin are my friends.

I know it coats the hair to make it more manageable but that is what I need right now. My hair is 2.5 months post relaxer and the two different textures (relaxed and newgrowth)was difficult to cope with. Breakage and excessive dryness was occuring until I added these two holy grails to my regimen.

Since I have been using silicone & glycerin,(roughly one week) my hair has been managable. I still have alot to learn but I am happy I found something that works. I can't stop touching my hair...it is so soft! Touchable? Check. Combable? Check. Moisturized? Check. Manageable? Check. Less breakage? YES. & Check.

I am wondering if I could stretch until September or maybe even end up going natural!

Stay tuned.

I want long hair!

Why is hair so important?

Why do people believe a black person cannot have waist length hair?

Why are products so crappy for black hair?

Why are companies shunning us and using us as gimics?

Why can't my hair grow?! :(

By the grace of GOD, it will and it shall. :) Just watch.