L4L Protective Styling Challenge Final Check-In

So, I’m doing my last check in for L4L’s Protective Styling Challenge. I know I’ve been MIA for some time, but life has a way of tripping you up and then hitting you when you’re down. I’ll try to do better, pinky promise. Anywhos….these past few months have had its ups and downs in my hair world. I was able to stay within the guidelines, and I even managed to have an extra down day left over! Whoot Whoot for small success.

HAIRSTYLING

I did get into quite a bit of a rut with my hairstyles, turning to “buns” for most of the days. I did try to mix it up a bit with some crochet braids, but that was a…completeandutterdisasterthatirefusetotalkabout. They were in and out of my head in the same day. Yeah, my family gave me that same look you’re making at your screen right now, but I absolutely HATED how it looked so I refused to keep them in any longer than necessary. That was the only time I tried to switch up my hair drastically the entire duration of this challenge, but it didn’t really bother me too much at the time since I had bigger life fish to fry.

CHALLENGES/SETBACKS

I was several months post relaxer when I started this challenge—my previous relaxer being in November—so by the time this challenge really got into gear, I was dealing with significant new growth. I didn’t want to relax until I was at least 15 weeks post (personal challenge) so I had to struggle with the two textures which SUCKED! My hair went all French Revolution on me and absolutely refused to be quelled. I eventually relaxed on April 15^th at a whopping 22 weeks post, but I do have a bit of breakage in this one frontal section of my hair which is so inconvenient when it comes to styling because it’s always falling out of line…but I’m still proud of myself for lasting that long. Hopefully next time I’ll be successful with no damage.

SUCCESSES!!!

So, aside from that one section (grrr) I can say that I’m pleased with the results that protective styling has given me, and I’m definitely going to keep this up for the rest of the year. I think I’ve grown so accustomed to not seeing my hair that it won’t be an issue. I’ll post the comparison pictures below so you guys can tell me what you think, but I feel like I’ve definitely retained length. I just wish that I had the foresight to take my pictures with the same item of clothing on…..but hopefully you can still get a good view. So without further ado……drumroll please……

Original Picture (left) After PSC (right) 

Different angle so you can see the armpit crease. 

Side view and front view

So there you have them, my results!! I’m going to go in for a trim later this week, but since I posted my starting pic pre trim, I decided to post my ending pic pre trim as well. Tell me what you think, and if you like you can go to the Longing4Length website to vote for me or any of the other ladies who competed in this challenge. Can’t wait for the next one!

Happy Hair Days!!

A New Style?

I’ve been looking for a new hairstyle to put a mix on this Protective Styling Challenge, and I think I’ve finally got it. I wanted something that’s big and funky and fun—something completely new! Crochet braids!! Now, I know this style has been around since like forever, but it’s new in my world, and I’m so excited to try it out. I got the idea from one of my natural friends who knew I was looking for something different, and since she knew I was such a big fan of the “natural look,” she figured this would be a good fit. Naturally, after getting her advice, I hit up YouTube for even more inspiration for this style, and now I know for sure this is something I have to do. I didn’t think that there’d be so many variations of the style, but after scouring through TONS of videos, I know which one I’m going to try for my first style. I’m going to go with the basic Freetress Bohemian Curl bulk hair and tie that into my hair for a nice curly fro look. This will be my first time attempting something like this, and I’m hoping that it’ll last at least two weeks before I have to take it out. This seems like a good way to keep my hair under wraps while still looking great. I’ll do another post when I’m actually going to install the hair, so you can see my braid pattern and a bit of the process. Here’s to hoping everything comes out well. Fingers crossed!

 Happy Hair Days!

Just a Quick Update

Longing 4 Length Protective Hairstyle Challenge Official Entry

So, here’s my official entry for the L4L Protective Hairstyle Challenge. This will be the last time that my hair will be worn down until April 2013 (Lord, please be with me) so take a good look. I think I can claim full shoulder length now, so this is my starting length. My ends aren’t where I want them to be, but I wasn’t able to get to the salon for a trim in time, so I’m stuck with this as the starting point. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I’m super excited to get on this challenge, but I'm also super anxious at the same time. After all, I’ve never really actively tried to do something this intense. The rules for the competition are as follows:

§  A protective style for purposes of this challenge is defined as any style in which your ends are not exposed or touching your clothing.  Buns, updos, french braids, french rolls, etc all count.

§  You may only wear your hair down for 7 days throughout the entire three months total!  Whether you choose to do one week, a couple of weekends or not at all – you only have a 7 day allowance.

§  Only one direct heat pass but try not to use it at all!

§  Protective styles means your ends must be hidden, so half up/half down ‘dos don’t count!

§  Must deep condition your hair at least two times per month.

§  You are not excluded from using fake hair – wigs, weaves, extensions, crochet braids, etc.

Yeah…that seems a bit daunting, but I’m confident in myself, so I know I will succeed. My game plan is to work with a lot of sew-ins and buns. I know for a fact that the sew in will take up a big chunk of the time, since I know I can keep them in for up to six weeks at a time. I’ll start out with those since my hair will be easier to blend as opposed to later on in my stretch when jungle new growth comes back. So, before I start rambling, I’ll post my progress pics and get this show on the road. Wish me the best!!

New Year, New Challenge

So, for the New Year I thought I'd do something exciting to get my hair journey started on the right foot. I stumbled across a hair challenge posted by Eboni on Longing for Length called the Protective Styling Challenge, and I just had to get in on it. After all, one of my goals for this year is to thicken up my hair while making it to BSL, so I feel this challenge will be perfect for me. Also, since I'll have to do continuous checkups with her blog, I know it will help to keep me on track and give me the push that I might not otherwise have. This will be the first time that I'm doing anything like this for such a long period of time (the Challenge runs from January 7 to April 15th) so it's a little daunting for me, but I'm confident that I'll be able to get through it. Part of the challenge will include me doing monthly updates, which I’m guessing will have to include pictures, so I’m a little happy for that. Before I begin the challenge, I’m going to flat iron my hair for an official length check, and after that, I only have ONE heat pass until the challenge ends…gasp! Like I said, I know it’s going to be really difficult, but 2013 is the year for stepping up, taking risks, and going where hair has never gone before!!! *ahem* But hopefully, this entire process yields some great results because Lord knows….things are going to get very hairy. Pun intended. I’ll be submitting my official entry on Sunday the 6^th, and from there on in, I’ll be in the game. Wish me blessings!!

Happy Hair Days!!!

SPOTLIGHT THURSDAYS!!!

This was the first non Aphogee product that I bought for my hair when I started my HHJ, and I’ve consistently bought bottle after bottle of it since. It's small....It's in a purple bottle........It's a leave-in conditioner!!! IT'S.......AUSSIE HAIR INSURANCE!!! *fireworks, marching band, etc.* Ahem, well let's begin. 

Ingredients:

Water, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice (Australian aloe), Silk extract, Panax ginseng root extract, Amodimethicone, Cetrimonium  chloride, Tridecth-12, Polyquarternium-11, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, PPG-2 methyl ether, DMDM hydantoin, Frgrance, Disodium edta, Polysorbate 80, Aminomethyl propanol, Citric acid

Directions:

Spritz onto clean, damp hair and work throughout. Don’t rinse. Do get chic in a snap (Haha Aussie! I love products with a sense of humor.)

First Five Overview:

**This is a new section where I just go over the first five ingredients listed in the product, and give a brief idea of what each one does for your hair.

Ingredient	Purpose
Water	Moisturizing
Aloe Juice	Rich in minerals and vitamins. Moisturizes hair/soothes scalp
Silk Extract	Brings shine to hair
Panax Ginseng Root Extract	Strengthens the hair
Amodimethicone	Protects against heat damage/protective barrier over cuticle

MY OPINION

This product comes in a spritz bottle, and is in liquid form. When sprayed on the skin, it tend to leave a slightly sticky feeling; however, that is not felt on the hair. I always get product all over myself though, so that is a bit annoying for me. For smell, I’d have to say it smells slightly sweet, but not overpoweringly so. It does give me something nice to sniff throughout the day. In terms of application, my hair is extremely porous, so it takes up moisture rather quickly and this product is no different. I usually only use about 7 spritzes of the product for my entire head and then work it through with my fingers. In about 10-20 seconds it’s absorbed, and my hair feels SUPER SOFT! I honestly sometimes feel like whipping my hair and carding my fingers through it while staring alluringly into the camera like those women in the commercials….but then I crash back down to reality and settle for a simple hair toss and call it a day. Lol. It tends to keep my hair feeling nice throughout the day and I usually just do the formality of applying it at night because I’m a creature of habit.  The only claim that this product makes is that it will protect “not-so-healthy hair…” and in my opinion, that’s exactly what it does. The one complaint that I have (and this really has nothing to do with the product itself) is that it is near impossible to find when I need it the most. My Kmart (the only real store we have for this sort of stuff) is always out of stock, so I’m left high and dry (literally!) a lot of the times. Kmart people, get on that.

Anyways, I really love this product and it is one of my staples now and I think forever! It definitely gets the Reese seal of approval! Total score: 5 out of 5 stars

HAPPY HAIR DAYS!

UNBEWEAVABLE??

One of these pictures is a weave….the other is not. Can you guess which is which?? Leave your answer in the comments below and I’ll reveal the truth tomorrow after Spotlight Thursdays.

Happy Hair d