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

RELAXING TIME!!!!

Back View

Sorry for the delay in posts, first of all, but it’s about that time for University finals and I’ve been S to the WAMPED!! But, I’m back, and I’ll be trying to get back into the groove of posting. As you could probably tell (or not, curse you crappy camera!) from my previous post, I recently relaxed my hair! *cue fanfare and parade* Now, I know…I said I wouldn’t be doing it until December, but all that new growth meant for some serious tangling which led to breakage. No bueno. So, I swallowed my pride, and took the plunge. Remember, there’s no shame in ending a stretch early. LISTEN TO YOUR HAIR!!!Things went from semi manageable to plain out crazy very quickly for me, so I had about 3 days to prepare for my relaxer. Countdown!

T-minus 3 days to relaxer: Protein Treatment using Aphogee 2 minute keratin reconstructor and an egg

T-minus 2 days to relaxer: Detangle CAREFULLY using a wide tooth comb and a whole lot of patience.    

      

T-minus 1 day to relaxer: Base scalp with Vaseline and coat previously relaxed ends with a mixture of EVOO and coconut oil

RELAXER DAY

Front View

On the day of the relaxer itself, I coated my ends with oil again (sorry, I’m a little paranoid) before I started with the process. After cracking open my new Sprush, I recruited my mom to apply the chemical relaxer to my hair. I used the Organic Root Stimulator No-Lye Relaxer System and left it on my hair for about 10 minutes. I parted my hair into four sections, so it was a lot easier to move through the hair, and I made sure to do my nape and edges last since those are my most sensitive areas. Note: I did not wait for the “working burn” but rather, I stuck to the time limit instructed on the sheet. I rinsed my hair or the relaxer and applied the Motions Neutralizing Shampoo once before coming back in with Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor to bring back some protein to my hair. After 2 minutes, I rinsed that out and proceeded to neutralize about 3 more times (once again….I’m paranoid).I chose to let my hair air dry for about 20 minutes, and then proceeded to roller set my hair after applying my Aussie Hair insurance leave in and sealing with my oil. This process left my hair feeling soft and bouncy, and I absolutely couldn't resist doing a bit of swinging lol. Overall, I’m very content with the results of this process and I can definitely see some length added and the thickness of my hair seemed to improve as well. Nothing feels better than seeing your hard work pay off!

5 months difference

Happy Hair Days!!

ONE YEAR HAIR-IVERSARY!!!!

'Nuff Said! :)