Hair...I love you!

I'm so happy with my hair right now. It's growing so well. And the moisture couldn't be better. It has lots of body, and it smells like a dream. I can't believe the luck that I'm having with my hair these days. I can't wait until June comes. I'm hoping to be APL by then. I'm trying hard to resist relaxing until that month. That way my growth can be a bit of a surprise. Even now, my hair is touching the the tops of my armpits. That's exciting to me.

I'm going to hold off on washing my hair until tomorrow. I'm not all that well today. And it's getting close to bed time. I don't want to sleep with wet hair. I'll just moisturize tonight really well. That way I can overcompensate. LOL. My hair will still love me.

Another thing...I love my new accessories. They made my mother stop complaining about my hair. The bun cage is my favorite because I don't even have to comb my hair to use it. I just ball it but, stick it in, and voila! I'm ready for the day. It's amazing. I will be rocking it tomorrow.

That's all for now. Just had to get my happy out. LOL. HHG!

New Purchases

So today, I stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home from school. And I was just in to get a few things. But I went I a little overboard. Nonetheless, I was happy with everything I managed to pick up.In this shot we have a lot of things going on. LOL. The new comb I had seen on another blog post. I liked the design, so I decided to give it a try. The three clips in the middle (hard to see, sorry) are brown, black, and white. They have a pretty scroll design. I normally wouldn't buy these, but the edges are smooth. And the shape is good because it goes with the curve of the head. To the right is a bun cage. I am going to file the prongs down on the inside just to make sure it doesn't damage my hair. To the right of that are three headbands (navy, grey, and black). Since I'm going to do another long stretch, I thought I had better have them to keep the new growth down in the front. Lastly, at the bottom are these bow shaped claws that open from the side. They are good for just a simple updo without all the hard work. They are black and brown.

That's not all tho....I decided to get satin rollers. I wanted to dry doing some different things with my hair. I love curls, but I refuse to use a curling iron. So I got the multi packof 42 and another pack of 12 I believe. That way I will have all the versitility. I would suggest every girl go out and get some. They look fabulous. I can't wait to curl my hair. And alos, I picked up small bottle of Biotin. I thought I would give this a try since I can never find the HSN vitamins there. LOL. But these are supposed to work just as well. We'll see. There are 150 pills in this bottle. And they can be taken up to 5 times a day...I won't be taking them like that though.

That's about it ladies. I'll let you know how it goes.

Ready for the Long Haul

I must be over joyed right now. I'm so satisfied with my moisture mix, I'm thinking about doing a really long stretch. I know that the last stretch I did was pure Haties, but this time I'm armed with the proper moisture to help soothe and ease the rough sea that is new growth. Honestly, my new growth has gotten a lot more tame since I started using the Wave Nouveau because it's formulated for such. But now I think I've got a real winner in vegetable glycerin. I feel like I can depend on it.

So how long am I talking? Well, my last relaxer was January 30th. And it's march 10th... I'm thinking that I can do another 2 or 3 months. I'm really wanting my hair to get as healthy and strong as possible. I'm trying to beef up on moisture and shine as well. So I don't want to have to do a relaxer unless it's absolutely necessary. Naturally, this is the time to start thinking since touch up time is not that far around the corner. But yeah. I want to do a stretch and then measure in August to see how far I've come in year.

Also, I'm ready to put down the scissors for a good long time. I did a really good dust the other day. And I know that I may have made a few mistakes. So I must overcompensate and try to retain as much length as possible since my ends are all healthy again. I will be doing a lot more deep conditioning too. So that should cut out out the dry. split ends.

That's all for now. I'm rambling. HHG! :)

Moisture Mix and New Purchases

Well ladies...I made my moisture mix. And I have to say that I am totally satisfied. I used the vegetable glycerin, rose water, coconut oil and some filtered water. I concentrated on the roots (especially that line of demarcation), and my ends. Then I followed with my Wave Nouveau. I sealed with my coconut oil. Then I proceeded to do a braid out.

When I got up this morning and took my braids down, I had the softest, shiniest waves. And my ends were so on point. I moisturized and sealed again because I usually do moisturize twice a day. And my hair just got better. The braid out stayed, but I had to pin my hair up because I was going out into the cold. But nonetheless, the mixture works.

I went to CVS to get the aloe vera juice and aloe vera gel. I got Fruit of the Earth aloe vera juice. It's organic which is awesome. It was 9.99 USD. And the aloe vera gel is the CVS brand. It's the one that's 100% aloe vera gel. And it contains no alcohol. It was 2.99 USD. I tried a little of the aloe vera gel on my edges. And it works like a charm. I also added the juice to my mixture. And I'll be trying that tonight. I'm sure I'll get more awesome results. :)

Package Arrival

I'm so excited. I'm a little surprised as well. My package from iHerb.com came in the mail today. I had no idea that it would get here so soon. I placed my order Thursday evening, and it came this morning. It's such a joy to get stuff in the mail. It's like it's Christmas or something. LOL.

I moisturized my hair and sealed with the new coconut oil that just came in the mail. And I was amazed. My ends and just all of my hair felt so soft. I have used some coconut oil in the past, but it was refined. I don't think that version is. Or at least, the new one I have is all natural. But yes...It was a nice change. It was so shiny and smooth. Awesomeness...yes!

At any rate, even though I don't have my aloe vera juice, I decided to get to mixing any how. I substituted with filtered water from the tap. I mixed a little glycerin and rose water together. And then I added the coconut oil. I put all together and just kinda sprayed the new growth surrounding the center part of my hair and the sides because they are getting a little fuzzy because of my new growth. I was so far from disappointed. I couldn't believe how nice it felt. I keep touching my hair. I'm such a dork. My point is that I think I've found the right balance of moisture for me. I still want the aloe vera juice just to make sure I'm getting some vitamins to the surface and roots of my hair. But this mix I have will work for me for right now just to hold the moisture. I love it.

I have the Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo and conditioner in my possession as well. I'm just as excited about these products. I'm especially excited about a shampoo with no sulfates. It's like this: TreSemme shampoo is good. But I'm wanting to take the more natural approach. As for the conditioner, I'm always looking for more moisture. I can't get enough of it.

Despite the rain, this is a great day for me. I should be going to CVS tomorrow to pick up the aloe vear juice. It's less than 15 dollars, so all should be well. :)

Aphogee Review/Today's Wash

Ok So now I know why so many ladies rave about this stuff. LOL. Since I used it about a two weeks ago, I've noticed a change in my hair. I don't seem to be shedding as much. And the overall feeling of my hair is softer. When I go to comb my hair up just a little, I don't see as many hairs in the comb. It'sgood stuff. I know that eventually, I will have to do a strong protein, but this worked out really well. I'm happy. :)

Now for the information about today's wash... Let's start at yesterday. Overnight, I let a mixture of VO5 and amla oil sit on my hair. I'm glad I did this because as I was rinsing, I realized that I was able to run my fingers through my hair. The new growth had laid down considerably. I was really happy about this.

I shampooed my hair. I didn't get as much lather, but I didn't mind that. I could tell that my scalp was clean, so that's when I stopped. Then I followed with a deep condition under my dryer. And when I rinsed that, I could feel how happy my hair and scalp were. It was nice.

I put in a leave-in and some frizz control. And from there, I let my hair air dry hanging down. It drie nice and soft. But something was bothering me. My ends looked a little ragged. So I had to dust them. I was disappointed because I didn't want to see my scissors for awhile. But now that it's done, I won't be doing anymore cutting for awhile. It was so painful. :(

I moisturized and sealed. Everything seems ok. My hair is really soft. I keep reaching up to smooth it. It smells nice as well. And it feels really light as well.

iHerb.com=My New Best Friend...LOL

I found a site today (iHerb.com) that was able to cater to my hair needs today. And I was so happy about it. So I ordered up those things that I had a hard time finding close to me. Here's what I got. And I'll be sure to make these into hyper links that will take you directly to the products.

Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisturizing Conditioner
Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo
Now Foods 100% Pure Coconut Oil
Now Foods Vegetable Glycerin
Home Health Rose Water

The only thing I didn't get was aloe vera juice and jojoba oil. I will get the aloe vera juice at Super Wal-Mart. And the jojoba oil will have to come some other time.

Speaking of Wal-Mart, I did pick up a few things. I got this heat protection spray made by Dove. It comes in an orange spray bottle. And I think it was about 4.00 USD. I also got my daughter some shampoo. It's Johnson's No More Tangles Shampoo+Conditioner for Curly Hair. I'm excited to be trying this on her hair. I think that since it's formulated specifically for curly hair and it is a children's hair care product, it should be extra gentle. Plus it's tear free. How could I lose? LOL

That's my spill for today. I'll be sure to keep everybody updated on my progress. HHG! :)

Moisture Mixture

After looking at the success that lots of ladies are having with the homemade moisture spritz, I've decided that it's time for me to give it a try. I had made one of my own a few months back. And it was working out well, but after awhile, it was as effective. My hair eats moisture all up. So I'm needing a more intensive moisture formulation.

I'm pretty sure about the ingredients that I want to use. I'm just a little confused on the amounts for each product that I want to use. But here's the list at any rate:

Vegetable glycerin (Wal Greens- $5.99)
Aloe vera juice (Wal-Mart- about $14)
Rosewater or Distilled water (still on the lookout for pricing, but inexpensive I'm sure)

Mind you, these are only the main ingredients. They are the most used among those ladies that make their own mixes. But I'm thinking that it wouldn't hurt to put my own spin on things. For instance, I would like to add some conditioner or oils to the mix. I may not have to depending...I'm not sure yet. But to say the least, I'm ready to try something new. wish me luck. :) HHG!

Hair Goals

Ok. I just had to do one more post before I logged off. And this one has to do with the ultimate goals for my hair.

Of course I want long, silky hair. But I want that long silky hair to be strong, shiny, protected from the elements, easy to manage, and healthy. Without the health of my hair being up to grade, I know that my goals will be out of reach like no other. So at this point I'm concentrating more on getting my hair nice and healthy rather than just trying to retain length.

I was thinking in terms of family genetics and whatnot. And I came to the conclusion that bra strap length would be more than achievable. The thing is, I would rather get it to my waist or longer if possible. And I don't want it to just be waist length or longer just in the shape of a V. I want my hair to be all one length all the way around. Maybe it seems impossible or something like a mistake. But that's what I want.

I've been using my growth serum off and on now. I love my Bee Mine Serum, but I've been a little lazy about putting it on and such. But I'm going to go straight back to it over spring break. I credit it to a lot of the growth I've achieved. And the oils in it are great for the hair and scalp. It promotes health and growth at the same time. That way even though I'm focused on strengthening my hair, it will still grow in healthy.

I know what there is a ticker on my page counting down to the time that I will be trimming my hair. Thing is as long as there is no damage and everything comes in nice and healthy, I won't be cutting a thing. I'm not even allowing a dusting until late April/early May. And I may not even do it then. I've been babying these ends with all my might. And I won't cut them away as long as they are healthy. They may not be even, but so what? The hair isn't naturally even anyway.

I've been watching a lot of the girls around my cut their hair into these hard to maintain styles. And I feel so blessed that I haven't crushed under the pressure. Even worse, these same girls that claim they do it to get their hair healthy go and dye the hair and get highlights and all. Then they use all this heat to keep the style looking good. And the result is short damaged hair. Next thing I know, they're wearing weave and wigs. And at that point, it's the best they can do for the hair because there is no manipulation. But look at all that damage and stuff that happens.

I'm sitting here in my satin scarf right now just happy to know that the little bit of torture that I'm going through will be well worth it in the years to come. I'll be able to overcompensate for the pain with a beautiful head of hair that most black women don't think is possible. But it is possible. We can take care of our hair natural or relaxed. I just encourage every woman to follow her hair dreams and don't give up. Keep on growing! LOL. HHG! :)

Denman Brush To Go

So, I finally picked up the brushes of all brushes. I like the design. It's very easy to clean. And the price for this brush is probably worth it. The thing is, I don't like this brush for myself at certain times. For instance, If I'm stretching, this is not the brush for me. It sorta brought out a few more strands of hair than I liked. But if I'm freshly relaxed, this is the brush for me. So, it's not a bad brush at all. There are just specific times when I will and won't use it. This is not the brush for me past freshly relaxed hair. That being two weeks or less since my hair is growing super fast right now. (I'll get to that point in just few...)

The true beneficiary of this brush has been my daughter. My little honey is three years old with virgin 3c/4a type hair. It works beautifully for detangling and styling. I don't have to use a bristle brush anymore because the Denman smooths and detangles all in one swoop. And a comb for her hair is strictly for parting now. Her hair is amazingly strong and all natural. So she has little to no shed and no line of demarcation where breakage can occur. So moms, if you have a daughter who is natural, I would definitely recommend this brush. It will cut down on styling time by about a quarter to half the time.

Now let's talk about my new growth! Wow y'all. My new growth is coming in really fast. I think it's because i've cut down on manipulation by about25%. I've been wearing my buns daily and moisturizing as usual. I've even cut out some cowashing. It's just that I'm busy with school and all. So all the steps, plus this freakishly hot and cold weather...I don't want to get sick. Back to the newgrowth though... It's not as crazy as it has been in the past. My moisturizer (Wave Nouveau) is doing great things for my hair. The new growth is shiny, pretty easy to manage, and not that big of a pain. As a matter of fact, if things go well, I will wait until week 10 before I relax again.

The issue that I'm having with my hair now is it's strength. It just seems a little weak to me. So I've been using the Aphogee Two Minute Reconstructor. And I can feel an improvement taking place. But I'm in the market for a good, hard protein. I could use the hard protein once every 8 weeks or so. And then I could use the Aphogee in betweent that time.

That's all for now I guess. I'll be back with more reviews by next week because I'll be on spring break then. HHG! :)