Hair Diary || Loose Twists Undone + New Products?

It feels like a long time since I've posted in this series.  Well, here we go:

I wore my loose twists on flat-ironed hair for three weeks, and that was initially fun. I primarily did braid-outs (I love texture) on the loose twists and did a range of styles from pinned updos to buns.  After the the three weeks (which was perfect timing because I was tired of the hairstyle at that point), I switched to my usual twists for the month.  Lately, I've been itching to hide my hair under some braid/twist extensions.  We'll see if that itch needs to be scratched come February ...

Other than that, my PJ-ism (product junkism) came back momentarily due to product sales and coupons.  Stay tuned for future product reviews ...

And now for more hair pics!

Day 1 of loose twists on flat-ironed hair.  You can barely see them.

Day 1 of loose twists on flat-ironed hair.  You can barely see them.

Week #2.  Braid-out on loose twists.  The separate sections you see are actually loose twists. 

Going "red" for the day (via temporary red hair spray).  Deja vu from a few years ago?

Detangled (with fingers) and conditioning.

From roller set to twisting, and on the same day!  I didn't let the set dry all the way because of time, but again, it did a WAY better job than my other air drying + stretching techniques.  In the pic, my hair is about 70-80% dry.

Okay, I can explain.  My current Lemon Desert Essence is becoming more of a "warm" weather shampoo, so I bought this Coconut Desert Essence to be using during the cold season.

The Brazilian Keratin Conditioner was the only reasonable protein conditioner I could find while on vacation.  (I didn't pack my conditioners with me.)  I actually like it though!

The ApHogee was bought prior to all of these (and also happened to be the one I left at home while on vacay).  It is my go-to when I need a slightly stronger protein fix than ORS.

And, lastly, the avocado oil is for moisturizing my face at night.  I like it so much that I added a bit to my shea butter mixture.

Stay tuned for the remaining four products I purchased, thanks to a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE deal ...

Mixology || My Multi-Oil Whipped Shea Butter for Winter

So with the winter being extra cold and drying (and with the luck of my last batch finishing), I decided to whip up a largely oil-based batch this time.  (I actually used to do this in the past but never with this many oils.)  Each oil has its purpose, and my hair is LOVING this concoction for the winter.  It is just what I need!

Ingredients:
½ cup shea butter
2 tbsp coconut oil (penetrates and protects the strands against combing/styling breakage)
2 tbsp olive oil (moisturizing; possibly penetrates the strands)
2 tbsp avocado oil (moisturizing; possibly penetrates the strands)
1 tbsp grapeseed oil (to protect against moisture loss; sealing oil)
1 tbsp castor oil (primarily for sheen and sealing)
few drops of jasmine essential oil (optional, for fragrance)

Instructions:
Break the shea butter into small pieces and place in a bowl.  Using a hand mixer, whip the shea butter until fluffy and the chunks are gone.  (If your shea butter is too hard, melt it only slightly to soften it a bit.)  Add in the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly with the hand mixer.  Finito! 

Hair Diary || Mini Twist Takedown AND Future Style

(Summer 2013) Loose twists on straightened hair.

After a little more than three weeks in mini twists (see previous post), I spent almost a week in the resulting twist-out before commencing to finger detangle.  I have to say that this is the EASIEST mini twist experience I have ever had, and I can only speculate why.

• For one, I only kept them in for three weeks and a few days.  In the past, I would wear them from 4-6 weeks.
• For two, I was big on deep protein conditioning (Aphogee 2-Minute) and lubricating my hair while in the twists.  In the past, I would just use my rinse-out conditioner and not as much lubricating.
• For three, I did slightly "stronger" twists (read this post to see what I mean) AND twisted (loosely though) all the way down to my ends.  In the past, my mini twists have been weaker and not twisted all the way down to the ends.

So I think those few things made my wear of mini twists easier this time.  The take-down (for a twist-out) was not bad at all and barely took a couple of hours.  The finger detangling did take time (I spread it across three days while catching up on "Dracula" and "Scandal") but was not all that difficult.  (I remember wearing mini twists for 6 weeks one time and having the most PAINFUL takedown AND finger detangling session ever ... so much so that I wanted to give up and just cut all my hair off.  I almost cried y'all.  However, that was not my experience this time.)  I soaked my hair in a mixture of coconut oil, olive oil, and shea butter beforehand.  I also took my sweet time so as to not rip through my hair.

I plan to wear my hair in plaits for a couple of days before washing and re-twisting.  I think I want to do loose twists on flat-ironed hair (again) for my next set.

'Til next time (and with more pics).

Hair Diary || Craving Mini Twists

So I've been really craving mini twists (which I have not worn for ages). Yesterday, I gathered up the energy to do them while catching up on "Scandal" and some youtube videos. The twisting session was actually kind of fun and therapeutic ... but when I finished the mini twists, I asked myself, "What have I gotten myself into?".   The un-twisting session (weeks from now) is going to be a beast, but hey.

Now for more hair pics:

After un-twisting my last set of twists and then finger separating/detangling.

After un-twisting my last set of twists and then finger separating/detangling.

After washing and air drying in a roller set.  I then did a quick chunky braid-out to get this look.

Starting the mini twists.  (As you can tell, they were getting slightly bigger and bigger.  I guess I got scared about having them too small.)

All done!

Hair Diary and Some || My Full Updated Hair + Body Care Regimens

Snapshot of the hair care changes (with links to "why"):
Finger detangle - no more comb detangling
Rollerset to airdry - no more big braids to airdry
Wash weekly - no more biweekly thru monthly
Incorporation of regular light protein deep conditioning (ORS Replenishing Conditioner)
3 weeks in twists + 1 week in resulting twist-out - no more ~4 weeks twists back to back

Official as of 10/2013:

HAIR (Stats: Natural, Type 4abcxyz, Mix of Medium (mostly) and Fine Strands, Normal/Low Porosity, Medium/High Density)

CURRENT REGIMEN:

Weekly: Prepoo with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for >8hrs then wash with Desert Essence Lemon Tea Tree Shampoo diluted with water.  Condition with ORS Replenishing Conditioner for 45 minutes, when needed.  After rinsing, seal with my LATEST Shea Butter Mixture (recipe here).

~3 weeks: Undo my twists and finger separate thoroughly.  Prepoo overnight then wash as usual.  Coat each section with Tresemme Naturals (the old formula) OR my Avocado Detangling Mix (recipe here) and finger detangle.  Rinse then deep condition using ORS Replenishing Conditioner.  Rinse then airdry (70-90% of the way) in 12 jumbo rollers. Style my hair in twists.  For my twist routine, check this label.  

PREVIOUS REGIMEN (pre-2013, got me far in my journey):

Weekly/Biweekly: Prepoo with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for >8hrs then wash with Desert Essence Lemon Tea Tree Shampoo diluted with water.  Condition with Suave Naturals Conditioner for 15 minutes.  After rinsing, seal with my Shea Butter Mixture (recipe here).

~4 weeks: Prepoo and wash as usual.  Then deep condition using Suave mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil or my Avocado Detangling Mix (recipe here).  Comb detangle on damp, conditioner-soaked hair.  Rinse then airdry (80-90% of the way) in 8 braids. Style my hair in twists.  For my twist routine, check this label.  (If my hair has been flat-ironed, I detangle on dry, lubricated hair prior to washing.)

BODY (Stats: family history of diabetes, stroke, etc.):

Supplements: I take One-A-Day Women's multivitamin daily.

Food: I eat a balanced diet consisting of mainly organic or natural ingredients.  I also largely eat whole wheat instead of whites and chicken/fish instead of red meat.  I aim to have each meal consist of 50% fruits/vegetables or more. I rarely eat fast food, junk food, fried foods, and canned foods.

Beverages: I mainly drink water, almond milk, and organic cranberry juice.  I refrain from 'fake' juice cocktails, sodas, and coffee.  Every other day, I drink a homemade smoothie (see my smoothie recipes here.)

Exercise: I work out (high intensity, 10-30 minutes) 3-4x a week.

Hair Diary || New Twists + Length Boredom

Apparently, I was too "rush rush" in doing these new set of twists, so they are aging fairly quickly ... faster than they usually do.  However, I'm sticking to them for the full three weeks and will have to manage.

In other news, I'm having "length boredom" at the moment.  My hair is in a shrunken state (whether 80% shrunken or 40% shrunken) almost 24-7, and for the most part I don't mind it ... I like the ability to switch up my "length" and style via shrinkage.  However, once in a while, I go through this phase where I want to wear my true length.  In the past couple of years, that usually meant flat ironing.  I'm contemplating doing that next month ... but the maintenance of keeping my hair straight while I exercise 3x a week will be a challenge ... and twists are just so much easier.  We'll see what next month brings.

In the meantime, here are some more pics!

After my last set of twists, I wore a twist-out for a few days.
This photo is the result of finger separating/detangling the twist-out.
Since I was too tired to wash, I wore this for another day or two.

Rollerset to stretch my hair for the next set of twists.  (This was done after a wash and deep condition.)
Within minutes, my hair reverts to more of a blow-out, but that is fine by me.

I initially wanted to do flat-twists into a twist-hawk, hence what you see here.
However, I decided that I didn't really want to commit to the look for 3 weeks.
The back was left this way and I did regular two-strands for the rest of my hair.

Stretched for twisting.  I *heart* roller setting.

Finito!

My Monthly Goals Journal || New Series - October 2013

GOALS UPDATE:
- completed reading of "Half of a Yellow Sun"  (great book, by the way)
- successfully kept away from my business for one month
- regular sleep schedule - fail
- toned stomach - success
- fast food - failed three times, lol
Also, I no longer plan to make this a series since I have no monthly goals at moment (yearly goals, weekly goals, but no monthly at the moment).

__________________________
So I decided to start this series so that I can 1) break up my bigger goals into smaller ones and 2) hold myself accountable to meeting them via this public documentation.  This is reminiscent of the 3in6 challenges I used to do, except it is not strictly about hair ... it is about life.  So, here is my first entry ...

OCTOBER 2013 GOALS:

• retain close to 100% of my length for the month (continue protein + long-term twists + fingers only)
• no fast food whatsoever (I've been slipping lately, y'all ... it's just so convenient, but my mood afterwards pays for it)
• get to bed by 11pm (12am at the absolute latest ... this is going to be a challenge)
• develop a regular sleeping schedule
• tone my stomach (I think I see a small gut developing)
• finish reading "Half of a Yellow Sun" (I've been putting that off for too long)
• take a one-month break from my business

I'll be back in November to see how far I've come ...

Hair Diary || More Highlights + Finalizing My Adjusted Regimen

So, I think I've mentioned this before, but I was a color freak during my relaxed days.  (And being a color freak during that time usually damaged my hair until I switched over to doing highlights as opposed to full-on dyeing.)

Fast forward to now ... the color freak is back.  She first emerged in late 2010 with the red highlights.  Then she re-appeared this summer with the ombre effect.  Quickly bored with the ombre, which didn't take too well (it looks more pronounced in photos), I decided to do blonde highlights.  Unfortunately, after 50 minutes, the result was a mere copper, but it's growing on me.  I foresee more highlighting in the near future.

As for finalizing my regimen?  I'm currently experimenting with an adjusted protective style routine.  If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I spent the past few years wearing twists usually every 4 weeks back to back.  Now I'm toying with wearing twists for 3 weeks and an unseparated twist-out for 1 week.  This month is my second run in a row.

And now for more hair pics:

First day in new set of twists.  (Early September.)

Starting week #2.
Twists have shrunken and been washed (using the scalp method).

In the middle of week #2.
Prepping for highlights by undo-ing a few twists near my part.

Highlighted sections are covered with foil to separate from the rest of my hair.

Copper color after 50 minutes.  (Was going for blonde, but hey.
Maximum allowed time on the box was 45 minutes.  I didn't want to go too much over.)

The color I used: "7G, Lightest Blonde".  
I'm toying with using a bleach kit (more effective) in the future but I'm still researching the adverse effects of that.  Clairol Textures & Tones is actually one of the safest dyes when it comes to natural hair. 

My strand test turned blonde.  However, I looked at it after a couple of hours.  I'm not quite sure at exactly what point in time (definitely after 50 minutes though) that it turned this color.

Highlighted sections are twisted back up to blend in with the rest of my twists.

Highlighted sections are twisted back up to blend in with the rest of my twists.

Hair Diary || Updated Washing Frequency with New Exercise Routine

So for the past few months I have been working out more regularly than I usually do - at least 3x a week.  (Check out this previous post for details.)  That being said, I have come to terms with the reality that I have to up my washing frequency.  Previously I could go as much as two to four weeks between washes, but now?  Now, I'm going weekly at the maximum.  I just cannot deal with the idea of having a sweaty, bacteria-laden scalp for much longer than that.  I'm also not a fan of the witch hazel routine (though I kind of used to be) to keep washing at bay.

Anyway, with this new washing frequency, I cannot keep my twists in for longer than three weeks (or they'll lock up on me), but that's honestly okay and has worked out fine thus far.  (I wore twists for about two to four weeks -- usually four -- with my previous regimen.)

And now for more hair pics:

After washing twists. (8 days later.) Edges re-done after wash. 

Wrapping up week #2. (13 days later.)

Wrapping up week #2. (13 days later.)

Twist-out after about 3 weeks in twists.  (Worn for a few days.)

Finger detangled, washed, conditioned, sealed, and stretched (via rollers).  
Worn like this for a day or so, then re-twisted.

Re-twisting. Bigger sections.

My Top 4 Favorite Hair and Body Oils!

Coconut oil.
I use it to pre-poo and in my shea butter mix.  It helps to protect my hair against damage and dryness from washing.  It also helps to minimize breakage (during manipulation).

Safflower oil.
Very inexpensive yet effective.  I use it in my shea butter mix and on my elbows and knees.  I also use it to moisturize my face at night before bed.  It helps to keep my skin and hair smooth.

Olive oil.
I use this in my shea butter mix and have used it mixed with conditioners.  It enhances the moisturizing/sealing properties of the mixture.  I also love this oil for cooking since it is a healthier option than many other oils.

Grapeseed oil.
I use this in my shea butter mix and on my face (at night) during the winter.  It protects against moisture loss.

Hair Diary || Incorporating a Protein Conditioner Into My Regimen

Time for a wash!

So a few "Hair Diary" entries ago, I talked about adjusting my regimen so that I can reach hip-length by late 2014.  In this same entry, I also discussed an experiment with a new detangling method.  (Here is that entry for those who missed it.)  So what is the update on that?  So far, so good.

Other than tweaking my detangling method, I also need to incorporate protein deep conditioning to help with length retention.  Why?  The ends of my hair are the oldest and thus most worn and susceptible to breakage.  During my first five years as a natural, I rarely (probably less than a handful of times) used protein conditioners, but that might have to change if I want to reach hip-length.  So that being said, I have been using ORS Replenishing Conditioner after the past few washes.  (This is separate from my detangling conditioner - Suave/Tresemme.)  I will report back with an update on that in the near future.

And now for some more hair pics:

Pre-shampoo treatment on the go.  Coconut-oil drenched hair in jumbo flat twists.

Mandatory shrinkage comparison.  (LEFT) Mostly shrunken wet hair.  My hair shrinks more than this once dry. (RIGHT) Stretching that same section of hair.

All done twisting.  I do not usually twist on wet hair, but I was on the go.
Planning to keep this in for 3-4 weeks.

Attempted back shot of the twist bun.

A new staple in my regimen.