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Its a fresh start for me 🙂

-Jazzie

Hair Journey Update: Box Braids, Length Checks, After Effects of Dyed Hair

So here’s a recap of my hair journey so far when it comes to styling….

Around July last year, I decided to go natural, transitioning. I hid my hair under half wigs. Skip to November I decided to big chop because I got tired of fighting two textures; relaxed and natural. December, I braided my hair into box braids, inspired by Janet Jackson…I was watching Poetic Justice. January, I made the decision to dye my hair using Carols dye, it was plum but I failed to really retain the color (I’m thinking about re-dyeing it next month). February, I finished braiding my hair into box braids. I’ve made the decision that box braids will now be my primary style since I can no longer successfully blend my hair into half wigs.

So this is my hair my hair when I was braiding it. It’s now fully braided. I did not take any photos of it finished because I didn’t think it mattered. I did want to show photos of it braided and out though because you could see my dyed hair color in the photo and the texture a lot better. These photos were taken 1/27/12.

How I have been dealing with my texture/Length Check….

Well the reason why I big chopped was because I got tired of dealing with two textures. Not only that but my hair wasn’t really cooperating with natural products. My relaxed hair reacted fine to everything but my natural hair is a DIVA, it doesn’t just take any old thing lol. So after I big chopped I dealt with my high porosity hair. I found the short term solution to it was moisturizing with conditioner…Jason natural conditioner. Then I found carols curling cream, combined with Pink Lusters Growth which helped keep my hair moisturized and soft but after I ran out of Pink Lusters Growth, I discovered that Carols curling cream by itself is horrible and it is prone to build up. So I went back to using conditioner as my moisturizer. Now at this moment I’m still using carols curl (only to stretch my products so I don’t go through them fast) to moisturize my hair but its mixed with conditioner and rosemary oil. Its working great for now but I JUST ordered some custom made moisturizer from a guru on FB, cost me $50. I WILL be doing a review on it with photos and I will use it on my hair while its braided and when its un-braided.

As for the length check, I have NEVER done one before. I felt like something was missing on this blog and I realized it was the essential LENGTH CHECK photos!! So from month to month I will be show length check photos and my progress.

After Effects of dying my hair..

After dying my hair I have not really been experiencing any dryness although while its braided my scalp has been feeling a little dry. I think that has to do with my slowing down on moisturizing  I have been getting a little lazy…I used to moisturize 2 times a day but now only one…but tonight I will put the time in. The only thing that I have been really facing after I dyed my hair is knots at the ends of my hair (like in the photo shown with the red circle). Before I dyed my hair I have never experienced that but now I am. Other than that my hair hasn’t been shedding as much. I also haven’t been using any brushing or combs in my hair (except when parting it for braiding). My texture has really been showing great and I love it.

So that’s my hair update for now :).

Thank you,

Jazzie

Hair Journey Update: I Dyed My Hair Using Textures & Tones…Carson Roots of Nature Products Suck!

So I have not updated on my hair journey since Dec. 16. Lets start with what I have been going through since then…

The first couple of days after taking my box braids out I was experiencing some dryness and rough hair from product build up. It turns out it wasn’t me it was the actual product that I was using as a moisturizer. I had been using softsheen carson roots of nature feathered curl whip cream to moisturize my hair and over time I began to notice how my hair looked and felt very dry the next day but when I spritzed it with water it felt dry. So I took it to the internet and try to find out what was going then I read some reviews on carsons products. Turns out I’m not the only ne having this experience in fact, a lot of women who use the product said over time their hair just doesn’t like the product anymore or the product causes build up…which is exactly what I’m going through. So I have the deep conditioner, 2 bottles of whipped cream curl, the shampoo and 2 bottles of moisturizer…none of them work on my hair properly. So as my moisturizer I had to switch back to using my conditioner “Jason Super Shine Apricot Conditioner” which is an organic product. Its the only conditioner that moisturizers my hair good and right now I’m completely out of it so I’m going to have to run to the store to get some more. This time I will get a different fragrance because the Apricot, no offense/don’t judge me, smells like breath.

So now my regimen is:

1. Spritzing my hair with water mixed with rosemary oil…A lot of women have told me that I should hold back on the rosemary oil but it works great on my hair, in fact it actually makes it easier to detangle my hair. Something abut rosemary oil penetrates my scalp like a hot shower opens up the pores.
2. After spritzing my hair I moisturize my hair with Jason Super Shine Apricot Conditioner then I put a shower cap n for 30 min to an hour to make sure the conditioner penetrates my hair.
3. After the time has passed I take off the shower cap and seal my hair with olive oil/rosemary mix. Olive oil works good on my hair…better than any other oil I have tried.

With this regimen I dyed my hair. I was sooo scared but I just went for it. I didn’t do any research except googling if you should wash your hair before dying which is a huge NO and if you do, wait one day after you have done so

The dye I used was Texture & Tones with the hair color 3rv Plum. Let me just say I failed. I had no clue how to put the color on my hair and I was scared to leave it on because I know dying your hair could cause dryness and breakage so I took it off after 20 minutes even though your suppose to wait 30 minutes if you are natural. So heres the result and as you can see theres not much of a difference. The color only shows when I’m in the light outside, it was dark out yesterday when I took these photos so I could not use natural light.

So the question for me is, Am I still natural even if I dyed my hair?

My answer: Fuck yeah am I!

I wear half wigs, I dyed my hair and I’m still natural, problem?

Last but not least here is my growth since now the big chop! So proud of myself.

-Jazzie

My Routine For Washing My Box Braids

Alrighty, so heres my routine for washing

The products I used for washing my hair:

-4 large clips or butterfly clamps ($1.99 from beauty supply store or bss)

– SOFT SHEEN CARSON ROOTS OF NATURAL REMEDIES shea butter green tea nurturing repair shampoo (cost $7.49 from bss)

– SOFT SHEEN CARSON ROOTS OF NATURAL REMEDIES shea butter green reconstructing deep treatment ($7+ from bss)

What I did for shampooing:

I started by braiding my braids into 4 separate sections then I used the clips to keep the ends from unraveling. Then I got in the shower and made sure that my hair was completely wet (I always take a complete shower whenever I wash my hair….force of habit).

After that I unraveled one section of my hair and went through each row of my braids in that section applying my shampoo and massaging my scalp…when you go to shampoo your hair, you may notice that it doesn’t bubble as much as would when your hair is out, that is completely fine. After I finished applying the shampoo I rinsed that section with water thoroughly then braided it back up and put the clip at the end. I did this to each section. Then after I was done I did a quick rinse to make sure all of the shampoo was out.

I  knew  my scalp was clean and clear from the shampoo because..well some water from my hair had gotten into my eye and it didn’t burn lol. But seriously when my hair is clean and clear of shampoo; I can see my scalp better when I part it, it feels lighter, my braids were tighter when I braided them into sections and sometimes theres a squeak of clean to it (might only be my hair).

What I did for conditioning:

As for conditioning, I used the deep treatment and I followed the directions on the bottle. I applied it to my hair the same way I did with shampooing. Section by section…then I let the deep treatment in my hair for a few minutes…while I waited on the deep treatment to kick in, I just took a shower. Then after I was done I rinsed it out section by sectioned and rebraided my hair back into for sections.

The green tea in the deep treatment REALLY penetrates the nostrils in a good way…this will definitely be my go to conditioner and shampoo.

Drying My Hair:

Ever since my whole high porosity dilemma I have not put any type of heat to my hair and I wont! So what I did was take my hair out of the four braided sections. Wrapped my hair in a towel and began to wring them out. I then re-braided my hair…I keep rebraiding it because it helped get the water out but try not to manipulate your hair as much as I did…you don’t want to put too much stress on your hair.

Afterwards I took out the braids again because they felt a little damp I had gotten most of the water out. I let them air dry a little then I moisturized my hair..I have other posts on how I moisturize…I put my satin bonnet on the ends of my braids as much. As I could, I put the bonnet on my head and wrapped a silk scarf around the rest of my hair and the bonnet (so the bonnet wouldn’t come off) and I went to sleep like that…with a towel on my pillow, just in case it got wet.

When I woke up my hair was still a little wet but not noticeably….when I went out and about my hair eventually dried on its own.

Recipe: Hair Stimulating Regrowth Conditioner

Ingredients:

3-4 drops of Rosemary essential oil

1 tsp of olive oil1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Blend all ingredients well in a bowl. Apply to hair. Leave in hair for 15 minutes. Then rinse. A shampoo maybe be needed after rinsing mixture from hair.

Natural Hair Inspiration!

When my hair ever grows this long and thick I am definitely rocking it like this.

The Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil is the perfect oil to use to restore and replenish dry hair. Olive oil will give your usually dull and drab hair a healthy dose of shine by making it moisturized and healthy. Olive oil can also help soften your hair, making it more pliable and it can help cure a dandruff problem.

• One of the best advantages of using olive oil for hair is that it helps in preventing as well as curing hair loss. Most people have hair loss because of the presence of a hormone called DTH which causes the hair follicle shaft to decrease. Applying olive oil to hair prevents the production of DTH hormones on the scalp, thus getting rid of the problem of hair loss.
• The presence of antioxidants in olive oil makes it an appropriate hair oil that promotes overall scalp health. The hair damage caused due to excessive use of chemical based hair products can be treated with the help of olive oil, thus giving room for growth of healthy hair.
• Apart from the fact that olive oil is an effective treatment for hair loss, it also acts as a natural conditioner for hair. In other words, applying olive oil on hair makes it shiny and soft.
• The antifungal and antibacterial properties of olive oil is a great way to get rid of problems like dandruff and head lice. Moreover, massaging your hair with a mixture of olive oil and lavender oil is very relaxing and acts as a great stress buster.

How to use olive oil in your regimen:

*As a pre-poo: Apply olive oil to dry or damp hair > cover with a plastic cap> leave on for 15 to 30mins or overnight >follow with your wash day regimen

*As a hot oil treatment/oil rinse: Warm olive oil in a double boiler >apply to hair after you have shampoo’d or co-washed >cover with a plastic cap and leave on for 30mins >rinse with warm water >and follow with the rest of your regimen*

*As a sealer: After applying your water-based moisturizer, apply a little olive oil to the length of your strands and pay special attention to your ends

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Olive oil can also be used in your skin care regimen. If you follow the oil cleansing method, where you apply oil to your face as your cleanser. Olive oil is a great option because it is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K. These antioxidants help diminish dark spots and heal scars.

Credit to:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/texture-me-natural/benefits-of-olive-oil/433962536656359

 

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/olive-oil-for-hair-growth.html

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/87040-benefits-olive-oil-hair/#ixzz243PXus32

Hair Journey: Big Chop Progress

My big chop progress has been going great. Right now I am in the progress of doing my hair in box braids. I started this natural journey back in June and now I  am in the big chop stage. So far I have completed my goal of finding a usual moisturizer (Lusters Pink GrowComplex), shampoo (SoftSheen Carson) and deep treatment/conditioner (Softsheen Carson Shea Butter Green Tea Reconstructing Deep Treatment).  As my protein treatment I will just be using cream peanut butter…yes the type that you make  sandwich with…its cheap and easy to put on.

I have received my hairfinity pills and I start taking them today. I know some people are against that but its my choice and your problem. So far without pills my hair seems as though it has grown. But since I am putting my hair in box braids then I won’t see the progress until I have taken them out which is why I am posting my progress now instead of Dec. 11.

So just a quick zip through my pictures. My first photo is the big chop, I started off with dry hair along with uneven and still some relaxed hair attached. My second photo I trimmed all the relaxed hair and had just moisturized my hair with conditioner and African pride moisturizer (that moisturizer sucks!) and combed it out. In my 3^rd photo I had just finished spritzing my hair with water and combed it out with my wide tooth comb.

So that’s my journey so far! Thanks for reading!

-Jazzie

Natural Hair Tip 101

The conditioner you select is perhaps the single most important element in your regimen. We demand a lot from our hair, and conditioner products are what make (or break) a healthy hair care regimen. Conditioners restore moisture lost to the shampooing process and improve the hair’s manageability. Because they are meant to adhere to the hair’s cuticle and produce long-lasting effects that remain after rinsing, conditioners play the most critical role in maintaining the hair’s protein /moisture balance. Conditioners are important because they are specifically formulated to help us achieve one of the two healthy hair characteristics: strength or softness. Although conditioners are usually formulated to both strengthen and soften the hair, they almost always tend to be better at one than the other.” ~Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, The Science of Black Hair. p.83,84

Hair Journey: Moisture Success?

I do not want to get my hopes up but I think i have succeed in retaining moisture in my hair!

I realized this when I  woke up 3 days ago..felt my hair and it was still..moist and soft!

What did I do? Changed around my moisturizers. I got rid of the African Pride moisturizer I was using. It was too thin and too light…I think it was actually drying my hair more because there wasn’t enough. Instead of using the African Pride I replaced it with some Jason Organic Conditioner that I got from the local store here…it helped retain moisture but only for a few hours…which was progress from my hair drying in less than an hour. So I’m putting that conditioner to rest…I never liked the smell of it and it didn’t do much for my hair when I actually shampooed and conditioned it.

So what am I using now?  Well I had to dig deep because I was getting a little fed up with feeling like I’m almost there but not quiet. So I remembered when I was younger and I used to get my hair braided a lot…there was this Product from “Pink” that I used to use..that helped with repairing damaged, dry hair and it made my hair extremely soft…its called  GroComplex 3000® Hairdress.

So I just so happen to think of it again when I was at my BSW (Beauty Supply Warehouse) and by chance they had it! So I bought it…and then on my way out I just happened to turn my head and there it was! Sheabutter! My hands were already full from grabbing the Pink cream that I wanted so the only thing that I obtained from Sheabutter was  the shampoo and curl cream (because I love playing with my curls).

As soon as I got home I got to moisturizing my hair and let me tell I could feel the change! I put the cream in my hair from Pink then an hour later I strand tested the Sheabutter curl cream and it works great but it says on the bottle that you need the spray to revive the curl so I wont be using it much. But any who that Luster’s Pink cream worked wonders on my hair.

As for the Shea shampoo I’m a little iffy about using shampoo in general because I dont want to completely clean and remove all of the moisture from my hair. But my hair does need to be washed because I have not washed in over 7 days since I have been trying to retain moisture and shampooing would be a HUGE contradiction.

So today before I go home after work, I’m going to stop by BSW and finish purchasing the rest of the Sheabutter products link conditioner…if they have a moisturizers I’ll try it…whatever appeals to me lol. When I get home I plan on shampooing my hair and conditioning my hair..letting it air dry and moisturizing/sealing to see if it truly is the Lusters Pink cream working or it is just the after effects of the conditioner i have been using then the effect of putting a moisturizer on top of that. Also to see if it is still moist the next day like it has been.

I’m so proud of myself I’m actually getting somewhere with this and my hair actually looks like its growing…I can’t wait to take some new pics and compare them to the old. I wont be taking any until Dec. 11 to make it fair from the last time I took photos.

-Jazzie