My First Challenge

My first hair care challenge officially begans tommorrow. Im very excited about it too. I wonder if I can really hide my hair until Feb. Since I found this new protective style and got my dryer for roller sets I really havent used my chi except for my roots because they get really wavy im trying this texlaxed thing out and I think thats going to go pretty well. I also think that the S-Curl and the co-washes should help with my next 12-13 week stretch. I did a Co wah last night and my roots were really soft afterwards. Im also starting to notic that my hair is really curly with the Water Based Moisterizer. I hope I can reach my 2 inch goal by Valentines day! that'll put my at 5 inches (maybe) in 5 months!

The Miseducation of Hair

If you tell an African American that oil and grease doesnt moisterize the hair, be ready for a fight!!! I myself also thought this for my entire life. Whenever I would want to not make my hair seem as dry I would put oil ALL over my hair. Little did I know that the oil molecules are too large to penetrate the hair shaft, so all I was getting was the sheen from the oil and not and moister which is why after doing this my hair would still break at the ends. Even after reading it from Cathy Howse I still had to have that claim backed and broken down by sistaslick to really understand the way to truely moisterize, which is with water based moisterzers such as S-Curl spray or NTM silk leave in, and then you have to seal that moister in with a oil. When you think about it water is natures moisterizer, and it makes perfect sense that this is the way to hydrate hair to keep it from becoming dry and snapping off. Im not saying to avoid using oils all together, you should just use water based moisterizers not oil based! The NTM does have 3 different types of oils in them, but again its base is water! Like i said its a misunderstanding that can easily be fixed. Oils should still be used to stimulate the scalp but you dont want to block your scalp by coating it with grease, because it does still need to breath, massage light oils into your scalp and call it a day. The whole point is to seal in the moister, and to avoid products with mineral oil, lanolin, and petroleum. As these are the fillers or culprits that are blocking the shaft. Water isnt the enemy! I was also taught to believe that you could wash your hair too much and make your relaxer go away or wash it out. Another myth! You dont have to nessecarily shampoo your hair everytime you but water to it. Somtimes you can just use the water to rinse debris or a little build up from your hair. Conditioner washes also help add a little moister to the hair as well. Save the heavy greases to base or protect your scalp from that harsh relaxer! Which is a whole other topic! Mo' Hair!

Our Great Love Affair

I have been estatic beyond words these past few days about my hair!!! I've learned ALOT of valuable information over the past month and a half!!! I even found a way to wear a breakfree protective style WITH my baggy while in public its not tight and it doesnt pull!!! and it is SUPER CUTE!! it kinda looks like a bun held together with a clip instead of a rubberband... that little ponytail bun wrecked major havoc on my hair!!! and ive learned that i not only need to protect it from drying fabrics but also these frigid temps!

I love my hair again! I really do love her!!! She has made a healthly come-back on these boys!!! I've literally gotten this hair regimen down to a science thanks to this little website I found by Sistaslick one of the hair boards, much thanks goes out to her and everyone else, but she took everything I had learned, and broke it ALL the way down and made a understandble way for me to create a regimen and more importantly LISTEN to what my hair wants... I've been listening because she was screaming at me for moister... So ive changed my regimen and products completely...

I now...
Wash every 3 days with NTM CREAM LATHER, with 2 of those days being DC days alternating between Protein (MOTIONS SILK PROTEIN or CPR) and Moister, right now im using (COLORGEN THERAPY MASQUE) which did work incredibly well after 45 minutes under the dryer on medium, but i want to switch to something else that requires that same amount of instructed time, which may just be (NTM DEEP RECOVERY HAIR MASK) but the directions only say to leave it in for 3 to 5 minutes, but its getting raved reviews on Diaspora and elsewhere so I'll have to give it a try.

Im going to cut out the protien though for about 3 or 4 washes though because my hair didnt have enough moister in it and was able to be snapped intsed of stretched... I did an elastity test to prove it! I still use my baggy and BT on my scalp everynight but I've changed what goes onto my ends, which is now done twice a day, all day at work when I baggy I use a water based moisterizer & oil (NTM SILK TOUCH LEAVE-IN CREAM & OLIVE OIL) in my baggy and before bed, the same thing to keep those precious ends hydrated and to retain length. I washed last night and after dome drying, moisterizing, bunning and baggying, this morning there was no frizz, and looked cute in my protective 'do because of the thickness.

So as far as styling I rollerset or do my protective 'do! very simple and no manipulation!
Now i know me.. i know that washing twice a week ant always happen and i may not rollerset for weeks on end but this a regimen not a schedule!

This has been very fun figuring out a regimen that could work for me, and my attitude is alot better because of it im happy and so is she!!!