It's been a minute

It's been a minute since I've posted. I've been a little preoccupied lately. Other things on my mind, but never the less I'm still growing my relaxer out! I now know WHY my momma gave me a perm at a young age! My hair is SOOOOO thick and the curls are very tight. I mean, when my hair is wet now, it totally swells up (like that swifter mop commercial) and very hard to comb trough! So with that said, I'm praying for a healthy baby, but hoping for a boy. WHEW!

I've been getting my hair pressed every 2-3 weeks depending on what I have going on. My beautician complains about the thickness of my hair, but compliments me on how healthy it has been since saying NO to the relaxer.
I haven't purchased any new products lately but here are a few that are on my list:

Denman Volumizing Brush - I need a better brush to use when I try to blow my hair straight myself. My ionic blowdryer comes with a comb option but it's not a very good one.

Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditiner - I hear this is great for detangling your hair, but not so good on moisture. I'm going to keep researching this and other leave ins. Let me know if you have one you like.

Well comb? - This is something that my BFF Kristen told me about. I'm still trying to find the correct spelling so that I can research it, but she said she uses it when she flat irons her hair and it makes it very smooth and less frizzy. I'm assuming its some type of setting/styling lotion. I will get back to you on that one.

Well, that's all I know. Keep reading, I'll try to post monthly!
TTFN!

My hair is doing well!

I'm so excited to report that my hair is doing well!!!! I have minimal breakage and shedding!!!! I got to give it up to my weekly deep conditioners and saying NO to the flat iron!!! LOL

Here's a pic of my hair from a this past Saturday. I got it pressed last Thursday and it has held up so nicely!




This is me and my friend Melanie. It was her baby shower. I look really greasy in this picture, but that's because I was working my booty off at the shower running around being hostess! :-)


I took my own products to the salon last Thursday. I felt kind of bad doing that, but I wanted to see how well these Fusion products would work if my beautician did my hair. I was very pleased with the softness and body of my hair. I don't know how my beautician liked the products (she didn't say one way or another), but I surely liked the end result. My hair was shiny, not greasy and definitely not weighed down because of whatever OIL/GREASE or PRESSING CREAM she normally would use.

I know I keep saying I'm going to try someone else, but I haven't had time to really look for someone so for now as long as I can manage to keep my hair healthy on my own and get a press every now and again, then I can keep going to her.

If interested the fusion products I speak of are from Details Express Salon
It is a 6 step process:
1 - Refresh Detoxifying Shampoo - eliminates calcium and sodium build up on hair
2 - Refresh Hydrating Shampoo - adds moisture
3 - Restore Triple Conditioning Therapy - deep conditioner
4 - Replenish Leave-in Conditioner - setting lotion and thermal protector
5 - Fusion Conditioning Serum - protect the hair cuticle when blowing it dry
6 - Fusion Finishing Sealer - protects hair from humidity and moisture after the ionic fusion straightening process

I do all six steps if I'm using heat on my head and it definitely makes my hair feel soft, smooth and light.

TTFN!

Hair progress

A watched pot doesn't boil so I decided to give my posting a break.

hair progress...
In the last two weeks, I have conditioned weekly and tried Curlformers on my hair. Last Thursday I had some leftover egg yokes that I didn't need in a cake that I made so I used it as a pre-poo on my hair. It was quite messy. I read that eggs can be a protein treatment but it will definitely take more than one time to see results. This isn't something I think I will do too often. LOL


What I decided to do is go see my beautician again on this Thursday. I will get a APhogee protein treatment, trim and press. My ends have gotten very straggly and they feel dry compared to the rest of my hair. Daily, I still see a lot of short strands in the sink and I'm trying not to be discouraged. I figured a good trim would help. I really need to try more protective styles and stop flat ironing as much. Right now I only use it once a week (when I wash it and flat iron it for the first time), but I really want to find more styles so that I don't have to flat iron it at all for a while. The curlformers were fun but only lasted 4 days and it took my friend over an hour to set my hair. I guess I will just have to invest the time.

I want to co-wash my hair tonight but the problem is what to do with it if I don't flat iron it? Two-strand twists did NOT work for my hair. I think my hair is too straight. My hunt for an easy daily do continues.


Ta Ta for now....

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Avocado!

I just read this article about Avocado and the healthy skin and hair benefits that are associated with it and I had to pat myself on the back! I had planned to use avocado in my hair tonight!! About 2 years ago I was reading about pre-poos on www.longhaircareforum.com. Pre-poo is short for a pre shampoo treatment. You can do this with plenty of different items that will help your hair with moisture, shine, and softness. Sort of like a hot oil treatment. Well, I had read about many different concoctions that people have tried for their pre-poos and I wanted to make one myself. I did it a few times back in 2008 and I really liked how my hair felt afterwards, but it definitely takes time and I think that's why I had stopped doing them.
Here's what I did and what I plan to do tonight:
Create my pre-poo mixture -

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - I really like EVOO for hair.
Avocado - I will probably use a half of one
Honey - to make it thicker maybe? not sure why I used honey before
conditioner - just any old conditioner that I already have

Mix together and warm in microwave for about 30-60 seconds.
Part my hair in sections and paint on mixture at roots sort of like you would a relaxer.
Then work it in all of my hair and definitely put it on the ends.
Cover with a plastic cap and wait about an hour. I will probably use my Heat Therapy Wrap that I bought a few weeks ago.
After an hour I will rinse it out, then shampoo as normal followed by my weekly deep conditioning treatment (30mins).
Blow Dry and Flat Iron ( haven't used either since last Tuesday!!!)
WHEW!!! I told you this takes time. I probably won't finish all of this until 10PM.
Pre-poos are great when you have the time. I'm making the time tonight because my hair needs some TLC right now. I hope to keep up the hard work but I know this may get tedious.

Here's the article if you want to read about what they say about avocados. They even have a Avocado Conditioner Recipe at the bottom of the article.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/luscious-avocado?utm_source=nc_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20100727

Lots of support

I'm feeling the love! I've gotten a lot of support from my friends. I posted my thoughts about going natural on Facebook and I had an out pour of from new, old and current friends! I've received calls, emails, and many friends that I run into all asking me about my journey and sharing their stories with me! It has been really encouraging! Thank you all!



So I thought I'd post a pic of my current hair length. This was when I flat ironed it last week. I don't know what my length goal is right now, because I know with this transition, I may do a LOT of trimming. We'll just see how it goes for now.
Saturday I washed and deep conditioned my hair and tried to two strand twist it for the first time. It felt like it took forever!!! I twisted, then undid it and twisted again and again. I decided to let it air dry so I took it out Sunday morning before church and WHEW!!!!!! Wasn't what I expected at ALL!!!!! I thought I'd be able to wear it out and crinkly but yeah, that wasn't working. I had to pull it back in a sort of half up, half down due that I usually do with my roller-sets. I thought about posting a pic, but I don't like it so No pic. :-)
I just finished re-twisting my hair and I actually think I'm getting the hang of twisting it. Practice makes perfect!

Schooling You:

I started looking at my ends to see if I have any that are split. I look often because this can also be a major problem with chemically processed hair. I really wish i had a microscope so that I could examine my hair at like 10,000 times zoom!!!! I started looking it up and you get split ends when the protective cuticle has been stripped away from the ends of hair fiber. The picture is of a strand of hair that is damaged by chemicals. Picture from chicagonow.com.

Things that cause split ends:
Excessive heat from curling irons or hair dryers
Coloring products
Relaxers
Not enough moisture

I'm guilty 3 of the 4 things listed and plan to TRY TRY TRY to moisturize my hair. I'm now in search of a daily moisturizer that I can use that will not be too greasy but will keep my conditioned! Those are my ends below. They need help but they aren't split :)
I will let you know what daily moisturizer I end up trying. Ta Ta For Now.

Product Reviews

So yesterday I washed my hair. I was actually excited about washing my hair. Not only to get rid of the roller set, but to try out my new buys!

I did flat iron my hair and I’m happy that I got it fairly straight.

Goal: Not to use flat iron anymore this week! I plan to wash my hair again on Saturday after golfing but I’m going to twist it so actually no flat iron until next Tuesday when I flat iron it again.


RoLea’s Reviews:

I went on www.curlmart.com and bought the Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment ($12.75) and the Hair Therapy Wrap ($21.95) to use for deep conditioning treatments. I got 15% off my first order for signing up with Curlmart and they also have a flat rate of $8 shipping which I split with my girl Thai because she bought some things as well! Here’s what I think of my new hair products

Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment Review


First off, it smells wonderful! I got the Island Fantasy (It reminds me of Jamaica! Oh how I love Jamaica!!!). It is very rich, thick and creamy. I put a generous amount on all of my hair and then scooped a little more just to cover the ends. I covered my head with a plastic conditioning cap and then placed the heated Hair Therapy Wrap over it for about 45mins.
I noticed that when I took the cap off my head the bag wasn’t full of water and product. That is definitely a difference. Most of the conditioners I use are so thin that they leave a puddle at the bottom of the bag. No puddle, which I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or bad thing, but I liked that it felt like the product was still on my hair (and on it good) after the 45 mins.

After rinsing out the conditioner and blowing my hair dry, my hair definitely felt soft!!! I will do this treatment once every 7 days! Only have used it once, but so far so good.
I like it.

Hair Therapy Wrap Review



Have you ever tried to deep condition with a hot wet towel around your head? Well that’s what I usually do. I would put my conditioner and plastic cap on then wet a hand towel, put it in the microwave for a minute and then try to tie it around my head. First of all, the towel would be WAY too hot! Secondly, it would not stay hot for very long.
I like this heat wrap because it’s not wet and it stays warm for about 30minutes.

Microwave the heat wrap for up to 8 times (10 seconds each time) then tie it around your head. I have seen other corded versions of a conditioning cap, but with it being similar to a towel, I put it on and walk around, doing whatever I want to do in the house! I love it!

This isn't going to get the best of me

It's almost a daily feeling now (what am I doing with my hair!), but I really need and want to see this through. So I've come up with a couple of goals.
Short Term Goals:
Find a transitioning hair buddy - I saw on www.longhaircarforum.com that there lots of women right at the same stage as me. I may join that group or maybe one of my friends is interested in transitioning with me. :-)

Focus on healthy hair - I'm going to wash my hair every 4 to 5 days right now so that I can infuse moisture into it. I want it to feel soft and strong.

Try to stretch my perm 16 weeks - I'm almost at 8 weeks now so only 8 more weeks to go. During that time I will try to learn my hair. Learn what make it feel soft, take note of when and where I see breakage, and learn how to do my hair (healthily).

After 16 weeks re-evaluate my hair situation and make a decision there (continue transitioning on my own doing my hair regularly and find protective styles or braids).

No Relaxer

So I went to the beautyshop yesterday. I didn't get a relaxer. I told my beautician that I decided to grow my perm out and she said "O ok. good luck, I tried that and my hair ended up all different lengths because of the breakage." In my mind I'm thinking WOW what kind of support/encouragement is that! Clearly she's another reason why I've been going back and forth about going natural.
Sometimes I feel she is so limited on the things she knows how to do and not knowledgeable about new practices that are out there for hair care. I'm soooo deprived! I've been going to her for almost 6 years. Why? Cause I don't like changing or hopping from beautician to beautician and I had formed a relationship with her. Plus she doesn't mind me taking the comb (or curling iron) from her and showing her what I want her to do. LOL

Ok so the breakage she speaks of is a true possibility, but I told her my goal was to keep it moisturized throughout my transition.

Schooling You:

The relaxer breaks down the texture and coil in coarse hair. When new growth comes in, it makes a weak spot between where the relaxed hair is and the new hair begins. The line where these two textures meet is called the line of DEMARCATION. This is the weakest part of a hair strand. It's like the two textures fight against each other at this point and the weaker of the two loses; the relaxed hair. This is where the hair breaks off.
Now we've all learned something today. (Thank you www.nappturality.com and curlyluv.blogspot.com)

So anyway, I got a roller set. I don't really like it cause my roots are way thick and the new growth doesn't look nice and smooth. I will wash my hair on Tuesday after the gym so I only have to deal with it a few days.

Making the decision

So yesterday I made the decision to go natural. I was so geeked! so excited! I was going to do it!!!! Today....hmmm not so excited. Feeling a little like turning back. I think what I need to do is understand my reasoning....

Reason:
So I go home December 2009 and get my hair done by my bff's beautician Charla at Details Express Salon. Her process/techinque is called Ceramic PHusion. She basically trains your hair to become straight without perm/relaxer. When you first sit in her chair she talks to you about your hair and how you can infuse moisture in your hair to help it grow and stay healthy even if you are using heat on your hair. She also told me that if you use an ionic blow dryer and ceramic iron that will help seal the hair instead of fry it when using other heating tools. I loved how my hair felt when she did it! I thought about it then...going natural. My bff hasn't had a relaxer in over 2 years and wears her hair straight. I thought, hmmm "If I live in Indy, then I could do it, because I would go to Charla to help train my hair".

In May I was with one of my Sorors and she stopped getting relaxers about a year ago and she WEARS her hair STRAIGHT! I started thinking about it again!! I went back home just this past month (July) and went back to Charla to get my hair done. Of course she asked me how long had it been since my last perm. It had only been 6 weeks and I was due to get one when I get back to Tucson. She said I should really think about stretching my perm to 16 weeks or longer. She showed me calcium that has built up on my hair because of the relaxers that makes my hair weak. I know my hair is weak because I see strands (long and short) in my sink daily. I know my hair is weak because it will never grow pass a certain length. If I know all this... then it's time for a change.

That's when I decided to go natural, but today...I'm having second thoughts.
I want to go natural to have healthier hair but I also want to wear my hair straight.
I don't want to do the BIG CHOP, I have chosen to do a long transition but I'm scared.
I am afraid of what my hair will look like 16 weeks w/o a retouch! (OOOO LAWD)

I go to the beautician today, will I get a relaxer? .... I will let you know tomorrow.