It's amazing, seeing the difference between the state of my hair in a mere two years - it's amazing, and wonderful, and I can only dream of what the next to years will bring.
Hrm, where do I start?
First - the thickness! My hair is at least three times thicker now than it was then. I actually did SMALL twists this go around (it took me about 5 hours to do them all - I split it out over two days, so it wouldn't drive me too crazy), and even the tiniest of twists (which would be about 1/4 the size of my 'normal' sized twists now) are still bigger than the May06 twists!
The length - obviously so much longer! I grin when I look at that, because I was, to all intents and purposes, bald in May06. I cut off EVERY cm of length I had at that point in time, and two years later, my hair is still significantly longer.
The color - dammit, I've gotta admit it, I LIKED the red. The red looked good on me. The dark brown does look good on me too, but - it's not the same. *sigh* And, yeah, I tried the cinnamon, and, oh my gods, no. Wanna talk about something grainy? *shudder* Actually, that's a whole nother story.
Now, for the things the picture doesn't show....
My hair is SO mch healthier. It's insane really, just thinking back on how much my hair broke, and how hard, and dry it was - it was insane. I have to admit, my hair has always had some shine to it, but most of the shine from then was from the ORS Lock & Twist gel, and not from my hair.
My hair, right now, is SO soft, and dense, and fluffy. I'm getting closer and closer to believing that I'm a iii - even when it's all squished down, it's a lot of hair.
Everytime I see these progress shots, I get so EXCITED over the potential that my hair has. In two more years, it should be at least twice as long as it is now - and - it's just amazing - and exciting - and something to look forward to.
I think that is the main reason that I'll never get 'tired' of my hair - it's got so much POTENTIAL! I'm truly going places I've never gone before, and it's a pretty straight forward path there.
Protection. Moisture. Love.
What a difference time makes....
Review, review, strands long past review....
Hrm.
Tis been a minute, so let's recap what I've been up to.
Last treatment was a protein one, that I debated putting in before I did it - but I figured I should stick to the program....I've seen a bit of breakage since then, so that's been proved out - I definitely did not need the protein treatment on TOP of the daily use of MT - it's just too much for my hair.
So, I guess I'm going to drop the protein from the cycle as long as I'm using the MT - but now, what to put there, instead? Maybe just a straight co-wash/clarify, since I'm putting something on my scalp daily, now. Hrrm, yeah, that might work out very well. Or, include the ayurvedic there, since I rarely actually do it in the middle of a cycle segment.
I actually LET someone play in my hair over the weekend! I was out, in the woods, with the pagan ladies, and I started taking down my twists, and one of them asked if she could do it. Ahhhhhhhh - I've really forgotten how NICE it feels to have someone slow and gentle in your hair. Wow. It felt REALLY good. My hair was a little stiff (another over-proteining sign for me), but it was still soft and - tender - somehow. I slapped it into two flat twists for the rest of the weekend. I was rather pleased that they 'stayed' in semi-stretched hair, even as they expanded and 'poofed' up. I really like how my hair looks as it 'poofs' - it looks so full and comfy. I ended up putting it into four flat twists on Sunday night though, so that I could get through the week with it.
I took it down once - Tuesday, I think it was - so that I could really get to the scalp and get the MT in. I've done MT - 4 out of 5 days this week, I think - I might have only done 3, though, I'm not totally sure. Either way, I can DEFINITELY tell a difference in my hair length now - it's REALLY hanging into my eyes when it's wet, and it wasn't doing that before. I'm very pleased, very pleased, with how this stuff is working. I'm scraping the bottom of my 2oz tub, so I'll have to mix up another batch of that this weekend, as well.
When I took my hair down, it was also because it was feeling dry - and dry + overprotein = Danger Will Robinson, Danger!, so I knew I had to do something right then, and not wait til the weekend. I figured it was dry because I had been watering down my mist, trying to make it stretch, and hairgirl wasn't bout to hear that. So, I took down my hair, and slapped some QP IFC into it, and it served a dual purpose - not only softening my hair enough that I could detangle it easily, it also remoisturized my hair - very smooth. If I do decide to start switching up my styles in the middle of the week - that will DEFINITELY be my routine.
I made a new batch of hair mist after that - and I wanted to actually 'roughly' record the proportions - esp. since I'll be changing it up once I get my latest purchases. ;) Anyhow, it was:
4 capfuls SAA, 6 capfuls honeyquat, drizzle of TTO, squirt of MegaT - it ended up filling about 1/4 of the bottle, so roughly an ounce of stuff all together. I shook all of that together, first, and then added water. So far, my hair has LOVED it - it's odd, because I really didn't think it would notice that I had watered it down - but I think the combo of the extra protein and of the watered down mist - and yeah. Things would have been ugly.
Okay. I've also brought some more hair products - I know, I know, I said I was done after the Mason Pearsons (which, by all that is holy, are the best. fucking. combs. EVAH!) but, danggone those women @ LHCF and their Eqyss love. *sigh*
So. I'm trying a new conditioner (the Premier Creme Rinse) which is supposed to be equivalent to the Ovation Creme Rinse, and two 'sprays' - one is the Premier Rehydrant - which from the description, is a 'super' humectant, and with the summer coming and my daily use of a protein loaded product, I'm going to need, and the other is the Avocado Mist, which is supposed to add shine and make detangling easier. ANYTHING that makes detangling easier (like it's so hard, right now) is a sure shot for me.
Anyhow, I'm waiting for those to get here - I figure I should be able to use them next out weekend, as I doubt they will be waiting on the stoop for me today when I get home.
Seriously, though, I'm DONE. DONE. For at LEAST a month. I've also stocked up on jewelry at the size I'm currently at - which while it doesn't look TOO big, it's still - well, it's still surprisingly subtle, I think. Of course, I'm largely just wearing plugs now - the dangles make a SERIOUS statement at this size - I think I might wear the spirals tomorrow, and take a picture. I might wear my hair out this weekend, too.
Urm, urm, what else?
Oh! I also got a chance to play in hair this weekend (I love women's festivals - they feel like the most fabulous biggirl sleepover EVER). I was the only woman of color there *sigh*, but I was able to play in a curlies hair (soft, fine, medium thickness, WL, red, 2c/3a, no, I wasn't TOO jealous), and in a pinstick straight head (medium, insanely thick, WL, dark brown, 1a, totally NOT jealous - it was SO. STRAIGHT!), whose hair - it had - weight. Heft. When you picked up her ponytail, there was clearly something substantial there. Both of their hair was in gorgeous condition too - though the curly girl was just on the verge of needing a DC - but it was STILL lovely hair. I can't WAIT til my hair is that length - I don't think it will ever be heavy like that though - it's very air, in it's nature.
Oh! How could I forget! This weekend is as close as my patience will let me get (I could wait til the next out weekend, when I do henna, but - I might actually skip (*gasp*, I know) my henna treatment this cycle, since I suspect I'm going to be in the woods) to my two year anniversary! And I am so, so, SO, going to do a comparison set of pictures to demonstrate JUST how far my hair has come. I want to use the twist pics - starting with the redheaded ones that I did right after I took out my locs, and comparing them to the set I'll put in this weekend. For one thing, they are going to be at LEAST 4 times bigger - even if I do tiny, tiny twists (which I doubt I'll have time to do). Second, obviously, there's the difference in hair color. It's funny - as much as I've been chasing red, I actually PREFER my natural color to the red that I had in then. Ah, how things change.
Speaking of colors and changes, though, I think, if I do skip the henna treatment - and actually, I definitely will. My hair is ALREADY complaining about a slight protein overload - I'm carameling this weekend, which should shift things more on the happy/happy moisture side, but - skipping one henna won't kill me. *gaspchoke*
Instead, I think I'm going to dedicate this next wonky, won't be home half the weekends cycle to experimenting with cinnamon. It'll really be perfect, as I'll be out in the sun, a lot, and that will help my hair get lighter, and then I'll do another henna, and whoowee - I betcha it'll glow!
I still haven't quite figured out how to add in the cinnamon. I think that I'll definitely add a heaping dose of it to my caramel treatment this weekend. That might actually just be it - I'll add a heaping dose of cinnamon to each of my treatments for the next cycle, and I'll be sure to take 'in sun' pictures this weekend, so I can compare the color before I henna & after I henna. *nod* That will work well.
I think I'm done, now.
Joy to the World
my TLHC journal is back!!
I'll be gradually importing the last of my entries (it really looks like it was just the month of January, so not as much as I thought it was) and finally, I'll just be growing forward.
I've finally decided that I'm a 4b/cNapp, texture wise. One fabulous thing about being a cNapp? Nothing (and I do mean NOTHING) I can do to my hair will make me anything other than, a cNapp. So - no matter how many caramel, or coconut & lime, or henna treatments I do - well, you can't reduce a curl pattern that doesn't exist, and you can't create one (from treatments) either, so I can finally (and joyfully, as that was one monkey that was rally pissing me off) release the feelings of 'nappy guilt' when I smooth my hair back from my hairline and see only waves. It's how my hair is. Taint nothing I can do to make it wavier, taint nothing I would do to make it straighter.
So, that's another bit of joy.
I also realized, that I'm a well rounded hair forumnista. I hang out with the white girls (who have the chemistry/ingredient game DOWN). I hang out with the hardcore nappies (who have fabulous styles and sisterhood). I hang out with the less hardcore nappies (I think they're the only 'nappy' board that DOESN'T have rules about what you cannot talk about on the board). I hang out with the relaxed heads (my favorite board next to TLHC, yet the one that drives. me. CRAZY!!!! the most as well).
The only places I don't hang out at is WeaveCentral and with the uberhardcore nappies (got tired of all the politics), - and I still will occasionally swing through - just to see if anything has changed. Lately though, I've been hearing plenty of reports on the other boards, and if anything - things have gotten worse.
Now.
I understand the history of our race in this country. I understand that there are many, many deep-seated issues that we have with our hair. I grok that.
What I don't get, though, is - why do we continue to feed into it? Why do we keep buying, perpetuating, and working within the narrow guidelines of the bullshit, when we KNOW it's bullshit?
And maybe that's the thing. Maybe, just maybe, that really is the thing. People believe these things - they really think it's truth, and not bullshit.
I don't know. It seems so simple to me though.
Fact: Hair Grows.
Unless you have a serious medical problem, your hair will grow. For the love of the gods, hair grows when you're DEAD. Seriously, growing hair is NOT the problem.
Fact: Straight Hair and Curly Hair have different requirements of care.
Doesn't mean one 'type' of care is more difficult. In fact, caring for your hair (whether it be straight or curly) the way that it needs to be cared for is usually the EASIEST option you have.
If you have naturally straight hair, trying to make it look like your curly headed friends hair is going to be hard. And your hair will reflect the fact that it's not being treated the way it NEEDS to be treated.
I mean, really - how many jacked up curly perms have you seen? Hell, I can't remember seeing a curly perm that actually looked GOOD. Most of the ones I've seen that looked good on friends, I came to find out was ACTUALLY their NATURAL texture.
The same goes for naturally curly hair. Trying to make it look straight is GOING to be difficult. And your hair will reflect the fact that it's not being handled the way it needs to be handled.
Fact: Your maximum length is a combination of things you cannot influence, and things that you can.
On the cannot influence list
1) The maximum growth rate of your hair
To be clear, I believe that everyone has an MAXIMUM growth rate - a upper limit to the speed that your follicles can produce a strand of hair. I also believe that VERY few people are actually at that rate. Poor diet, poor health (both total body and scalp), poor circulation, etc., all reduce your growth rate down from that 'perfect' maximum. I believe you can 'nudge' your hair closer to that maximum via supplements, improved health & diet, and some growth aids, but - you aren't really changing that genetically pre-set rate.
On the can influence list
2) Everything else
I considered including that you can't really influence the anagen (growth) phase of your follicles, but there are actually several 'reputed' items that will, in fact, turn 'off' the timer that tells your follicles to stop producing hair. *thinks* Dammit, there was one (Rosemary? No, it was something else) - some other herb - possibly an ayurvedic - that actually had a study done on it that potentially indicated it could do exactly that.
Doesn't that seem simple? I don't know. Maybe I'm the crazy one. Come back to me in 2017, and we'll see just how loopy I am.
*sigh*
So. I firmly believe that the 'reason' that black people have 'historically' not been able to grow hair is quite simply because we aren't taking care of our hair the way it needs to be taken care of. Period.
We can't take care of our hair the same way 'they' take care of their hair. Our hair has different needs. That doesn't make our hair more difficult, it just makes it different! I suppose a Doberman is more 'difficult' than a Greyhound when it comes to biting your hand off, but I can well bloody guarantee you that each breed has it's own issues, and it's own 'sticking points.
Our issue - at the root of it all - is that we've lost the needed skills and talents to properly take care of our hair. We've lost the knowledge of how to take care of our hair, and in this 'Gimme it now and gimme it fast' society that we live in, the long, slow, gradual process of unlearning the foolishness and relearning the reality is not something that most people really want to go through.
They would much rather bitch, whinge, and rant on how 'difficult' our hair is - it's easier, it's more satisfying, and on some level, it releases them from any sort of personal responsibility for the condition of their hair.
And maybe that's what pisses me off the most. That's a personal 'hot point' for me - people who, for whatever 'reason' (usually excuse) abdicate the right & responsibility for their own actions, lives, and behaviours. I just - I just don't have the patience for that ish. Srsly.
Seeing Red
Soooooooooooooooooooooo.
I've always wanted red hair. Always. Always. That desire is what prompted the Bleaching Incident of '06.
I've settled down over time, because bleach simply ain't good for my hair, and henna, as fabulous as it is, simply - well, it can't overcome the natural darkness of my hair.
Enter TLHC and a thread about lightening your hair with - cinnamon. Yup. Plain old, run of the mill, apple pie making, cinnamon.
Being the kitchen witch that I am, that's SO right up my alley. *thinks* My next out weekend is another Caramel Treatment (04/26ish), and then henna after than (05/10ish). It seems like people got the best results with a strong cinnamon/conditioner mix, left on for several hours. And the mix needs to be thick too, so that it won't drip onto skin and potentially burn it - cinnamon oil ain't no joke!
I would like to do a full 8 week cycle of cinnamon-flavored treatments. I'm trying to decide just how fast I want to do this, as I could do a cinnamon DC every weekend - in or out - on Friday nights, and rinse it out when I get up on Saturdays. Hrrrm. I think I will do it that way.
So, I'll wait til the weekend of 05/16, and..... oh bugger. The summer is packed - I won't be home a LOT of weekends. *sigh* I might not be able to do this like I want to. Hrm. Or - to rephrase, I might not be able to do it as FAST as I want to.
*twitch*
More thinking is required.
Current Regimen (as of April 2008)
I'm still doing the 8 week cycle broken down into two week blocks. Each two week block is more or less identical, so, I'll only detail that once, then detail the various things that I do every other weekend. The week block starts on Monday. To keep it neat, I'll stick all the recipes for my concoctions at the bottom of the post.
Weekly
Monday - Thursday
Morning: Spritz with Spritz Mix, apply Mega-Tek Mix to hairline, tie on scarf, wear to work.
Evening: Massage scalp with Mega-Tek Mix, apply Dabur Amla Oil to hairline, tie on scarf, wear to bed.
Odd Weekends
Friday
Morning: Spritz with Spritz Mix, apply Mega-Tek Mix to hairline
Evening: Take my updo down, apply Mega-Tek Mix to scalp, play with hair.
Saturday
At some point during the day, get my hair soaking wet, then pour the SAF Tea over my head, let sit for 2-12 hours.
Sunday
Rinse SAF Tea out, apply Mega-Tek Mix to damp scalp, put updo back up.
(If I get to the SAF Tea early on Saturday, I'll do Sunday's stuff on Saturday, and treat Sunday like a Monday.)
Even Weekends
Caramel Treatment (Week 2 and Week 6)
Friday
Morning: Spritz with Spritz Mix, apply Mega-Tek Mix to hairline
Evening: Take my hair down/out, detangle gently with my fingers while dry, scritch scalp well to bring up/shake loose any buildup/dead skin.
Saturday
Rinse hair with SAF Tea, then put it into two flattwists down the side of my head to dry.
Mix up Caramel Treatment and apply on dry hair. (I might change this up and apply on wet hair to condense the hair session, if the ThickIt2 works as well in the Caramel Treatment as it did in the protein one).
I let this sit in my hair for as long as I can stand it (damn drippies!) then detangle with two combs (wide tooth and medium tooth) while the Caramel is still in my hair. Rinse, comb through again with the medium tooth comb under running water, put it into 6 two strand twists, get out the shower.
Sit on the couch with my AfroDetangler Mix and Denman, moisturize and brush through half of each twist, braid into a single braid, end up with 12 individual braids. I usually make a rough bantu knot with them, and let air-dry.
Sunday
Take down the fewest braids needed to make my parts, using AfroDetangler Mix, make part, put 'extra' hair back into a braid.
Sit on couch with Kiya Pudding and a fine toothed comb, and start putting in my two strand twists. I start from the back, making horizontal parts with the end of a rattail comb/my fingers. Then, I add Kiya Pudding to the end of each horizontal section, and part a 'bit' off vertically for the twist. I coat that whole twist section with more Kiya Pudding, then comb through it with the fine tooth comb, and make a two strand twist. Repeat and repeat and repeat until the whole head is done.
Massage scalp with Mega-Tek Mix. Before I go to bed, I put the updo up, and wear my scarf to bed.
Protein (Week 4)
Friday
Morning: Spritz with Spritz Mix, apply Mega-Tek to hairline
Evening: Take my hair down/out, detangle gently with my fingers while dry, scritch scalp well to bring up/shake loose any buildup/dead skin.
Depending on how my hair feels, sometimes I'll do a moisturizing treatment before applying the protein treatment.
Apply my Clarifying & Moisturizing Mix, and let sit for as long as possible - usually overnight.
Saturday
Detangle with a wide & medium tooth comb while the Clarifying & Moisturizing Mix is still in my hair, rinse out, put into two flattwists, let mostly dry.
Mix up the Protien Treatment , take hair down, and apply to (semi) dry hair. Put hair back into two flattwists.
I find that it seems to make my hair feel SO much better to use it on dry hair - feels like it works better/soaks in deeper.
Leave it in til I can't take it anymore (once again, damn drippies!), and comb through with a medium tooth comb while the Protein is still in my hair. Rinse, comb through again with the medium tooth comb under running water, put it into 6 two strand twists, get out the shower.
Do my final Denman/braid process, let airdry.
Sunday
Put in two strand twists, put em in an updo, roll on.
Henna (Week 8)
Friday
Morning: Spritz with Spritz Mix, apply Mega-Tek to hairline
Evening: Take my hair down/out, detangle gently with my fingers while dry, scritch scalp well to bring up/shake loose any buildup/dead skin. I always clarify before I henna, so I use my Clarifying & Moisturizing Mix and let sit overnight - in two flattwists, as usual.
I also take the pre-made baggie of henna out of the freezer and stick it in the fride before I go to bed.
Saturday
I try to do this as early in the day as possbile, so that I can have the henna on for as long as possible, without having to sleep in it (trying to preserve my pillows!).
Detangle with a wide & medium tooth comb while the Clarifying & Moisturizing Mix is still in my hair, rinse out, towel/air dry hair until it's just barely damp.
Apply Henna, leave in for a minimum of 6 hours - usually in six two-strand twists. Detangle with wide toothed comb with Henna still in hair, rinse, and detangle with a medium tooth comb under running water. Get out the shower, coat hair with AfroDetangler Mix, comb through again with medium tooth comb, and put into 6 two strand twists. Do my final Denman/braid process, let airdry.
Sunday
Put in two strand twists, put em in an updo, roll on.
Good gods, that was a BOOK. I think it sounds/seems more complex than it is - I'm only REALLY getting into my hair twice a month - and I think my weekend routine is only a tiny bit 'above' the average pre-poo/DC/shampoo/DC/rollerset/flatiron/etc, etc, etc, etttcccccc, loopdeloops that some folks go through - esp. when you look and realize that for 12 days out of every two week cycle, I'm doing virtually NOTHING to my hair.
Max 15 minutes a day, and that's including a leisurely scalp massage. If I'm on the move - it drops down to 10, max. So, two hours of 'hair time' over two weeks, plus the weekend - which, even including two strand twisting, is no more than 12 hours - 14 hours total over two weeks is about an hour a day. Not bad, not bad at all.....
I keep meaning to time exactly HOW long I spend on my hair - actively. As in, combing, detangling, mixing, applying, etc. Honestly, I think that the Caramel takes the longest, because it's a more complex recipie - but even then, I only mix it up ONCE for an 8 week cycle, as I get two uses out of it. I think 12 hours is really on the high end of things.
Okay! Recipes!! They will all be organized like an ingredient list - the closer to the top, the more of that ingredient is in the mix.
Spritz Mix (I usually have to mix up a new batch every two weeks or so)
In a 4 oz spritz bottle I mix:
Water
Rosewater
AfroDetangler, Mega-Tek
SAA, HoneyQuat
Amla Oil
Tea Tree Oil
Mega-Tek Mix (I usually have to mix up a new batch every 2 to 2.5 months)
In a 2 oz tub I mix:
Mega-Tek
SAA
Honeyquat
Vitamin E Oil (30K IU)
Castor Oil
SAF Tea
Tea Powder: (so far, only mixed this up once, using a full box (or two) as needed. Suspect it'll last close to forever)
1 part Shikakai Powder
2 parts Amla Powder
1 parts Fo-Ti Powder
Actual Tea:
In a saucepan I mix
2 liters of water
2-3 tbsp of tea powder (contained in a cheesecloth 'baggie')
Let boil for about 10-15 minutes, let cool. I usually get 3-4 old conditioner bottles (cheapie White Rain, so 16oz, I think?) full. Use one that day, put the other two/three in the fridge til next time.
Caramel Treatment (Mix this up once a cycle, get two 'servings')
banana baby food
coconut oil
red palm oil
shea butter
olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
honey
molasses
AfroDetangler Mix (So far I've only mixed this up once - I suspect I'll have to mix this twice a cycle)
In a 3.5 oz tub I mix:
AfroDetangler
SAA
Honeyquat
Kiya Pudding (this is on-going mix - I want to figure out a non Whipped Pudding based base, and try it without glycerin)
Whipped Pudding
Shealoe Butter
Elasta QP Intense Fortifying Conditioner
Red Palm Oil
Gylcerin
SAA
HoneyQuat
Clarifying & Moisturizing Mix (mix this up as needed - the pre-henna version has about twice as much baking soda than the pre-protein version)
Elasta QP Intense Fortifying Conditioner
Cheapie Con
Baking Soda
Glycerin
Protein Treatment (mix this up as needed)
yogurt
coconut milk
juice from 1 lime
molasses
SAA
Honeyquat
ThickIt2
Henna (I usually mix up about 8 baggies at once, and make the final mix as needed)
Baggie:
Equal parts of henna and water. Let sit til color releases. Put about 3-4 oz into a baggie, and freeze.
Final Mix:
One baggie of henna
Equal amount of cheapie conditioner or slightly more.
Protien Results and Rambling
So. After about two hours, the drippies did show up. The interesting thing, though, is that it was VERY watery (the drippies, I mean) - almost like it was more condensation, than actual Protien goo.
It rinsed out UBER easy, as I expected, and left my hair soft and strong feeling - I love my treatments. I combed, made 6 (down from 8!!!) two strand twists in the shower, then sat on the couch and detangled with the Denman and my latest detangler creme mix - 3 ounces of afrodetangler, 1/2 tsp SAA, 1/2 teaspoon honeyquat. It was lovely - my hair almost detangled itself. I think I've finally found my 'use' for AD. I wonder if I saved one of the HoneyHemp bottles - Hrrm. That little 3 ouncer is still about 2/3 full though, so that'll last me - 6 weeks. I should be straight.
I finally rebroke down and got the Mason Pearsons. I was trying to wait on someone who had the hookup for the knockoffs, but I think I finally saw them in BigLots (Conair Tourmaline Combs), and they were ALMOST seamfree (I had to eyeball them HARD to see it) but there was definitely a seam. And the only comb they had was the fine toothed one - which SO would not have worked for me. So. 70 bucks, and I've got the full set. Did a little reading (can you believe, TLHC is down, AGAIN!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?) and they appear to be pretty durable too.
I finally figured out what they are made of - Zyl (zyle/cellulose acetate) - a form of plastic made from cotton fibers rather than petro products - go figure! Anyhow, the zyl is what allows them to handcarve and shape it, as it comes in huge plastic sheets, that are then cut out and hand finished. Sooooo. Excited to get these danggone combs, finally.
Between the combs, and the headrest trick, and Mega-Tek and my homemade concoctions.... *takes a deep breath* I really think I might be content with my regimen. I'm going to detail what is it, and how I do it, in another post (most likely today, as it's pretty slow at work), so that I can keep track of how (and when) stuff changes.
I've decided that I'm going to keep up the protective styles rigorously until I'm past shoulder length. Not full shoulder length (ie, crown to shoulder), but just past shoulder length (perimeter to shoulder). That's at least the rest of this year, and possibly all the way up to my three year anniversary. The styles will change, but the routine will stay the same.
Speaking of anniversaries - I can't WAIT to do my comparison pics from two and one year ago. *thinks* I don't even know if I HAVE pics from May 07 - I'll have to look and see. Anyhow. I KNOW what it looked like two years ago, and I don't even have the same head of hair anymore - in any way, shape, or form. Most exciting.
Hair Concoctions......
have just been revolutionized for me.
So, I did my protein treatment tonight =
(1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup coconut milk, juice from 1 lime, 2 tbsp of molasses, 1 tsp of SAA and 1 tsp of Honeyquat)
and it was, as usual, about the consistency of water. Okay, maybe milk.....eggnoggy, I suppose. The store-brought kind, not gramma's. ;)
Anyhow.
I whipped out the packets of ThickIt2 that I got in the mail, and added one. I added it a bit too fast, so I had to really work to get it smooth(er). I let it sit for 30 seconds as suggested, and - it was - thicker. Not thick enough, but definitely thicker. So, I tossed in another packet (each packet was equivalent to a tbsp) and it got thicker. Much thicker - about the thickness of a good conditioner, I suppose. I added another packet, and it was like - whoa. It was the thickness of a REALLY thick henna.
Whoa. I have overcome drippies, from now til - til I run out of packets, I guess. Crap, I need to price this stuff out. OOoh, they sell it at Walgreens! Hrm. Well, it looks like only at walgreens.com, and it's 8.99 for 8oz - and eligible for free shipping - I'd have to order 50 bucks or more worth of stuff, though.... I'll double check the local Walgreens to be sure. Thooougggh. The 30 oz one is 27 bucks, so two of thoseee.... ooh, I should see what sort of combs they have!
What makes me really excited about this is that it doesn't bind fluids - it's in order to prevent dehydration, but it also means that the 'good' stuff I'm trying to put into my hair will still be 'in' my hair - it's not like they have a starch 'shell' around them.
It feels really good in my hair - damp and thick and warm and moist. It doesn't feel like it's deteriorating, and if how it rinsed out of the bowl is any indication, it should be really easy to rinse out, too.
I'm seriously considering mixing this with SAF to make a gel. And I'm really curious to see what it does when I mix it with something that's mostly oil, like the Caramel. *wiggles with excitement*
Also. Also. As I was working it through my hair - I think - I might have seen curls. I don't know. It could be a remnant of the twistout (though I have combed it), but. I don't know. I feel - oddly guilty about feeling excited about that. I dunno. I'm going to have to chew over this for a while. And, I need to find a better way to mix it to make it more smooth. And. Since it's not supposed to change the color of what it's mixed with, if I use water, it should stay - clear. I'll experiment with the SAF, and see what happens.
As it's drying on the exposed hairs on the back of my neck it's - not tacky, at all, but - gummy, somehow. Hrm. This will be most interesting.
Personal Challenge
So.
Firstly, I've officially gone hair mad. I usually start taking my hair down on the way home from work on hair-out Fridays - just so that I get a chance to play in it, for a little longer. I had barely gone a block with my hair out, when I realized the fabric of my seat rest was catching on my hair.
Now, see, that's just unacceptable. After I've worked as hard as I'm working to retain my ends, there is no. way. I'm going to let my headrest rub away my hard work. I'm usually wearing a scarf on my way TO work, and I usually 'try' to avoid laying my head on the headrest (which is easy when my hair is up, but I know I still do it) on the way home.
So. At the first available stoplight, I grabbed the do-rag that I wore to work that morning, and tied it around my seat rest.
FABULOUS. It was wonderful! I'm rather disgusted I hadn't thought of it before!
Anyhow. I get home, and I go rummaging in the hair stash, and I found this:
Oh, yes. It's a long polyester/satin strip of rectangular fabric, and I'm SO permanently wrapping that around my seat rest. I'll wash it regularly, and it'll be a fabulous addition to my regimen, really.
Anyhow, my hair.
It felt a little - off - a little stiff/coated & dry. I don't know. I've started working out again, and so I've rinsed my hair twice this week (Monday & Wednesday), plus I've used the MT almost every night of the week (Sun-Wed), so I've been taking my hair down and up and down and up a lot more than usual.
One fabulous thing - I had less than 50 hairs come out, and most of them were shed hairs.....very very very few hairs actually broke. I'm so pleased by this. Just - so very, very, happy.
Anyhow. To combat the dryness and any potential buildup, I mixed up some Elasta QP, baking soda, White Rain cheapie, and some SAA. I slapped all that into my dry hair, and I could almost feel my hair inhaling it. I really think if it could move, it would have wiggled.
I flattwisted it up - one on either side, because I'm hoping to make this weekend the easiest detangling session EVER. I figure that if I keep it soft and stretched the whole time, it should be a breeze.
I think that I'm going to rinse this out in a little while, but..... I don't know what to do with it then. It's too late for me to do the protein mix...... I think I'll detangle it a little with the con in, then rebraid it up with some AfroDetangler, and leave it be until tomorrow - then I'll put the yogurt mixture in. *nod* That will also give me a chance to use it on dry hair, like I wanted to. Nice, a moisturizing con on dry hair AND a protien con on dry hair. Lovely.
The main reason I want to wait til tomorrow for the yogurt stuff is because I got the free samples of ThickIt which was suggested to me over on TLHC as a viable thickener. Soo........I figure I'll try it on the 'cheap' stuff before I use it in any of my precious caramel. If this works - over the moon is what I'll be. I'll take comparison pictures of the thickness tomorrow.
And again....
I'm reminded why I stay OUT of the non-hair related sections of hair boards I'm on...... it's really not worth my energy, and it tends to jade me on the actual useful knowledge I can get in other areas of the board. *dusts hands off* Ah, well, I'll stick with like-minded people when it comes to stuff other than hair - it's - healthier, that way.
And can I briefly share my - frustration and exasperation with people who expect you to hand them all the answers on a silver platter? *eyeroll* I have - little to no respect for someone who has no interest in learning, and merely wishes to be taught. There's a significant but subtle difference there, around motivation and dedication, and - it's about values, that's all.
So much around hair is about values. What do you value? Ease? Convenience? Beauty (by whichever beauty standard you operate under)? Price? Conformity?
Hrm. What do I value, when it comes to my hair?
Uniqueness, for one. I - I really don't want to look like 90% of the women on the street - I usually don't respect/admire their sense of style (which tends to be thinly disguised conformity). The other 10% - I rarely see, sadly enough. So, I tend to - go my own way.
Frugality, for another. My life path/desires don't include spending 100+ a month on hair. I'm trying to get it to under 20 bucks a month, for true - and I think I might be close. I'll have to see, try to figure up how much my 8 week cycle actually costs me.
Ease, for another. I can't IMAGINE spending more than 10-15 minutes a morning on my hair, and I would prefer 5. *lol* Sleep is more important to me.
Hrm. Yeah, definitely. It's interesting, that one of the things I don't really 'value' about my hair is it's beauty. I suppose that's because I know/believe/manifest that my hair is GORGEOUS. As long as I take good care of it, it is beautiful, and it is because it is mine. So, I'm not really worried about it's 'beauty' so to speak - because to me, it's simply inherent in the hair.
Ahh. That felt good to muddle through.
My hair has fallen into a lovely little routine - I'm 3 for 3 this week as far as MT application goes, and I'll just eyeball my length this weekend when I take my hair out. Urm, what else? I did a SAF rinse this past weekend, and an MT on wet hair on Sunday, and that was it. My hair is DEFINITELY breaking less (I'm talking about virtually none, even on my ends), and it's a little stronger, too. I got three more bottles, and so I think I'm set for the rest of the year, at the very least. If I decide once I'm down to the last bottle to re-up, I'll most likely get the gallon size - which, assuming that four bottles last me a year, that would be a two year supply. Hehe. If I keep on keeping on like this (and the growth keeps on keeping on along with me), two years of this stuff?? :blink: Wow. I can only imagine.
Okay, I think I'm done, for now.
whinge, whinge, whinge.....
I think I'm a CNapp. *laugh & eyeroll*
I've never been really 'big' on the classifier thing - and I think that's a side effect of the styles that I choose to wear. If I'm not wearing my hair 'out', then attempting to 'define' my curls? A moot point. However, knowing that someone has fine, wiry, dry, soft hair - that helps, a lot!
All the same, me being the 'need to know' type that I am, I've been trying for ages to pin down whether I'm a 'true' 3c, 4a, 4b, Cnapp, and/or plain old nappyheaded gyal.
That's picture is from my hair, about as 'unmeddled/stretched' as it gets - it's a day old rinsed and shook twistout.
The ends of my hair manage to form tight, tiny little boings, but that's about it.
I was combing my hair, last weekend I think it was, and realized that really, my hair ISN'T coily, it's simply CURLY. And the more I stretch it/pull it straight, the more it becomes actually wavy/kinky, more so than any sort of curl. The below picture is my hair, braided, with *thinks* a little afrodetangler in it, and that's it. It's not braided super tight, either.
And personally, that's rather upsetting. If I actually WANTED to wear my hair straight, I would be over the moon, as I think it would flat iron into a lovely, full, sleek little bob. But, dammit, I don't. I want curls. I want hair that's shaped like a helix stairway to heaven.
So. I don't know what kind of hair I have. I know it's kinky. I know it's soft. I know it's coily - but only at the ends - and curly - but only in the middle - and wavy - but only at the roots. I know a single hair will form a lovely helix, but a group of them together? *sigh* Maybe I just haven't figured out the 'routine' for convincing the coils to play nice together.
Mrrr. I'm still not super happy with any of the pictures of my texture - I'll have to work on that, for a while.
There's a thread over on HC that's currently talking about the 'need' to trim your hair. I put my piece in, then shut my mouth as I'm still a newb - but it really made me wonder how MUCH the difference in my texture AND my habits make a difference.
1) I'll never see a 'nappy knot' dangling from the end of my hair, because I rigourously detangle. All those knots are is shed hair, that's worked it's way down to the end of the hair, and is still hanging on for dear life. That's not a reason to cut your hair, that's a sign that you aren't detangling enough.
2) When my ends get rough and I start getting fairy knots - that's a sign that my cuticles need sealing (either with henna, or with citric acid for a short term fix), and that I need to up the moisture content in my hair. I have some fairy knots (my hair is actually long enough that I can SEE them) but really - they don't bother me. I don't wear my hair out straight, so *shrug* who cares if I have single strand knots?
As for the roughness - I dunno. My ends are always a lil 'crinklier' than the rest of my hair, and not as 'smooth' - but I always assumed that was a side effect of them being old - and even if I cut those off, in another six months, the 'fresh' ends are gonna be old again.
3) I almost NEVER wear my hair out. That two day twistout was the first time I've worn my hair out in 2008 - which means that my ends are usually nicely protected, uber moisturized, and not being touched by ANYTHING - including my hands, playing in it.
So. I guess, if I wore my hair out more, if I didn't detangle madly, and if I HAD to have ends that felt just like the rest of my hair, I would be on the every 3 months trim wagon as well. But I don't. - largely because I don't want to have to cut off most of my growth every year - it rather defeats the purpose of all that I'm doing.
I have to remind myself though, HC is not about growing long hair. It's about keeping your curls, happy, I reckon. Mrrr.
And if one more person implies that having long hair is 'pointless' unless you are tossing and swanging it all over the place, I might go kurplunk. But then, they haven't experienced the addictive delight and wonder of hairtoys, so I guess that can just be chalked up to ignorance.
*think* I think that's all the hair related snark for today.
Stuff and Etc.....
Gonna be disjointed today, as I'm doing a buncha of different things at the same time.
Caramel - ugh! It was fabulous for the hair, but a pain in my ass. I mixed about 4 teaspoons of cornstarch into the ACV before I added it, and really, it was like I didn't do a THING. I can't remember if cornstarch needs to be heated to 'activate' it - so that might have been the issue. I REALLY need to find a better stabilizer though, because the drippies almost had me going crazy. I only managed to keep it on for about 3 hours, but my skin started crawling, so I had to take it off. *sigh* I considering mixing a lil ceteyl alcohol in it, but the fact that it's a wax REALLY bothers me. *sigh* I don't know.
Combs - a LHCF'er found Mason Pearson knockoffs at bigLots, and I checked the local ones here - no combs. I cancelled my eBay order, though, and I'll hopefully be getting a full set (3 full sets, to protect from breakage!) from her soon.... so I'm happy with that.
Mega-Tek - I'm on a daily kick, now - I've used it almost every day this week. I have to be VERY careful as I'm taking my hair up and down since I'm meddling with it daily now. It's teaching me to be much more dainty with my hair, though - as I can 'feel' the additional stress I'm putting on it. I don't plan on taking a new set of progress pictures until May, though, this go around. I'm hoping to be at my chin, esp. if I keep up the daily doses. Here's hoping! I should also be getting into the rapid growth period of the year.
Style - hair is up, up, up. Changed my front part a bit to give it a better angle. Otherwise, I'm boring, as usual.
*think* I think that's it. I mainly wanted to whine about the Caramel. *sigh* Maybe I'll ask the TLHC ladies....