Coily Curl Girl

Go protective styling!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:27:00 +0000

It's officially been over a month that I've worn my hair in a protective style.

Can I just say easier to manage?

Don't get me wrong, I loooooove wearing my hair out (because my hair doesn't do "down") but everything has been going more smoothly since wearing two strand twists.

I'll be doing a length check next week just to see what's new :-)

Branching Out

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Since the beginning of my hair journey I have come a long way, tried a lot of products and have shared with you what works for me.

This is why I've decided to create a website that helps others find the right products and share in more detail what has helped me get this far.

There is hope for your strands so don't give up and get frustrated with your hair. Just care for it.

Lost Count

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:01:00 +0000

I'm not even sure how many days I've been using the GHE method anymore. I suppose it's not really important though. I've been doing it for over a month now. Beyond that? I'm not so sure.

The results have always been softer, moisturized hair and I'm also pleased to announce I no longer have the "finger in hair" habit. I've got a long way to go before I reach my goal length but I know patience is key and that I'll get there eventually.

Why I use protective styles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:54:00 +0000

To be candid, I never really saw the point in keeping my hair in a protective style. I've always been a fan of wearing my hair loose with my ends exposed. I don't think NOT wearing my hair in a protective style for a long period of time will make or break my ends, but I am a fan of quick and easy styling.

I've been wearing my hair in 2 strand twists now for about a month and it has definitely made a difference in how fast I can detangle my hair when moisturizing and sealing on a daily basis. When cleansing my hair in sections after wearing my hair down for a few days, it takes me a lot longer to detangle than when I've been wearing my hair in a protective style.

I think it's important to use protective styling when you're short on time. I actually find protective styling beneficial when I'm feeling lazy as well because I know my hair has been moisturized and sealed so there is no hair emergency going on.

It's on my lazy days that I simply spritz my hair with my mixture and oil my scalp and give myself a quick massage before heading to bed or out the door. This allows me to not be late for work and it also allows me to not feel guilty of hair negligence. So it's a win-win situation.

Early Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:04:00 +0000

It's 5:55am. Why am I awake? Because I fell asleep without oiling my scalp last night. Yesterday was a long day and I completely kept putting off the oiling process to do other things like laundry and steam cleaning the carpet.

I guess things always come up that can interfere with a healthy routine, but now that I'm up and back on track I can rest easy and hop back into bed!

Thought of the day: Many times we may forget something crucial that leads to succeeding in us reaching our goals, but it's important to realize that we should not discard that action entirely. Do it when it's remembered and don't call yourself a failure. Tell yourself "now I remember and with remembrance I will succeed".

I know it's a bit deep when concerning the topic of hair, but I guess I take my hair very seriously!

Spring Castor Oil Challenge Results! (Feb,2013- May 2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 14:23:00 +0000

So I have been participating in the castor oil challenge hosted by KinkyCurlyCoilyMe and these were the results from my first castor oil challenge.

Length check at the start of the castor oil challenge

Final length check of the spring 2013 castor oil challenge

I applied the Home Health Cold Pressed castor oil to my hair and scalp 6x per week and I can't say I'm complaining about the results, that's for sure.

I have just joined the Summer 2013 castor oil challenge and am going to use the last of my Home Health castor oil during this challenge. I'm then going to see what all the hype is about with the black castor oil, but I think I'm going to opt for the Haitian black castor oil and try that one first before trying the Jamaican black castor oil (to see if there's a difference).

Twists I like!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 May 2013 23:14:00 +0000

I finally styled my twists a way that I like so I don't feel the need to hide my hair under my hat!

Vitamin supplements

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 May 2013 11:41:00 +0000

I've been taking my vitamin supplements daily, in the mornings. My lashes are longer to the point that I don't even need to use mascara now.

Here's the list of vitamins I take that are supposed to aid in hair growth:

Silica 500 mg

Biotin 1000 mcg

One A Day Women's Vitamin

MSM 1000 mg (sometimes I take 2 of these in one day, making 2000 mg)

I drink a lot of water so the breakout horror stories I've read about haven't happened to me, but I did get a couple of tiny bumps that were barely visible. I can definitely see how the crazy breakouts can happen but I think it's a temporary thing until your body gets all of the impurities out.

I've had my hair in two strand twists for the past two weeks but tonight I'm going to be cowashing my hair because it's been too long and my hair is begging me :-)

Prior to that, I did flat iron my hair (I felt like doing something a bit different), so I've included that photo as well.

Flat ironed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:40:00 +0000

I have avoided the GHE for the past 5 days because I flat ironed my hair. I'm pleased to report it's shoulder length! Yes, I gave in and did a length check. I couldn't help myself. It rained yesterday so my hair is now an afro, so I'll be cowashing and doing two strand twists along with the GHE.

Brief Hair Update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 May 2013 17:27:00 +0000

Last night I simply sprayed water on my hair and applied the original Wild Growth Oil to my scalp and applied my GHE gear. My hair definitely seems to have less shrinkage and more curl definition.

Tonight I'm going to be applying my castor oil to seal my ends after putting on the leave in. Then I'll apply my WGO to my scalp even though the instructions say use 3x per week. I haven't seen any flakes or thin film like some claim to have gotten.

Wild Growth Oil Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2013 01:41:00 +0000

I dropped by Sally Beauty Supply again and picked up the original Wild Growth oil so I have moisturized and sealed my hair with my new mixture (leave in, castor oil and both Wild Growth formulas after spraying with water) and I'm now wearing my GHE head gear.

I was expecting the original formula to smell way different, but other than the rose oil smell in the light formula they smell very similar. I'm liking the smell actually. Detangling was much faster and already I can feel my hair starting to tingle. Apparently I sweat very easily.

My twists are getting longer so I may have to start holding certain twists up with hair pins because I don't like my hair on my ears while I'm sleeping :-/

Well I'm calling it a night, just wanted to update the info on my search for the Wild Growth Oils.

My Experience With The Cayenne Pepper Scalp Scrub

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:53:00 +0000

Long story short... It was awesome. I love how my scalp felt after applying the scrub and washing it out. My only complaint is that it was sticky so I could have gone without the sugar. The smell was good because I mixed it with my conditioner.

Afterwards, I applied the wild growth light oil moisturizer and it made my hair so soft and manageable. Detangling was a breeze and I can't wait to mix it with the original formula. This morning after removing my GHE gear, my hair was shiny and even softer!

I think I've finally gained healthy hair!

Day 15 of GHE Self Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:54:00 +0000

I'm currently still wearing my GHE gear. I decided to do an all day deep condition/protein treatment (my deep conditioner contains protein and keratin) which I mixed with castor oil (of course). I've been wearing this since about 8 pm last night and my scalp is slightly burning but it's a pleasant feeling. No itching and a little tingling.

I've been terrible at keeping up with uploading my hair photos simply because I'm usually blogging from my phone and I use my Nikon to take photos of my hair for better quality images. Last night I was shocked at how much thicker and longer my twists have gotten, but I'm still fighting the urge to do a length check.

So far I've been successful keeping my fingers out of my hair and THAT is a huge plus for me. I'm not walking around constantly rubbing my hair. I imagine when I was doing that, I looked like a prude *lol*.

Tonight I'm going to do my cayenne/sugar scalp scrub just to ensure my deep conditioner doesn't leave build up and then I'm going to rinse thoroughly (and carefully) and moisturize and seal as usual. I'll reapply my GHE gear and then remove it in the morning. I think my hair is going to thank me for it.

Day 14 of GHE Self Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:40:00 +0000

Last night I was lazy, but I won't be skipping my GHE anymore and that is a promise I intend to keep.

I simply sprayed my hair with water and oiled my scalp with my wild growth light moisturizer, untwisted my hair, oiled the ends and retwisted, applied my shower cap and satin bonnet and called it a night. My hair is a bit tingly today and I left my hair in twists, covered it with my satin bonnet and put my favorite hat on.
Tonight I'm going to cowash and do my scalp scrub, and this weekend I'm going to do a protein treatment and deep condition.

My hair has gotten thicker, to the point that even finger parting my hair is a new challenge. However, I welcome it.

GHE after skipping two days

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:24:00 +0000

I've skipped 2 days of doing the GHE (shame on me) but I'm officially back at it. My hair has definitely gotten thicker. With everything I'm doing, it's hard to say exactly what's causing it, but I hope it continues and I don't plan to change much more about my routine.

I've decided to leave my hair in two strand twists unless I'm going out and have even thought about leaving them in then and just adding accessories. I'm not sure yet. I've also decided to purchase the JBCO and see how that works before trying the HBCO. I figure... why not?

It can't hurt.

Again, my hair is soft and fluffy and shiny as all get out, but I think my hair is also crying for some protein since I did a strand test and it snapped. SO!! I'll do doing that this week. I have to cowash my hair and do my weekly scalp scrub, this time I've added cayenne pepper. Hopefully this goes well and once I get my wild growth hair oil I'm probably going to start using my Cantu leave in as a spray (maybe add the cayenne to that as well) so... I'm going through quite a few changes until I've found an easier moisturize and seal method for me. I wish I'd known these things earlier, I'd probably already be at APL. Patience, however, is something I possess so I'm ready to wait this out while doing everything I can do reach my goal length (waist length)

Wild Growth Hair Oil Update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:39:00 +0000

So, I ended up going to Sally Beauty Supply and guess what? They were out of the original Wild Growth Oil!! On a good note, though, I was able to purchase the light formula and the associate told me they'll have more Wednesday. So I'll be back Wednesday. I used the light formula this morning to oil my scalp but I won't be using it again until I get the original formula.

Tonight I was going to do something new. I was going to do my weekly scalp scrub (sugar mixed with my conditioner) and I added cayenne pepper. I'm a little nervous to try it. I hope it doesn't burn, only tingles.

I guess I'll be mixing a little more of my detangling cocktail afterall :-)

I'm putting off the scalp scrub, cowashing and deep conditioning treatment until tomorrow night. Tonight I'm just going to moisturize and seal and do the GHE.

It's been a long day so I'm going to grab a bite to eat and relax.

Getting Wild Growth Oil Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:35:00 +0000

I'm going to head to Sally Beauty Supply today and grab 3 things: Wild Growth Hair Oil, Wild Growth Light Moisturizing Oil and an applicator bottle. Why get an applicator bottle when the oils already come in an applicator bottle? Well, because I'm going to MIX the 2 together along with my cold pressed castor oil.

I don't expect wild growth, but I do expect this to make my hair more manageable and more bouncy over time. Maybe even more defined twist outs, if that's possible.

Many people have said their hair has grown faster when using this oil, so if I have similar results I'm totally going to welcome those results. Why wouldn't I? Most importantly, I want my new growth to be more manageable.

Hopefully this works! I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to continue to include my Cantu leave-in in my regimen. It's definitely staying, I'm just not sure if I want to mix with my water and spray from my bottle, or if I just want to dip in the jar and make this into a "spray-dip-seal" 3 step routine. Decisions decisions...

I'm excited to add the Wild Growth products to my regimen. I can hardly contain myself. Too many positive reviews to ignore it.

WGO: I'm Going For It

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:18:00 +0000

I decided to do some research on essential oils on a quest to create an all natural hair perfume. Along the way I ran into numerous sites and reviews that mentioned WGO (Wild Growth Oil). I'm sold. I want to get some. Not because I think it'll speed my hair growth, but because it's got oils that I have been wanting to try (and one I've tried and know works well for moisturizing). Now, this oil has nothing to do with my original search, but I thought I'd share it because I think it may become a staple product for me.

Olive oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil are the main ingredients that made me want to get this. It also has iron and vitamin E which is a huge plus for me. The original WGO is the one I'm referring to, in the white bottle with green writing. They also have one in a yellow bottle, which I also plan to try because it has castor oil and... Yep, essential oils that are meant to deodorize. Apparently the only complaint most people had, as far as I could see, was the smell. I'll survive, I can handle an herbal smell. I think it also has sulphur as well. Even better :-)

I'm going to mix both the WGO and WGO light moisturizer together with some of my own castor oil I've been using. So for a while I'm going to sit my detangling cocktail to the side to see how this stuff works. I'll just use the Cantu Shea Leave-In separately like I was before. Actually, I have so little of my cocktail left, I may use it tonight to finish it off so it's not sitting there looking so lonely :-) then just use the oil on my scalp.

A lot of people say the WGO is thick, but my hair seems to love thick, heavy oils because my hair doesn't feel weighed down, but still feels moisturized and soft. Hopefully this oil works well with the GHE.. I don't see why it wouldn't. I'll just have to find out.

Last night I skipped the GHE because I didn't feel my hair needed it. Tonight I'm going to do it though. I still think my hair has grown a little and I'm tempted to do a length check, but I'm going to hold off for a couple months. *fingers crossed* I'm excited to try the WGO and it's going to be even more exciting if it works like the company claims (and many others claim as well).

Silica for skin moisture and softness

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:21:00 +0000

Yesterday I noticed my skin was VERY soft and moisturized. I have read online that silica increases the body's collagen retention and could indeed help with stretch marks (which I have) and also read that MSM does as well.

Now, I'm not sure which is doing it, the silica or the MSM at this point. I'm going to guess the MSM since that is the supplement I've been chewing and they say powder form doesn't need to be altered by the digestive system. I couldn't bring myself to chew the silica (horsetail extract) the taste of the tablet in my mouth without chewing is enough to make me realize I couldn't handle THAT *lol*. I have also noticed the area around my nose isn't dry as it usually is so I haven't needed to use my moisturizer daily. I just use it at my own leisure now.

Last night, I decided to detangle my hair a couple of hours before applying my shower cap for the greenhouse effect and this morning it was VERY slightly damp. I think I'm going to start doing it this way because my hair was dry in about 5 minutes after removing my head gear :-)

My hair continues to be soft every morning and, as I stated before in another post, I could almost SWEAR my hair has grown a little. My detangling cocktail makes the process a lot easier for me (fewer steps) and by the time I'm done I'm not stressed out at all.

I'm really considering doing a protein treatment, but not sure if I need it or not. I can add an egg to my deep conditioner, but I don't want to use the same cap I use for my nightly GHE since I just cleaned it.

I'll think it over... Maybe I'll do it just to be safe and ensure I get the protein I need, since it's been a while.

I'm officially going to get some haitian black castor oil once I'm done with my cold pressed castor oil. It's just too tempting to say no to. Maybe I'll even get better results with this oil. I may also try jamaican black castor oil after that just to see what the difference is (if there is a difference at all) and see what all the hype is about.

My supplements for hair growth

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:38:00 +0000

As you know, I'm taking a multivitamin, silica, biotin and MSM. I want to see how well this aids in hair growth. My main interest is in lengthening my hair's growth phase because the hair I do lose has white bulbs on the ends. So, with that said, I believe I have a great growth rate but am lacking in the growth phase department.

I've been chewing my MSM so it works faster (1000 mg) and hopefully I'll start to notice changes in the next month.

I've uploaded a photo of my ideal hair length at this point. Once I've reached that goal I'll upload a new hair inspiration .

Long hair, here I come!!

Lovely Fragrance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:40:00 +0000

So I thought last night's post was published last night, but apparently it didn't but oh well, it's published now! :-)

Today my hair smells awesome. My scalp is still tingling and feels pleasantly tight. As I mentioned before, I didn't section my hair before co-washing so it took me longer to detangle (almost an hour!) but that won't be happening again. I think next time I'll use my spray bottle to wet my hair and then apply my conditioner before I get in the shower. That way I can section my hair and take my time doing it.

Maybe I'm crazy, but it does seem my hair has grown a bit since I started the GHE. I seem to have a bit of new growth, judging by my roots and how much farther my twists seem to stretch...but like I said, maybe I'm just crazy. I'm not ready to do another length check yet. I guess part of me wants it to be a surprise. I'm going to be ecstatic when my hair reaches APL (arm pit length).

I'm looking forward to even more positive changes with my hair.

I'm thinking of ditching the shower cap for some plastic caps because the shower cap crackles so much it sometimes wakes me up when I change sleeping positions. But, until I get some plastic caps I will hang on to the shower cap.

Day 11 of GHE Self Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:23:00 +0000

I finally co-washed my hair and did my sugar scalp scrub. My hair feels amazing! Super soft. I didn't co-wash in sections (which I regret because it took longer to detangle even with my detangling cocktail) but my scalp is tingly because of the tea tree conditioner I used tonight. I have my shower cap on and am laying in bed dozing, but wanted to blog because this has also become a habit.

I wore my favorite hat again today over my satin bonnet because the material my hat is made of is drying for my hair and left a few twists out for style.

The scalp scrub definitely does wonders for my scalp. I also looked at the ingredients of my conditioner and it contains BIOTIN! Go VO5!

All Better

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:38:00 +0000

Last night I did the GHE and this morning my hair thanked me for it big time. My hair said "how dare you skip a day of pampering me!"

My nails are growing a LOT faster and I just filed them because they were making opening a bottle a challenge. I'm not sure if my hair has gotten any longer yet but it has definitely gotten softer. I'm not sure which thing I'm doing or taking that's causing that, but as long as my hair is happy, I'm happy.

I still didn't co-wash my hair but I'm DEFINITELY going to be doing that tonight along with my sugar scrub.

New Co-Wash Conditioner and why I skipped last night's GHE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:31:00 +0000

So last night I didn't do the GHE. Why? Because I had other, more intimate plans *cheesy smile* but I did sleep in my satin bonnet, of course. I was in a hurry last night so I didn't do my co-wash or scalp scrub. I think there is a reason things happen because I actually found a VO5 conditioner I'd like to try tonight. It's the tea tree vanilla mint clarifying conditioner. It smells AMAZING and I can't wait to try it tonight.

I'll be doing the GHE tonight again.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention I got my MSM yesterday! I was starting to feel anxious without it because I know it lengthens the hair's growth phase. I couldn't find the capsules so I got the tablets but I just chew them and down the powder with a glass of water because I heard since the body doesn't have to digest powder, it's not altered and therefore powder works better. Of course, I also will continue to take my biotin, silica and multivitamin with the MSM.Sorry, just can't see buying Hairfinity.

I've also noticed (not sure if I mentioned this before) that my hair grows faster in the back and on the sides than the front. My bangs are at my nose now and already they are longer than they ever were when I got relaxers, but I'm going to be one happy camper when they reach my chin!

Hat Attack

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:03:00 +0000

Today I've gone with two strand twists and my favorite hat. Tonight I'll be doing my weekly co-wash and sugar scrub. I may even throw some honey in for added moisture but that all depends on how I feel.

Of course, I'll also be doing my nightly GHE and moisturizing and sealing with my detangling cocktail.

I'm not sure if my hair is any longer this week than last week, but I do know I'm having to take more time to finger part my hair. This is one reason I've been keeping my hair in two strand twists: at night all I have to do is untwist, spritz with water and seal then retwist.

I can see that my hair care regimen has become a habit. On my way back home from the day, I'm thinking "I can't wait to get home and moisturize and seal my hair". If I don't, I can't sleep. I used to dread doing my hair but now it has become somewhat of an emotional therapy for me.