Thicker Longer Stronger!

7 Weeks Post Relaxer Update

2012-08-07T18:02:00.001+01:00

So I treated myself to a hot oil treatment/steaming at a nearby Salon and got my hair blow dried. Below are my 7 weeks post relaxer comparison pics:

7 weeks post relaxer

(June)

I've had so much re-growth that I'm struggling to cope with it all. I know I promised to go at least 12 weeks without a relaxer but as soon as I hit 6 weeks post it started to get more and more difficult. I'm finding it hard to detangle my hair and i'm starting to see more single strand knots especially when I wash my hair. As a result I've stopped co-washing mid-week as it does more harm that in should. I will continue to stretch (without putting my hair in braids/a weave) as I believe if I can get through it once I'll be able to do it again. I just hope my hair doesn't suffer.

MIA because of the Olympics

2012-07-27T14:54:00.000+01:00

So ... i've been MIA again but my exuse it ... The London 2012 Olympics ;)

I have a lot planned to blog about and I was supposed to have a lot of free time seeing as it is the summer hols but i've been working for the Olympics recently (which officially starts today ... YAY!) and my shifts are extremely long (9 hours each) with about 2 hours travelling time therefore i'm finding it extremely difficult juggling everything.

I do hope to start blogging again soon so stay tuned :)

P.s. watch out for the opening ceremony today, I went to the rehearsal and it was AMAZING (although the beginning is a bit slow and boring).

Wallet friendly Homemade DC Mix

2012-07-09T23:35:00.002+01:00

As you can probably tell from my last post, on Thursday I decided to try (after making a few alterations) the much loved Avocado & Banana Deep Conditioner.

*The following recipe is just about enough for SL/CBL hair - you may need more if you have longer hair*

Ingredients:

Half a banana
Half an avocado
2 table spoons of plain Greek yoghurt
1 table spoon of coconut milk
1 & 1/2 table spoons of honey
3 drops of pure vegetable glycerine
My oil mix (incl. avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil and Jamaican black castor oil)
Aphogee 2 min reconstructor
ORS Replenishing conditioner

Directions:

Blend the banana, avocado, Greek yoghurt and coconut together
Pour into a small bowl and add the other ingredients
Apply to hair from roots to tips with an applicator brush massaging into the hair every so often
Cover hair with plastic cap and leave in for an hour & a half and then co-wash out

Pictures:

The significance the main ingredients:

Bananas are rich in potassium, carbs, natural oils and vitamins which help soften the hair shafts and protect each strand's natural elasticity (preventing breakage and spit ends), increase manageability and control dandruff. Add Bananas to your DC if your hair is dry, sun damaged, chemically treated (i.e. dyed or relaxed) or if you suffer from dandruff.

Avocados are also rich in potassium, vitamins and natural oils avocados can help moisturise your hair and promotes growth. They also contain copper and oleic acid (a mono-saturated fat).

Yoghurt gently cleanses hair whist eliminating frizz and dandruff leaving hair shiny soft and conditioned. It can also be used as a detangler.

Coconut milk contains proteins which strengthen the hair and can help minimise breakage.

Honey & Glycerine are both humectants which return moisture back to dry hair & gives it extra slip
NB: do not use humectants in very wet or very dry areas or when there is too much or too little moisture in the air.

Notes:

Next time i'll use banana baby food or make sure I blend the banana bits well as it was slightly difficult removing some of the banana fibres from my hair.

Wash day and DC mix & ACV + tea mix

2012-07-07T11:17:00.001+01:00

This post might end up being a tad too long so I might split it up into 3 parts (one post with a summary of my Wash Day, another on my DC mix and the last on my ACV + tea mix).

So, I shampooed, deep conditioned and did a green tea + AVC rinse on my hair on Thursday. It had been 2 weeks & 1 day since my relaxer (& therefore my last wash). I decided to shampoo rather than co-wash mainly because I found out that the ORS Olive Oil Lotion I've been using contains petrolatum and I have been M&S my hair daily with it.

My hair after detangling
& before entering the shower.

I pre-pooed the night before with coconut oil and put on a shower cap under my satin bonnet for an overnight GHE session. In the morning, I detangled my hair with my (NEW) BodyShop wooden de-tangling wide tooth comb and jumped into the shower.

Before shampooing my hair, I decided to mix a few ingredients I had bought and make my own little DC mix which contained:

Half a banana
Half an avocado
2 table spoons of plain Greek yoghurt
1 table spoon of coconut milk
1 & 1/2 table spoons of honey
3 drops of pure vegetable glycerine
My oil mix
Aphogee 2 min reconstructor
ORS Replenishing conditioner

I jumped into the shower and shampooed once with my ORS Creamy Aloe shampoo and then once again with my KeraCare Hydrating Detangling shampoo. I then towel dried my hair, applied my DC mix and covered my hair with a plastic shower cap. After 90 mins I went back into the shower and rinsed off the DC mix, poured my Apple Cider Vinegar + Green Tea mix over my hair and co-washed with my Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner to get rid of the awful smell of vinegar and banana bits (more on that in my other posts).

Like usual, I applied some cantu shea butter to my damp hair and let my hair air dry in a loose bun. I then M&S with my Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends moisturiser and my oil mix.

So what was the end result? Well my relaxed ends felt like butter & the texlaxed sections of my hair also felt noticeably soft but the best part of all was that the breakage I was suffering from was reduced! My hair also had an incredible amount of slip!

This was an extremely long process so I may not do this every week BUT I WILL DO THIS AGAIN! (maybe every month?)

The plan for Summer 2012!

2012-06-30T00:37:00.000+01:00

As mentioned in my last few posts, the plan for this summer is to have my hair out - this means I will try and maintain my relaxed hair from the end of June up until the end of September without the use of braids, weaves & excessive heat!

The main aim of this 3 month stretch is to learn to listen to my hair! I will detail everything I do each day a post short weekly regimen updates.

I'm trying to simplify my regimen as much as possible so that I don't spend hours each day on my hair, if you're interested in seeing what my regimen is & the products i'll be using then click on the My Regimen tab :)

Relaxer Update #2

2012-06-21T16:07:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday 14th, I came back from the student college salon after having my hair washed, conditioned (with ORS Mayo) and blow dried and was in one of the WORST moods ever!

The main reason for bad mood was the fact that the hairdresser stated that my spit ends were extremely bad and that I would need to cut off 3/+ inches of hair next week when I get my relaxer. Normally I would ask them not to trim my hair but I literally cannot remember the last time I got a trim and so I've been planning to cut off some of my thin/split ends however I was not expecting here to say 3 inches.

So I went back to get a corrective relaxer yesterday (Wednesday 20th) and I ended up getting a hair cut. Before my hair was cut, I had just about made it to APL but my hair ends looked and felt damaged (dry, straw like and thin)! I would show pics but I accidentally deleted my blog pics the other day!

So you're probably wondering how much was cut off? Well lets just say I'm back to SL/CBL! I ended having around 2 or 3 inches cut off. Its still taking me a while to get used to the fact that I cut off so much but I'm getting there lol

According to the hairdressing instructor at the college my ends were in a bad state because of dark and lovely hair relaxers (she could tell I used the realxer by just feeling my ends), she also mentioned something about calcium build up to the student doing my hair (I'm guessing she was referring to calcium hydroxide) but in the end she told me to stay away from Dark and Lovely relaxers and any other L'Oreal products aimed at Afro-Caribbean Hair due to the fact that they are not properly tested on "our" hair.

Even though I received a trim, I can still tell that about 1 or 2 inches will need to be trimmed (but this time I'll take it slowly).

In terms of the corrective relaxer, it still didn't take completely and on top of that the new growth on the RHS is apparently slightly under-processed too. TBF (to be fair) I am beyond caring about getting straight results with a relaxer! As long as my hair is manageable and the two textures don't lead to severe breakage like the last time I got a relaxer then I'm fine with it! I'll post an update some time next week when I wash my hair about my not so corrective, corrective relaxer.

Now it time for the 3 month comparison pics:

One thing I will mention is that the pics from 3 months ago show my hair after it was wrapped, left under a dryer for 40 mins and straighten whereas yesterday, I only had my hair blow dried so my hair is not completely straight in the pics on the RHS. Also with the pics on the LHS (from 3 months ago) my hair was flicked in due to the state of my ends.

I'm going to end this post now before I continue to ramble on! But looks out for more posts now that my hair is out of braids!

Braid-less again :)

2012-06-12T23:56:00.001+01:00

This time, I used water mixed with the African Pride Braid Spray and the whole process took 10 hours.

Pics below:

(March 2012)

(June 2012)

I've decided to get my hair done at the nearby hairdressing & beauty college I was talking about in my Finding a new hairdresser post (mainly because funds are tight as a student). Tomorrow, I will apparently have a consultation and treatment in preparation for the relaxer which is due to happen next week.

Also going back to the Sometimes I Miss My Hair :( which states that:

One of my future goals is to not weave/braids at all in the future. I want to be able to wear my hair out 24/7 & to use buns, French twists etc. as my protective styles.

I've thus decided that during the summer holidays (from the Mid June to Mid-September) I will leave my hair out just to get accustomed to its needs. I will begin with a fresh relaxer and end with either braids or a weave. I haven’t had my hair out for this long in about 3 or 4 years so this will be a nice little challenge.

I'll try and post the results of the conditioning treatment tomorrow!

Looking back at my goals 6 months on!

2012-06-01T09:17:00.000+01:00

ITS JUNE! The month summer officially begins (in my eyes) and my birth month! YAY!

Summer Summer Summer Time!

So Will Smith isn't the best lyricist in the world but this song will forever remain a summer classic & so it is only right that I add this to my first Summer post.

This blog post is going to look back at the goals I made 6 months ago to see whether or not I have achieved them and to help me focus on the goals that need the most attention.

Here is a link to my first ever blog post:

Ok, so my first goal involved

stretching for longer than 6 weeks (yes i know SHOCKING) to every 3 months/holiday season (which means Christmas, Easter & Summer).

My first relaxer (of my HCJ) was on December 21st 2011, the second 30th March 2012 (3 months later) & my third is due to be done between the 18th and 21st of June (so roughly 11 weeks). So by the looks of it i have been able to meet my first goal. After my relaxer at the end of June, I'm not too sure as to whether I will relax again in September (before uni starts - so 3 months later) or wait until my one year hair anniversary and relax in December.

My second goal was:

Weaving protective styles (either weave or braids) for 8 out of 12 months.

Which I have been doing!

My third goal involves:

Following my regimen to the tee! (this is a big one as until now i have never had a regimen and i'm not a fan of rules/boundaries - i like to go with the flow).

Alright so I guess have not exactly being doing BUT I plan to do during the summer as for the first time I will have my hair out for the whole duration of my three month stretch (more on that to come).

My fourth goal was:

*Perfecting a regimen that I will stick to in the future - this included finding my staple products.

This has not happened as instead of listening to whether or not my hair likes a product, I have been following what other people say are good products (on YT/K.I.S.S/Hairlista). I feel at though ATM I have a good enough selection of products (only things missing are EVCO and a moisturising DC) and so this summer I plan on listening to my hair and letting it decide my staples.

& Last my fifth goal added 3 months in was:

Finding a new salon/Hairdressers and not going back to my Aunt.

My main reasons for this was due to the fact that my Aunt kept overlapping my relaxers and over-processing my hair (check out my Finding a New Hairdresser + Side Note post ). So in March for my first update I found a new hairdresser in my area but now my problem is with under-processed hair (ironic I know) so now I'm trying to decide whether or not to stay with my new hairdresser or go on a hunt for another one.

So that's the outlook on how things are going 6 months later! Sorry for the lack of posts I've had exams/been ill.

Quick post: Cantu Shea Butter have changed their formula :(

2012-05-18T14:13:00.000+01:00

I was supposed to be revising today but I was feeling a tad ill earlier on and so I decided to go on a few hair sites and that how I came across this post on K.I.S.S: http://keepitsimplesista.ning.com/forum/topics/fyi-cantu-shea-butter-formula-change-official-in-my-bss.

Apparently, the formula for the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In has changed and now, Canola Oil is the second ingredient in the new formula (after water) and Shea Butter has moved down the list to 6/7th position.

This is extremely disheartening as Cantu Shea Butter is one of my new fav staple products. Hopefully it will take a while for us to get it in the UK, but I'll try and stock up asap!

M.I.A again!

2012-04-19T15:32:00.000+01:00

Ok, so it's exam season again & on top of 4 exams I also have lots of coursework due in & society responsibilities. So sadly I might have to be "Missing in Action" until my last exam which is at the end of May.

About my hair:

I've had braid in since Friday the 6th & i'm really happy with the results (they're a few inches longer than what I normally get - grazing MBL). I'll probably keep these in until early/mid June so look out for another relaxer update!

I also stocked up on my African Pride Braid Sheen Spray:

& made another batch of my oil mix (this time containing: coconut, almond, olive, JBCO & plain ol' caster oil).

Anyways, good luck to everyone else who might have exams around now & don't worry I have a lot planned for when I come back.

Wash day (extra long post)

2012-04-13T22:50:00.001+01:00

My hair has been in a bun constantly (sorry for the lack of pictures) and the time has finally come for me to wash my hair. Every night (or every other night depending on how my hair felt) I would moisturise and seal my hair by spraying (distilled) water, using cantu shea butter (to seal the water), the the ors olive oil moisturising lotion, followed by herbal essences beautiful ends and finally sealing with KTC coconut oil (more on why I used so many products in the post before this). Afterwards, i would remove my hair-band, twist and tuck under the ends of my hair and wrap it in a silk scarf.

1. The night before, I prepoo'd on dry hair with coconut oil and left it in over night.

2. I then de tangled my in sections the next morning and put them in loose twists (picture below):

3. I decided to use the Keracare Hydrating Detangling shampoo (so I could do a product review soon) and added 30ml of the shampoo to 30 ml of water creating a 1:1 ratio of shampoo to water. I created sections with the sections (lol) and added the mix directly to my scalp on dry hair.

I had planned to use the ORS Aloe Vera clarifying shampoo first but I forgot (woops)! Although this isn't too bad as I want to start stretch my clarifying shampoo from once a month to once ever 6 - 10 weeks.

4.In the shower I tried washing my hair in sections but this took too long so I ended up washing it altogether.I let the shampoo run through my hair (from my scalp) and then added the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner/co-wash to the ends of my hair (because I didn't want to strip the ends too much by adding shampoo directly).

5. After washing my hair, I towel dried it for 5 mins and added the Aphogee 2 Min Reconstructor, popped on a shower cap and left it for roughly 15 minutes (although the bottle said 2-5 I wanted to strengthen my hair in preparation for blowdrying & the braids I plan on getting tomorrow).

6. I washed then Aphogee 2 Min out and then added the ORS Replen Pak for about 50 mins.

The end result of the above was extremely soft hair! I also did the strand test in the shower whilst washing out the ORS replen pak (so on wet hair) and the result was stretched hair which bounced back.

7. I towel dried my hair for 5 mins and then added some cantu shea butter & that resulted in:

ignore the straggly ends, I was worried about this too but it must be the because of the difference in textures.

8. I then let my hair air dry out (as the cantu shea butter stopped it from dripping) for 4 hours and then proceeded to moisturise and seal my hair.

Setback number one!

2012-04-12T11:36:00.002+01:00

After getting a relaxer, I noticed that my hair was underprocessed in the middle but the woman reassured me that it wasn't so bad and proceeded to straighten it so that I couldn't tell the difference. Then after failing to keep the middle of my hair moisturised and thus having to result to using every moisturising product I could get my hands on I decided to do some research online. I found that wetting the hair with water before moisturising and sealing it would help leave it moisturised for long, so after wetting my hair a bit the real texture/state of my hair was revealed to me:

As you can sort you can sort of see the roots and ends are bone straight but the middle is texlaxed.

Now whilst my hair was straightened, the fact that the middle was a different texture wasn't a problem and I had very little breakage but as soon as I sprayed it with just a little bit of water and my hair reverted back, the breakage started to increase up until the point where I sometimes left my hair in my silk scarf throughout the day and night and didn't touch my hair at all for a day or two!

At first I decided that I would leave the middle texlaxed and grow my hair out so that eventually I would cut it all off but as the days went on & my hair started to break more at the point(s) of demarcation I decided that a corrective relaxer was necessary because if not I would end up going back to NL if not shorter :(

So the plan is to get another corrective relaxer in June & hopefully I should have 100% relaxed hair (not sure on whether or not I should go back to the same place though).

As for my goal of APL by June 2012 - I'm not too sure if the breakage has jeopardised that & I'll just have to wait and see in June (fingers crossed I'll make it).

Look out for a Wash Day post later on today :)

Just a comparison I thought might inspire people!

2012-04-03T11:25:00.002+01:00

I just wanted to share with you guys a bit more info - some of which I should have disclosed 3 months ago. Ok, so I'm going to post an embarrassing picture of my hair in December:

Pay attention to the areas in the red circles, as you can see my hair was beyond damaged at this point. I was so disgusted by my hair in December that I was prepared to cut it to about ear length & start all over again. However I decided to wait until march before I made any drastic decisions. What you see in the red circles is the results of over-manipulation, over-lapping relaxers & heat damage.

Just looking at this picture makes me want to hurl! This picture was supposed to be my first length check however due to the state of my hair I decided to skip my beginning length check. To tell you the truth after taking this picture I was prepared not to bother with a HCJ, I thought it would take years for my hair to look presentable & that I might as well not bother as I am not a very patient person. I'm not too sure what made soldier on through & start my HCJ but I am ever sooo grateful I did. In just 3 month not only did I repair my hair but I also grew it to grazing APL! My ends are now in a much better position and I have various blogs, YT channels, K.I.S.S sistas & Hairlistas to thank!

This blog post was supposed to talk about breakage (well the lack of in my case) but I went off on a bit of a tangent lol after going through my webcam pictures, I guess I'll talk about breakage on my next post.

Relaxer Update #1 - long & picture heavy

2012-03-30T16:02:00.000+01:00

Ok, I just came back from the new salon that I am trying out (my appointment was at 11am & I finished around 2:30ish). The salon service was GREAT (I guess the saying is true, you get what you pay for) - the hairdressers were friendly, I was offered complementary tea, she gave recommendations, she asked me if i wanted grease or normal cream & the results were okish to great so I would give them a rating of:

The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because the corrective relaxer didn't go so well!As she was detangling my hair she mentioned that the middle of my hair was underprocessed and so she stated that she would smooth the relaxer down towards the underprocessed section ... which she did. However either my hair being stubborn didn't like the idea or she didn't leave it on for long enough as the middle of my hair is still a tad underprocessed (but guess its not really their fault). The only solutionis to get another corrective relaxer the next time :(

Note to self: NEVER let my mum relax my hair ever again!!!

Not only was this my first time a the new salon (called Angels) but it was my first time getting my hair relaxed with affirm and let me tell you I may NEVER EVER go back to dark and lovely. I thought dark & lovely was the ish in the past as it was the only relaxer that worked on my hair however after trying affrim, I have found a NEW LOVE *humming to Rhianna's We Found Love*.

Below I have added pictures :) as with the other pictures in my blog: The Orange line represents SL, the Green Line CBL & the Blue Line APL

Here's what it looks like from the back:

In this picture my ends were tucked in a bit so I think I might be able to claim GRAZING APL *happy dance*

The low ponytail is shorter than expected but not so bad.

& Here's what it like from the front (way shorter):

Big difference - looks like its nowhere near APL.

& here are my roots:

My ends are a bit straggly/stringy (can't think of a word) & I was advised to pay for a trim (she stated that she only wanted to cut 1/2 inch off) but me being the frugal person I am, put it off until my next relaxer.

I'm going back to university on the 16th so I'll probably get a weave some time before then, but i'll keep you all posted on how I manage my hair when its out between now & then.

Quick note: My wash days are usually: Wednesdays (Co-wash with HE HH) & Sundays (wash with KeraCare Hydrating De-tangling), but because i'm loving my hair the way it is I won't wash until next Friday!

Look out for reviews on the HE HH & Keracare Hydrating De-tangling Shampoo which I've just bought!

My hair yesterday vs my hair today - Oh relaxers how I love thee!

NB: Last Relaxer: 21st December 2011/ January 2012 (horse shoe section)

Relaxer tomorrow :)

2012-03-29T19:41:00.000+01:00

Sorry i've been gone for a while, I've been extremely busy! Tomorrow I will be getting a relaxer at a new salon (as mentioned in my previous post) & it will be an affirm relaxer. In the past I've mainly used Dark & Lovely but I'm looking to try Affirm as I have heard many good reviews on the relaxer.

To remove my braids I sprayed a mix of cantu-shea butter, water & random oils on my hair before gently un-braiding. The spray considerably reduced breakage as it meant that the braids literally slid off - although it did take me 8 hours to remove all my braids with various breaks in between.

Pictures below:

My hair 5 1/2 weeks ago

My hair after I removed my braids

Finding a new hairdresser + side note!

2012-03-22T19:24:00.000Z

On my I've been naught post I had a major panic attack about how I would have to get a retouch after stretching for merely 3 weeks and ranted about my hair journey going down the drain. The next day I went to my aunt (who has been doing my hair at a reduced price for 5 years now) and even though I asked for and clearly described a retouch on just the regrowth she proceeded to ignore me and apply the relaxer to the ends. Now as she was my aunt (and she was handling my hair) I was unable get angry and repeatedly scream profanity & abusive words at her (Lol only joking the most I would've done would be to tell them again angrily); but I did write a blog post then and there whilst she was relaxing my hair from root to tip ranting about how I would never come back to her ... but I didn't post it, in fact I deleted it.

Why? Because actually posting it on my blog would mean i'd have to follow through with it and pay considerably more. After doing a lot of searching, I found a college nearby which offers hair services such as relaxing etc.

Update (27/03/12): The college that I was looking into told me that they're student weren't ready to do relaxers (can't argue with that) and so I've given up the idea of cheap relaxers & booked an appointment at a nearby Hair Salon for £45.

SIDE NOTE: On my Past SL post I stated that my hair had just been relaxed my mum but I for got to mention that some areas where underprocessed/texlaxed and therefore I will be needing a corrective relaxer next. I have never had one before and I've heard a few horror stories about it but hopefully all goes well!

Wrapping Hair - not such a good idea after all!

2012-03-12T14:25:00.000Z

So to get over the fact that I miss my hair I have been watching tons of youtube videos & exciting myself at the prospect of having healthy hair.

I was going through one of the many hair care videos on youtube and I came across a lady who felt that wrapping her like so:

caused her ends to thin out on a particular side. Since the beginning of my HCJ (3 months ago) I've heard many people swear by wrapping their hair every night. Even before my HCJ, my cousin has tried to convince me to wrap my hair regularly as according to her it would:

keep my hair smooth & straight
prevent tangles
keep my hair moisturised
make styling quicker etc

Now although the reasons above were very attractive I was way too lazy to spend 10 min + wrapping my hair before bed so ignored her & others, however when I started my HCJ I considered starting to wrap my hair for extra protection during the night.

However after doing some research I have found that wrapping the hair has some MAJOR disadvantages! Wrapping your hair on a nightly basis in the same direction can cause BREAKAGE or the THINNING OF ENDS on a certain area of your hair.

Many recommend that you alternate the side you start wrapping from or practice cross-wrapping instead to prevent breakage and in fact maintain length however there are still a handful of people that suffer from breakage no matter how the wrap their hair.

As a result of this new discovery (for me) I will look into other methods of protecting my hair at night such a pin curls, rollers etc.

Sometimes I Miss My Hair :(

2012-03-01T20:04:00.002Z

Due to the thick & coarse texture of my hair, I’ve always had my hair in braids/weaves for as long as I can remember (the oldest picture of me with braids was taken when I was around 5/6 years old). The routine (or cycle should I say) was usually as follows:

As you can see the longest I’ve had my hair out has been for 6 weeks (maybe 2 months max but that was a few years ago).

In the past I didn’t mind having my hair braided away, it meant less pain from detangling and not having to worry about my hair at all; but now that I’ve started my HCJ, and learnt of all the things I should be doing with my hair like DCing, co-washing, M&Sing etc. I MISS MY HAIR!

The only reasons why I haven’t taken these braids down yet is because I’m dreading the amount of time it will take to remove them & they’re the only thing stopping me for over-manipulating my hair (with constant touching).

One of my future goals is to not weave/braids at all in the future. I want to be able to wear my hair out 24/7 & to use buns, French twists etc. as my protective styles.

I've thus decided that during the summer holidays (from the Mid June to Mid-September) I will leave my hair out just to get accustomed to its needs. I will begin with a fresh relaxer and end with either braids or a weave. I haven’t had my hair out for this long in about 3 or 4 years so this will be a nice little challenge. I would leave my hair out from the beginning of June but I guessed I would give in to getting a weave for my birthday :p

My Name is Shaye & I’m addicted to weave.

2012-02-20T17:21:00.000Z

Why am I addicted? Weaves are convenient, fast to install and most of all if done properly can make you look fantastic. Since I have started wearing weaves the amount of attention I’ve received (both male and female) has probably tripled and I would be lying if I say I didn't love it :p. Also, with weaves, I feel that I'm able to do things thay my hair will not be able to do for a long while and that prospect excites me.

To me a weave is like a drug (apologies if this offends anyone), as when I try to stop wearing weaves I suffer from withdrawal symptoms & end up jumping back on the bandwagon.

Now I’m not saying I can’t leave the house without a weave because I’ll gladly leave my hair out (if its relaxed – lol another one of my addictions) but the thought of doing twists/braids and thus not having a weave for 6 – 9 weeks is quite scary.

So why after 9 months of using weaves as a protective style have I decided to go back to braids/twists? Well, mainly because I feel that the horse shoe section at the front of my hair has been left out for too long and needs to be tucked away for a while in order for me to retain more length. Another reason is that it is easier to shampoo/condition and M&S when you have braids and lastly, if I do end up doing a weave again then I’ll have to relax a bit of my hair and won’t be able to stretch my relaxers as I would like to.

Update: February 2012 - APL Sooner than I thought?

2012-02-18T22:10:00.001Z

So I’ve just finished removing my weave and I thought I might blog a bit whilst watching the Whitney Houston funeral.

On this occasion I felt I didn’t need to add conditioner/moisturiser/oils to my hair as it was already quite greasy/oily. After my mum cut the threads off I removed the extensions used to braid my hair and then proceeded to detangle my hair in 12 sections.

Below is a picture of the amount of shedding/breakage I received as a result:

(not to sure is this is too much or just about right for 5/6 weeks worth)

Also below is a picture of my hair detangled!

Update! Here is a picture of my hair in two two-strand twists taken from my nape (the very bottom) and stretched out.

The orange line represents SL, the Green Line CBL, the Blue Line APL and I used the purple arrow to show where my hair is now. By the looks of it ( & for once in my life) I am retaining length although I haven't washed my hair yet so we'll see what happens later on. Although I could probably make it to APL by my 20th Birthday (in June), I intend on cutting off quite a bit of my hair (maybe just below the green line) as my hair starts to get quite thin below that line.

& the last picture shows my hair not stretched - can you say MAJOR shrinkage :(

Results after washing, doing a protein treatment using Organics Hair Mayo & ORS Replen pak & air drying my hair in 30 Magnetic Snap-on rollers for 6 hours.

The Weave Series: Installation & Maintenance

2012-02-18T21:52:00.000Z

So I've had this weave in for 5/6 weeks already and I've just removed it with intention to do either braids or twists on Monday. I am aware that I should leave my hair out for at least a few days (and I usually do) however on this occasion I'm way too busy!

click here for a video created by MissBossyLive which shows a similar braid pattern to the one I used!

Maintenance of the weave itself:

Over the past couple of weeks I shampooed or co-washed the hair when needed to remove the oil build up caused by oiling my scalp (usually once or twice a week) and added some of my HE Beautiful ends to the ends of my weave if it looked particularly dry. As the weave I used was Wavy “Virgin Brazilian” hair I rarely applied heat to it. Instead I would let it air dry/spritz it with water (sort of like an everyday wash and go) and ended up with the wavy-ish beach curls look.

Maintenance of my hair:

I intended on moisturising my tracks with my new African Pride braid spray mixed with olive & castor oil every three days but that ended up becoming every week due to the fact that my weave became greasy too frequently. I ensured that I applied my mix to my scalp at night time as I wanted to prevent walking to and from lectures with oil dripping down my forehead and neck! As mentioned I kept my weave in for 5 to 6 weeks and so far I have washed my hair once the reason being that my shower at University is beyond crap and dribbles water making washing my hair a nightmare. I moisturised my leave out once or twice a day depending on whether I felt my hair needed more moisture (this was usually when it was extra cold outside/I went out multiple times in a day).

R.I.P. Whitney Houston!

2012-02-12T02:54:00.001Z

Just heard the news at 1:30 am (GMT) that Whitney Houston Died Yesterday. May her soul rest in peace!
My prayers go out to her family especially her mother and daughter.
It really sadness me to hear that another great musician has died. May she live on through her fans and songs.

It's kind of weird how just 9 hours ago I was listening to her song My Love is Your Love! & 3 days ago she was performing!

Whitney Houston won 415 Awards, 2 Emmys, 6 Grammys, 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Awards, 300,000,000 Albums Sold

I hope this shows people how short & precious life is ... it really put things into perspective!

The Weave Series: Pre-Installation

2012-02-06T21:37:00.000Z

Weaves are a great protect style when done correctly. Due to preconceived notions, a lot of women believe that installing a weave without taking any steps into looking after their hair before, during and after the process will reap benefits. THIS COULD NOT BE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. Not taking care of you hair before, during or after having a weave is extremely damaging so much so that it would be safer not to get a weave at all. This first part of The Weave Series looks at the preparation steps I take before getting MY weave installed.

Preparing the weave itself:

I washed & deep conditioned the weave using my Herbal Essenes Shampoo and Conditioner as if it were my own hair. I shampooed each individual track with warm water two times in warm water and then deep conditioned all the strands together in a plastic bag for half an hour before washing out the conditioner with cold water.
I let the weave air-dry as blow drying the hair would have made it frizzy and affected the natural wave pattern.

Like squirrels collect acorns & nuts in preparation for hibernating,
I also prepare my hair for it's hibernation.

Preparing my hair:

I DO NOT RELAX my hair right before you install a weave! Relaxers chemically weaken the hair (by breaking down the disulfide bonds). Installing a weave minutes after you hair has been weakened and adding extra tension to you hair could result in a Naomi Campbell-esque look! As a result I try to relax my hair at least 3/4/6 weeks before installation. I do however relax my leave out the day of installation.
CLARIFY! I find it important to clarify right pre-installation as I get a lot of build-up during the six week I leave my weave in for. Therefore by clarifying I wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Also build-up can block the pores and affect the rate of growth.
Mmh Protein – doing a protein treatment to strengthen my hair in preparation for the installation process is ESSENTIAL. This should (hopefully) prevent the Naomi Campbell-esque look. I usually use my ORS Replen Pak.
Usually after a protein treatment I like to deep condition to add moisture back into my hair & reduce the stiff/hard/dry feeling that sometimes result from protein treatments.
It is extremely important for me to air dry as I don’t want to add any unnecessary stress to my hair strands before I get a weave installed.
The night before I get my weave installed, I make sure my hair is properly detangled and M&S my hair and scalp thoroughly (this usually involves dividing my hair into more sections than I usually would). It is important to keep in mind that this is the last direct contact you will have with your hair before you remove the weave.

Thing I intend to incorporate into my pre-installation regimen next time:

Hot Oil Treatments

Small print: this is what works for me personally and is not a sure guide to making sure your hair reaps the benefits of using weave as a protective style. Also if you relax your hair right before you get a weave installed and haven’t suffered from the Naomi Campbell-esque look then good on you!

The Weave Series: The Various Types of Braid Patterns

2012-02-05T13:12:00.000Z

There are several different types of braid patterns, three of which I have tried personally:

Full Head Sew In: whereby the client’s hair is completely braided up and no hair is left out. Perfect for someone who: finds it hard to abstain from the use of heat, is transitioning, or is trying to grow their hair. Within this type you can get a lace frontal, invisible part or the classic full head (in the pic below). I have only done this method twice & on both occasions removed it in under 5 days! The pain & tension I experienced on both occasions was unbearable! Plus it gives me the egg head effect :P I have learnt therefore that this method IS NOT FOR ME!

Tracks: whereby horizontal braids create a base to sew extension on with hair being left out to cover each track. This was the very first weave I had at 15/16 years old & I liked it a lot, although it didn’t last very long, caused my nape to break off, required me to straighten my hair regularly to ensure my hair blended well with the weave & was not protective at all! Why did I keep doing it for 2 years? Because I didn't know any better - ignorance at its finest!

Full Head Sew in with Hair Out: whereby hair is braided to create a base to sew extensions on but a fair amount of hair is left out, whether it be the front, the edges or the back (to allow a ponytail). This is the method I’ve been using for the last two years and the only one that works for me as a protective style without the intense pain.

There are many other types of braid patterns & methods which do not require braids such as clip-ons, glue-ins, nets etc. However I cannot comment on these effectively as I have not used them myself.

The Weave Series!

2012-02-05T13:01:00.002Z

Weaves have gotten a lot of bad rep for the damage that they can cause but we cannot dispute the fact that if they are properly done properly then you could reap the benefits of longer, thicker hair. Below are pictures of celebrities that have used weaves to either grow or damage their hair.

Naiomi Campbell with weave & jacked UP edges

Gabrielle Union after removing her weave

As you can see from these two extremes there are grave consequences of not installing/removing or looking after you weave and hair underneath properly but also great benefits if you take the right steps.

The advantages of a weave are endless for some! For example:

Less Manipulation
Versatility
Transitioning
Protection form the elements
Cut and colour changes etc.

Take note weave is not for everyone! Some people may not experience the benefits and could even suffer from alopecia.

Over the next 3 weeks I will focus somewhat of my blogging towards weaves. Look out for more posts labelled The Weave Series!