Tis the season...for protective styling.

I have a half wig.  On so many forums and blogs, I read about girls who use wigs to protective style during the harsh weather months.  I am attempting to do the same.  On Saturday, I washed my hair and deep conditioned.  I let it air dry over night and corn-rowed the back the next morning.  I flat ironed the bangs and then some...and slapped on my one and only half wig.  I trimmed it so the longest length would go to no longer than my armpits. That way it wouldn't be noticeably longer than my real length.  But guess what!!! I still feel weird wearing it in public. I wore it to church on Sunday..and felt like my head was so big!  The false hair feels so dry and crunchy compared to my real hair.  It doesn't move the same way...and looks a little greasy (probably my own doing!)  Ah well.  If I can make this work for me for the next two work weeks, I know it will be good for my hair.  The temperature is about 0 to 7 celsius on average these days...the air is soooo dry.  So, I don't want to wait until February until I start finding ways to prevent breakage.  Looking at pictures from the past few years, I've noticed that my hair always looks full and thick around my birthday...and straggly by spring.  Not this year. Why?  Deep conditioning, protective styling, and proper nutrition.  Wish me luck!

Time for an update

Big thanks to Rochie for reminding me of this blog!  I think we both just got busy this year, and stopped tracking our progress. I HAVE been paying attention, but not posting.  Will try to change that in the new year!

Where my journey started: This was taken on the day of my last major haircut March 24, 2010. You can see that my hair was broken, thing, and dry looking...even though I was really pleased with my cut (at the time!) The collar of my coat is deceiving.  It goes right up to the botton of my ears. So if we had to give my length a name, I'd say  Jawbone length.

So big news!  I'm expecting a new addition to my little family in 2012.  Many have suggested that this news is responsible for my hair growth.  Perhaps it has contributed somewhat, but that insinuation annoys me a bit, because those people are unaware of how much time and effort I have invested in learning proper care of my hair.  In fact, begining in June (before I was pregnant).  I started noticing that my hair was already past my shoulders and I couldn't resist the urge to wear it pressed all summer long.  Usually in the summer I am the queen of fros and curly styles, but I was very pleased with how far my hair had come along..and found myself wearing it straight after most washes.

This is me now... (November 14, 2011) Also taken about 3 days after a trim.  Stylist took of 1.5 to 2 inches all over to even out my end and remove splits.  Haven't measured, but from my Jaw to almost my Armpit is around 8 inches of growth.

So how did I get here?

My last post was about protective styling.
- Protective styling: I wore a half weave for 3 weeks last february (i couldn't stand it any longer) ...which cut down on wear and tear.  it really helped the weaker/short parts in the back to catch up with the rest.  Now it's all filled in!  I wanted to reduce heat, and I was good with that till summer came around.  Then I took another break from September to November.  I think if I limit flat ironing or blow drying to once a month, I'll be ok.
-Protected my hair from the elements.  Canadian Winters are brutal!  I wore hats daily when travelling outdoors.  And I moved my daily walks indoors.  Instead of strolling the city streets on my lunch breaks, I chose to walk the indoor network of shops and food courts that connects all the financial office buildings.  It's big enough that it was never hard to spend 20 minutes down there, get my daily exercise without stressing my hair or immune system.
- Moisture:  This is a key element for me.  I have a humidifier I got as a Christmas gift a few years ago.  I now know my old apartment was so dry it literally made my hair snap off all over the bathroom floor.  I knew less about hair then...so I only used it sporadically.  This year, I got it right and turned the humidifier on in the house for a few hours while sleeping almost nightly.  It kept the air from being so hot and dry indoors.  My deep conditioning has become Pre-Pooing.  I mix conditioner with Coconut oil or Olive Oil..a and put it my damp hair, and slap a plastic bag on for a couple hours before shampooing (or overnight the night before). Then I just wash and condition the normal way.  Sulfate free 3 our of 4 washes, and I used baby shampoo the other time as a clarifier.  Now, I'm cutting out the baby shampoo.  Found out it has some wacky ingredients that aren't so good.
- Vitamins - Being consistent helps.  Some people think that no matter what you consume it won't affect hair growth, but I disagree.  I don't think my hair was growing faster.  But I believe that it was growing healthier, more manageable, and less brittle. Giving your body the best building blocks for nutrition affects your overall health.  It just has to.

So, that's how I'm doing...and I have a long way to go.  Now that I think I have a better idea of what I'm doing...I have higher expectations for success.

I'll let you know how it goes!

My Weaving Experience 2011

The start of the new year had me a bit more frustrated with my hair than normal. I was tempted to cut my hair and forget about my commitment to grow it out because my patience was thinning out. I WAS really against weave most of my life, but my friend suggested it and found out prices and off to the salon I went to put my FIRST weave! Nervous ?! yes I was because to me I was venturing out to the unknown. After I finished weaving, I became so conscious but everyone loved it and it grew on me having 12 inch hair. Yes I flipped it like never before!

Tips

Being new to this sort of hair care , maintaining appeared less of a hassle than my perm hair would need. I applied my oils and grease as regular as possible to my actual hair to allow it to remain moist. DO NOT apply oils to the human weave as I learnt and understood it makes the ends very hard and unattractive! DO use Oil Sheen on the weave so it maintains its shine.

You can wash you hair as often as you did(but not too often so that you natural oils are not removed). But do not focus on washing the weave but your actual hair underneath that needs the attention. If you can comb out the shampoo and conditioner on the weave instead of rubbing it that would be best!

Please go ahead and wrap or set the hair as you would have. Leaving the hair out will just make it hard to comb out in the morning and takes away from your time if you are on the go.

When combing out the weave , hold the top down to you head and comb out the ends . This is to avoid pulling the weave from your conrows below. Handle your weave with care afterall you bought it!

I understood only recently you can steam you hair but only the exposed portion. Advisable not to steam the hair beneath the weave as the steam maybe difficult to remove. So you wash your exposed hair (maybe over the sink) and deep condition and then it is STEAMED. Cool huh?

So this weekend after 2 months of having weave I removed it to see if there was progress and if it was infact beneficial to continue. And the results are IN!

I personally do not see that much growth but at least 2 persons have mentioned my hair has grown quite a bit. Maybe I expected Rapunzel ?! lol joking. But what I did notice is , the portion of my hair which broke and kept mentioning in the prior blogs did grow out! It appears to have caught on with my hair which is great. My hair dresser did cut my ends so my hair is appearing healthier . Having just permed my hair I can tell a noticeable difference in how thick it is . Which is great news. So summary no Rapunzel but definitely rocking a healthier perm , so cheers!

I am putting in back the weave today a more realistic look , 8". I feel like I am in a better position now to care for it and hopefully the improvements become more apparent to me when I do remove it. Who knows I may be entering summer with this look.

Check Blog later for the timeline of pics of my journey. Happy Hair Care!

Protective Styling - January

For the last week and a half I've been doing two key things for my hair, that I can't say I actively paid attention to before.  I started working out last tuesday.  5 workouts later, I realize that washing, drying and pressing out hair is a lot of unnecessary wear and tear.  Plus, I don't need to look cute in the office, so who cares how my hair looks in the day? lol

After about two trips to the gym, I decided that I need to give that bun habit a break.  The way I was doing it, I wasn't helping my hair.  My ponytails were tight, stretching the hair beyond recognition...then when you add sweat and discomfort, I was itching my scalp and causing breakage.  Not cool!

So instead, I've started wearing my hair in a loose wrap around comb, twisting the ends into on big two strand twist all the way around.  I think it makes me look kind old, but it's still elegant...and allows for zero stress on my ends.

When I get home, I remove the hair comb, put on a silk scarf, and sleep that way.  In the morning, I just put the comb back in and do the ends a little tighter.   I'll take a pic and post.

Anyhooo...it's working out.  No combing. No shedding.  No pulling, nada.  All I do is wet my fingers and spread them through the ends...and lightly coat with a wee bit of coconut oil.

I really think that low manipulation and high moisturization is key to growth.  So that's my new focus.  Whatever products I have in the house are getting used until I run out.  But finally, I know how to use 'em

And that's an amazing discovery to me!

To Weave or Not to Weave?!

Lately to be frank I have just grown exhausted of the constant care and I know this feeling would lead to the detriment of my hard work over the past few months. So the question to weave just the back which we all know is going through a slow growth process and touch up the front as it is easier to care for. And this question lingered and I began researching on how to care for your hair under the weave and also your weave, because I am sure ladies we all want to keep it looking "dapper fresh" hence this informative blog with information I have researched on. Please share your thoughts on it. It is alot of information and maybe flawed as it isnt any expert opinion but reasoning it makes me say it does make sense.

Caring for the Hair under the weave

Source http://blackhair.about.com/od/colorenhancements/tp/haircareunderweave.htm

Shampoo and Condition

Yes, you still need to shampoo your hair on a regular basis. Concentrate the shampoo on your scalp and work it in with the balls of your fingertips. Then work the shampoo down the weave hair, but do not ball it up on the top of your head. Instead, work your fingers straight down through the hair to the ends. Let the water help guide the shampoo down. It's important to keep the weave hair as straight as possible to prevent matting and tangling.

Apply Oils to Your Scalp

Your hair and scalp still need nourishment. Work natural oils beneath the weave onto your scalp and massage them in. If the weave is made of human hair, getting a little product on it won't hurt it, but synthetic hair doesn't require additional products, so you'll have to be careful not to get oils on it.

Don't Neglect the Weave

Also, when caring for your hair, you must care for the weave hair as well. Just because you'll eventually remove it doesn't mean you can neglect it. Besides cleansing, weave hair needs to be combed to work tangles out. It should be secured at night, either under a satin cap or scarf.

Remove it After Six to Eight Weeks

Your hair will likely grow about ½ to 1 inch beneath the weave. Near the end of the recommended time frame for wearing it, the hair growth will cause it to be looser. Listen to your stylist's advice on how long to leave a weave in. If you extend this time too much, not only will your weave begin to look old and ragged, your new growth may begin to mat and loc.

Hair Care for the weave

(Source

http://www.lfhair.com/html/weave_care.php

• Wash the hair in the shower taking care to keep the hair hanging loose.
  
• Avoid cheap shampoos as they tend to contain more detergent than conditioners and will dry out the hair. Use a salon quality shampoo. Not all salon products should be used with hair extensions. See our list of recommended products below.
  
• Avoid cheap conditioners as the conditioners tend to be watered down giving less than the needed amount of conditioning to keep the hair from drying out. Remember that this hair is not growing out of the scalp and is not being replenished with natural oils.
  
• Distribute shampoo and condioners evenly throughout the hair. Squeeze the product through the hair. Avoid scrubbing, rubbing or bunching the hair together. Condition the hair well with a good creme based conditioner.
  
  NOTE: If you are planning to use a hair bonding product, shampoo the hair well but do not use any conditioners or styling products prior to applying the extensions. Condition the hair well after the extensions are in.
  
• After washing and conditioning apply a good spray leave on conditioning product. Use this product to freshen the hair between washing. Never use plain water.
  
• Pat excess water from the hair and allow the hair to dry completely before going to bed. Never sleep with with the hair wet or damp.
  
• Let the hair air dry whenever possible
  
• If you use a blow dryer, dry out the wefted part of the hairpiece first. Then finish drying the hair from the ends up. Avoid pulling the hair while wet.
  
• Avoid using excess heat
  
• Loosen hair every morning and before going to bed. Most tightly curled styles should never be combed. Shake out curly styles, comb through straight styles and use a wide tooth comb or fingers to loosen wavy hair.
  
• Avoid applying direct heat to the bonded area.
  
• Salt from perspiration, if allowed to buildup on the hair will strip the hair making it hard and brittle. If you excercise, make a practice of rinsing and conditioning the hair after each workout. Shampooing after a workout is not always necessary.
  
• Use a mild stringent on the scalp in between washings. Witch hazel works well.
  
• If you use a blow dryer use one with a diffusing tool to better circulate the heat.
  
• If you have bonded extensions, avoid applying heat to the bonded areas
  
• Most hair extensions have been processed. For this reason, we don't recommend you color hair extensions. If you find you must color to get a better color match, try coloring your natural hair to match the hair piece. Additional chemical treatment on hair extensions can make the hair frizzy dull and difficult to manage.

Satin Rollers...trying a ting

How on earth do people use heat in their hair once for the week and keep it looking good?  Rochie!?!? Any ideas?  When I try...it looks flat and terrible at the end of day two, usually before. And because most of my hair is chemical free, I also get poufiness that is kinda not cute, when you're aiming for a straight do!

So I give up.  On Monday night, I headed to Sally, and bought satin covered sponge rollers.  I'm going to try and roll my ends before bed.  Maybe that'll give me some heat free bounce the next day.  I figure it's also a safe way to add moisture to my ends without worrying about ruining my do.

That's what I did Monday night.  Tuesday morning, I got some rave reviews.  Walked into the office to an exclamation of "whoa! new hair!"
...I think that's 'white guy' for, you got "your hair done!"
 I think he realized that I wasn't totally sure where he was going with that, so he came back with, "It looks great! I like it."  Well, that's a good way to start your day isn't it?  My hair kept its bounce right until bed time.

My hubby saw it on skype and told me he liked it, and I looked pretty.  That's good, right?  Made me feel good anyway.  Then when he picked me up from the train station later that evening....he said my hair looked like weave.  I'm gonna cross my fingers that it's a good weave (cuz I really don't like how weave looks). None the less, the rollers get a passing grade.

At my current length, it helps to keep my ends up off my shoulders and away from clothing.  My hair had lots of body and seemed not to get too dry, even though it was a cold, windy day.   I fell asleep without rolling my hair last night...but I'll be at it again.  Cuz, I'm back to the ponytail today. I only wrapped the elastic twice.  I'm doing better....little by little!

Raw Honey ...booo!

I'm back!  New week.  New gripes.....sigh... So I tried conditioning my hair with honey again. The last few times I have been so happy with the softness and movement. I really thought it would become a regular thing.  So, I went out and bought all-natural raw honey.  I was thinking that the less processing the better it would be.  Little did I know, that my hair wouldn't like it at all.  I didn't notice the same softness while it was still wet.  I dried and pressed my hair, but the outcome was not as straight as I like.  Boo!

Now, one night has passed.  I wrapped my hair to sleep, expecting smooth and bouncy hair in the morning.  It was actually looking the part when I got up this morning. Until....I'm not sure when.  But a couple hours later when i saw myself in the mirror at the office...I went looking for a hair elastic...cause the ends looked frizzy, dry...and well, unkempt. I don't know if I can blame all this on the honey.  Maybe it's the cold weather making life difficult again.  

I tied it up loosely, and will be sure to moisturize and seal tonight.