Ultra Hair Plus... Dreams?

It's that time of the month again -- my beauty budget is replenished and new products are begging to be purchased.  This past weekend, I made a quick stop at Sally's to purchase some more flexirods (same size and smaller) plus a Denman brush - $9.99 - for detangling.  In my last post, I included a video on detangling and knew it was the right direction to go.  A regular wide tooth comb is great for separating and making it manageable, however, it is far from a detangler (at least in my hair).

Not only did I stop at Sally's but I also stopped at Vitamin Shoppe to pick up hair vitamins...  but LT, weren't you supposed to go to GNC?  Yes, let me explain.  The hubby and I had an event last Friday and afterward went out to dinner.  Me, thinking that there was a GNC nearby, wanted to go to this particular place.  Turns out, my memory served me wrong and it's a Vitamin Shoppe.  I figure, close enough and so I go in and browse.  As I'm reading the ingredients of the products, I come across one made by Nature's Plus called Ultra Hair Plus.  It appeared to have the same ingredients as all the others (give or take a few vitamins - they're all the same) except a TON more.



 It cost just a few dollars more (around $18), so I figured why not?  I'm currently 8 weeks post relaxer (going on 9 woooohoooo) and I have a solid 1'' or more of new growth already.  I'm wondering how much more the pills will add?  I kind of want to wait until I complete the pills (30 days) before I relax.  Currently, I don't feel the need or urge to relax.  My scalp is not sore.  It's detangled now, which is amazing.  Plus, I've been wearing my hair curly so it's been super easy maintenance.  Speaking of which, last week I kept my curls pinned up for 2 days until I got ready to go out on Friday.   

Tangled!

No, not the movie, but my hair, LOL.  So I think I've just learned the reason why my hair gets so rough and tough as I air dry with a lot of new growth.  I'm not de-tangling properly!  Therefore, when it dries it just bunches together and forms these big patches of fuzz.  I'm going to invest more time into properly de-tangling my hair and not doing my usual 2-5 minute comb through.  I really want to stretch and I'm hoping this will help. 

Not only am I going to start de-tangling, but I'm also going to start taking a supplement!!!  One of my gorgeous and lovely girlfriends recommended GNC Ultra NourisHair.  It cost $11.99 so I figure why not?  I'm going to go pick up a bottle today.  I can't wait to get started!

To Health: Making Smoothies with Veggies

My Blender, sweet Blender.  Oh, how I love thee!  How did I come to have a love affair with my Blender you ask?  Well, being the smoothie enthusiast that I am, it is only natural that I also make them at home.  I bought my first blender about a year ago.  It was a Black & Decker Cyclone that I bought at Wal-Mart for around $30-$40.  It did alright.  It made smoothies and I was satisfied.  That was until it started acting up and smoking... and it finally broke last week.

So I began my search.  Site after site, reading reviews, watching videos... until I came across my love.  It has over 400 5 star reviews on Amazon.com.  It cost $99 in stores (but I was able to snag a 20% off coupon from Bed Bath and Beyond).  What is it's name?  It is a Kitchen Aid KSB560OB 5 Speed Blender.  I didn't realize how crappy my previous blender was until I learned about this one.


Some of the pros:

• Durable Steel-Reinforced Coupler
• Jar coupler is coated for quiet operation
• Built for continual blending
• Powerful motor (.9 horsepower)
• Intelli-Speed control
• The pitcher is ONE piece
• Easy to clean
• Sturdy metal base
• Soft, Non-Slip Grip Pitcher Handle

Hair 101: Benefits of Olive Oil

[source]

Olive oil is truly a powerhouse when it comes to hair, skin and beauty applications. Its rich, moisturizing properties make it ideal for use on your hair. While you may immediately think of olive oil for cooking, keeping a bottle of olive oil handy in your bathroom can help your hair look healthier, stronger and shinier. Whether you use it as your regular conditioner, a hot oil treatment or as a hair finishing product, you'll see the great benefits of olive oil on hair.

 

 

Change of Condition

As my hair transformed from curly to matted, I decided to do a late night co-wash last night.  I had already started with the loving by giving myself an EVOO massage earlier in the day.  I did have a quick errand to run, picking up a few items at Target, so I threw on a headband, pulled the remainder into a ponytail, and headed out of the door.  Wearing headbands has become a lot more enjoyable lately.  I think I needed to stretch them out more.  At first, I could only wear them for a certain amount of hours before I had a killer headache -- Now I can go all day long.

Doing what I always do in Target, I started browsing.  I tried on swimsuits (the Hubbs and I are starting swim lessons!  we'll see how the hair holds up), I tried on dresses, and then I went to the hair care aisle.  I found they have added Kinky Curly to their product line.  I still didn't really find a great conditioner that I wanted to try (for under $8), so I went to the cheapie section.  I've heard a ton of buzz about it so I finally decided to pick up Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship.  I've used up what I previously had in the shower - Dove - so it was time to try something new.  Plus it was only 2 bucks and some change.

I didn't get around to co-washing until 11:30 PM, at which point, you know I'm not doing anything afterward.  The conditioner smelled great, and it was thick.  I did feel that I had to use quite a bit of it for my hair, but that's nothing unusual. 

High Maintenance

I am loving my curly hair, however, I feel that it's a bit high maintenance.  Or maybe it's just the right amount of maintenance?  I should be DCing more frequently... Especially with me stretching longer than 8 weeks...  But back to my point.  Over the weekend, I had to re-do many of my curls - which wasn't that bad.  I just took a dab of foam, let it sit for about 10-15 mins, and tada, I was finish with my hair.  But to keep it at that level where all I have to do is fix a couple of curls is the problem.

Sunday Afternoon

Case and point - I can't sleep.  I probably didn't get any sleep the first 2 nights.  My arms would go numb throughout the night and I was practically uncomfortable the entire time.  Yes, I pinned up my hair and wore a satin bonnet, but I still cannot SLEEP on my hair.  I have slept on it the past couple of nights and I now have the flat curls.  It's semi-cute, but overall looks a mess.  But it has been about 4-5 days.  It's time for a co-wash.  I just keep wondering if I should re-do my hair and be sleepless again.  Especially if I'm not going anywhere in particular...

Another issue is the tangles. For some reason, I've gotten a lot of knots in my hair.  I need to work on that.

For today, I'm doing an EVOO treatment and I'll probably DC with heat for an hour.  However, I just finished my last meeting for the day and I'm feeling extra tired... We'll see how much longer I last.

Getting Excited....

10 AM
Yay! I've done a little better this week.  I was able to get in a 24 hour deep condition and today I am ready to deep condition again, along with.... wait for it...

Attempting a Flexi Rod Set!!!

First, I'm going to shampoo and condition with Roux porosity control.  Even though my hair is fairly soft and not brittle, it still doesn't feel all that great for some reason.  My new growth is giving me a run for my money!  I did notice improvement after my 24 hour deep condition because my hair was really in a FUNK.  I thought I had completely shook my dry spell, but maybe I haven't? Also, despite my lack of conditioning with heat, I have been pretty consistent with moisturizing and sealing at night. 

Earlier in the week, I was able to make a quick run to Sally's and I bought a couple packs of Flexi Rods.  I've been studying on YouTube and I think I'm ready!  I have a few work related tasks to get done, but then it's on to a shampoo, quick condition, maybe a deep condition, and then experimentation with the flexi rods.

 
The purple pack is 7/8'' thick and the orange pack is 5/8'' thick and they are both 10'' long with 10 rods in each pack.  I figured since my hair is thinner around the outside I'd use the smaller ones there and the bigger ones up top.   Since I only have 20 rods, I'm not exactly sure how big or small mine will turn out, but I have my fingers crossed that it will be cute!

WFH

Work From Home - That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!  I've had a very busy past week or two, coupled with the fact that I've been working from home and being able to enjoy it, I have just not wanted to talk hair because outside of last weekend, hair has not been on my mind.  I have gone days without touching my hair.  I did a full head baggie for a few days, I've co-washed a few days, but nothing major.

I am slightly disappointed by the fact that I thought through regular maintenance my new growth would be more manageable when it grew this time.  With all the scalp massaging and oil treatments, I thought I'd be able to comb it this time.  Nope.  I'm about 7 weeks post and I can barely detangle.  I can say that my scalp isn't sore.  Yay for small victories.

A few pictures from this past weekend:

Going Out Friday Night

Going Out Saturday Night

The Full Ensemble

Relaxed Look for Sunday