I Had a Dream

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Since the beginning of the year, I've been wanting a new style.  And for some reason, a new style always means bangs for me.  I did it last year and maybe I'll do it again this year.  Well last night I had a dream.  I dreamed that I wanted these fabulous bangs and that I was going to cut them myself.  But as I sectioned my hair to cut for the bangs, my hair was self cutting itself and I didn't have to do anything!  So when it was all said and done, I had fabulous thick arch shaped bangs and I wore it down and in a ponytail.  And no, I don't remember anything else about the dream, LOL.

I've seen several women at work with the style and I feel like they're taunting me by having the guts to wear the style I want.  Then I think about having to flat iron more often, or how I'd sleep with my hair, or how much more I'd break my hair by doing so.  That's another thing I noticed this year, I have a lot of fly-aways.  All over my head.  I don't just have a section of broken hair, but several random broken hairs everywhere.  I don't think it was like that this time last year, so I'm going back to the basics.  I did a scalp massage off and on for an hour, I shampooed and conditioned with my Roux Porosity Control, and I'm currently deep conditioning with my Shea Moisture.

I'm not really sure what style I can do that will not cause me to flat iron each day, but I need to find something soon... 

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.

Sick - On Multiple Levels

This week did NOT go as expected for me.  I had planned to fully take advantage of working from home and really treat myself and my hair to some TLC after a week of neglect, only to have my body come under attack and suffer from a few illnesses all week long... Nevertheless, I am doing alright at the moment and contemplating doing a late night co-wash.  Hmmm, maybe I should do an all night oil treatment instead?

I did spend a little time on facebook during the week, reminiscing over the 500 plus tagged photos of myself.  As I went through, I saw picture after picture of beautiful layered hair.  It made me sick!  Oh, how I wish to CUT MY HAIR!  I'm at a crossroad right now.  Do I try to find new ways to style my hair or do I go back to what I know and love?  Cutting my sister's hair has really given me the confidence I need to put layers in my own hair.  Maybe I'll just chop a little around the frame of my face? I probably won't do anything but continue to talk about it, but you already know - I'll keep you posted.

Setback or Set Up for Success?

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This past week was tough.  I didn't workout and I didn't take care of my hair.  I can't say that I noticed a difference with my body, but my hair has certainly lost a bit of momentum. 

The week started out normally.  I had a great flight Monday morning, got some coffee, had a great day at work, checked into the hotel, then I felt really tired.  I laid down, but I couldn't fall asleep.  I was too tired to get up, so I didn't feel like working out.  So I just stayed there.  And stayed up.  I was up until about 3 AM.  That was the first night I wasted.

Tuesday, same typical work day, however, after work, I went to visit family.  I came back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, however, I didn't feel encourage enough to make up for yesterday.  So I went to bed.  Albeit, I was extremely tired from 2 days of little sleep.  Nevertheless, that was the second night I wasted.

Wednesday, same typical day at work, however, after work I went to this huge mall to go dress shopping for an event I have coming up in a couple of weeks.  After wards, I went to a restaurant for dinner.  Needless to say, after having steak, I did not feel like working out or co-washing my hair.  That was the third night I wasted.

By Thursday, my head was BEYOND itchy and I was shedding hair everywhere.  Not to mention, it looked and felt an absolute mess!  I had been moisturizing and sealing, somewhat, but the condition of my hair definitely changed over the course of the week.  On Friday, I had a ton of meetings - in and outside of the home - so I could not co-wash that day.  I got up a little early Saturday morning because I had a dentist appointment and I couldn't take it any longer, so I co-washed my hair with the remainder of the cheapie Suave Humectant conditioner that I had remaining in the shower.  I followed up with my Roux Leave-In conditioner and then just used a head band and allowed my hair to really "air dry" as I ran a few errands around town and had my appointment.  By the time I made it back home, I had a mouth full of clean teeth and a head full of dry hair - physically and literally.  It's like the outside air sucked all the moisture out of my hair.  Because I had quite a bit more to do that day, I left my hair down and the head band on and went about my business.  At times I liked the style, but many times I didn't.  It just looked unfinished and did not work well with dresses... (Yes, I did more dress shopping).  That night I moisturized and sealed and my hair really appreciated it.

That brings me to today, I'm sitting under the blow dryer with my Silky Smooth DC mix in my hair.  I plan on DCing quite a few times this week because I'm working from home.  My curls are coming in quite nicely and I"m excited about all of the growth.  I have noticed that my scalp gets extremely dry when my hair starts to grow so I'm going to pay closer attention this week and make sure it receives the nourishment that it needs.

This past week posed a few challenges, but I'm hoping to come back strong -- Let's see if it works. : D

JBCO Gripes

I forgot to mention some cons to JBCO that I've incurred thus far.  I've done my research on it and I know that it removes toxins from your body and that can lead to scalp itch.  When I say my scalp itched, it itched.  I couldn't wait to wash my hair!  I didn't have any flaking or anything, my hair was still shiny and silky smooth, it was just more itch than I could stand. 

Here's a link for more information:
http://www.hairliciousinc.com/2010/05/tropic-isle-living-jamaican-black.html

I think I'll limit my use to applying a moderate amount directly to the scalp on wash days. 

Delusional

Hello - My name is Lauren and I am delusional.  I expect long healthy hair and I don't expect to follow a regimen.  It's time to wake up (again) and get serious about taking care of my hair. 

I've been back in the blog-o-sphere and getting advice and motivation.  I realized I've been doing some things completely wrong and I'm ready to start the new year fresh.  I'm going to make investments in the right places - natural products, Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO), deep conditioners, etc - and do my hair right.

I'm starting out tonight by combating my dry hair issues.  I'm going to pre-poo/condition my scalp with EVOO overnight.  Believe it or not, I would just pour it into my hair and rub it around... Not quite how it works.  I'm going to section and massage the EVOO into my scalp.  Since it's in such a terrible state (plus it's late and I'm tired), I'm going to put a cap on and let it sit overnight.  In the morning (or afternoon), I'll wake up, shampoo with Roux Porosity Control and then Deep Condition with Shea Moisture Hair Smoothie.  I might even try a hot oil treatment with the EVOO.  I've got to get into habit of adding oil directly to my scalp and the EVOO will have to suffice until my order of JBCO arrives.

I'm hoping the added moisture and attention to my scalp helps with the tenderness.  I'll post an update tomorrow and maybe pics of how I'm starting the year off.  I know I'm way overdue...

Stay tuned!

Listen Up!

Hello, my name is Lauren and I need a relaxer. Yes I said it. Its been 11 weeks and now my head is starting to get sore and itchy, so I figured its best to end the experiment now. Plus, I continue to only want to wear my hair straight. Over the weeks as I've looked at all the curly heads around me, I've still only wanted to wear my hair straight. Give me some layers and I'm good to go.

I'm still doing okay today. I'm rockin a pony tail with a full bang. I don't think anyone can tell one way or another how bad it really looks. I had a huge amount of difficulty combing my hair this weekend. I was thinking of doing some kind of protein treatment this week, but I would have to go buy it.

Additionally, this is my last week in Houston, so its my last week being comfy in the apartment. I'm not sure if I'm going to want to travel with my blow dryer for the next few weeks. We'll see what the weeks bring.

My Magic Potion

This past weekend, I did a Saturday shampoo instead of Friday.  My hair has been EXTREMELY dry lately (moisturizing and sealing has not been working so well), so I wanted to make sure I moisturized and deep conditioned a lot more than I normally do.  The dryness is that serious. 

So I started out by wetting my hair and using ORS Hair Mayo with a splash of olive oil and the heat cap for about 15-20 mins.   I rinsed it out and then I shampooed with my sample size bottle of Cream of Nature Moisturizing shampoo that I got when I bought the leave-in conditioner.  I shampooed quickly and then I decided to shake things up for my deep condition.  I've been watching some ladies on youtube recently on how they deep condition.  They mix their conditioners with oils and vitamins and veggies and stuff... So I said hmmmm, what can I mix together for my extra dry hair?  I knew I wanted protein, so I cracked open 2 eggs and mixed them in the bowl.  I wasn't sure if 2 would be enough, so I figured I'd rather have more than less... I also put in a dab of regular Olive Oil since I didn't have any EVOO.  Next, I ran and grabbed my conditioner and poured some in.  It didn't look as thick as what I'd seen on the internet, but I didn't want to use all my good conditioner, so I mixed in another conditioner that I had.  It was the rest of my dark and lovely conditioner for extremely dry hair.  After mixing that in, it still wasn't as thick as what I had seen in the videos.  I assumed it was because I had too much egg.  So I had to kind of pour the conditioner onto my hair - which was a huge mess.  I was still able to section my hair and add it all in, but it took forever and the conditioner kept dripping all over me and the bathroom.  Not fun :(

After that, I put a cap on my head and used the heat cap for about an hour.  I got in the shower and rinsed out, but my hair did not feel soft at all.  In fact it felt quite dry.  And a little dirty... Just by chance, I ended up air drying while spending time with the hubby, in which he commented on the flaky build up in my hair... As I was moisturizing and sealing, I noticed chunks of crusty build up in my hair... More uncoolness...

So I do a quick blow dry with the brush, which I'm still having trouble getting used to, and just pulled it back into a bun.  I did notice less breakage in the blow dry, which was great, but overall, I give Saturday two thumbs down. :(

How long does this take?

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Ok, I'm getting very frustrated. I assumed that if I continued to co-wash and air dry, my hair would eventually get used to it and maybe even like it. So far, not so much. I'm sitting here in the airport with a bushy-head mushroom style looking a hot mess!

How did I get to this point - let me explain. I co-wash and air dried on Monday night. It went okay. I wasn't thrilled about it. It never really dries and its hard to wrap afterwards. I'm not even thrilled about the conditioners I'm using. So Monday, not so good.

I do my bun for Tuesday and Wednesday then that night, I co-wash again. This time I condition on dry hair (so I don't have to get in and out of the shower so much) and then I condition again in the shower. I air dry a bit and then I add the leave-ins and then I blow dry. Why blow dry? My hair is TOUGH! And I mean tough. I thought the conditioners would make the new growth softer, but nope. This stuff is not taking. So I figure a little heat will do me some good. So I blow dry, my hair is super fluffy and its soft, but still tough. So I bought yet another product - the wave activator moisturizer. And I use that to seal with my castor oil. It feels more moisturized than when I use the other products, however, that isn't saying much. Plus I don't like the smell.

That leads me to today. The bun didn't really work well. My hair is super fluffy, my head is sore with new growth, and I am hating my hair...

I want to relax, but I haven't done a protein treatment. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm thinking cut down on the co-washes. Add more heat. And get a relaxer. When is this stuff supposed to start working? When does the frustration end and the fab hair begin???

Overdue Update

I'm going to have to do a lot of back-tracking, but here I go.

Air drying on Wednesday:
It went well. The scarf method kept my edges straight and my hair was still fluffy as if I had blown it dry. It worked for me. What didn't work was the amount of time it took to dry. I never did get completely dry, it dried in patches for some reason. So I just sealed with the leave-in conditioner and jojoba oil and my hair felt fabulous! It was in a much better condition on Thursday.

Out and about on Friday:
Thursday night, I mositurized and sealed and wrapped my hair. Friday morning, I attempted to flat iron and wear my hair down, NO MA'AM, it did not look good. So I pulled it back into my daily bun. I was not happy. It was just way too stiff and adding heat did not help.

The weekend:
Saturday, my hair continued to go down in quality. It just didn't feel good at all. Even my bun looked a mess. Once again, I was not happy. I didn't have a chance to do anything to my hair Saturday or Sunday until that night. Sunday night, I did shampoo with my Aphogee for damaged hair, followed by using up the rest of this Doo Grow deep conditioner mixed with olive oil and an additional layer of my Dark and Lovely deep conditioner for dry hair. It felt okay in the end, but not great. I added my leave-in conditioners and started the scarf method. It was late and I waited a few hours and still no good. So I pulled it in a ponytail so that I could sleep. I woke up Monday morning still very wet. So I HAD to blow dry my hair (I had a plane to catch). Then it still doesn't look how it normally looks, and I pull it back into a terrible looking bun. Not cool.

In conclusion, I have not been happy, LOL.

More to come later...