Recipe for Success

I am happy to report that I successfully met my goal of waiting 8 weeks between relaxers!  And the main reason (and probably the only reason) I was able to achieve this goal is with the use of oils.  With the help of Amazon, I have assembled a team of oils that have provided moisture and balance for my hair.

Minus the Smooth-n-Hold Pudding, which I'll discuss later, I purchased online:

• Almond Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Jojoba Oil
• Cocoanut Oil
• Jamaican Black Castor Oil

Jealous of My Own Hair

I'm a couple weeks strong with deep conditioning twice a week and my hair is suddenly loving it!  I think I'll stick with Wednesday and Sunday deep condition days - with a switch ups in between.  I did my first switch up this past weekend. 

On Wednesday, I did a normal deep conditioner mix with EVOO, JBCO, and my conditioners.  On Friday, I finally repurchased Suave Humectant conditioner to use as my cheapie condish.  It cost around $2 and I'm now going to consider it my miracle in a bottle.  So on Saturday, I only did a co-wash, no oils or anything.  I air dried for a little over an hour and then I blow dried my hair because I had a few parties to attend.  After I blow dried my hair, it felt more soft and moisturized then it has been in weeks.  When I flat ironed my hair, it looks silky and shiny and felt amazing to the touch.  I loved it :)

Also, if you're keeping track - I'm going for 8 weeks before I relax my hair.  That puts me at about one week away.  The oil treatments have definitely made a difference and I will continue to use them as a part of my regimen. 

Meh....

I've had a very busy past 7 days or so with my hair.  It started off on a high note when I received my Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) about 2-3 days after I ordered it on Amazon.   JBCO and Castor Oil in general is said to be great for maintaining moisture in your hair, which can help with breakage.  Also, from what I've observed, castor oil also helps promote growth.  I'm not sure if it's because your messaging your scalp more or maybe just because you start taking better care of your scalp period... But I've seen some miracles with castor oil, so I impulsively replenished my stash.

Since I have quite a bit to work with now, I decided to go ahead and test it out.  I had already applied JBCO to my scalp with the remainder that I had left from the first time I purchased it, but this time I wanted to do a deep condition and use the JBCO to, first, do a hot oil treatment, and second, mix with my conditioner. 

Can we start over?

As I posted last night, I washed, deep conditioned, and then air dried my hair. Typically when I air dry I only use the scarf method which leaves my edges somewhat straight and the rest of my hair frizzy. I always sleep with my hair tied down, but it's really hard to tame my mane...

Help me please!

So I started looking at some posts on YouTube and decided to start over again. I remoisturized my hair by over saturating it with my leave in moisturizer (mostly Aloe Vera Juice) and then sealed with (believe it or not) the tiny remainder of my Jamaican Black Castor Oil. Speaking of JBCO, I placed an order for more last night on Amazon around 1 AM. I saw pics of results from a 2 month challenge and I am JEALOUS!!!  So I'm hoping for a maricle in a bottle - along with a little discipline of course. It actually shipped today, so maybe I'll have it by the end of the week? 

In the meantime, we'll count today as day one of my personal JBCO challenge.  Will you hate me in 2-3 months?  I sure hope so :-)

I Had a Dream

[Source]

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... 

Year End Wrap Up

Hello 2012! 

As I look back over 2011 and all of the growth and styles, I must give myself a pat on the back for being the MOST consistent I have ever been since starting my hair journey. Since December has been pretty busy socially, I tried not to style to same each time I went out.  I didn't find very many options that worked for me but, below are some pics from a few events.  Look for changes in 2012...


Bun with a Twist for Work

                           

Time with Friends

I tried to go for a sleeker look

New Year's Eve Party

 
                    

Blue and Gold Eyes

See you in 2012!

I'm Bringing Sexy Back (Literally)

As we all know, I like to show up and show out.  This past Friday was no exception.  Given the fact that I had been awakened to a whole new world of makeup that I didn't know that I didn't know about, I just knew that this past Friday was going to be extra special.

Last weekend I did a flexi-rod set mainly because I couldn't really comb through it the week before (it was thick and dry) and therefore wanted to do a minimum amount that week.  Plus, I went to a holiday party that Saturday and I wanted it to be fresh and super cute. Overall, it turned out well and lasted until I was ready to relax my hair that Thursday.

Casual Party Attire w/Fresh Curls

Spoiler Alert: It Ends Well

Well after a several month hiatus I am finally back in my hair care stride and things are going better than ever.  A few months ago I declared:  Arm Pit Length!!!  When I first made it there it was really just in a few sections and it looked good, but I was just barely there.  Today I'm at a full Arm Pit and it's looking better than ever!

Hair after a wash and blow dry a few weeks ago

What have I been up to lately?  Nothing much.  The end of the summer, early fall was filled with personal projects so hair has been a last priority.  I've continued relaxing ever 8-10 weeks with protein treatments in between, washing/co-washing every week (1 or the other), and no deep conditioning.  I think it was all the bunning and a lack of heat that really got me to where I am today.  My bangs have grown back out and all of my strands are longer.