Corrective Relaxer

Hello!  I'm back from vacation, bronzed and all, and I'm so ready to go back to the islands!  I did spend a lot of time in the sun and sea, so each day I had to was my hair thoroughly and still look nice for dinner each night. Believe it or not, I kept the styles very simple. No braid outs, no hair down, nothing but buns and ponytails every day and night. Overall. It was a great and much needed break from the norm.

Just Some Fun I had with my Hair

When I returned from the trip, my hair and skin were extremely dry. Even though I tried to stay moisturized on the trip, it didn't do much when I returned home. Also I had my issues with the two textures in my hair, so I began to research a corrective relaxer. It looked pretty simple. Most forums just said to wait a few weeks and to ensure that you don't keep it in longer than needed. I followed all the rules this time and only relaxed the krinkly parts of my hair. Its crazy how much of my hair wasn't relaxed. I had relaxed the roots pretty well, but had quite a few inches of unprocessed hair. I totally underestimated the growth of my last stretch! I did make sure to keep the roots untouched. I must say that I like that - not processing the roots. I might continue with that process. I did complete the remainder of the hair growth pills. Not sure if I will immediately purchase more. Since I'm going to be home more often, due to a career change, I'm going to try to get back on regimen. I must keep the growth coming!!!

Rules Smules...

Hair Updates!  I'm going to make this post quick -- I cut the remainder of my sister's relaxer out, I relaxed my hair (my hair is super long now), I bought Aloe Vera Juice (AVJ) and Veggie Glycerin, and I made KimmayTube's Leave In Condish.  Whew!  Ok, now to the details. Up first, JoJo.

She is now natural and loving it!  I cut the remainder of her relaxer up, gave her a good shampoo and condish, and did my first twist out!  It took me at least 2.5 hours to twist up her entire head, but it was worth it to get the results.  Next up, I relaxed my hair!

Horrible pic, but it's all I took.

No Relaxing @ the Pool

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This past Wednesday, I had my box next to me, set up in the room, timer on the clock, and ready to relax my hair.  I then realized that I had a ton of oils in my hair and decided to just shampoo and pull it into a ponytail with headbands.  I was out of town in a professional environment that Thursday and Friday, and I didn't feel too confident with that style.  When I returned home Friday, I was tired, busy Saturday, and swimming on Sunday.

I did research about relaxing and chlorine, and I didn't like what I read.  I'm not used to being in the water regularly, so I didn't know what the rules are, but supposedly the chlorine is chemical enough, so I shouldn't add a relaxer to the mix until I have at least a few weeks out of the water.  We are only on lesson 3 out of 10.  I will have a bit of a break due to my upcoming cruise during the first week of May.  That means, I'll have to spend the entire month in curls!  I'm at the client site Mon-Thurs now, so I don't have the luxury of looking any kind of way during the week anymore.  I will say that maintenance this week has been superb. I did not touch one curl until Friday - which has never happened to me before.  And to add to that, I liked the style more as the week progressed. 

I'm working in the office this week and I'm not sure how I'll maintain.  I need sleep at night, so I can't keep the curls up too much longer.  I'm not sure how much longer I can go without relaxing, but I'll go as long as I can!  The plan is to make it until next week.  Let's see what happens!

Master of Many Trades

I've gone from mastering curls to mastering the braid out.  Yes, I did say the braid out and no, I didn't look like Sho Nuff this time around.  I've saw this video quite a while ago on youtube, but I finally decided to give it a try since I have flexi-rods now. 

I went swimming on Thursday and afterward I did a quick co-wash with Long Term Relationship.  My hair has been freakishly soft and moisturized lately and I'm loving it!  I'll also comment that I have not missed one day of taking the Ultra Hair Plus supplements.  I can't say that I've noticed any significant growth yet, but with the less shedding and breakage, maybe I'll have thicker hair?  So after my co-wash I braided up my hair and used the flexi-rods to curl it up.  I let it air dry for a few hours and the results were fantastic!

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

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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.