11 months post BIG CHOP; 20 months free of the CREAMY CRACK
Hey Dolls,
I just wanted to give you all a hair update. So let's start with my hair stats. :)
Last Relaxer: January 2, 2015 Transition: about 9 1/2 months Big Chop: October 11, 2015
So let me say that this is still a work in progress. It is a journey because my hair changes with the weather and I must adapt to those changes. It has not been easy, as I had to get to know my hair and its limitations. I have done several protective styles wigs and braids. I find that after a few weeks I miss my curls and have to bring them back out.
I have gotten a regimen down that works for my hair right now. I have a million and one products most I don't use because it did not work as expected. I have more realistic expectations of my hair and I can not wait to see what is to come!!
1/2/15 Last Relaxer
9/6/15 Transition month 8 post relaxer Twist & Curl
10/15/15 BIG CHOP
9/12/16 Blow Out
9/5/16 Stretched Braid out
9/9/16 Wash & Go (half way dry, the shrinkage is real)
Over the weekend I did a partial max hydration method. I have done it before especially when my hair isn't accepting moisture, lol. I find that doing this method makes my curls more define and clump together rather nicely, it also allows me to get a good a mount of moisture in my hair as well.
STEP 1. I separated my hair into 6 sections. Spritz with water and detangled. I put them in plaits and trimmed my ends as dead ends can attribute to a lack that my hair will give lol.
STEP 2. My Caramel Treatment for dry undefined hair. You can YouTube this from many a hair guru.
Cherry Lola Caramel Treatment (CLCT)
Greek yogurt (2 cups)
Baking soda (2 tbsp)
Organic apple cider vinegar (2 tbsp)
Raw coconut liquid aminos or liquid Soy aminos (2 tbsp)
Raw honey (1/2 tbsp)
Unsulfured molasses (1 tbsp)
Half an over ripe plantain or banana
Avocado (3/4 tbsp)
1 egg (optional, but I used it no problem)
Blend them all together. I do mean blend in a blender btw, I used my hand mixer and my banana chunks got stuck on my hair I do not recommend using a hand mixer. If you do not have a blender skip the banana, I have.
I apply this to my hair it will be sort of foamy. I apply to my hair root to scalp and rake through after my hair is saturated in that section. Place under a plastic cap for 45min-1hr. Then I rinse out with luke warm water.
*I do this step only once every few months it is not recommended for daily or weekly treatment. I prefer every 3 months I do this and in between I will do just ACV and water to cleanse my hair and follow the remaining steps verbatim.*
Pictured above: Here is my hair with the CLCT on it. You can see that my hair looks nice and defined. Below: is a video of my hair with the CLCT on it to give you a better view.
STEP 3. After ringing out CLCT , I apply conditioner and deep condition. This time I used Manuka Intensive Hydrating Hair Mask from Shea Moisture, applied plastic cap for about 1 hr 1/2. The method advises to condition over night however I find it leads to shedding and makes my hair weak.
***SN: I no longer deep condition longer than 1hr 1/2. There is no science that it provides additional moisture deep conditioning past that point. I also notice with my hair when I deep condition for extended periods of time my hair is a bit weaker and needs protein or else it will shed like crazy.
STEP 4. I apply my bentonite clay mask (after rinsing DC out), which is one part clay one part Apple cider vinegar with a few tablespoons of honey for smell and shine. I usually require 1/2 c of each to cover my whole head. I have found that my making half batches to do the front and then the back I end up being able to use it all without short. I apply it in the same way I apply the CLCT by smoothing on then raking my fingers through. after it dries I rinse it out. I will be honest this is not the best smelling thing in the world but it does my hair wonders.
Pictured above: My hair with the bentonite clay on it. Below: A video with the clay on it to give you a better visual.
STEP 5. I apply my olive oil then my leave in conditioner for this particular time I used Design Essentials Almond and Avocado leave-in. I braided my hair back in four plait to stretch my hair for styling. I usually use my Kinky Curly Knot Today as deep conditioner and leave in (I mix with water for my leave in as it is highly saturated). I am falling in love with DE conditioner.
I wore my wig on top for one day to allow full drying and moisture absorption. I planned to do a braid out but I want to do it on stretched hair.
I made Flax Seed Gel not once but twice and I officially love it!
So I want to tell you about my first batch which I hated. I was following a recipe the included Shea butter and coconut oil and I hate it. I also used a stocking to strain and ended up with seeds everywhere in it and was highly disappointed. I didn't even get to truly use it because it had so many seeds.
My second batch is life!!!
So here is what I used:
1. 1/4 cup of Brown whole flax seeds (the brand was not important, can be picked up at whole foods $7-$10)
2. 2 cups of water
3. Metal strainer with extremely small hole. ($1 at dollar tree)
4. 1 tbsp. Jojoba oil
5. 2 tbsp. Olive oil
6. Large spoon to stir
7. Container to store (I used a glad bowl
In a pot you will bring to a boil the water and seeds. Stir frequently for about 6-13 minutes. Rule of thumb the longer you boil the thicker the consistency, I prefer thicker so I boiled for 11 minutes. Immediately after removing from heat strain seeds from gel as it will begin to congeal immediately. As it is cooling I add my oils and you can use whatever oils you prefer I just do not recommend adding a butter like Shea butter. Stir and allow to cool. I store mine in the fridge and it can last anywhere from 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
I did a wash and go on freshly and tested the flax seed gel out. My hair was pretty much soak and wet I apply a little olive oil to lock in the moisture then I added the gel. I did use a diffuser alternating between low and high heat to dry my roots and to create volume.
I am reviewing this entire line that I received in my April 2016 Curl Box. I received the following products:
Almond & Avocado Moisturizing & Detangling Shampoo $11.99 8.0 oz.
Almond & Avocado Moisturizing & Detangling Conditioner $12.99 8.0 oz.
Almond & Avocado Detangling Leave-In Conditioner $11.99 8.0 oz.
Natural Curl Enhancing Mousse $13
Smell 5/5
The smell of this line is pretty awesome. It has a very natural smell that is not overpowering but still smells great.
Shampoo 5/5
The shampoo is pretty awesome it is sulfate free which I love. It is very concentrated so it doe not require you to use a whole lot of it and with a little of water lathers right up. Once on my hair I was able to detangle which was a surprise most shampoos does not have slip and this one had some. It leaves my hair feeling cleaning without feeling stripped, which is a plus as well.
Conditioner 5/5
This is my go to for conditioning!! It has amazing slip and make detangling a breeze! It does require a lot for thicker hair but once it is on it is like your hair is butter.
Leave-In Conditioner 3/5
I did not really like it to be honest. I had to apply another leave in because my hair did not feel moisturized nor did it make my curl pop left it more fluffy, which would be great for blow outs as it is very light weight. It was great for detangling as well. I will try again and update when I straighten my hair at my 1year post big chop.
Mousse (1/5 for natural hair) (5/5 for my wig)
So this really requires two separate review but I will squeeze it in one. I hated this on my natural hair. It did not mix well with any products and it left my hair feeling gummy, which could have been due to product mixing but I did not like it and washed it out. I didn't even let it dry. Now I did apply to my Brazilian curly deep curl wig and it was awesome it didn't leave a film or leave a super crunchy feeling and I still use it for that hair. I also did a flexi-rod set on the wig with it and loved it as well .
Today I wanted to review this product CURLS Blueberry Bliss Twist-N-Shout Cream.
I received this with my March 2016 Curl Box. I was so excited to try because it has received raving reviews from most YouTube gurus and some even swear by it.
Now before you read my opinion I want to remind you my hair is low porosity, and it is Type 4A-B with a bit of 3C in the back.
Smell- 5/5 It smells more amazing than I imagined
Price- 4/5 It is $11.99 at Target and is competitively priced with other brands
Ingredients- 5/5 It is water based and very organic (see ingredients below)
Longevity-1/5 with my hair I was only able to wear the twist out one day, would have required I twist again and apply more product and water which was not ideal.
Luster- 3/5 It had a pretty okay luster but it would have been better had the product not sat on top of my hair, leaving a white cast on certain areas.
Overall- 2.5/5 I would I loved the smell, the price, and the ingredients. They all were what I expected or better. When it comes to actually using the product I found that it did not agree with my hair type. I applied to freshly washed hair that I let partially dry so that it was damp. This is the best way for product to penetrate my hair shaft and absorb properly. I applied the product and then a little Olive oil to seal my twist. Usually I can do this at night and in the morning all my twist will be dry, this was not the case. They still were damp and I had to allow more time to dry before my date, When they were completely dry there was product still sitting on top of my hair shaft and there was way more frizz than I usually get with my twist out. The shine would have been great but due to the patch of white I had to wet and it led to the shine not being so lustrous. I would not buy this product, it does not agree with my hair type.
So I wanted to make a post about preserving styles because when I am out people always ask how do I manage to rock a hair style for so long. So below I lost my most common hairstyles and how I rock them for a few days at a time, because being a working woman it's hard to do my hair every single day.
Twist-out/braid out
So for this style I keep it simple. With my hair being shorter I found making multiple pineapples usually between 4-6, I can preserve these styles for days (longest time was 8 days). So before bed I seperate into ponytails if I do four I use my snappees and then use a small ponytail holder for my "bang" area. The bang area I pin down as well How I prefer for it to lay whether to the side or in the middle. I cover them with a satin bonnet then fluff in the morning when I get up.
Fauxhawk
For this style I just put a scarf around my hair to keep my edges flat. I sometime put a bonnet on but not always. In the morning I fluff and I am good to go!
Wash-N-Go
I pretty much do the same as I do with my twistouts with exception is before I fluff I spray with my refreshing spray (Dark & Lovely Twice As Nice Curl Refresher ).
Well Dolls those are my three go to styles, I do other stuff pinned different but essentially they start out as one of the three above.
So I decided to go into detail about what protective styling I have done over the last couple of months.
I wear wigs that I made with lace closures or silk base closures. That is the most convenient protective styling for me. I made these wigs probably last year and the year before last. I have had one of them since 2013 as well. one is a Brazilian curly which I had the longest since February of 2013, I have wavy from November 2014, and I have kinky curly that I rarely wear but I have had it since last year. I also have several half wigs I do not wear since I have gone natural and do not plan on straightening my hair and they are straight.
Now why wigs?
It is what I call get up and go hair. I can take it off at night preserve whatever style it has and throw it back on after I am dressed for work. I also find that I can change up my style midweek with a different wig. Styling one while I wear the other one.
I also can see them down if I would like and have a more secure hold. I say this because on my cruise vacation I was jet skiing and decided not to see it down and almost lost my baby off the beach in St Lucia. I would have been heartbroken. I would have sewn it down but each day I was alternating wigs with each island so I could style set during the day.
Maintenance?
Wigs are not low maintenance when they are made of human hair. They need to be treated the same as what is growing out of your head. Washed, cowashed, conditioned, and loved. I do that with each of my wigs! I recommend investing in a satin pillow case I find that the bonnets make my head extremely hot if I have my wig sewed in overnight.
Sticking to wigs?
I am trying to find a protective style that is not so harsh on my edges. I have found that the thread around or Bobby pins have created tension around my edges and they have thinned quite dramatically.
Well dolls when I decide on my next protective style I will let you know.
