Relaxer Day 27/4/2013

Firstly, I was so excited about going to my stylist because I know she is the business. The other thing hat excited me was the fact that I knew that I would be getting a proper steam under a dryer. Anyhoo, my stylist went through the whole written and below I will list everything she did.

• De tangled with a wide tooth comb very gently
• Applied relaxer to the new growth. No idea what she uses but it works for me
• We let it sit for about 10 mins or so and washed it out
• I think she followed up with a conditioner but I was too busy yapping about hair products to notice
• My best bit was this sea extract and Henna mix she applied to my hair. Covered it with some plastic cap and my hair nerd moment was obvious when it was time to sit under the drier with the treatment( I bought the treatment she used)
• After about 10 mins or so under the drier, she rinsed it out and followed up with  conditioner
• She gave me a good trim, which I was expecting as I had like 2 inches of dead ends.
• Applied some setting lotion and put me in rollers and into the drier I went.
• Once it was dry, she just applied a little argan oil shine spray and styled( I bought the spray)

And the end result is as you can see below. My hair looked fuller, healthier and even though I lost inches I was pleased at the health of my hair.

Wash day - 12 weeks post 20/04/2013

1. Again I didn't prepoo this week. The thoughts of doing this the day before were just not appealing so I sectioned my hair and headed straight in for a wash
2. Started off with my usual shampoo from Body shop
3. I then applied my moisture DC Keracare Humecto in sections and boy it was not fun. My new growth is killing me.  Covered with a plastic cap for about 20 minutes. 
4. With the DC in my  hair I detangled with my wide tooth comb
5. I rinsed this out and applied my Paul Mitchell Smoothing conditioner, massaged it in and rinsed out
6. I wrapped my hair in a towel for about 3 hours or so
7. I then applied Aphogee pro vitamin leave in, Aphogee green tea restructurizer (for a little protein boost) and my Paul Mitchell smoothing serum and left my hair in a bun to finish drying
8. The next day I applied JBCO to my scalp and Scurl as my moisturiser(focusing on my new growth and ends) and sealed with Avocado oil. I detangled again while hair was moisturised.

No comb s still an awesome success so far. Seeing great results in unnecessary loss of hair. But damn I will be booking an appointment and cutting this stretch at 13 weeks post. Honestly I am dreading it as I know my ends are horrible so even though I have gained length as my new growth is living proof , I will be loosing some length at the end *sob*. But better do it now than much later I guess.

Wash Day - 11 weeks post 13/04/2013

My hair is getting so thick and not used to stretching at all. I may be giving up after this wash day and get a relaxer done. urgghhh.

1. I didn't get a chance to prepoo at a;ll so sectioned my hair read for washing
2. There was serious build up plus it had been some time i cleansed my hair. So kicked off with my Redken cleansing shampoo and followed up with my usual shampoo from Body shop
3. I then followed up with a tea rinse using my trusted spray bottle so i Could get my scalp and roots soaked in the pleasures of tea
4. I applied my protein DC over the tea rinse as well as my moisture DC Keracare Humecto. Covered with a plastic cap for about 20 minutes. 
5. With the DCs in  my hair I detangled my hair
6. I rinsed this out and applied my Paul Mitchell Smoothing conditioner, massaged it in and rinsed out
7. I wrapped my hair in a towel for about 3 hours or so
8. I then applied Aphogee pro vitamin leave in and my Paul Mitchell smoothing serum and left my hair in a bun to finish drying
9. The next day I applied JBCO to my scalp and Scurl as my moisturiser(focusing on my new growth and ends) and sealed with Avocado oil
10. I detangled once again and No comb until next wash day. 

My No comb policy is holding up pretty well. Only usig it on my wash days and honeslty am shedding less hair. For the rest of the week, will be moisturising as necessary.

Wash day - 10 weeks post 06/04/2013

Due to exams and work pressures, will be posting my last 3 wash days in one go. My greatest achievement was the fact that I still had time for my hair regardless :)

1.  Last week , I didn't get a chance to prepoo properly so did the old prepoo with coconut oil. Wrapped my hair in cling film and a silk scarf overnight
2. Sectioned my hair and rinsed out the oil
3. Followed up with my usual shampoo from Body shop
4. Once again I decided to use my new moisture DC Keracare Humecto. This time I took my time applying it and followed the instruction to the letter. Covered with a plastic cap for about 20 minutes. When I apply my DC, due to the thickness of my hair during stretching, I have to apply this line by line to ensure that the product touches every bit of hair. This means that I have to be careful when unbraiding the sections to apply my DC so as not to cause tangling.
5. With the DC in my  hair i detangled with my wde toot comb
6. I rinsed this out and applied my Paul Mitchell Smoothing conditioner, massaged it in and rinsed out
7. I wrapped my hair in a towel for about 3 hours or so
8. I then applied Aphogee pro vitamin leave in and my Paul Mitchell smoothing serum and left my hair in a bun to finish drying
9. The next day i applied JBCO to my scalp and Scurl as my moisturiser(focusing on my new growth and ends) and sealed with Avocado oil. I detangled again while hair was moisturised.

For the rest of the week,  will be moisturising as necessary and my No comb policy still holds. Getting used to it :)

Wash day - 9 weeks post 30/03/2013 (Hair Shedding Update

I had to head to easter mass so I had the quickest wash day ever. I was a little disappointed as I wanted to try all my new stuff

1. I didn't the a chance to prepoo properly but i warmed up coconut oil and Jamaican black castor oil and applied to my scalp. I covered with a plastic cap for about 10 minutes. Hmm wonder if this was just a waste of product
2. Sectioned my hair into four and rinsed out oil with warm water 
3. I followed on with my usual Moisture sulfate-free shampoo from body shop.
4. I applied my new Moisture DC Keracare Humecto creme conditioner and covered with a plastic cap for about 15 minutes. I decided not mix an oils or add heat. I simply followed the instruction on the bottle. I detangled with the DC in my hair
5. After rinsing my DC I applied Paul Mitchell Super skinny daily treatment.  I left this on for about 2 minutes and rinsed out 
6. I wrapped my hair for about 10 minutes in my hair turban thing (I was in a rush) 
7. I followed on by applying my two new leave ins from Aphogee(green tea restructurizer and provitamin leave in) as well as my trusted Paul Mitchell super skinny serum. I used both leavings as am beginning to realise that my hair is stronger when it gets a decent protein boost. The restructurizer  has tea in it so I would hope it does what the tea rinse would usually do. It also contains a lot of protein which  wanted
8. I followed on by applying JBCO to my scalp, moisturised with Scurl and sealed with avocado oil
9. I had to go to mass so ended up blow drying my hair on medium setting. I felt like I was committing a taboo with the heat but my hair looked great. 

Once I was done blow drying, I detangled again and  put my hair in a bun for church and it felt really healthy. 

After my entire wash day this is the hair I lost. I think am doing well.

Overall it was very hard to judge the products as I used everything so quickly. I would hopefully have time to use them properly next weekend and make a final call. Right now its hard to tell.

Wash Day - 8 weeks post 24/03/2013

1. Prepooed overnight with coconut oil. Wrapped my hair in cling film and covered with a silk scarf for bed
2. Following morning sectioned my hair into four and rinsed out oil with warm water 
3. I followed on with my usual Moisture sulfate-free shampoo from body shop.
4. I applied a mixture of (protein DC + Moisture DC + Wonder oil) to my hair along with my make shift heat cap(Hot towel and shower cap). As my new growth is more obvious I focused  a lot on them as well as my ends. I still added protein again his week as I still felt my hair is asking for it.
5. After rinsing my DC I applied Paul Mitchell Super skinny daily treatment.  I left this on for about 2 minutes and rinsed out 
6. I wrapped my hair for about 1 hour in my hair turban thing and applied leave in conditioner and Paul Mitchell super skinny serum 
7.  I air  dried my air in a bun 
8. Once it was halfway dry, I applied jojoba oil to my scalp and followed my usual moisturising, sealing with avocado oil.
9. I put it back in a bun till tomorrow morning

I can't believe it but I am out of leave in conditioner and my moisture DC. You know this means I will be shopping. I have about 5 items in the basket already mainly because I just got paid. Trying to resist so badly. I will post my latest purchases once I receive my items in the post. 

Hair Shedding + Hard water problems = HHJ decline part 2

So to pick up on my last post regarding hard water and shedding, I thought to follow up with a post and the changes I decided on making and how the are working for me.

I tried the apple cider vinegar rinse and let me tell you I HATE the smell of my hair after it. Maybe I didn't do it right but damn I will not be revisiting it again. Instead in my small PJ haul I purchased REDKEN hair cleansing cream shampoo and will be using this once a month.

In my last post I said I was going to probably introduce a protein shampoo but I decided against it as I really want to keep thing as simple as possible. Instead I have decided to add in my protein treatment with my DC any week I feel my hair needs it. I had planned on alternating moisture and protein but at the moment I have used protein DC and moisture DC two weeks in a row and my hair is loving it.

I did a tea rinse one of my was days just to help with the shedding. I think I may be leaving this and only applying it on a need basis rather than on a schedule.

Using a comb in my hair these days is also very minimal. I use it as little as two days during the week as well as my wash day. Finally I stopped wrapping my hair altogether and leave it in a lose bun before my silk scarf at might.

All in all. My shedding has reduced a whole lot in the last two weeks. Check out my wash diaries for my last two washes on the 10th and 17th of March

Loving my hair still...

Its 9pm but I thought it was worth it to make this post.

I don't know if it is the Paul Mitchell stuff I got but honestly my hair still feels so soft. Even my new growth is shocking me at how soft it is. I have been focusing my moisturising regime this week on my new growth and ends. I was one of those girls who would relax the hair once a month just because my roots were making a debut and highlighting how horrible my hair care was. My nape and temple areas are seriously nothing compared to what they used to be in the past when the hair was overdue. In Nigeria we refer to them as "coco waves". Yep no coco waves on this chick's head *Victory dance* .For the first time I am considering stretching my relaxer beyond the 10 weeks I planned. Although I am dying to get it relaxed so I could go to my stylist for a nice trim. I made a rookie mistake by not getting a good trim before the start of my journey but I'll cut my losses if I have to. I am just thrilled at the feel of my hair.

I thought I would never do a product review but I think I will start doing them soon. I just want enough time to see the results and I will defo be doing them.

Summary of today's rant is that my hair feels the business. Night Night

Wash day - 7 weeks post 17/03/2013 (Includes Paul Mitchell and Redken products))

If you read my latest post on my mini product haul you will know how excited I am about this wash day. Getting really adventurous and hope my hair loves it. Today's wash day is inspired strongly by Jenny from JGA so here goes

1. Prepooed overnight with coconut oil. Wrapped my hair in cling film and covered with a warm hat for bed
2. Following morning rinsed out oil with warm water and yes you guessed it , I shampooed with Redken Hair Cleansing cream. **NEW**
3. I followed on with my usual Moisture sulfate-free shampoo from body shop. I felt this was necessary if the clarifying shampoo has stripped all the goodness off my hair.
4. I applied a mixture of (protein DC + Moisture DC + Wonder oil) to my hair along with my make shift heat cap(Hot towel and shower cap). I focused  a lot on my new growth and ends. In case you are wondering why I used wonder oil its because it contains seven types of oil and tones of herbs. But the ones that tickled my fancy in this were Wheat germ oil(contains ceramides), safflower oil, Rosemary extract, Henna extract and jojoba oil. The benefits of these ingredients on my hair was just what it needed this weekend.  Note that although it was my moisture DC week I added a very small amount of protein to my DC as I could tell the difference in my hair the week before. Hmm. Lets hope am hearing my hair correctly. **NEW**
5. After rinsing my DC I applied another new entry to my collection, Paul Mitchell Super skinny daily treatment. I am hoping this does hat it says on the tin "smoothing and reduced drying time". I left this on for about 2 minutes and rinsed out  **NEW**
6. I wrapped my hair for about 30 mins in my hair turban thing and applied leave in conditioner and Paul Mitchell super skinny serum which is also "smoothing and reduces drying time"
7. I have my hair air drying now in a bun This is a change but lets see how it goes  **NEW**

My hair is done air dryiig and I hereby declare my faithfulness to Paul Mitchell Smoothing range. My hair was dry in half the time, my new growth that is normally really annoying feels so so soft and fluffy. I haven't moisturised and if you felt my hair you wouldn't even know it. Love, Love, the Paul Mitchell products.

Week 4 Maintenance - NO comb + NO wrapping

Last week I was moaning about shedding and tried to avoid the comb this week. Epic fail. The first 3 days were fine and on day 4, I couldn't help but get my trusted wide toothed comb out. To my greatest surprise, there was hardly any shedding. The tea rinse and avoiding the comb for three days must have worked.

I noticed an improvement in the strength of my hair which I was really pleased with.

Also at night I didn't wrap the hair at all this week, I just stuck it in a low loose bun and wrapped with my silk scarf.

I made a small change to my moisture and seal routine, I only did it once a day as my hair just did not need it twice a day at all. I was more adventurous with my buns during the day, I was adding quiffs and getting tonnes of compliments. Check out the bun styles in this video specifically the last one. Its great for SL hair http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=a0e03tCrWtk

HHJ starter products - Additional Treatments, serums etc.)

Hi ladies. The product junkie in me has been unleashed ever so slightly. I will be updating this page soon with how I found my previous products. I have been using them for a month and sort of know what isn't working at this point.

Anyhow I will be back to update this post soon

Update below and pics of my new products. Excited about my wash day

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment
Where to Buy: Joseph Kramer Hair studio Wicklow street ( Branches also exist in Stillorgan and Sutton) Zeba on south william street stock some Paul Mitchell, but this particular range I could only find at Joseph Kramers
Cost: €20 Approx
Why did I choose this: My hair dries like a frizz ball and takes ages to dry. The packaging says "Helps reduce dry time so you get smooth style faster. Helps repair and protect hair against damage". Ticks the boxes for me
How will I use this: I will apply this after rinsing out my deep conditioner and rinse out


Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
Where to Buy: Joseph Kramer Hair studio Wicklow street ( Branches also exist in Stillorgan and Sutton) Zeba on south william street stock some Paul Mitchell, but this particular range I could only find at Joseph Kramers
Cost: €20 Approx
Why did I choose this: My hair dries like a frizz ball and takes ages to dry. The packaging says "Helps smooth hair fast with reduce dry time. Helps control frizz and adds shine". Need I say more :)
How will I use this: I will apply this alon with my leave in conditioner on wash days

Wash day - 6 weeks post 10/03/2013 (Includes ACV)

Today's wash day involved a few things. If you read my previous posts from the last week, you will see I was complaining about shedding. I have now included some of the remedies in today's wash without having to purchase a new product

This week is my protein DC week so here we go...

1. Pre-poo overnight with coconut oil
2. Rinsed out with warm water and shampooed hair in sections
3. I then followed on with a tea rinse, this time I applied the tea with a spray bottle to ensure I got my scalp and every hair strand
4. After about 5 minutes I mixed some protein DC and moisture DC in a bowl and applied to the hair sections. This was a change to my regime. Normllay i would do these separately
5. I warmed up a towel by dipping in some hot water and squeezing. I placed this directly on my hair and covered with a shower cap.  In this time I went ahead and did my other stuff like wash my make up brushes etc.)
6. After about 20 minutes, I rinsed out with warm water and followed up with my instant conditioner. 
7. I detangled while the conditioner was in my hair and rinsed out
8. In another spray bottle, I mixed 2 cups of water and 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and sprayed on my scalp and roots (Does not smell great)
9. I then wrapped my hair in my new hair turban my friend got me (Thanks Jocelyn :) ) 
10. After about an hour or so in the turban, I applied my leave-in conditioner and left to dry
11. Once it was dry, I applied jojoba oil to my scalp and moisturised my hair and finally sealed with avocado oil

Just a bit of feedback on my ends from last week, I certainly think the avocado oil has been working but I will wait till i get my next touch up  and trim and re evaluate again.

Hair Shedding + Hard water problems = HHJ decline part 1

So on Monday i noticed hat the hair in my temple area seemed to have reduced drastically. To put icing on the cake my hair felt like it was shedding more than usual. I mean it wasn't a case that the bathroom floor was covered, it was just that since I started my HHJ, it had been cut down but it definitely was not as bad as it used to be.

I started investigating on blogs and hair experts and I found couple of reasons for this

• Hard Water
• Not enough protein in hair
• Constantly wrapping hair in same direction or tight buns
• Over manipulation of hair

I pretty much ticked every box there. Below is my plan on how to tackle these

Hard water

Chelating shampoos exist to remove mineral deposits in hair that could be caused by hard water. Well how do you know if you have hard water without having a Phd in chemical substances. Its easy. Does the inside of your kettle accumulate limescale very easily? Check out your shower head, do you notice build up there? 

You know this means product purchase and my idea is to keep things cheap and easy. After much research I found you could just do an Apple cider vinegar rinse after each wash to counter act the hard water. Not only does it counter this, it also helps to remove the build up of products you may have.

This does not mean am against purchasing the shampoo am only wary of the shampoos because the ones I found all contain sulphates. I  saying that I may be grabbing one soon I will be getting either Joico K Pak Chelating shampoo or Paul Mitchell Clarifying shampoo three. In Ireland, locating Paul Mitchell products can be tricky but you can find them in Zeba on south William street in Dublin city centre or Universal Hair and beauty in the GPO arcade of Henry street  in Dublin or Joseph Kramer Hair Studio on Wicklow street. Joseph Kramer stocks a fuller range if you want options.However the Joico products are in many European hair salons. Paul Mitchell is more available in the UK if you are out and about there

Not enough protein in hair

Many ladies have the problem of hair shedding early in the hair journey and this is usually the main reason. Once again a Paul Mitchell product caught my attention courtesy of Sunshyne of justgrowalready. 

Be careful though not to knock the balance out of your hair This link really talks about moisture/protein balance quite well http://blackhair101.com/hair-care/moisture-and-protein-maintaining-the-balance

Sunshyne talks about few products she introduced into her regime. NOte that it was a protein shampoo and a moisture DC. http://www.justgrowalready.com/2010/08/my-biggest-hurdle-breakage.html#.UTy6uNbHbow

I am happy with my moisture DC and am really trying to ensure I don't turn into a product Junkie. Instead I have chosen to probably introduce a protein shampoo into my regime. I think I may use this shampoo once a month on one of my moisture DC days. I haven't quite decided so haven't purchased yet. I would like to hold out first and see how the other changes in my regime are affecting my hair

Constantly wrapping hair in same direction or tight buns

This part is simple NO MORE WRAPPING else i would gradually become bald. Instead a loose bun to protect my ends at night and my silk scarf goes on but not too tight. I think I was tying this to tight to ensure it didn't slip off. Lesson learnt. After all the whole idea of protecting before you sleep is your ends and to keep the moisture locked in

Over manipulation of hair

This I am totally guilty of. From now on I will leave my comb until my wash day. During the week I would finger comb only. Its really easy to say that now but at 6 weeks post, its hard not to be tempted to just use the comb to get a smoother bun. But I will surely try.

Week 3 Maintenance

So this week I noticed that the hair around my right temple was thinning. I nearly died as I know how long it took me to grow the hair out there.

First things first I stopped wrapping my hair at night and instead switched to putting my hair in a bun. I also made sure that my buns we not tight bot during the day and at night.

My ends seem to look so much better now. I stuck to my moisturising and sealing daily but just changed my sealant to avocado oil .

Wash day - 5 weeks post 03/03/2013

Wash day as delayed till Sunday as I was out socialising. Still didn't stop me though :)

As promised I said I would tell how my hair was responding so far and you can see my journey so far. Any way this week was my moisture DC week and it was effortless. As always below are the steps I took this week

1. Prepoo with coconut oil overnight(Wrapped in cling film and silk scarf overnight). 

2. Sunday afternoon I section my hair and braided, then used warm water to rinse the oil out
3. I then added just about a tablespoon  of shampoo to each section and massaged into the scalp gently and rinsed out with warm water
4. I then mixed a tablepoosn of jojoba oil, 2 tablespoond f avcaod oil and a generous amount of my moisture DC. I applied this  to each section and massaged from scalp to roots and ends. To allow the treatment to be more effective, I placed a shower cap and hot towel over the hair for about 30 minutes
6. Rinsed out the treatment with warm water and put in some instant conditioner. I didn't do this on my last moisture DC but since i tried this last week, I was looking forward to the wonderful scent and softness in my hair.mmmmmmmm. I'll rave about this conditioner till the ends of the earth. 
 I loosened out the braids and de tangled with my comb while the conditioner was on and rinsed out with lukewarm water
7. I followed up by t-shirt drying for a while and then applied some leave in conditioner.

8. When nearly dry apply jojoba oil to scalp, moisturiser on hair and seal with avocado oil. 

Week 2 Maintenance

This week  I started noticing some dry and frizzy ends and had an emotional hair meltdown. I did a bit of research and found that avocado oil was great to moisturise frizzy ends

I was moisturising and sealing day and night except that I changed my sealant to avocado oil and it was amazing what difference it made. 

I also had a party to attend on Friday night and was worried about what way my hair would turn out. But i got one of those bun things and planned to add extensions to fill the bun. Goodness me, it took about 1 hour before I realised I had to ditch the extensions. I was so happy to find that my hair fit into the bun without any gaps. Yay. Welcome back volume. I could hardly believe it. Its a pity I didn't take a picture of the hair fully but this one below just shows a glimpse of it . Yep its 100% my hair. Actually from my next touch up day, I would start taking proper pictures

Wash day - 4 weeks post 23/02/2013

Everything was so so positive on my second wash day so I'll delve straight into the steps and how amazing they were.

It was my protein DC week and I have been looking forward to this product as there s a lot of hype about it

1. Prepoo with coconut oil overnight(Wrapped in cling film and silk scarf overnight). My lesson from last   week was very well remembered. Hair was not too greasy at all and execution was near perfect

2. Saturday afternoon I section my hair and braided, then used warm water to rinse the oil out

3. I then added just about a tablespoon  of shampoo to each section and massaged into the scalp gently and rinsed out with warm water

4. I them applied the protein treatment to each section and massaged from scalp to roots and ends.
 To allow the treatment to be more effective, I placed a shower cap and hot towel over the hair for about 30 minutes ( I was in a rush as I had tonnes to do. Will be leaving on for longer next time)

6. Rinsed out the treatment with warm water and put in some instant conditioner. If you need a cheap instant conditioner, please, please, please go get Herbal essences hello hydration. It is amazing. Seriously as I de-tangled, my hair was so soft to touch I could hardly believe it. And the smell is so mmmmmm.  this was the BEST part of my wash day. If my hair could talk, it would feel like it just had some of "party Jollof rice". For the benefit of non-Nigerians this is a Nigerian rice based food staple that has a distinct taste when cooked on an open fire made of wood. Right you get the point so go buy some.

Back to the point, It was at this stage I loosened out the braids and de tangled with my comb while the conditioner was on and rinsed out with lukewarm water

7. I followed up by t-shirt drying for a while and then applied some leave in conditioner. I definitely rinsed out all the product this time. If you read last week's wash diary, you would see my little disaster with deep conditioner. I definitely learnt my lesson

8. When nearly dry apply jojoba oil to scalp, moisturiser on hair and seal with coconut oil. And this time no heavy handedness on oil.

This wash day really motivated me as it seemed so much quicker and succesul than last week and not stressful at all. The way my hair felt made me look forward to the future

Lets see how the hair responds to the treatment today. Until next wash day :)

Fellow African HHJers and blogs

I thought it was necessary to follow on my last post in this topic with people's reactions to HHJ. 

People will definitely make you feel like you have lost the plot and are now bored and need something to do. Its totally normal. 

If you grew up in Nigeria, you would know that what is regarded as hair care is miles away from what real hair care is. If in doubt, please pick up one of those hair sprays or pink oils and google some of the ingredients and you would have some jaw dropping moments. Every one believes that long hair was genetic and maybe only for Fulani girls. I agree on the genetics things but love and care can also work.

When I told a few of the girls here what I was planning to do, the always laughed and thought how funny it was. The funniest part to most people was this blog and the same people who laughed are still reading this... I know you :P They are reading because they are curious to see how this journey goes. If it worked what do you think is going to happen :) 

Actually one of my cousins asked e to please send down all my Peruvian and Brazilian weaves since  I didn't need it any more. LOL. No chance in hell.Still clinging to them for now even if they don't get used.

If you are fortunate to live in somewhere like the states where hair care is a big thing for all the sisters then this will be a walk in the park. If you are like me where Africans are a minority then you are in for some transformation if you always had weaves or braids. If you are in Africa this would be fine except that your peers would think you are wasting your time until they see results.

Please please, I want many more African ladies to start on this and prove many more people wrong. The hair deserves some TLC too. Here are links for fellow African HHJers

http://yemiadaynatural.blogspot.co.uk/

http://thesizzlingmommy.com/pnm-html

http://growafricanhairlong.blogspot.ie/

http://www.loveyourtresses.com/

http://fulanihair.blogspot.ie/

http://thekinkyapothecary.blogspot.ie/

http://www.africanaturalistas.com/

I guess I have to make sure I put every effort to prove every one wrong, if it doesn't work it must be the products :P

 

The roads that led to my HHJ

I would like to share with you why I chose to do this. Happens for some overnight after seeing a fellow sister's long and beautiful hair but for me it took a few months before I realised this is what I wanted.

Some day I had just been disappointed by hair stylist who cancelled on me at the last moment. I was to get extensions in and had just taken the old ones off. I was one of those hat believed the hair could never be left out as it was horrible and unmanageable. My hair had probably not been left on its own in years. One of the girls told me to go to her stylist who was miles away. She mentioned that she would treat my own hair and blow dry it to look silky. I didn't really believe it as I thought my hair as a lost cause. In any case I ignored and found another stylist to put extensions in that night. I really wanted them in as I had just bought the ever popular Peruvian hair. I was too eager to get my brand new hair in.

The seed had been planted and I knew that the next time my hair was due I would go to this stylist recommended by my friend. About 2 months later I went to her and the result of a relaxer and blow dry is what you see the picture on my profile. Only if I could have taken a picture before hand. Nobody could believe it. I can't even begin to list everything she had done differently to any other african hair salon would do. She treated my hair with so much care. She washed my hair but not your typical finger nail attack on your scalp, it was more like a gentle massage. I could go on but you get the point. If you need hair care  please do yourself a favour and go to her, I'll link you up if needs be.

She told me simple stuff to do everyday and went to her for a wash if I needed it. At this stage I was not washing my hair very week. I can't thank my friend enough who gave me the hook up to this stylist. Following this I was at a girls night in and met two girls who were on a hair journey for a while. They commented on how good my hair looked but that the hair cold be fuller if I put in a little more effort and avoid daily heat application. We spent the evening talking about oils, blogs to look up, moisturisers, how to wrap the hair, how heat could damage the hair, etc. This was the true birth of my HHJ.

I came home and went on other bloggers like Hairlicious as well as you tube etc. Within a week I had read up on many things and decided to start my hair journey.

I wanted long, full and healthy looking hair. I knew it would be tough but I thought if I am willing to put so much effort on my skincare why does my hair not deserve similar love.

Everyone pretty much knows the saying that what is worth doing is worth doing well. Same saying applies to your hair if you choose to embark on a healthy hair journey.

Week 1-Maintenance

Expert hair bloggers and fellow HHJers recommend to moisturise and seal twice a day where possible.

After my wash day the rest of the week was pretty smooth sailing. I obeyed the law during the week by moisturising and sealing day and night. Every two nights  applied jojoba oil to my scalp using a spray bottle. Some people may do this every day but I could tell that it was not necessary for me.The spray bottle was a time saver as I was able to go through the sections very quickly without getting too messy.

The earlier part of the week felt very stressful applying the moisturiser as I was so focused on going through my hair line by line. I mean this is not necessarily a bad thing but you still have other  girly stuff to do like your facial routine morning and nights so few short-cuts were needed. You can guess that mid week I learnt there as no need for this and instead applied the products to my hair in 4 sections. Very quick and effective.
I had to baggy my ends two days after my wash day as they looked like they needed some love. I suspect it had something to do with the amount of leave in conditioner I used and maybe I did not focus on the ends during the deep conditioning and possibly other things I missed. Click here to see my previous wash day ups and downs.

Every night I always made sure I wrapped my hair and covered in a silk scarf.

Next wash day diary coming up soon. Excited to try some more products

HHJ starter products - Oils and moisturisers

Oils and moisturisers are a must have for any HHJer. If you have been reading other blogs and researching you will know this one already. Right lets get to it.Some pictures also to help locate in the local store if you are searching for it. I have included why I chose the oils so this would hopefully help understand why I bought so many. I end up using one on my wash day and one throughout the week.

In reality you only need one or two oils if you want a basic routine. If I was to choose one, there would be a competition between jojoba oil and coconut oil. So basic needs are

1. One or two oils (used for sealing, prepooing or in DCs)
2. One water based moisturiser

Oils

Extra Virgin Coconut oil 
Where to Buy: Any local grocery shop or health store, Dunnes, Tesco, Holland and Barrett
Cost: €6 from Dunnes stores (Could be more expensive in health shops but this works for me from Dunnes)
Why did I choose this: While I was frantically investigating oils for my hair I learnt the different purposes for different oils. I thought Coconut oil sited my current goals i.e. revive my hair from endless chemical treatments that have caused it to loose protein. I also have very dry hair like every other black woman and needed something to seal the moisture in. Coconut oil was the most recommended by many experts. Check out this post from renowned black hair expert Audrey Sivasothy. My hair is also very light and I seriously didn't need anything else to weight it down.
How will I use this: This will be used for my prepoo overnight and also used to seal after moisturising.


Jojoba oil 
Where to Buy: Any health store like Holland and Barrett
Cost: €10 approx.
Why did I choose this: Jojoba oil is said to be the oil closest to natural hair oils. It is also fantastic for treating dandruff and dry scalp. I have dry scalp and dandruff issues and my intention was to keep the regime as close to my air needs as possible. Plus its amazing for dry skin
How will I use this: I use this in my moisturising deep conditioner and also to oil my scalp until my dandruff and dry scalp is gone.


Avocado oil 
Where to Buy: Any health store like Holland and Barrett
Cost: €10 approx.
Why did I choose this: Based on my research avocado oil is a great humectant (google this for more info if you wish to). What this pretty much means is that it adds moisture to your hair. My hair is hungry for some moisture so there was no debate purchasing this. Also good for frizzy ends
How will I use this: I use this in my moisturising deep conditioner *UPDATE* I now rotate this with coconut oil to seal the moisture in to help revive my horrible fizzy ends


Wonder oil 
Where to Buy: Holland and Barrett
Cost: €13.85 approx.
Why did I choose this: This was a serious product junkie purchase. It has like seven types of oil and the bottle said it is fantastic for skin hair and nails. As I already mix potions for my skin moisturiser I thought to add this to the pile.
How will I use this: I won't be adding this to my hair regime yet as I would like to keep it simple and see how my hair goes. Its in my skin potion for now though. *UPDATE* I now add this to my moisture DC in place of avocado oil.

Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil All Purpose Healing Oil

Where to Buy: Some african hair shops
Cost: €9 approx.
Why did I choose this: I have started looking at the thickness of my hair and attempting to get it nice and full. Heard JBCO does just this. Move over jojoba oil, a new oil has been born in my collection.
How will I use this: I will be using this to oil my scalp for a while and see if it makes any difference. Now that my dandruff and dry scalp are as good as non existent *dancing alingo* its time to try a new oil for another purpose.


Water based moisturiser
Soft sheen Carson Wave Nouveau Moisturising finishing lotion

Where to Buy: Any African/afro-Caribbean store
Cost: €12 approx.
Why did I choose this: I looked into the most popular moisturisers listed by long time HHJers and this was a regular product mentioned. This particular brand is in nearly every local African store so wasn't too hard to find. If you are looking for moisturisers look for ingredients like water and glycerine as the first two on the label.
How will I use this: Will be using this as my daily moisturisers from root to tips.

That's my 2 cents on oils and moisturisers. Happy shopping

Wash day - 3 weeks post 16/02/2013

As promised ladies my first wash day is complete and boy do I have loads to tell you.

As it was a moisture DC week the plan was

1. Prepoo with coconut oil overnight (Wrapped in cling film and silk scarf overnight)
2. Rinse out oil, section hair, braid and shampoo
3. Tea rinse and let sit for 5 minutes
4. Apply deep conditioner mixed with avocado and jojoba oil. Place shower cap and hot towel over head and leave for about an hour
5. Loosen out braided sections and detangle. Rinse out and t-shirt dry
6. Then apply leave in conditioner
7. When nearly dry apply jojoba oil to scalp, moisturiser on hair and seal with coconut oil

So the above looks so simple right. As promised I will tell it all . I will take each step above and tell you what I did wrong and learnt from it for next time. The numbers on the list below will correspond to the step number above.

1. Did this the night before and all well and good except that I may have put in just a little bit too much learn.

The Fab: My hair was seriously giving thanks to God for the nutrition. Ok maybe am exaggerating it but it felt nice on the hair. I was expecting the scarf or cling film to be miles away from my hair the following morning but it was all still in place.

     

The shocking: Hair felt a bit too greasy and so was everything else around me. Lesson learnt on this          one is do not be so heavy handed and weigh your poor hair down. A little bit goes a long way. 

Overall: I will be doing this again next week

     2.  Another successful step

The Fab: I was a little concerned about washing my hair in sections but it was actually fine. It definitely helped me get rid of the belief of needing  dollops of shampoo you get shoved on your hair in salons in Nigeria and even in Ireland. Pretty sure this happens in many african hair salons too. Oh and can I add  how the hairdressers direct all the energy to their fingers and upset your poor scalp. The gentle finger massage and little bit of shampoo left my hair and scalp squeaky clean.

     

The shocking: No disaster on this one. Success! 

Overall: I will totally be doing this again next week

     3.  Total walk in the park

The Fab: I can't sing the praises of the black tea rinse over and over again. I mean my shedding was cut down by at least 50%. I was a bit lazy to spray to scalp in sections so just poured over entire hair. Wish I had taken a picture of before and after. My bathroom floor had 0 hair and my comb had like 10 strands in comparison to the rain of hair I would have everywhere.

     

The shocking: None whatsoever

Overall: Of course I will be doing this again till my comb has nil :)

     4.  Sort of successful. Was my fault though. Read on to see my thoughts

The Fab: Was very easy to apply as my hair was in sections. Beautiful texture and lovely smell

     

The shocking: What is it with me and being heavy handed with the oils. I was so paranoid about the mineral oil in my DC that I filled the mix with way too much oil. A tablespoon each of the oils should have probably done it.

Overall: Definitely on the cards for next moisture DC week

 5.  Halfway successful

The Fab: I loved the fact that the t-shirt was used as a change to towel drying i would have done in the past. With just a gentle wrap, its mazing how much excess water was removed without a single hair loss. How much difference the comb made and also the fact that I used the comb only when the conditioner was in my hair. I would say the tea rinse contributed to the low hair loss

     

The shocking: I read cold water was good for the last rinse on the hair and made the mistake of using cold water. The hair felt so mushy and greasy. Had to go back into the bathroom and rinse out with lukewarm water. To make it worse I had already applied leave in conditioner. Sob sob.Next time I would rinse with lukewarm water and then finish of with a bit of cold water

Overall: Definitely on the cards for next moisture DC week using the right temperature of water of course. Loving my wide tooth comb 

 6.  Nearly perfect

The Fab: Was very easy to apply as my hair was in sections. Product felt so light and made my hair  feel less dry

     

The shocking: Sorry to break your heart but no bad news on this one

Overall: Will always be part of my regimen

 7.  Nearly perfect

The Fab: My scalp was singing songs of praise with every spray of jojoba oil into my scalp. The scalp did not look greasy but it was not dry for sure. The moisturising lotion was so so light and I couldn't believe how it actually provided moisture with just little bits. Another "overly moisturise your hair" myth busted. 

     

The shocking: Yes you guessed it, I went loose with the oil for sealing as well. Problem is my ends looked so dry as it was the first time I was not applying heat after a wash. All my hair troubles were revealed

Overall: Won't be giving this a miss next week and all week for sure.

That was my ramble on my wash day. Will keep you updated with how my week went before my next wash

Hair Regimen February 2013

At this point you have probably googled and researched so many bloggers and their hair regimens. You are probably thinking what exactly and how do I start my hair regimen. Just keep it simple and use the basics. prepoo, shampoo/co-wash, deep condition, moisturise/seal and then add any treatment your hair might need. Personally I had an idea what my hair needed and I didn't want to lose a whole day just to finish my hair routine. First I must share with you my hair needs in order to understand why I chose this regime.

Concerns for my hair

• Shedding
• Dandruff/dry scalp
• Moisture deprived hair
• Retaining length
• Thin hair
• Split ends

Overview of regimen

I wash every Saturday/Sunday making sure to prepoo overnight with coconut oil.
I rinse the oil out before shampooing with my noisture shampoo. I use a clarifying shampoo once a month followed by my usual moisture shampoo.
I follow this up by a tea rinse once in a while if I am having shedding problems.
I proceed with a protein or moisture DC or even a mix of both I usually add this on top of my tea rinse if i did a tea rinse
After 20mins or so, I rinse this out and apply a smoothing conditioner and rinse out.
I then t-shirt/air dry my hair. When hair feels less damp I apply a leave in conditioner and continue air drying. When hair is nearly dry I apply jojoba/JBCO oil to my scalp and moisturiser to the hair and seal with coconut/avocado oil.

In addition to this, I relax my hair approximately every 10 weeks with a professional hair stylist who is absolutely amazing. I don't say that too often about hair stylists but she is the business. People like her are hard to come by and she was one of my inspirations for my health hair journey. If you are in Ireland, send me a message and I can hook you up.

Detailed Regimen

Wash days

Prepoo(Every week)

On Friday night I divide my hair into sections.  Massage coconut oil with finger tips into scalp and apply to hair from roots to ends in sections. I then cross-wrap my hair and wrap with cling film(You can also use a plastic shower cap). I also tie my silk scarf over the cling film and finally my silk bonnet.

Shampoo(Every week)

On Saturday morning, I then divide the hair into 4 sections and braid each section.Rinse out the oil with lukewarm water. Add about a tablespoon of shampoo to my palms to lather up with a bit of water and apply to the scalp of the first section. Massage with finger tips and as you do this the excess will move naturally towards the hair also. Repeat the same for each of the sections and rinse out. If using my clarifying shampoo I always follow up with my moisture shampoo.

Tea Rinse(As  required)

If I am at a point where I am experiencing shedding as most people probably would at the start of their hair journey, I do a tea rinse. If not it is not a necessary step. Can get very messy so don't use your favourite towel or clothes if you want to do this. I do this simply by brewing about 4 tea bags in  3 cups of water and letting it cool. Once cool, depending on time constraints, spray on scalp in sections or just pour over entire hair. Remember hair is still in 4 sections in braids. Squeeze out the excess and leave for about 5 to 10 minutes. Recommend following this on with a moisture deep condition

Deep Condition(Every week)

Every weekend I do either a protein or a moisture deep condition or even both. If I have done a tea rinse it would typically be on my moisture deep-condition week as tea rinses tend to make hair feel brittle and dry.

-On moisture DC week

Mix oil of choice with some of the deep conditioner. Reminder that your hair is still in 4 sections. Apply to scalp and from roots to end for each section. If doing a tea rinse you can add this on top of the rinse after about 20 minutes. Cover with a hot towel followed by a  plastic shower cap and wrap with another hot towel for an hour or so. If you are fortunate to have a hooded dryer you can use as well. Rinse out

-On protein DC week

Apply Mix both protein and mositure conditioner togther with oil of choice and directly to scalp, roots and ends in hair that has been sectioned already before shampoo.Cover with a hot towel followed by a  plastic shower cap and wrap with another hot towel for an hour or so. If you are fortunate to have a hooded dryer you can use as well. Rinse out with lukewarm water

I use a comb to detangle while the DCs are in my hair before rinsing out

Instant Conditioner(As required)

This is really not part of my regimen unless I feel my hair needs the moisture boost or no time to deep condition

Drying(Every Week)

To dry my hair, I don't use a microfibre towel as it is like Velcro to the hair. Lots of you tube videos and blogs will remind you of that. Plus you shouldn't dry your hair in such a way that you would tangle it. Treat the hair like your latest designer handbag or silk dress you just got. Back to the point on drying the hair...Use an old t shirt or hair turbie to wrap the hair carefully so it soaks up the excess water After about an hour or so remove the t shirt and apply leave in conditioner and serum roots and ends. Leave hair in a bun to dry

Moisturise and seal.(Every Week)

 I spray jojoba oil or JBCO on my scalp and some moisturiser from roots to end. When doing this I try not to over manipulate the hair with a comb, I just use my fingers to work through the hair but very carefully. Finally I seal with coconut/avocado oil.

De-tangle with a wide toothed comb and simply rock my hair all week without using a comb

Night time

I simply put my hair in a low bun and tie with a silk scarf

Rest of the week

Moisturise and seal with coconut/avocado oil and spray jojoba oil or JBCO on my scalp based on how my scalp feels

Best advice, don't add any oil or anything to your regime if you don't know what it would do for you. Keep it simple.

Check out my hair products to see how each one satisfies my hair concerns.

HHJ starter hair products-Shampoos and Conditioners

Starting your hair care journey can be a real nightmare especially when expert HHJers list the must have products and you happen to have little or no access to some of this. Ok you are probably saying how about online shopping I hear ya. Fact is that if you are a woman who has to go to work 5 days a week then do some grocery shopping, go out have some fun, mind your kids and a host of other activities and still look fabulous, finding your first buys can be tiring. When you want to start your hair journey you need it to fit into your already existing plan as no one is gong to invent an eight day of the week for your new activity. Check out my hair products I was able to find in the local stores/online. A lot of these were purchased in shops I would already visit as part of my regular routine so all totally fuss free. This covers my shampoos and conditioners.

Please note that I am not a hair scientist or anything of that sort, at least not yet :) I have only done research into what is and isn't good for african hair and purchased products based on that knowledge. Also note that no two heads are the same so even if it doesn't work for someone else it might work for you. I agree that the popular/expensive/hard-to-find products might work best but for a start don't throw your money away. First understand the basics so you can make an informed decision


First things first I read so many blogs, watched vlogs etc and trust me you could get yourself bankrupt if you become a product junkie. Just stick to the basics for shampoos and conditioners i.e.

1. Regular shampoos
2. Clarifying shampoo
3. Instant conditioner for co-washing
4. Light Protein deep-conditioner/ treatment
5. Moisture deep conditioner
6. Leave in conditioner

Above is a picture up of the shampoos and conditioners I have chosen to begin my hair journey with (Note there are others not pictured here that were my first mistakes of purchase due to excitement on my HHJ). UPDATED list below. Picture Update to come soon

Shampoo-Moisture
Rain forest Moisture Shampoo for Dry Hair- No Silicones No Sulphates, No Colourants No Parabens 
Where to Buy: The Body Shop
Cost: €9.95 Yay suits the budget
Why did I choose this: I read a  lot on how sulphates weren't too good for our hair as it strips the moisture and goodness out of your hair. At the same time its not saying that sulphate shampoos cannot be used at all. My hair is very thin and gone through some serious relaxing over the years so I chose this not to deprive my hair of any more nutrients it has lost.
How will I use this: I will be using this for my weekly wash

Shampoo-Clarifying
REDKEN hair cleansing cream shampoo

Where to Buy: Any Peter Mark Salon
Cost: €16
Why did I choose this: I live in an area with hard water and needed something that wouldn't strip al the goodness out f my hair but still clean out any mineral deposits and product build up
How will I use this: This will be used once a month as my clarifying shampoo. I would still follow up with a moisture shampoo to replenish any lost moisture


Instant Conditioner
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisture and Shine Conditioner
Where to buy: Boots, Tesco, Dunnes, Super Valu and the list goes on any local drugstore and super market really
Cost: €3 approx for 200 ml  No need to break the bank to get this one :)
Why did I choose this: Ok I confess on this one, it was mentioned on nearly every other bloggers page even the white sisters wear by this one.Plus Herbal essences is a brand on nearly every shops shelf and I love easy to find products
How will I use this: I intend to use this as an instant conditioner in case I decide to cowash my hair during the week or on a weekend I don't really have time to deep condition. But will avoid getting to a habit of not deep conditioning every week

Deep Conditioner - Moisture
Motions CPR treatment conditioner
Where to buy: Any African hair shop stocks Motions products
Cost: €7 approx
Why did I choose this: Reality was I was unable to find any of the popular ones people listed on their blogs. But the protein treatment of this brand was highly spoken of so I thought to partner up on my conditioners  If you are one of the anti-mineral oil people then you  may look away now and skip to the next product :) IT had mineral oil but I also researched and found that it may not be too bad as it will be washed off eventually. I will be adding some natural oils like coconut oil and avocado oil when using this to ensure no damage is done.
How will I use this: I will apply this after my washes and apply heat by means of a heated cap or cover the hair with cling film and wrap with a hot towel. Replaced with conditioner below. Review coming soon once I can try a different product


Avlon KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner
Where to buy: www.pakcosmetics.com. Some hair salons
Cost: €9 approx
Why did I choose this: This line of products has got very good reviews across several blogs and the ingredients match my exact neeeds
How will I use this: I will apply this after my washes and apply heat by means of a heated cap or cover the hair with cling film and wrap with a hot towel.


Deep Conditioner- Protein
Motions CPR Protein reconstructor
Where to buy: Any African hair shop stocks Motions products
Cost: €7 approx
Why did I choose this: This is another copy cat situation. It was listed as amazing on many blogs, I walked into the African shop and it was there and didn't hesitate to purchase. It was that simple. When I came home and read the ingredients it made sense why there was a rave about it. Another reason was that motions can be found in nearly every African hair stockists so why put myself through any other stress trying to locate some unusual product that probably has pretty much same ingredients as this
How will I use this: I will mix this in with my moisture condition and apply after my washes when my hair needs protein. I will then proceed to apply heat by means of a heated cap  or cover the hair with cling film and wrap with a hot towel.

Leave in Conditioner
Naked Style Little Miracle Leave in conditioner
Where to buy: Boots
Cost: €3 approx
Why did I choose this: Another shocking experience trying to locate highly approved products here. So I embarked on my label reading exercise and in fairness to my fiance he pointed this to me on the shelf. Key words I was loving "97% natural", "Silicon free" and "Shea butter".
How will I use this: I will be applying this after rinsing out my deep conditioner Replaced with two items below


ApHogee Keratin And Green Tea Restructurizer
Where to buy: www.pakcosmetics.com. Some hair salons
Cost: €6 approx
Why did I choose this: This line of products have also got great reviews  I also like that it is a protein based leave in so that I could add this if I feel my hair needs it.
How will I use this: I will be applying this after rinsing out my deep conditioner. I will rotate or combine with my other leave in conditioner depending on how my hair feels. Probably make more use of this on my touch up day as well as the first few washes after that since relaxing breaks down the protein bonds

ApHogee ProVitamin Leave In Conditioner
Where to buy: www.pakcosmetics.com. Some hair salons
Cost: €4 approx
Why did I choose this: This line of products got great reviews.  It also contains wheat germ il which is packed with ceramides. Yep I have jumped on tje creamide band wagon. THis ingredient is midway through the ingredient list so don't get too excited about its content in the product
How will I use this: I will be applying this after rinsing out my deep conditioner. I will rotate or combine with my other leave in conditioner depending on how my hair feels. This will 

Tiny but useful tip. If you are unsure, ask for a sample or buy the smallest pack and try it out first. Let your hair talk to you and tell you what it likes.

Happy shopping and be sure to let me know what yo found ;)