My Go-To Products & Techniques While Short-term Protective Styling

Am I ODing with the protective styling posts yet? I know, once I'm into something I'm all in! Plus, there's just so much to discuss re PSing. So today we delve once again into my product stash, and find out what I've been reaching for during the last month of weekly protective styling, as well as a few techniques which I use regularly. Let's start on wash day, shall we?

Products

Relaxing with yo' Girl - Update

Hey guys! This is just a quick relaxer update. 

I relaxed on Dec 17th (I already posted the relaxer process, if you missed it, click here ). I have already rewashed and styled my hair (yesterday). I also did a clear rinse - review coming up in short order. 

Below is my hair now after being flat ironed. (I am not a huge fan of my flat-iron, the max temp is quite low and it doesn't give me hair that is as straight as I'd like.) As it turns out, my hair was not relaxed as bone straight as I first thought. It seems that only the very front (near the hairline) is straight, which I can deal with as it makes sleek styles that much easier. One thing I noticed and don't like is the multiple textures. It caused a bit of tangling (or maybe it's because I didn't spend enough time on the actual relaxer day to properly detangle). I may look into correcting this issue at a future date if it continues to bother me. OK let's get to the pics.

Results

12/17 relaxer results

Oil it Up - The Essentials { Peppermint Oil}

There are a myriad of essential oils out there with a great many benefits. Some of the more popular ones I've encountered include rosemary, lemon, lavender, cedarwood, sage, peppermint, tea tree and orange. But what exactly is it that makes these oils so 'essential'?

Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of sage. An oil is "essential" in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant. It is very potent and is rarely used by itself for any purpose.

They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and other beauty products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding a fresh scent to household cleaning products.

In this series I will refrain from addressing all these oils. Rather, I'll present the ones I've tried and loved. First up,

Peppermint Oil

For a cooling, cleansing treatment for your hair and scalp, try peppermint essential oil.

What is it?

Becoming Detached - A Look at Hair Breakage

If length retention has a nemesis, then this is most definitely it. Breakage occurs when the strands become too weak to hang on any longer. Many people think their hair isn't growing as they have been at the same length for years. What is really happening though, is BREAKAGE. Hair is constantly growing (unless there is a medical impediment), and grows from the scalp at an average rate of 1/2 inch per month. The reason it appears stagnant is that it is breaking equally as fast as it grows, leaving you to think there is no growth. Do you find little pieces of hair on your floor, in your sink or in your combs and brushes? That's a sign of breakage, so please keep reading.

Oil it up - Coconut oil

This is another favorite among those on hair journeys and rightly so. Coconut oil provides many benefits to the body and the hair in particular. It too, is one of the few shaft-penetrating oils, thus lodging its nourishing properties deep into the strand. 

It is considered anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial because it contains lauric acid, a chemical that is otherwise only found in human breast milk. Thanks to the anti-fungal and healing properties of coconut oil, it can be used to treat scalp complaints.

Coconut oil contains Vitamin E (an essential nutrient for skin and hair), which along with the previously mentioned lauric acid, help to promote protein regrowth in the hair, making it stronger.

Like all other oils, it is unable to moisturize, but it is very effective at sealing in moisture and leaving hair with a shine that screams health, and it smells good too! You can't beat that with a stick!

Uses of Cocout Oil

• Prepoo
• Deep condition
• sealing 
• scalp treatments/ massages

Are you a lover of coconut oil? How do you use it? Let me know down below.

XOXO,

Abbi

Looking for you in the Daytime with a Flashlight - S&D

I've briefly referred to the search and destroy method in posts such as this and this. Allow me to elaborate.

What is it?

This is a really simple method of identifying and locating split or otherwise damaged parts of the strand and then snipping them off with a pair of sharp hair shears.

Why do it?

Store-bought Deep Conditioners - My five faves

Deep conditioning really is one of the pillars of my hair regimen. I've never missed a week since the start of my hair journey. I have tried a few deep conditioners so far, some I didn't care much for but made them work, others I loved straight out the bottle. Let's take a look at my faves.

1. ORS replenishing Conditioner - conditions my hair adding both moisture and protein. Gives great slip making detangling a breeze. Results in soft, strong, shiny hair.
   
   
   

Doing the Splits - a Look at Split-ends

Trichoptilosis is longitudinal splits of the hair fiber, commonly called split ends. No one likes them! They come in all shapes and sizes and despite their name, can occur anywhere along the shaft.

Check them out below

So what causes these little rascals? There are a myriad of reasons such as:

Lala-lala-laa Warm it up - Hot Oil Treaments

I love a good hot oil treatment! It gives me the feeling of a hot cup of cocoa of a cold winter day! It has been a part of my regimen since the start. However, I do it sporadically (mostly during the colder months), which I need to change and make it a regularly scheduled event even when it's warm.

What's it it?

Love Potions - DIY Deep Conditioner #1

Banana Avocado Deep Conditioning Treatment

Ingredients: 

1/2 avocado

1 overripe banana

2 tbs olive oil

3 tbs Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose (or your favorite moisturizing conditioner)

3 tbs water (optional)

Steps: 

Layering it on - M & S

Whether relaxed or natural, black (people's) hair is inherently dry! Many of us struggle with this (myself included) and attempt to combat dryness in various ways. We deep condition, steam, co-wash, and use leave-ins on a weekly basis, but there is one vital measure used to keep dryness at bay on the daily! What is it?

Moisturizing and sealing. 

Straight hair - Hair Repair & Jojoba oil
Curly styles - Water, Wave Nouveau & Coconut oil

This is the act of applying water or a water-based product to our strands to provide our hair with much needed moisture and then using a layer of oil on top of our water-based product to ensure that it isn't readily evaporated. 

Why do it?

Quickie - Moisturizing Shampoos

Instead of this...

In this post, I talked about the possible ill-effects of shampooing, but there are ways of using your shampoos without them being too drying or stripping.

Tip: 

Successful Stretching - 10 Tips

We've already discussed the effects of stretching, and decided that the benefits won ;-). So... now you have decided to embark on a stretch. Good for you! But you want to know how to keep the drawbacks at bay. You're in luck. This post is geared towards just that. 

10 weeks post, wet hair

Below are some tips for having an incident and accident-free stretch. 

Stretching It out (Your relaxers that is) - benefits vs. drawbacks

I'm a big fan of relaxer stretching! There are a few drawbacks, but the positives far outweigh them. We'll compare them in a minute, but first of all... 

What is Stretching? 

20 weeks post relaxer 

This is the act of extending the time one waits between getting relaxers. That is, if you are accustomed to retouching your hair at 6 weeks posts, then going a 7th week without it is considered stretching. Many stretch for anywhere from 10 weeks to 12 months and some go even longer. Prior to my hair journey, I never stretched my relaxers. I retouched at the first hint of new growth to keep my hair looking 'fresh'. These days however, I stretch to 7 and 8 months at a time with the help of my long-term protective styles. When I get closer to my goal of "below the waist" length though, I intend to stretch to 12-16 weeks. In my experience with stretching, I have encountered the following drawbacks:

Au Naturel - Air-drying

Although I love the sleekness of either direct or indirect heat styled hair, about 90% of the time my hair is air-dried.

Air drying prior to roller setting

What is it? 

Air drying is avoiding unnatural heat sources such as a blow dryer or a hooded dryer, opting instead, for nature to work its magic on your tresses. 

Why do it? 

Turn on the Heat... Again - Indirect Heat Styling

What is it? 

Indirect heat styling involves using tools to create a hairstyle without exposing the strands directly to heat, making it less vulnerable to heat damage. A very popular tool for this is the hooded dryer which is usually accompanied by a wrapping or roller setting. Roller setting is able to produce gorgeous curls, but take it a step further and straight hair is yours. Thus it is a valid alternative to blow drying and/ or flat-ironing. Up until recently, I had not bothered with roller-setting. I did it when I was younger but thought it was somewhat out-dated... boy was I wrong!! When I decided to give it another go, I was pleasantly surprised by the results, and needless to say, it has become a staple in my "enjoy that hair" periods. 

Cautions

Turn on the Heat - Direct Heat Styling

Although low manipulation and protecting styling are integral parts of any regimen, every now and then a girl wants to let her hair down, literally. And while she can do so using braid-outs, twist-outs and the like, she just wants something more. A straighter, silkier, sexier look. ENTER THE BLOW DRYER AND FLAT IRON.These heat styling tools will allow you to go from kinky, coily, curly or wavy to straight in minutes... well, maybe hours.

Cautions:

Leave it in! - Leave-ins

So we have pre-pooed, cleansed, and deep conditioned our tresses. What's next? Leave-ins of course! 

 

What is it?

A leave-in treatment is a product that isn't rinsed from your hair. It is applied at the end of the washing process after your deep condition and your final conditioning rinse have been done.

What's in it? 

Hot, Steamy Sessions ... of Deep Conditioning

MMMMMmmm This is the feeling deep conditioning evokes within me! I absolutely love this step of my regimen. 

deep conditioning session

What is it? 

The name says it all. Deep conditioning is simply using a conditioning agent to penetrate the hair shaft providing the requisite nourishment to the strand making it stronger, moister, and/or more elastic. 

What's in it? 

Take it to the Shower - Shampooing

What is it? 

There are many ways to cleanse your hair. Shampoos are the most popular. However, some shampoos, particularly those containing sulfates, the harshest of which is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), can prove detrimental to your resolve to grow your hair long. As we have become more knowledgeable about the ill-effects of traditional shampoos on black hair, we have been making use of more suitable ways of cleansing it. The way in which we do this ranges from sulfate-free shampoos, and cleansing conditioners, to more natural products like ACV (apple cider vinegar) and clays such as bentonite. 

Why is cleansing necessary?