Flashback Friday - How to Grow Long, Healthy Hair

Hey everyone!
Happy Friday!!!

This was one of the very first posts I did here on the blog.

I made a video recently with very similar information for my youtube channel (shameless plug! lol), and decided to include it here as it can serve as a reminder for my lovely long-time readers and new information for the newbies.

The elements included in the video were, and still are of paramount importance in my hair journey, helping me to grow long, healthy hair.

What is the most important tip you have for growing healthy hair?

 

 

Chilling Time - What I Do with my Hair on Weekends

Hey hey hey! Happy Sunday!

So you guys know I have been doing weekly protective styles since January. Then when I am heading out on the weekend it's probably a braid-out or a bun. But what about when I'm just here chillin' at home? Well, that's what I'm showing today.

after releasing last week's PS

Tough Love - Stop with the 'Health over Length' Already!

First and foremost comes a disclaimer of sorts: Of course I know that the health is most definitely more important than the length of our hair. After all, who wants long, beat-up hair with thin, scraggly ends? NOT ME. However, another thing that I know is that WITH health comes length (unless you truly don't want long hair and keep cutting it). Why then do I continually hear 'health over length', 'health over length' health over length' ? As if it's one or the other, when in actuality, they are not mutually exclusive, they occur together!

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

Quickie - Health y Hair (get it?)

You've heard it time and time again. You've got to eat your way to a healthy body and lengthy hair. Below are some images to help guide you.

eat less of the foods as you ascend

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?

Crushing on Some Hair - Straight/ Wavy Edition

I am inspired by so many long-haired beauties, many of whom have grown their hair Below The Waist! These are just a few of them:

Prettywitty77

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?

oil it up - My favorite Natural oils.

When I first started my hair journey a year and a half ago, I read a lot about natural hair oils and pretty much bought every one that I could get my hands on that had gotten good reviews. 

My stash

Now I have quite a sizable stash, some have finished and I haven't repurchased because they didn't seem absolutely necessary. But this post is dedicated to those that have been good to my hair and that I cannot live without. 

My lucky 7: 

Wrap it up - Protect your hair while you sleep

I recently posted about protective styling, but what I didn't mention is that it doesn't stop there. Nope, we should protect our hair as much as we possibly can. How, you ask? By wrapping it up every chance we get! 

Bunning - My Five Faves

I'm not a serial bunner by any means, but I think all of us on hair journeys do this protective style from time to time. They are quick and easy and great for length retention. So naturally, I go this route now and then. Here are a few of my faves:

Celestial Frontal Bun

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. 

Quickie! Diet and Hair Growth

Today's dinner

A healthy, balanced diet is vital to healthy hair!

Step away from the product cabinet and head for the kitchen cupboard. Prepare your meals using fresh, wholesome ingredients. Include lean proteins, low G.I. carbs and plenty of veggies. Your hair (and your waist) will thank you.

XOXO,

Abbi

My Love Affair... with Hair Products

I previously outlined my regimen here. Now let me tell you about the products I have been utilising in this regimen. First off, I must mention that living in Japan has denied me access to the barrage of products others have access to. 90% of my products are ordered from online shops and sometimes I pay A LOT for shipping so I take a minimalist approach to products, well I try to anyway. 

These are they: 

How I DO IT! - My Hair Regimen

I relax my hair no less than 12 weeks apart. I love stretching, I've been known to stretch for as long as 8 months. 

With that out of the way, let's start with wash day since this sets the tone for the rest of my week. 

Let's Go Deep...into the past - My Hair Journey in Pics

It started 16 months ago when I met this wonderful gem. 'Twas love at first sight browse. Sure we've had some rough patches and I even started having second thoughts a few months down the road. But I stuck it out and thank God I did. Here's how it went down:

Pre Hair Journey

fried, dyed and blow-dried hair  - '08

Six Steps to Sexy Hair

I've come a long way since I started on this journey almost a year and a half ago. Since then, I have learnt what techniques are right for me and my hair. I'll give you a rundown but before I do, let me tell you how I got to this point. 

My virgin hair was relaxed just prior to entering the 7th grade at 10 years old. In Jamaica (my home land), a relaxer is like a rite of passage for most girls and I was no different. I have now been a relaxed head for 15 years during which I retouched at the first sign of new growth and at times when I self-relaxed, I even pulled the relaxer all the way to my ends (eeekk!!) Fast forward a few years and here I am living in Japan where the environment is achingly different from Jamaica: the weather, the language barrier, the exorbitant cost of everything in sight and worst yet, the availability of products and stylists, or rather, the lack thereof, for black hair! All these factors led me to take my hair into my own hands and really take care of it, growing it from a little below shoulder length (SL) to mid back length (MBL) in 16 months. 

A month before my hair journey

 

16 months into my hair journey

How'd I do it, you ask?