The Video that Makes me Wanna go Natural

Hey there guys!

So, over the years I've seen loads, I mean tonnes of videos about hair, and relaxed hair in particular.
Clearly, I'm very interested in the subject.

So the other day I was browsing hair videos on YouTube, when I came across this particular one that totally shocked the piss out o' me. Nothing I've seen before gave me this reaction.

The vid is rather long, 20+ minutes to be exact, but the point is made within the first 10.
So take a look-see and tell me what you think.

 

docakilah2

 

Why I Stopped Perming My Hair

And no, I'm not telling you to go natural, but knowledge is power. So do with the info what you choose. I'm just here to share :-)

The 10 Commandments: Relaxed Hair

As relaxed girls, there are some things we just should. not. do.

These practices cause so many problems and stunt our progress on our quest for long and healthy relaxed hair.

I've put together a list of the 10 most forbidden habits (IMO) and made them into...

 

 

Guilty? I hope not!

 

Ciao!

Setting the Tone - Pre-relaxer Wash Day

It's funny how before I started delving into the world of hair care I'd relax my hair on a whim. No preparation, no real thought put into it. Just spotting the new growth and getting rid of it. There was no 'pre-relaxer wash', no fortifying the hair with protein, and prorosity who??

Fast forward some years and relaxer day has to be thoroughly planned: enough time for the process itself, steps to be taken before the act and the follow-up thereafter. All of which are important to the success of the relaxing process. Let's talk a little about the preparation aspect of the process, shall we?!

Wash Day

Just Relax - Best Relaxer for Texlaxing?

So as I mentioned in this post, around this time I start preparing for winter break hair. Continuing the trend, I have been compiling a list of some of the products I'd like to acquire for the upcoming months. I will be getting a relaxer in December at about 21 weeks post to have fresh hair for this winter holiday.

Checking Me Out - HOTD

Heyy Loves!

So my hair has been "out" for about 3 weeks (since my 6 weeks of protective styling). I'm going to long-term protective style again soon, so this weekend I'm bringing you a "Hair of the Day" post.

Background Info.

Trying Something New - Wash Day

I am not one to do wash day posts every week, but since I tried something new, I thought I'd go ahead and do one this week. I had cornrows for two weeks as a protective style. This is how it went down:

On Friday Night...

13 weeks post wash day

Quickie - Bouncy Flat-ironed Hair

FLAT-ironed hair should not mean FLAT and lifeless hair, right?! Unfortunately, sometimes it does, especially when there is just too much product involved.

TIP: Do protein and moisture treatments PRIOR to shampooing when you intend to straighten your hair. This leaves it nourished but weightless, bouncy and full of body!

XOXO,

Abbi

Straddling the Fence - Texlaxing

Braid-out on texlaxed hair

When I started my hair journey I weighed the positives and drawbacks of processing my hair vs wearing it in a natural state. Since I was already relaxed, I looked deep into relaxing bone straight, texlaxing, and returning to my roots (pardon the pun). I made little jottings in my hair journey, these are they:

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

Been So Long! - Routine After 6 weeks of Protective Styling #2

Click here for part one.

Cleansing, Conditioning & Styling

After about 4 hours of detangling and pre-pooing (I threw a workout in the mix as well which lengthened the time a bit), I still wasn't done! I still had to complete the routine. I had to shampoo, condition and style! Being that this is the first time I had full access to my hair after 6 weeks and as per operation moisture, a clarifying wash was in order. I reached for my beloved ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo and diluted it in water in a ratio of about 1 part shampoo to 2 parts water. I applied it to my scalp and hair without rinsing my pre-poo. I scrubbed my scalp with the pads of my fingers and then pulled the excess suds down the shaft. I let it sit for about 5 minutes and rinsed.

I T-shirt dried for about 20 minutes while I had dinner (again with the multi-tasking lol). Subsequent to that, I applied my wonderful mixture of a deep conditioner. I keeping with my no protein plan, this mix included Queen Helene Cholesterol (which I recently discovered doesn't contain any protein - hallelujah!), Aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose, EVOO, vegetable glycerin and of course WATER! I don't know why, but I totally forgot my essential oils.

The Thirst is Real!! - Dry Hair

I've had dry hair since the start of my hair journey and perhaps even before. I didn't worry much about it as I have never suffered any setbacks because of it. My hair has grown and I have retained a lot of length. I just figured constant M&S was part of the game. I'd moisturize and seal in the morning and in the evening my hair would still be dry!!! So I'd M&S again at night, and still wake up with dry hair. Last summer, I used vegetable glycerin for the first time, it helped, but it's effectiveness waned with time. What's a girl to do?

Recently I started becoming annoyed and discontent with this persistent dryness and got to thinking. Could I be that I'm suffering from too much protein in my hair??

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. 

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:

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:

No hands - Low Manipulation Styling

What is it?

These are those styles which can be done without handling the hair too much or too often. Any style which allows you to create it without using a comb or brush may pretty much be thought of as a low manipulation style. Many protective styles can be turned into low-manipulation styles.

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