My New Hair Routine

I waited about a week before uploading this.

So, as I mentioned before, now that my hair's longer, I have realised that I need to wash it more often. I actually need to wash it every 2-3 days. Due to this, my hair routine has changed quite a it. It is stable now and that's why I'm uploading this. So, here it goes, my hair routine:

Shampoo
I wash my hair with shampoo once every 2-4 weeks using Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus shampoo. I haven't reviewed this product yet as I have only used it once since I received it and I feel I have to use a product more than once before reviewing it especially if I've been protective styling for a month or more (with extensions). I focus on my scalp, but I work the lather down my hair shaft before rinsing it out of my hair. I would usually shampoo once, but depending on how much build up I feel, I might shampoo twice.

Condition/Co-Wash
I condition my hair after every shampoo wash and I co-wash my every 2-5 days using Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus conditioner. I really like this conditioner. I had a better experience with it today than I did prior to reviewing this product. I focus on my hair shaft when using this product, but if I'm co-washing, I put a bit of the product on the pads of my finger and massage my scalp a bit before rinsing out the product.
I also use about a dime-size amount of extra virgin olive oil, working it in on the two halves of my hair before leaving the shower. Some times, I partially rinse out the oil, other times, like today, I leave it in.
As a leave-in conditioner, I tend to just use a little of Shea Moisture's Curling Gel Soufflé as I have found this product to be rather moisturising and good at reducing the amount of frizz I experience.

Other forms of cleaning
I rinse out my hair and water-wash whenever I decide not to co-wash, but I need to get my hair wet and ensure my scalp is hydrated/cleaned to an extent. I plan on using my Terressentials Mud Wash every now and then to cleanse my hair and scalp too. Also, I might invest in to Bentonite clay or Amla powder as I find these work really well in cleansing and conditioning the scalp and my hair looks awesome and my curls clump and look amazing after mud washing.

Detangling
I try to keep detangling to a minimum. I thoroughly detangle my hair whenever I wash it so that's 2-3 times a week. However, I might run a comb through it a bit if I want to achieve a really big and neat puff.
To detangle, I first part my hair in two and saturate each section in extra virgin olive oil while moving my hands down my hair shaft in closed fists. This makes some of the shed hair slide out easily. Next I repeat this process, but using Shea Moisture's Restorative Conditioner, but I do not saturate my hair in it because....well....this product is rather pricey and you actually don't need to saturate your hair in it for it to do its job. Some times, I put on a heat processing cap (I have a foil-like one) while I sort out some things then I hop in the shower, rinse out my hair and then start my co-washing process. After applying the Coconut & Hibiscus conditioner, I run a comb through my hair (usually under the shower stream, but I can do it without this). As my hair is longer now, I spend less than 5mins detangling it as the tangles just slide out (whether or not there is product in my hair - as long as my hair's under the shower stream, the tangles are out). I do not comb or really finger detangle my hair before this.

Styling
If I'm not leaving my house, I wouldn't bother styling my hair. I would just leave it in whatever it's setting it - braids, twists, bantu knots, et cetera. If I am heading out, I would've had my hair stretched so all I'll do is take it down from its stretched state and either style it with bobby pins, put it in a bun, do a tuck-roll-and-pin or put my hair up in a puff. I try to keep styling/manipulating my hair to a minimum and most of all, I try to keep the need for a comb to a minimum too so I always end up doing a tuck-roll-and-pin quite often as it saves me from a bad hair day or old-looking hair. When styling my hair, I seldom put any product on it, but if I do use a product, it would be Shea Moisture's Curling Gel Soufflé and a little goes a VERY LONG WAY with this product.

Night Routine
I sleep on a pillow wrapped up in a satin material (or I cover my hair in a satin-scarf). If I feel lazy, I just put my hair up in a bun and go to bed. If not, I re-braid my hair or add flexi rods to the ends of my braids/twists if I never took them down. At times, I will use some of the Curling Gel Soufflé on my edges and wherever my hair was parted and that's pretty much it. My night routine is very minimal. Ain't nobody got time to be going through a long process when they're tired.


And that pretty much sums up my hair routine. It's pretty simples, I guess. I try to keep manipulating my hair to a minimum and I try to avoid using combs more than twice during a week (if not just once).

My routine might change slightly in the next few weeks to months. All that would be different would be that I'll invest in a blow dryer and be using it on the cool setting after washing my hair on weekdays especially because I'll be doing that after working out in the morning and as a student at uni (who lives about 30mins, using the tube, away from school), I need my hair to be easily sorted out and stretched before I need to start heading out to school.

This routine has been working pretty well for me as my hair has been breaking less and I've been having less shed hair. Also, my hair looks much better and as most of you know, my hair got really damaged from my last protective style.

Detangling

Picture from GlobalCoutureBlog.net

I am here to give you hope about detangling.

Okay! So, I am still in a protective style at the moment, but I am going to talk about my experiences each time I took down my protective style (especially the last one).

As your hair gets longer, detangling gets easier. Like whaaaaat?! I never believed this till I experienced it. Okay! So, it's easy to detangle when you wear your hair short and then it's harder during that in-between stage (between long and short hair) and then it's easy again!

Last I knew, my hair was just a little past APL length. I took down a protective style (after protective styling for 4 months straight (I washed my hair while it was still in the protective style, don't worry) and like, I just needed a spray bottle with some ACV and water, my fingers and a shower comb to take out the tangles on the first day I washed my hair with the protective style out to detangle and then like, skip to the next time I washed it. Imagine super tangled hair that has been worn in all sorts of styles and has reverted and become all shrunken due to the ever present drizzle here in England. Yup! That was my hair. Guess what? I just sectioned my hair into 4 sections, got in the shower, turned the water on and as it went onto each loose section, I would hold my hair out gently (stretching it) and then run my hands down it with my thumb pressed into the section and my tangles are gone! Like, I just have to do the whole hand-thumb thing to get out shed hair! I don't need tools to get my hair 100% detangled anymore!

Okay! So, like I said, I'm just posting this to give you guys hope! The struggle will soon be over. I am glad that I do not have to spend 1.5hours detangling my hair anymore! :)

Can't wait till my hair is even longer! (I do see some new growth under my protective style, though :) )

My New and Improved Regimen

Hi,

I know I haven't written in a while. I'm actually at school, at the moment, and I've got a couple of things to post, but I'll do those when I get home. I've actually been kinda busy, exams at school, exams and interviews at other schools in different parts of England (and just so you're sure, yes, I wore my natural hair proudly to all of those).

Anyways, here's my new regimen.

1. I take down my hair on Friday.
2. I deep condition every Friday night (overnight) with either coconut oil or a mixture of the BeeMine BeeLovely Daily Conditioner and the BeeMine BeeLoved Hair & Scalp Moisturiser. *Sometimes, I detangle before doing so, other times, I detangle in the shower or just before I hop in.
3. At around noon on Saturday, I wash with the BeeMine Botanical Shampoo (sulfate-free, ofcourse), then I condition with the BeeMine BeeLovely Daily Conditioner. Braid or twist my hair with the conditioner in and shower then rinse it out. *My new trick that minimises shrinkage while washing is to flat braid your hair in two and work  on a section at a time, rebraiding when done with each section.
4. I scrunch my hair up with an old t-shirt
5. I work some BeeMine BeeLoved Hair&Scalp Moisturiser
6. I  rake the BeeMine BeeHold Curly Butter through my hair and flat braid in two or twist or bantu knot, but I prefer to flat braid first then when my hair's about 80-90% dry, I twist or bantu knot till whenever.*Sometimes, I used the WonderCurl Butter than love pudding. I use it how I use the BeeHold Curly Butter. The WonderCurl actually defines curls and styles a bit better, in my opinion, but the BeeHold Curly Butter leaves my hair so soft!
7. I leave my hair in the flat braid, bantu knots, or twists practically all day (sometimes, I do leave them in all day, if I don't have to go out to somewhere important or that I have to dress a certain way to. Please not that I don't bantu knot or twist in an orderly or neat way. I pick whatever section my hand touches and that's it).
8. I slip on a satin casing
9. In the morning, on Sunday, I shower, dress up, pass a stretched out elastic head band over my head down to my neck, then comb my hair out into an afro with a Boots Afro Pick then I pull the head band up to achieve the perfect puff (sometimes, I braid out a section in front as bangs, pull up then undo the braid, comb out and hold off to the side).
10. In the evening, still on Sunday, my mum braids my hair (flat braids) in about 12 or so braids.

 
Detangling Tools

• Boots Shower Comb
• Tangle Teezer
• (Sometimes, I use an afro pick, but usually after the shower comb)
• A paddle brush (always after the tangle teezer or shower comb. I usually use this after the whole washing routine is over)

Hope this was a good post.
I'll talk to you when I get home
~Sammy

p.s Sending interview questions to a curly mum at my school this evening! Her hair's like so GORGEOUS! Interview would be up either tomorrow, on Sunday or next week.

I'm Back (UpDaTe)

Hi,

So, I've been away for some time. I actually just got back on Saturday (but I was just away from the 18th till then to be honest. Before then, I just kept forgetting to put on here what I wanted to).
Okay! So, right now, I'm in school and well, okay! so I don't care what some of the people on here think about me having a natural hair blog so I'll just continue typing right now.
First, please, please pray for one of my natural hair role models. She's WAY younger than me, but still one of my hair role models and she needs all your prayers. Here's an article to let you know what I want you to pray about: http://beadsbraidsbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/03/half-up-half-down-banded-natural-hair.html

Now....what have I done with my hair so far...
I couldn't redo my minitwists and because my mum put off going to the salon for a while, she got my hair done for me (she did it). There's something about a certain hairstyle or braiding style that my hair and scalp doesn't like. Whenever I have it in for 2 weeks or a week, then redo it during the second week, I get some crazy sharp pain on my scalp. I mean, I've never felt pain like that before. It's terrible. So, on he 18th, I finally went to a hair salon again just to find out that the one person who was good with my hair there left and I hadn't gotten her number yet so I can't even call her to find out where she works now or whatever.Okay! So, I got my hair braided to a certain extent then twisted and I had two-strand twists everywhere else at the back. I held it up to protect the ends (as usual :)). I had that in all through bootcamp (yup! that's the reason I was away for a while :) ).
Bootcamp:
Bootcamp was stressful, I got sand in my hair during the activities and drills, I was sweating like crazy, it was SO SO humid and hot. Gaaah! Okay, so the day I was packing, I slipped my jar of shea butter into my bag (hehe :) ) On the first day whene I got my hair sanded-out, I rinsed it out thoroughly in the shower then rubbed some shea butter between my palms then applied it to my hair. Also, I took my satin hair wrap stuff with me (I am so into this!). People wear like, "what is that?" "you sleep with that on every night?" and I didn't care. Luckily, my roommates got used to seeing it quickly. So, I had the shea butter on my hair that day and till my Friday, I never really had the time to get shea butter on my hair again (even after showering).  However, my hair did get sanded-out everyday and I was always sweating so much from all the work so I always rinsed my hair thoroughly when I showered and I always let it air dry (in my room! Outside was WAY too dusty and I didn't want dust clinging to my hair). Okay! SOoooo, on Friday, I took my hair down and finger detangled it out then I got wet hands into my hair, got some shea butter with a lil water and rubbed it in between my palms then got them into my hair and thoroughly detangled (fingers only! :)). I had my hair all out and big and I left it like that till I had to get some sleep. The thing is, some girls had an issue with their room door and I didn't feel comfortable going to bed knowing that they were locked out of their room. I walked down the hallway and all with BIG hair and people were just staring at it, it shrunk, not so much, but it was obvious and when I held my hair a bit and pulled it down at some point, my roommate was like, "yeah, your hair shrunk." Okay! So, one of the girls (room, locked out) looked at my hair and was like, "you're so crazy," I was like, "what do you mean?" and she was like, "have you seen your hair?" I wasn't sure how exactly my hair looked then, but I didn't really care. Later on, I went to my room (when their door had been broken down and they could get their stuff and get some sleep) and yeah, I looked in the mirror and my  hair was perfectly fine. Well, I guess it was just that "image of beauty" that was going through her mind when she thought I was crazy because of my hair (she's got a relaxer).
Okay! so, this girl couldn't sleep with her hair out like that. I started puffy twisting (big twists) my hair, but I had a bit of a problem at the back of my hair (couldn't do it). Luckily, my last roommate walked into the room just then and she helped me twist up the untwisted bits at the back. I then got a bit more shea butter on my hair (with a bit of water in the sheaB) and then put a shower cap on and tied a scarf over my hair. By the next morning, wait! rewind! Okay! so when I took my hair down and detangled it did I tell you that it felt SO gorgeous!! Gaaah! okay! fastforward! When I took of the shower cap and did whatever I needed to do, my hair felt GOR-GE-OUS! It also had a soft wave to it that didn't go even after my hair got wet. I loved it. Someone touched part of my hair, I'm guessing because he asked, "why do you have such cotton-y extensions in your hair," while we were on the bus ride back to civilisation.
One more thing! I drank more water, craved more water than I ever have/had at the bootcamp. AND the only thing I used on my hair while I was there was water and shea butter. Worked wonders for me, I guess.

Okay! So, now, yeah, I didn't have the time to make a quickie conditioner and quickly condition my hair when I got home so I just tried rinsing it out thoroughly before my mum braided my hair in 10 cornrows (which I'm rocking right now :) )

I'm going to make a pet peeve post after this (I need to mention something having to do with cornrows and school)

I think I might try mini braiding my hair some time soon. I know I have been against braids for some time now, but well, I'll go get this done at a salon (even though I don't like the only lady that would agree to touch my hair there. She always brings out her rat tail combs to comb my hair with and she always argues with my when I say my hair's fully detangled and slide my finger through it and they come out easily and well, she's like, "nothing would happen to your hair!" and tries combing it from the roots TO THE ENDS!!!! GAAH! Next time she argues with me, I'll go find someone else to get my hair done. I know I'm just a teen, but my hair means so much to me and I don't joke around with how my hair's managed and taken care of).

Okay! So here's what I'm going to do with my hair when I get my mini/box braids done:

Gotten from BeadsBraidsandBeyond (pic from someone named Aisha). I do not in any way own this picture.

So, what do you think?

Sorry, for the really long post, it's just been too too long and well, I'm in school, FUN, right?

Talk to you guys later.

~Sam :)

My Dilemma x_X

*sigh*
This sucks.

Okay! so I needed to braid my hair because I didn't really like having to manipulate/touch/style it daily. So, because I couldn't go to the hair salon where I like getting my hair braided (there's a lady there that actually listens to me when I talk about how I comb my hair and so on), well, my mum had to braid my hair for me. I was going to wait till I could get to the salon, but like my dad was getting upset because I had to detangle my hair, comb it, when it's humid, it get's huge and he doesn't like me having a scarf on everyday. So, today, I combed my hair out then tied a scarf round my head and pushed it up so it was like a head band. My hair was alright, but then my mum was like, "I'm going to braid your hair," my dad was like, "yes," agreeing with her. Both of them don't know jack about hair! My parents think CG is gross, my dad called me a 'dirty girl' and some hurtful things because I went CG. My parents believe that deep conditioning is like feeding your hair, it's nonsense and there's no point to it (they also think it'll make your hair fall out. Another thing is, my parents don't believe in detangling your hair from the ends up to the roots.


Now, that's what I have to talk about. MY DILEMMA. My mum told me to shut up, smacked my hand with a comb and so on because I told her not to comb my hair from the roots down to the ends. That's not the only problem, my mum combed my hair with a rat tail comb! Yes! a rat tail comb! When she was getting my hair done, I gave her a comb, you know the kind with like three rat tail thingies at the end, a wide tooth side and a not so wide toothed other side. Okay! so she was like, "do you still have the blue comb (rat tail) that you lent your dad yesterday?" I said, "yes" and she was like, "can I have it." (not a question). I gave it to her and yup! you can guess what she did. She combed my big hair, not in sections, I might add with a rat tail comb and she combed it from the roots to the ends. I was in pain and she didn't care. She was like, "I warned you when you said you wanted to start this natural hair thing," and she was also like, "I can't believe I'm touching your hair. This hair that you don't wash!" I was like, "I wash it, but I only wash it with shampoo once a month." She did not care. She still called it gross. So...I managed to keep some of the hair lost before my mum was finished braiding a quarter of my hair. I'm going to take a pic and put it up here.*sigh* I hate having to go through this. I've lost so much hair. I'll add that I also do not like how she flat braided my hair. It's terrible, hideous, tight (and hurts, I can't move my head fully), who thinks of doing such a thing to someone's hair? *sigh*

(most of the straight bits here or the ones with like super tiny curls in them are relaxed hair (I have/had about a little less than an inch of relaxed hair at some of my ends)

*sigh*

If this has ever happened to you, just know, you are not alone. It still upsets me, how much hair I've lost. When mum was finally done, there was hair on the floor, hair on the pillow I was sitting on, hair all over my shirt (and some on my shorts), hair on the chair she was sitting on and well...the obvious...hair in the comb. x_X

And this is..... my dilemma.

:(

*heavy sigh*