Gone waaaay too long.

These are a couple of picture updates of my hair over the past 9 months.

Busy Busy Bee

My goodness, as I said, these past couple of weeks have truly been hectic!!!!

Finals weren't TOO bad (thank God), but moving was! It took nearly three days for my boyfriend and I to move stuff out of our dorms and into new apartment (Friday through Sunday)... PLUS the baby's stuff. Needless to say we got it all finished. I also managed to straighten my hair after my second six week stretch just before finals week. Results below:
WHEW, I know... I look a mess lol.

The "v" in my hair is still significant, yet I most definitely noticed growth. I co-washed my hair and deep conditioned for nearly 2 hours, no heat, with Pantene's R&N Breakage Defense Mask. Rinsed, and blow dried my hair on a semi-low setting, no comb attatched. Instead, I combed freely, just to have a bit more control. Afterwards, I flat ironed on a semi low setting, didn't curl/bump the ends.

That night I put my hair in a giant bantu knot on the top of my hair and these were the results the next morning:




I posted this picture because the henna color can easily be seen. I LOVE IT! Sorry for my hiatus, but I plan to pot more often now that I'm all settled.

Keeping it Curly

I am nearing the end of my second 6-week no heat stretch.  It's had its pros and cons. The pros, most obviously, are NO HEAT DAMAGE... Considering the hot steamy weather Cincinnati has been experiencing, I don't mind a little sweat on my forehead.  If my hair were straight, it'd be a whole 'nother story!  My bangs, especially, have the tendency to shrink up quickly.  Maybe I'll stretch another two weeks or so, depending on my mood.

I have been having trouble finding the time to set my curly hair into a style.  Wash-n-go's just aren't cutting it these days... I haven't been sticking to my routine as of late and my hair is most definitely reaping the consequences.  I had planned to do a deep treatment and truly pamper my tresses, but I was away from all of my hair products for the weekend, busy w/ family graduations/parties and school.  Instead I've still been rocking the buns.  They have been extremely plain; either low or high, no accessories (headbands, earrings, etc)... UGH.  I really need to step my game up!  I just feel like so much is going on at the moment.  Finals are next week so I HAVE to buckle down, I need to finish off my freshman year of college with a bang.  Maybe I'll try another bantu knot set sometime this week... possibly Wednesday evening?  I don't know, but I need to do something FAST.

Aside from hair, and on to make-up... I began wearing my Bare Escentials foundation once again.  It is much more natural looking and doesn't have an ugly reaction to camera flash... Can't remember why I stopped using it in the first place.

P.S. - Finally secured furniture for the new apartment.  Move out of my dorms and into my new apartment June 13th.  Ah, these next few weeks will truly be hectic.

Henna Results

As promised, FINALLY, here are the results from my henna experience.

Products Used:

• 2 packs of Dulhan Henna
• Honey
• Apple Cidar Vinegar 
• Green Tea
• Water (not pictured)

I didn't get any pictures of the application process, it was stressful enough!  lol, but here are the pictures immediately after rinsing out the DT.  Also, I stood by a window so the hint of red could easily be picked up.

The looser curl pattern can be seen here, although it's not drastic.  My hair has always hung pretty long when wet, but shrinks up a good amount when dry.  Below are pictures of how I styled my hair... it was the day of my daughter's 1st B-day party, I originally planned on doing a wash and go but I was nervous about how my hair, post henna, would look dry.  So I opted for a handy dandy bun instead!

**[Side Note] Yuck, powder face!  My foundation does NOT photograph well!

Below are pictures of my hair a couple days post henna.

Notes the red?  I love it!

My first wash and go after my henna application, I was PLEASENTLY surprised... This is 5 days later.

6 days later... sorry for the PDA, but these pictures were taken facing the sunlight so the red is REALLY picked up.

So, there ya have it... I personally love my henna'ed hair and plan to do it again in about another 3 weeks or so.  Hopefully I can build it into my regime on a monthly basis.  Aside from these two days of my hair being out, I have unintentionally been bunning.  With school nearing its end, I really need to buckle down.  My hair has most definitely taken a back seat but I can whole heartedly say that it looks, feels, and IS healthier...  When detangling in the shower, I experience a significant less mount of shedding, especially after having my hair in a bun for 2-3 days straight!  

My bun process has been to:

• Co-wash
• Detangle
• Treat w/ Lustrasilk
• Rinse
• Apply Lustrasilk & Aussie Moist Leave-In
• Apply Organic Root Stimulater Olive Oil moisturizer
• Next is Shea Butter
• Pull into a HIGH bun, slicking/smoothing with my hands.
• Afterwards, use my child's baby brush to get the edges (lol, it's soft enough)
• Secure with Ouchless Goodie hair tie, once just to hold the hair in place, and another to hold down the bun
• Apply shea butter (again), this time to my edges
• Throw on a headband and wah-lah!  

At night I tie it down with a satin scarf.  That's about it.  I REALLY need to treat my hair this weekend, do a really good deep treatment (with or without heat) and maybe repeat my bantu knots... haven't done those in a whole.  Be back with an update later!

Henna = Success!

[let me apologize now for any grammatical errors in this post!  I am rushing to update before studying for my exam!]

So I finally Henna'd Saturday night!!!

I originally planned on waiting to blog about my henna experience until I finally uploaded all of the pictures onto my laptop, but my upload course isn't with me at the moment, but the camera is!  BUT I PROMISE, pics to document my experience will be up as soon as possible.

What I used:

2 boxes of Dulhan Henna

Apple Cidar Vinegar

Water

Honey

Tuber-Ware dish

Big metal spoon

Gloves

I started by dumping 2 boxes (200g) of Dulhan (cheap Indian grocery store Henna, 1.99 per box) into a bowl.  I then added ACV to the mix until the consistency was very thick, not too hard to stir but difficult enough.  I smoothed it out a bit more with a cup of cooled green tea until it was manageable, a bit thicker than mashed potatoes.  I then added honey (didn't measure, I just kept stirring in until the texture was smoother/easier to stir)... afterwards, I added about half a cup of water to get it to the perfect consistency. 

I then co-washed my hair with a bit of Herbal Hessences HH conditioner, mainly to detangle before applying.  Next, my cousin began to apply the mix to my hair, starting at the back/nape of my neck working her way up (similar to the process of relaxing).  She applied it really thick, making sure it was touching my roots all the way down to my ends.  The process go a bit messy, henna occasionally splattering on the floor, towel (draped around my neck) and on the bathtub, but we cleaned it up soon enough.

The entire mix was applied around 10:45pm.  I wrapped it in 2 grocery bags, making sure to secure the edges from seepage/spilling and wiped the remaining henna from around my hairline, neck, and ears.

The smell wasn't all that great but I got used to it.  Sleeping wasn't the most comfortable but I managed.  I woke up the next morning and rinsed around 10:30am.  It took forever!!!!  I used the kitchen sink, the only place my mom didn't mind a bit of staining had it happened.  I rinsed and co-washed at least 5-6 times with Aussie Moist conditioner.  Immediately I noticed how much THICKER my hair felt, I'm sure a great deal of it had to do with henna paste still left inside, but even after I felt like the majority of it was out, my hair still felt a lot thicker/heavier.  When rinsing/detangling, there was a SIGNIFICANT amount of LESS shedding.  I was so surprised!  I also didn't have a dry haystack like some have reported after their henna use, even tho I used a strong acid in my mix. 

After co-washing, I then applied Pantene Pro-V Breakage Defense Deep Conditioning Mask along with Aussie Moist, and covered it in plastic.  I left this deep conditioner in for 2-3 hours, no heat.  It was the day of my daughter's 1st birthday so I left it on while cleaning/setting up decorations.  Once rinsing out the deep conditioner, I couldn't believe how strong yet soft my hair was!  I couldn't stop touching it.  Not to mention the color!  It is subtle, yet strong enough for people to notice.  I didn't have much time to style my henna'd hair so I threw it up in a nice and chic bun for my daughter's party.

All in all, the results are love!  My boyfriend can definitely see a difference.  As for the potential of having a looser curl pattern after henna, I noticed just a bit in my crown/front area, where my curl pattern is already a bit looser than the rest of my hair.  But for me, the henna's loosening effect worked in my favor, all of my curls (except the ends) have been loosened just a bit, so they all blend together well!  Not sure how this would work on the next curly girl, though.

Five days after applying the henna, my hair is still reaping all of the benefits; the reddish tent (although toned down a bit from Sunday), strength, less shedding, and (not a benifit but an effect) the smell.  I'm having trouble ridding this issue, but I only notice it when in the shower during washes.

I am very excited about henna and continue to use it in my future.  Heck, this is only my FIRST application, I can't imagine the results after the second (third or fourth)!

Cons:

• The smell (this may not be an issue for all, but it bothered me just a bit.  The smell was still there even after co-washing/styling.
  
• Difficulty of application/removal
• Loosening effect of curls 

Pros:

• Easier manageability of hair
• Increased strength (less shedding)
• Less naps/knots at ends (for me at least)
• The color

Pictures will be posted as soon as possible!  All in all, I will most definitely be using henna again!

I finally bought my Henna!

I found an Indian grocery store not too far from my college campus.  I went in, purchased 5 100g boxes of Dulhan (Cheapie Henna) as well as some Vatika oil.... Initially, I was SUPER excited to get home and throw it all in my head, but now I'm kind of freaking out.  What if I don't do it right?

All of my recent hair drama has me REALLY shaky about tryin this henna... I really want the conditiong/strength/less shedding/less frizz effects, but I don't want the dry/hay-like feel of it like a couple of other people have reported experiencing.... 

Last Thursday up until today, my hair has been BLAH.  Last Monday, I did my usual co-wash, condition, and two-strand twist.  I left the twists in all day Tuesday and wore them in a bun.  Wednesday, I took the twists out and rocked a twist out... This time it was different tho, not sure how and or why, I used all of the same products.

Needless to say, Thursday morning, my hair was a mess.  I threw it up in a ponytail/bun and said to hell with it.  Friday, I did a normal wash and go, which started off pretty cute.  However, while apartment searching that day, it rained so the humidity/rain drops made my hair frizz in the most random spots.  Truly annoying... so, another bun saved the day.  This bun remained all through the weekend up until Monday morning.  

Sunday evening while grocery shopping, I saw Krogers was having a sale on some hair products.... being the budding Product Junkie that I am, I just HAD to buy something.  I purchased Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves Fortifying Cream Conditioner... 13oz for $ 2.39 (opposed to $7)

Product Description:

• For wavy hair.
• Reinforced Active Fruit Concentrate:
  • Vitamins B3 + B6
  • Lightweight Moisturizers
• Pre-styles waves and tames frizz for flowing cascades.
• Garnier Fructis Strength & Repair System provides deep therapy to help repair and protect damaged hair, leaving it smooth and healthy-looking.
  1. Intensely nourishes over-processed, damaged hair.
  2. Works inside the hair strand to help fortify and repair damage.
  3. Smoothes and softens for healthy-looking hair.
• With Nutritive Fruit Micro-Oils:
  • Apricot + Avocado Oil + Ceramide Reconstructor
  • Acts deep within and on the surface of your hair to strengthen & smooth each strand
• Results: The Garnier Fructis Strength & Repair system makes hair up to 5x stronger, up to 5x smoother and so much shinier - Garnier Fructis Strength & Repair System of shampoo, conditioner, and deep conditioner.
• For hair that shines with all its strength.
• Create and control any style you want with Garner Fructis Style.

So I went on and co-washed my hair using Herbal Essences HH first, followed up by this product.  I left it on and rinsed lightly, leaving whatever conditioner that was in inside.  However, 2 hours later, no joke, I was brushing it all back up into a bun.  It was a frizzy, poofy, disgusting, dry-looking mess!!!  I was so disappointed.  I read on the back that one of the top ingredients was listed as PEG so I searched this ingredient online and read that it is known to strip African American hair, no wonder!  I quickly gave the product away to my dorm neighbor!

I also purchased this combo:

Esencia by Samy... it claims to be 100% Vegan, Organic, Sulfate/Paraben Free....

I wasn't crazy for the smell and or consistancy of the shampoo or the conditioner.  I can't really say if I loved it or hated it, but my hair most definitely didn't seem to have any moisture to it.It looks a whole lot better than it did the past couple of days or so.  "Volumizing" was the only type of shampoo/condish that they had, and both were relatively inexpensive ($7.99, free w/ mail-in rebates)... however the cashier only charged me for one bottle, idk.  I researched this product and haven't found much of anything on line, maybe they have a hydrating shampoo and conditioner?

I'd love to be cone/sulfate-free, essentially all organic.  Ah, what's a girl to do.

So, have any of you ladies had any experiences with this brand of hair products???

Also, any more advice to share on henna?  I need to know!!! lol

I 

Happy 1st Birthday Aniyah Marie!!!

Today I'm wishing my baby a VERY big happy first birthday!  Wow, I cant believe it has been a year already, ahh!

Mommy loves you!

(On a hair note... I co-washed my hair FINALLY yesterday morning... I missed my curls! :))