Fuzzy Plaits.

Hmmmmmm I am not feeling the fuzzy plaits one bit. I knew they'd be fuzzy as I was planning on swimming regularly while here and of course that meant washing too.

I just don't love the look. It reminds me of being young and cameroes got messy. I'm soooo tempted to take them out but I can't be asked to have my own hair out, plus don't want to swim with my hair out.... Wondering if I should just take out extensions and plait up my own hair?

Hmmmm decisions.

Holiday Prep

I spent a week trying to decide what to do to protect my hair from the chlorine, sun, sea, sand and holiday abuse.

I decided plaits would be the best bet as my unit stopped me from reaching my scalp when I was in Dubai. It also took ages to dry. It was great for waft I needed but itchy.

Plaits would mean I could wash, moisturise and seal with ease.

I love to go swimming when holidaying as I feel soooo free and hey, no ones gonna see me again.

I thought about crochet braids.

As it happens one of the YouTubers I sub to did an in depth set of vids on crochet twists with perimeter box twisted!!

I didn't want to spend very long on the plaits as it's only for a week. I decided to do a few rows of cameroes with braiding hair to the side so I could wear it in a side plait or bun. I'm deffo thinking about crochet braids for protective styling after hols as I want to put my hair away - that's another post altogether lol - it took not too long to do but I was very tired as I had to do Son 2's hair and pack, and stuff that needed to be done, it was light outside when I finished and went to sleep.

Hubster was impressed when I got up and he saw my hair - SCORE lololol 

No Comb Challenge - and low manipulation.

Have you ever done something or said something that led on to something that you didn't expect or intend but ended up being a great thing that you couldn't believe you didn't do or say it before?
That's what got me to my next challenge.
I know I'm always sprouting challenge this and challenge that but I do get bored with my hair at times and I also look at what I can do to better certain issues and find challenges motivate and inspire me.

Weeeellllll...... As I mentioned before the summer weather has my hair kind of dry at times and deffo frizzy and I find I have to use more gel than I would like when styling in buns/ponytails to combat shrinkage/heat/melt/frizz etc. I have been using flat twists in the front of my head more so I don't need to use too much gel and have to fight the frizz. I also actually like the look of them so that helps, I tuck the ends into the low buns and off I go.

Thursday night I undid the flat twist and saw how lovely it had set my hair. My past braid and twist outs haven't been too pretty but I loved the look of it this night so I decided to have another go, this time I didn't do it in four sections but flat twisted from top to bottom all around, maybe around 8 in total.
I used Hairliciouis on my scalp, Dove leave in conditioner,  my new Organix Curl Definer as my moisturiser(I'm really liking it so far and will review when I've used more), Ceramide rich Oil blend (grapeseed, starflower, vitamin E, enriched coconut, jmbco) to seal. I used a little bit of aloe vera gel for hold.


I LOVED the results the next day, my best twist out to date! I didn't like my hair out really so left side fringe and popped rest in a high bun, tucking in the edges. The bun was soooo full.

Please excuse the cartoon caption, the photo cut in a funny place and nose part looked weird

That night, I didn't want to comb out the curls, which I've had to do in the past as the curls didn't get defined in the first place and didn't last all day. This time the curls were singing at me so I moisturised and sealed in four sections withouht combing and bantu knotted.

Saturday my hair looked lovely and more importantly felt sooo soft and moisturised. I didn't even have to use moisturiser to help style. The front fringe was mooshed up so I brushed the root area only, trying to avoiding messing up the curls and put my hair in a high bun. The curls in the bun made me smile so I didn't tuck the ends in. I styled without a comb again and that got me thinking about the whole finger detangling and how I've wanted to try solely finger detangling for a whlie after reading and watching bloggrs/vloggers who don't comb during the week.
I decided to do the same that night, I was umming and ahhing as I had church next day and didn't want to go with my hair messy. I decided to just go with it so followed the same process as previous night and went without the comb. I needn't have worried about messy church hair as my hair was behaving after bunning I tied a scarf around to keep it sleek. Took the scarf off on the way to church and all was well lololol.

I thought why not "twist out" till wash day so I set my hair in flat twists again on Sunday night as it started to look a bit scraggly. I used a comb for the first time in a couple days, I finger detangled in four sections then combed smaller section to twist, I then swapped it for my denman and carried on with that. This time round I bantu knotted the ends of the flat twists.
The results were fab! I had lovely side fringe again and curly bun. I left the ends out and used a little Eco Styler Argan Gel to loosen and define the curls a little.
Two wispy curls escaped the bun as I didn't use scarf to tie down edges - I didn't want to flatten my fringe and I liked the soft look to the bun - so I pinned them up.

OOoooo those curls!

I will follow same process of no comb, M&S and bantu knotting at night untill tuesday evening when I'll prep for wash day.

soooooo a simple hairstlye led to a more elaborate one which led to a challenge annnnd low manipulation styling all round whoooopppppp.

Wash Day Blow OUT

Hmmmm not doing so great on the posting here am I? In my defence School Summer Holiday is in FULL effect and the little munchkins are keeping me very busy, along with all the extra projects I've added to my already packed schedule..... yea, blogging got pushed way back.

I knew I would have to tweak my wash day on Wednesday as the house was dry... no groceries for my family meant I would have to go and brave the stores but that meant I couldn't lounge work hard around the house with conditioner on my head till evening and air dry overnight. I HAD to blowdry my hair.... duh duh duuhhhhh.... I have such a fear of heat tools now I'm smack bang on a HHJ, I cannot believe someone who used hair dryers and Straighteners willy nilly before has gone for so long without them. Truthfully I don't miss them much, I do get the odd hankering to buss out the GHD's but really I have grown to love air drying.
This wash day however I would have to put my fears of my hair falling to the ground at the first waft of air and suck it up.
With that in mind I decided to do my overnight pre-poo with conditioner again, this time using Kanechom Ceramidas (ceramides) I put it on the hair like I would use a moisturiser and sealed with an oil blend of Grapeseed, enriched coconut and JBC oils.

When I got up and went to rinse my hair I thought about a protein treatment to prep my hair for blow drying. The only thing was I wasn't due one, I really am not trying to get protein overload again but I just felt I needed something so I reached for my long forgotten tub of Motions Deep Penetrating Treatment. I got it ages ago for the protein part of my hair reggie but have found others like the little packs that I use instead. I remembered that it made my hair feel soft but strong so didn't feel too nervous, Im thinking it's probably a light protein. I put it on my hair, covered it with a cap and let it stay on for about 10mins.

I rinsed it out and my hair felt soft but strong, washed with my usual sulfate free shampoo, needed to wash twice.

I Loved the coffee rinse last wash day so decided to do another one rather than normal tea rinse. I made a strong brew of coffee and added a green tea bag.
It made my hair feel fab! Again it was strong, but soooo fluffy. My hair actually squeaked when I squeezed the water out. I blotted the excess water off. I loved the dark colour it gave my hair.

I wanted to use a different condish mix so went for Organix Macadamia masque, Aplanandora, Atractiva and enriched coconut oil. It felt sooooo wrong not using my trusty kanechom karite in the mix lol.
It was a nice mix, thicker than normal which I liked but not as slippy, it wasn't difficult to detangle my hair but not as easy as it usually is. I left it on my hair with a cap and scarf for a couple hours while I did the "summer hols mummy thing"
When I went to rinse it out, my hair felt smooth and very curly. I finished with a cool rinse and then an ACV rinse.

I put some EVCO through my hair, wrapped it in an overgrown vest(my tshirt alternative lol) and let it airdry for a while.

I decided to try a roller set to minimise amount of direct heat.
I oiled my scalp, used my PMMS for moisture, Ojon Super Sleek Restorative Blowout Perfector and a bit of Aplanadora leave ins, and PMSSS to seal. I grabbed my Creme of Nature argan oil foaming wrap lotion (a blast from the past - I picked it up near the beginning of HHJ if not before) and attempted to roll up my hair, I used big magnetic ones and bobby pins and whoah I need practice, I'm not feeling them that much, I like the grippy ones better, I had to use two of them for the back as I ran out and they seemed to work well. My hair at the front was far from smooth and I had to redo a couple rolls but thought I'd be blowing hair out anway so smoothness would be ok. I put a net over rollers and popped my Sleep In Rollers Bonnet dryer on my head. After realising my new dryer doesn't fit on the elasticated tube, I reached for my old one and away I was. I used the cool setting and put it to medium a couple times but could only bear to leave it on for a minute or so then put it back to cool.
I really like the hooded dryer and am glad I went for it, If I remember rightly it was part of an offer or something. It really gets the job done and as I cant get a hood dryer its a great get by. I had a little read and a snack while everyone went out to various places.

When my hair finished drying, (or I thought it had) and everyone apart from eldest son came back I went on to the taking down of rollers, hair was slightly damp in some areas but I knew I'd blow it out so went ahead and sprayed Tresamme heat protectant on my hair (I know I over did the heat protectors, but I was fraid!! lol)

I think I may have added more PMSSS I cant even remember.
I dried my hair in sections using tension method with my denman brush. When all my hair was dry I went through it all and WOW!! I had a big fluffy cloud on my head lol, I loved it and I could see a little off the growth I've retained over the last year. It's not fully clear as my roots weren't fully stretched but I had a sneak peak. I will have a better look when I straighten but wont be for now as it's summer hot at the moment. I was planning on doing it at year mark but will wait till weather cools down a bit. Something to look forward to hey ;)

I ran a bit of Argan Oil through my cloud and styled it up in a middle bun and the front in a whipped puffy fringe thingy and off out to grocery hunt.

Whoooooaaaaahhhh A loooong Wash Day I was tired tired after shopping. I did like the way my Blowdried hair behaved and it was sooooo easy to style. Even moisturising and sealing was a synch as was styling the next day. I do however like airdrying overnight and breaking up the stages so I can get on with the stuff I need to do in-between. I may revisit air drying during the day maybe and see how that goes.


Unfortunetly, the pictures I took of my lovely fluffy cloud and style are too blurry so I cant post them.














 

Wash Day(s)

I have obviously been washing my hair but I always forget or don't get around to writing them up. I really mean to and even take pics but the posts just don't get there.
I want to have a written log so I can see what actually works and what doesn't. Am I doing something that doesn't agree with my hair or is there something that really makes my hair smile?

I also want to see which products to keep in my staples, which ones to rebuy and which ones need to be thrown off a high cliff never to grace my stash again.

I will try to keep up to date with wash day logs and with that this post will discuss the few recent wash days I've had.

Wash day (a)
Wash
I prepped my hair overnight with EVCO after detangling.
Next day I pre-poo with my mix (honey, coconut milk powder, elastercizer, oil blend)
Wash with my Loreal natural macadamia sulfate free shampoo - only needed one wash, rinsed.
Tea rinse (peppermint, rooibos, thyme, esential oils)
Deep Condish with mix (Silicon mix, Kanechom karite conditioning mask, Aplanadora, oil blend) Rinsed with cool water.
ACV rinse.
Towel blot, Rubbed EVCO through hair and wrapped hair to dry a little.
Used leave ins - can't remember if I used creme of nature recon, elasta qp or pantene spray, kanechon karite leave in, oil blend to seal and on scalp and Paul Mitchell super skinny relax balm and threaded overnight.


Wash Day (b)
I wanted to join in with 30 day with ceramides challenge from one of my fave bloggers so added some in this wash day

Wash 
I prepped my hair overnight with Hairlicious, Avocado oil and EVCO after detangling. Used GHE.
Pre-poo added Kanechom ceremidas conditioning mask to mix
wash with the same Shampoo, rinsed.
Tea rinse (peppermint, rooibos, thyme, added dried lemongrass and lavender buds to tea strainer ball and seeped with tea)
Deep Condish with mix (Alapanadora, Organix macadamia mask, kanechom karite conditioning mask, oil) Rinsed with cool water.
ACV rinse
Towel blot, Rubbed EVCO through hair and wrapped hair to dry a little.
Leave ins - Pantene Instant Damage Defence Conditioning spray, Giovani direct leave in(got a couple of travel sizes to try - review on way), oil blend on scalp and to seal, chi keratin infusion. Banded hair overnight to air dry.

Wash day (c)

My hair has been a little dry and frizzy I think it's the heatwave we've been having. It's also getting thicker, I'm sure it's a result of the bamboo and hairlicious again whooooop.
started using Organic Grapeseed oil to seal and for scalp for the last few days to stay on track with 30 day ceremide.

Prepped hair last night, tried something else to tackle dry frizz I doused my scalp with Organic Grapeseed oil, used Kanechom Argan conditioning mask as I woul a moisturiser and sealed with the Grapeseed oil. Used GHE and wowwwwww it was way too hot, scarf and cap came loose so many times and fell off all together couple of times...... not lovely at all.

When I got to the bathroom I had all intentions of just going straight into washing as I had used condish overnight but the fromt was a little dry and frizzy were the cap and scarf escaped during the night so I wet hairline a little, the rest was damp and ran a little elastisizer through hair, capped and left on for a short while.
My hair looked gorgewah! the curls really jumped about and soooo fluffy and soft. It made me want to try wash and go's - maybe when my hair gets a little longer. or when I decide to chop the ends right off (the urge to big chop is growing)

Washed with same shampoo - needed to wash and repeat this time 'round, rinsed.
Tea and COFFEE rinse!!

 I've noticed those pesky broken hairs and a few more shedded ones too this week, infact for the          last two weeks the number of both have increased - not as much as my dreaded hairfall episode - but enough to make me sit up and take action. soooooo I thought I'd give coffee a try, I had already started seeping the tea mix (peppermint, rooibos, thyme and dried lavender buds) so I added the coffee into it and left it to seep together.

The smell was weird - all the mix up mix up - and it was messy - but I enjoyed the coffee addition , it left my hair sooooo fluffy (I know I use that alot) and not stripped at all. Plus it made my hair darker. like a wash in colour rinse. I loved it. Plus when I went to section my hair to deep condish, the hair separated so easily.

Deep Condish with mix (silicon mix bambu, Kanechom Karite, Aussie 3 minute reconstruter,enriched coconut oil, lavender buds) the lavender had fallen into the sink when I filled the tea strainer ball and it seemed bad to waste it but ugh, when I put condish onto hair the buds were not friendly and theny looked like buggy creatures and felt yuck!!

The condish is still on my hair as I type. I'll rinse it off in a mo and finsish of wash sequence as before.

My leave ins will be Dove intensive repair leave in conditioning spray, Giovanni direct leave in, hairlicious for scalp and hairline/edges, light sealing with Orgainic Grapeseed and paul mitchell super skinny serum and thread up for the night.

I had planned to maybe Blow out my hair as I have a packed weekend with woman's conference and air dry can take looong . The next day the stretch of my newgrowth isn't as nice as the second day but we'll see. If my roots are damp/puffy I may blow dry on cool. we'll see.

Wash day saga over lololol

ps. thought I'd add some texture shots just because ;)
please excuse quality.

By Request - How I Moisturise and Seal.

My first requested blog post - whoooooop lololol

Its extremely important to keep your hair moisturised. If you allow your hair to get dry it will become brittle and break off. Your scalp also. If your scalp gets dry it becomes itchy and scratching can cause cuts and flaking.
When your hair gets dry it also gets hard and painful to comb.

Before embarking on my HHJ I used to use differnt kinds of products, whichever ones I felt like. I used to use HARD gel, like stick your hair to your head Hard. Then I tried to grow my hair without any knowledge or information and as a teenager I'd use hot oil treatments and coconut oil from the indian food shop.
I finally found a combo I found made my hair nice - sheen spray, cream moisturiser and a spray oil. I changed my hard gel to a softer gel that still gave good hold.... but the flakes.... ugh my hubby (then my boyfriend) would tease me and say I had CORNFLAKES in my hair... oh the shame. Although my hair did grow it wasn't healthy and every little bit of growth would cut off or break.


Fastfoward to now I use products that work for me... no more sheen spray and no more hard gel.
Funnily enough I have gone back to my teenage love of coconut oil but this time it's Extra Virgin.


Anywhooooo I digress... back to the request.

Moisturise and Seal *Loose Hair*

Products:
Spray Leave in and/or detangler
moisturiser
oil, butter or serum
Tools:
Wide tooth comb
medium tooth comb
denman/paddle brush(optional)
Soft bristle brush(if bunning)

Carefully section the hair into 4.
Work on one section at a time.

Oil scalp in section and massage.
Spray hair, massage through hair from root to tips.
Using wide tooth comb, gently detangle hair from tips to roots.
Use enough moisturiser to smooth into hair - again from root to tips.
Put oil in palm and rub hands together to gently warm and spread oil, smooth onto hair - you guessed it, root to tips ;)
Twist section up and repeat on all sections till all hair is done.
Depending on how you are putting your hair up for the night, prepare/style hair.
Serum can be used to further smooth hair for threading,braid/twist outs. Gel or Styler can be used also.
Take Castor oil or growth oil and massage into edges and nape.
If bunning, a little aloe vera gel (or gel)can be smoothed on edges and soft bristle brush used. Wrap scarf around edges to keep them down.

Moisturise and Seal Plaited/Twisted hair

Oil scalp, if hair is in canerows run fingers with oil on or use applicator bottle. Massage through.
If hair feels dry, spray plaits/twists lightly and then oil lightly.
If hair is extremely dry, use a small amount of after spraying, making sure not to use too much and rub in well or the moisturiser will attract dirt and/or make the plaits get matted. Rub oil in hands and run hands through plaits/twists.
Take castor or growth oil and massage into edges and nape.
If hairline is getting messy you can use a little aloe vera gel (or gel) and wrap scarf over edges to hold down.

Please note, if your plaited/twisted hair is dry night after night, you may need to wash them or take them down and wash your hair.

Never leave your hair in plaits/twists if you see matting, your hair will knot up and if left long enough, loc up and detangling will be extremely difficult. You may end up breaking hair off or even having to cut.

**make sure you go right to the tips when applying products so you can make sure you don't neglect your ends.
**If using a butter, you can use in place of moisturiser or to seal in place of oil
**I love aloe vera gel rather than gel on edges at night as it adds to softness with the hold and soothes. Also it never flakes through the night.
** Use a Satin or Silk scarf or bonnet. Cotton will dry out your hair and undo all your hard work. Even if you use a satin pillowcase, covering your hair may be preferable as the oils etc wont get all over your pillow and all over your face.
**If you can, invest in a satin pillowcase - if your scarf/bonnet comes off you have back up and if you don't like or use scarves/bonnets then it's a must as the cotton or polyester pillowcases will dry your hair out, and the fibres will break your hair off, ever seen those little hairs all over your pillow? that's broken hair!



 In the morning, assess hair, if it needs moisturising then do so, you may find your hair is adequately moisturised. Seal with oil or serum.

Don't be afraid to add a moisture boost during the day if you feel you need it. Hot weather can really dry out the hair as can air conditioned environments.


You can read my Hair Regime for more info


Thanks for request, keep them coming *mwah*

Results are in!! - Bamboo tea and mega growth oil

Soooo I finished my 30+ day challenge a few weeks ago and have been so busy I have only go around to posting the results now.

The Bamboo Tea was delicious, I really love the taste and it is deffo joined my list of fave teas.

The Growth oil worked great, loved the feel and the softness it gave my hair.. and the thickness!! Wow!!
After a couple batches, I decided to sieve the oil as I didn't like the bits that were left on my hair when the oil had *soaked in* I found that the sieving worked well and I didnt have the powdery bitty feel anymore.

I tweaked the oil and it's now called Hairlicious Growth oil whoooppp

soooo did the hair growth stimulation work?? here's the pics please excuse quality:

Front Section

 I was happily surprised with the results you can clearly see the length difference by looking where the hair reaches in comparison to my eyes. I tried to add the white lines where the hair ended but I see a few scraggly ends just past the lines in both pics.


 

Side Half Ponytail

The angles are a little different but the length difference is still visible ;)

Side Section

This side comparison was amazing!! not only was the hair longer but softer and shinier.


Horahhhhh My little challenge had great results!! I am soooo happy I decided to try my own oil and The tea is a great addition.

I am actually going to do another 30 day challenge starting this week.... who's gonna join me?