HAIR & PRODUCT REVIEW

I washed my hair for the first time since my touch up on Tuesday afternoon. The process was very typical, except for the fact that I used my Aloe Vera shampoo and then followed up with my new Tea Tree Shampoo from Nature's Gate. I am in LOVE!!! It had bubbles like normal shampoo, but without the phthalate of course! And, once rinsed, my hair had NO TANGLES!!!! I just couldn't believe it. This, despite the serious scritching I did due to having sulfur mix on my scalp.

I followed up with Aphogee Keratin con for about 5 minutes and rinsed. Then I applied the SEO Con (not the DC). The first application was in for approximately 5 minutes but was not enough as my hair didn't feel as moisturized as I like, so, while in the shower, I applied it one last time and my hair felt perfect. After rinsing, I left my hair to airdry 98% of the way with a drive to pick up the kids (windows down).

I later blowdried on low-cool and then applied Rusk thermal serum, then bowdried on low-medium while combing with my shower comb. Then I sprayed my hair with moisture mix and blowdried on low-high, using my paddle brush. I applied a little CO pomade.

My hair felt strong, yet soft and I wrapped it up for the entire rest of the day. On Wednesday, it felt soft and after my work out, i applied some oil to my tips and then to the rest of my hair. It has been wrapped all day today, but I just let it down and it feels great! I did a seek and destroy on Tuesday and plan to do another one soon as I found 2 split ends that have to go. I'm sure there are many more hiding in there.

Alas, I am happy with my hair and will apply my sulfur mix tonight and seal. I like having my hair thicker as is the case when I avoid the direct heat. I believe it is better for my hair overall, to only apply heat when necessary. And with that, I continue my quest for BSL. I hope I get to APL by December, and BSL by June 2013, God willing. *sigh*

Touch Up Review

So another touch up at Reflexion II but this time, Gloria did not do my hair *sob*

Instead, I had Antonia, who sighed and made what I assume to be a few comments in Spanish about the state of my 16-weeks post-relaxer hair. I must have worn her down with politeness and kindness, however, because by the time she was almost done, she was, well, on the verge of chummy. (Its amazing what being a black woman that does not present an attitude can do for you, especially when you see another black woman blow up at the salon, hehehe).

My hair did not relax as well as it does when Gloria does her thing, unfortunately. I was rather pissed that she didn't understand when I was instructing her to put protein conditioner in my hair. She simply asked me to hold on to my products because the deep conditioning they would give me "is free". I didn't feel the need to argue, especially as my youngest was there, comfortably watching cartoons and running around the salon.

Anyway, I will confirm whether Gloria has left the establishment and in the meantime, I will try a different salon. That sucks because Reflexion II has been my main place for over 2 years now and I do love me $15 off Tuesdays. But, I need a stylist/salon that will allow me to use my products. I don't care if their stuff is free. Blah!

My hair, as can be expected, looked like crap. It dried in approximately 25 minutes! Unbelievable! They got me in and out in just under 2 hours and I paid $50 for a touch up *yipee* Although they tried to screw me over, thinking they could charge me $20 for "estyling", when all the chick did was wrap that shit! The total was to be $60. I calmly asked for an explanation of my bill and in no time, it became $50. All sorts of shadiness.

Once I got home, I sprayed a little moisture mix, keratin spray and then sealed with oil. I also applied my sulfur mix to my scalp. My hair IMMEDIATELY looked and felt better, acquiring some weight, density and texture! I know people like their hair thin and lifeless, but I do not. And, I do not mind my kink, as long as I can comb through it, so that bone straight hair thing is not for me! I have continued to moisturize with a little oil because on Wednesday, I went for a 6 mile run and also walked 1.32 miles. It was a good work out, but I sweated out my hair. Thank God, I am not into bone straight hair, or that would be torture. I simply applied moisture mix to the wet parts ran my fingers through my hair. Let it airdry and then applied silk serum and brushed. A little hair oil, and it was just fine.

I just put a little keratin and oil on the hair at the back as it is a little dry. I will apply moisture mix and seal with castor oil pomade tomorrow, to ensure that breakage does not occur. I spent 40 minutes dusting my ends today and will repeat after I wash my hair next week. My next trip to the hair salon should be in about 3-4 weeks, so I get a DC. They must apply keratin CON and SEO CON or else, I won't be having it! And there will be problems!

My new relaxer schedule is as follows:
August 21
December 4

Picture of (non) progress to follow soon. *sigh*

APHOGEE REVIEWS

I have used Aphogee thrice and like it. The first time, I left it in for about 10 minutes and followed up with SECon. The next time, I left it in for about 2 minutes and followed up with Silicon Mix Bantu. I didn't like that combo, Silicon Mix always makes my hair thin.

The 3rd time, I had shampooed, applied 10 en 1 for about 10 minutes, rinsed and applied SECon for about 15 minutes and then put some Aphogee throughout my hair but particularly on my ends and then rinsed.

I applied Silk Infusion and Keratin spray, then blowdried. My hair felt dry so I sprayed my moisture mix and curled my hair. Once completed, I added some more silk infusion and then sealed with CO Pomade. It looks good and I will add a little oil mix to my scalp later on today.

NEW PURCHASE: APHOGEE 2-MIN KERATIN RECONSTRUCTOR

So, I gave in and bought the bottle for $10. I have been using the product's sample packages for a while and decided to simply buy the bottle. It works on my hair.

I used it on Thursday evening and left it in for approximately 5 minutes, rinsed and then put Silk Elements Con in my hair for a few minutes in the shower and rinsed. My hair felt just fine.

Today, at exactly one week post wash, my hair feels crappy, but that is because I have been sweating. It also feels a little under moisturized, I must confess. I have put some of my oil mix in it and will wash tomorrow (Friday) after our trip to the pool.

I have avoided going to the hair salon, but I think I will go there next Thursday when Husband is home from work. It will be nice to get my scalp cleaned and get a heated DC.

PROTEIN OVERLOAD IS NO GOOD!

 It appears I gave my hair too much protein over the weekend as I am experiencing significant shedding.

I have been managing the situation with moisturizers and just blow dried and straightened my hair so that I can determine what my hair will look like for an interview this weekend (wig or no wig).

Oh boy. I plan on going to get my hair washed and DCd at Sintia's as soon as possible so that  I can rectify the situation.

I will not get a blow out, but will simply have my hair wrapped and leave.

I am 10 weeks post today and hoping to go another 2 weeks before a relaxer.

PROTEIN SUNDAY

I had planned on doing a henna treatment this weekend, but the weekend flew by so quickly, it just never happened. So instead, I turned to what I had at my fingertips and got it cracking.

I did a KOProtein DC for almost an hour. Once I rinsed, my hair felt alright but it clearly needed some more strength. So I mixed some of my oil mix, an egg, and some Silicon Mix, put it in my hair for about 25 minutes. The results were what I was looking for. My hair felt heavy and strong. After that I put some more Silicon Mix in my hair and combed it out. Lots of shed hairs, which was disturbing as usual. But my hair felt so silky smooth after that, it was amazing.

I let my hair airdry and then applied some moisture mix. I am going to put some silk infusion in it later and hope for the best. Because of an upcoming interview, I will put some heat in my hair this week, just to see how it behaves, as it has been a while since I have applied heat myself. If it works out, then I will style my hair for the weekend. If not, I will go to Sintia's to get my hair done.

Hoping for the best.

HAIR STILL FEELS GOOD

It took me 2 weeks to finally wash my hair because i was sick. That, combined with extreme dry conditions in the house, left my hair super dry.

So, I did a quick wash with TJCS, followed with a cowash. Then, I applied th ORS RP Con and left it in my hair for over an hour. After washing it out, I again did an ACV rinse.

Post wash, I sprayed Keratin mix, moisture mix and then left it to dry. I later sealed.

My hair ended up feeling a tad dry still, so I continued to add moisture mix until it felt better. I sealed with Jojoba oil. IT seemd to take a whle, but my hair feels good. Not as great as it did the last time, but it still feels very good.

We are going to NC this weekend, so if I don't manage to wash my hair on Friday, it won't get washed ntil MOnday at the latest. I plan on going back to my old method of doing a protein DC followed by a Silicon Mix DC. I will then do an ACV rise and hope for the best.

NEW PRODUCTS

I re-upped on conditioners. I purchased the KO protein con that works on my daughter and I's hair. I also bought Silicon Mix con. It was $9.99 instead of the normal $12.99, so I bought it instead of the Silicon Mix Perla con.

I also boght a dye applicator comb for use on TE's hair when I need to part her hair for plaiting. I need to keep it out of the boy's reach however, because the rattail comb on it is pure metal and thus, dangerous.

WASH DAY & DUSTING

I love my hair!

Yes, I do.

I washed with castille soap, followed up with SMP and left that on for almost 30-40 minutes. After rinsing, I put KOProtein Con and rinsed. My ends felt good and I let my hair airdry. Once it had dried a little, I applied KODL, Chi Kertatin Mix and CHI Silk Infusion. I sealed with Castor Oil.

The next day, my hair felt okay but was rather puffy, and I opted to dust my ends using the KISS method. I didn't lose any length in the end. I took sections, combed from the root and then brushed as well.

The next day, I applied my moisture mix and then sealed with castor oil pomade. my hair felt okay but all the snow during the day got in my hair and I will simply apply keratin mix and seal again tomorrow.

MY PROTEIN BALANCE IS OFF

For the last few weeks after my henna treatment, my hair has felt a lot more soft than strong lately. Now, that in itself is not a problem, because my hair is not mushy and is not over breaking/shedding.

However, I like the way my hair felt when I used to get the protein-moisture balance right. Well, I think I am simply going to follow the same procedure of a TJCS shampoo, protein con for 15-20 mins, SMP for 10-15 mins, and then clarify with an ACV rinse.

I hope that will help to reset my hair somewhat. If that does not work, then this weekend, or if Moji comes into town, I will go to the salon and get my hair washed, DCd but not blown out.

Hope things work out for me because I currently have an inch of NG in most places and will likely wait until I return from Dominica to get a relaxer.

ITS A HENNA DAY

This morning, I prepared some henna. I used my modified henna recipe put the following (approximately)

1. Cinnamon (1 tbs)
2. Henna (5 tbs)
3. Lemon juice (2 tbs)
4. Amla oil (4 tbs)
5. water (2 tbs)
6. VO5 conditioner

I mixed everything until it had a smooth, creamy, relaxer-like texture and let it sit for 4 hours. Then I put some castor oil throughout my hair as a prepoo.

I applied it in sections to my hair and left it on for an hour, then rinsed out. I then washed my hair with TJCS to really get it out of my hair. Then I co-washed, leaving the VO5 on while I showered and rinsed. I then applied SMPCon (silicon mix perla) and left that on for about 20 minutes and rinsed.

My hair felt good. Very little breakage or shedding, as compared to last week. I let it airdry then sprayed my moisture mix. That dried and then I added KODL to my ends and then the length and finally tied my hair into bantu knots. My hair is shiny, soft yet strong. Loves it. Will try and do a henna treatment every 4 weeks if possible.

HAIR UPDATE

After the usual protein & moisture wash, my hair feels good. It looks like I am able to reproduce the results I like with my hair using the protein and then SECon methods.

However, unlike last wash, this time, I am beginning to notice breakage and some shedding. I think its because I have NG coming in already. Nonetheless, I will do a henna conditioner this weekend, just to increase the strength of my hair and follow up with my new conditioner the fancy Pearl extract Silicon mix. I hope it will prove a sufficient replacement for SECon and if not, I will head to the BSS to purchase SECon.

Hope it all works out.

SILICON MIX PROTEINA DE PERLA

SMPPCon is my new purchase. It is actually a moisturizing and strengthening conditioner with silkening proteins. I hope it will work similarly to the ordinary Silicon Mix and also hope it will be comparable to Silk Elements/Olive Oil conditioner which just finished over the weekend.

It doesn't smell anything like Silicon Mix and its blue in color. I purchased it for $11.99.

LOVIN' IT

So, about 8 days after my relaxer, I washed my hair. I used TJCS, focusing on my scalp, then applied KOProtein con and DCd for 10 minutes. After rinsing, I applied SECon for another 10 minutes.

After washing, I allowed it to air dry and then applied my Keracare creme. I left that on for approximately 10 minutes then put some COpomade in it and left that for over an hour. I later applied CO and when it dried I combed and brushed. My hair felt excellent! Strong, yet soft.

The next day, I applied Silk Infusion and brushed. My hair feels heavenly and I am soooo thrilled. I can't remember the last time I loved my hair so much and I am so pleased.

ALMOST BOUGHT A NEW PRODUCT TODAY...

I went to the BSS and almost bought Silicon Mix Proteina De Perla today. I was going to buy it because it has silk proteins in the ingredients. I already like Silicon Mix so the addition of silk proteins would be a good addition, I think. Will do some research before making that purchase.

Instead, I loaded up on TE's protein conditioner, which both her hair and mine love. I also bought a packet of Aphogee's Keratin 2 minute reconstructor. Being that I am about to relax my hair, I feel that I need a good shot of protein. I considered buying a packet of the two minute protein conditioner, but the word 'reconstructor' won out.

I will wash my hair with hubby's suave shampoo (I don't normally use stripping shampoos, but my scalp needs some serious cleaning), then apply the reconstructor for about 2-5 minutes, rinse and then apply my con for 20 minutes and clarify. Hope that leaves my hair strong and ready for a relaxer on Sunday.

ONLY MOISTURIZING CON

I washed my hair yesterday because my scalp was on fire!!!! Now that I am close to my relaxer, I have cut down on how often I wash my hair so I don't have to detangle as often and lose hair.

Anyway, as I have runo ut of both Silicon mix and TE's protein con, I decided to only use my Silk Elements CON.

I washed with TJCS and focused on my scalp, then put SECon in my hair for about 30 minutes. Detangled (without losing a huge amount of hair), rinsed and then did an ACV rinse. Afterwards, I applied my moisture mix, Keratin mix (for protein), Silk infusion, Kera Care and then sealed with CO Pomade.

My hair  feels okay but not great as it usually does when I use silicon mix or at least protein. Since I will be relaxing this coming weekend, I will have to purchase some proteing and especially a hard protein to prep my hair for a relaxer on Wednesday or Thursday. Or maybe i can just simply make my own protein conditioner/prepoo instead. Hmm, we'll see...

13 WEEKS POST & LOVELY HAIR

Oddly enough, my hair feels great!

My hair went for over a week without a wash, because I was tired post-San Francisco and i ran out of Silicon mix.

However, I washed my hair yesterday to great results. I washed with castile soap and focused on my scalp which had build up and dandruff. Then I used TE's moisturizing shampoo, again concentrating on the scalp. I put on a protein conditioner and left it on for about 20 minutes. After rinsing, I applied my Silk Elements con and left that on for about 20 minutes as well. I made sure to rinse everything out properly, taking my time, but I also combed my roots out. (Lost some hair, though and that was traumatizing, as usual!). After a proper rinsing, I clarified with an Apple cider vinegar rinse.

I let my hair air dry a bit and put some KODL in it. Then I used my Kera Care creme and the sealed with Castor Oil pomade (COP). I brushed my hair a little and went for a walk and let my hair airdry, constantly running my hands through it to ensure that it dried straight.

The results were incredible! My hair is soft and shiny. My new growth is soft and detangled. I am definitely ready for a relaxer! My goal is to relax anywhere from Thursday to Sunday. I will moisturize my scalp nightly with COP. Every day, I will add silk infusion in the morning, and then KODL + COP at night (in tiny amounts, to avoid build up). On Tuesday night, I will use my Denman to detangle again and then hope for the best!

NOTE: Do not buy Mango Butter until Kera Care creme is finished. Also, make another moisturizing mix and get silicon mix because it is essential once you are 8 weeks post.

NOTE 2: ALWAYS DO A PROTEIN DC ONCE A WEEK!!!!! Your hair loves it!

PROTEIN & MOISTURE

My hair was looking and feeling a hot mess, so I did the following.

Protein prepoo, which included -

1. 2 eggs
2. mahabhingraj oil
   
3. amla oil
4. castor oil
5. olive oil
   

The prepoo stayed on for an hour. I rinsed out with Castille soap, and then some VO5.

I followed up with an hour and a half with Silk Elements conditioner.

My hair felt alright and airdried fine. 2 days later, I sprayed some moisture mix, put some mango butter and then sealed with castor pomade and it feels pretty good. I have decided to relax my hair in the middle of September, at which point I will be about 13 weeks post. Hope my hair doesn't act up during this time.

MOISTURE DOES MY HAIR GOOD

Again my hair is doing good. I keep it in a bun and keep it moisturized everyday so as to keep it from getting dry and breaking uncontrollably.

The moisture-protein balance seems to be working. But, I will now simply do a cowash with VO5. After that, I will next do a shikamla rinse in a couple days. I hope my hair stays the way it is which is nice.