RELAXER PREP

So, there's another You + 1 event this Friday and I'm going to have to put my best face and hair forward. =0

In order to get my hair in order, I have to get a relaxer. Thus, I will wash my hair today and take care of my NG in order to get it ready for Friday. I just called Reflexion II and Evelyn said I can bring my kids with me. Since the salon opens at 9:30 am, I will aim to be there by 10am or 10:30 am with the boys strapped into their stroller. I will take crackers, bags of chips and juice boxes for them. The entire relaxer will likely take 2-3 hours. As long as I give them a snack every 30-5 minutes they will be fine. I will also take strawberries in their spiderman containers.

As for prep work - I will shampoo then apply Aphogee 2 min Keratin con for about 5 minutes. Then I will apply Silicon mix for about 30 minutes and rinse. Once the hair airdries, I will apply some KODL, CHI silk infusion and blow dry. I will blow dry in sections and will comb and brush out the NG. I will also put castor oil pomade on my scalp. Once completed, I will seal with castor oil.

WIG UPDATE

I tried the Mira wig again and was not feeling it at all. It is possible that the fact that Bomboy was misbehaving was a factor in my inability to focus.

Anyway, I have decided upon the following.

I will wait until next week to get a relaxer. I will take a good look at the condition and length of my hair. I will use BT for approximately 8-10 weeks, 2 - 3 times a week. Around November, I will purchase a new wig for myself. It must be human hair, must have at least 2 inches of parting space, must be between 14 and 16 inches.

The wig i am now considering is the Sensationnel Ashley

It costs $119 at hairwigharlem.com as of today. It is similar to my mariah wig but it is human hair so it will last longer.

Hope this plan works.

SETBACK

So after 3 weeks of straightening my hair, I experienced a set back.

DUH!

Its my first setback in almost 18 months. I have lost approximately 2 inches on the left side of my head in the back. It is very frustrating especially as I am so close to full APL. I plan on dusting my ends and getting a relaxer next weekend. I will not get a trim however, and will instead, wait until Dominica to get a trim. Then I will trim again at the next relaxer.

Until then, I will use BT, post relaxer to grow my hair in the setback area and hope it will all catch up and look okay by summer 2011. I hope by then I will BSL and have no setbacks.

What I have learned is that, I probably should not use the CHI curling iron anymore. I think that is partly why it broke off. My FHI flat iron is probably a better option for when I want to straighten my hair. I can use the CHI to tame my roots but should stick to the FHI. The way the CHI clamps down on my hair is likely no good.

*sigh*

POTENTIAL NEW WIG PURCHASE

I discovered the Beshe Mira wig and I'm in love!!!

It is a human hair wig and cost $120 at the wig outlet in new carrolton. I however found it for $79.99 at hairwigharlem.com and will order it.

Yes, I have not used my Mariah wig in almost a year and technically I do not need a wig. However, with the setback I suffered when I straightened my hair 3 weeks in a row, I am reminded that my wig prevents the need to apply heat at home and preserves the integrity and health of my hair. If I am ever going to get to APL and full BSL, I have to be aggressive in maintaining length. My no-heat approach obviously works towards that goal and I should not mess around. I remember when I had a setback of uneven ends and breakage when I was going to Sintia's while stretching.

So, I will purchase the wig and use it when I need to go places and don't want to style my hair. I will also purchase a plastic wig stand from the wig outlet so that I can house this wig properly. I will have to be careful cutting the lace and caring for the wig. I should find out what to do with my old wig....

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.

ANOTHER FAB HAIR WEEK!

I washed my hair on Tuesday to excellent results, again.

I shampooed, then put KOProtein con in my hair for 20 minutes and then Silk Elements Olive Oil Con for 10 minutes

Once washed, i left my hair to air dry for about four hours My hair was silky and straight. I applied moisture mix, Silk Infusion and a little jojoba oil. I also applied castor oil to my scalp the next day and sealed with castor oil pomade My hair looks lovely and feels fabulous.

I am really enjoying the results i am getting from these deep conditioners. My next wash, I will try the same regimen and see if the results are similar. If not, then the following weekend, i will go to Reflexion and get a DC without the blowout.

POST RELAXER WASH

10 days after my relaxer at Reflexions, I washed and conditioned my hair. I used suave tropical coconut shampoo and scrithed the hell out of my scalp.

I then applied aphogees 2 minute keratin reconstructor which I left in for about 15 minutes. After rinsing out, I applied silicon mix bambu for 10 minutes. My hair felt like butter and I was so happy. I let my hair airdry a bit and then I put some moisture mix, a little KODL, and some oil mix. The next morning my hair was still damp but I applied silk infusion and sealed with castor oil pomade.

My hair was gorgeous! Soft yet strong. Hardly any breakage and no shedding. I wonder if this regimen every week would be too much fir my strands. Neverthless, this weekend, I will use the KO protein con and silk elements con. Hopefully, my hair will love it. The weekend after that, I will go back to Reflexions for a deep conditioner.

It's been a great hair week so far. Yay!!

RELAXER UPDATE & NEW SALON

So, after 9 weeks, it was time to get a relaxer and on June 5th, i got one. Being that my last relaxer at Sintia's was whack and that their management insinuated that I was lying about the underprocessing, I opted to go somewhere new. I went to Reflexion instead, located on MLK Blvd.

Nice spot, clean, friendly staff. Lila (sp?) gave me a touch up and could not believe I was barely 2 months post. I used Alter Ego and experienced some burning, but the Lila was very careful and worked hard to not only keep me comfortable, but get my hair straight. The burning was obviously a result of the major scratching I engaged in just the days before.

I got blown out by Rosie/Rosa and she was very careful to not burn my scalp which is a skill no Dominican has exhibited before while doing my hair. Still, my scalp has been itching and I wonder if it is the relaxer or something else. I got a trim and spent a total of $60 because there was a $15 off sale on all procedures. It took the same amount of time as it would have at Sintia's and quite frankly, I don't think I will go back to Sintia's anytime soon, especially since it wasn't like a hair factory at Reflexion.

Currently, I need approximately 1-2 inches to get to APL (AGAIN!) Frustrating as it is, I just have to stay focused. I plan on stretching for 13 weeks until September 4th. I will then try to stretch another 13 weeks with a relaxer on the 4th of December.