A change is gonna come

My hair has changed. A lot.

It had grown in length, seems to have gotten thicker (I didn't even think that was possible), and now it seems that some of the products I use don't necessarily work anymore. This reminds me of the time when I realized that Cantu Shea Butter's Leave-In Conditioner didn't work for me anymore (honorable mention to Suave's Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner - that one really hurt).

A little over a month ago I was getting a bit annoyed with my hair. Sure it had grown a lot, but it also started tangling even more than before. Before it decided to change up on me, I used to be able to finger detangle once a week - when I washed it. Now I had to be detangling every other day and that totally didn't jive with my 'lazy except one day a week' hair routine. 

Then I started to train for my first 5k race (which I coincidentally ran today at a clocked time of 37 minutes - yay for me!). Every morning I would run and then have to deal with my hair - and I am not one of these women who isn't going to work out because of some damn hair - uhhhhh, no. So I put my hair in mini twists for 2 weeks, and after I couldn't take the frizzing after washing it, I did the twists over adding a little bit of kanekalon hair to hold it right. That lasted 4 weeks for a total of 6 weeks of my hair being in two-strand twists. And then two days before the race I took them out (and still ran the race - booyah! LOL!)

The results of this hair break are great! I gained some length (I would say less than an inch), as I mentioned before it looks thicker, and I needed the break even from weekly washing to deal with some things (including an incredible amount of stress, shooting a video project, training, and job hunting). If I didn't take this hair break, I feel like it would have broken off or I would have inadvertently done something damaging. So I took my twists with the kanekalon hair out on Thursday (you ever wonder why you're doing something while in the middle of doing it?), and had to handle it.

It was not fun. At all.

I started off my sectioning my hair in to big braids - I think about 8 - thinking this would help. Sigh. I have a lotta hair ya'll.  I applied a mixture of conditioner and my pre-poo oil mixture to help me out. Left that on for over an hour and then proceeded to wash my scalp first with my homemade black soap shampoo (I used this because the black soap cleans makeup off my skin so well I figured it was the best product to use to clarify my scalp (not so much for my hair). I then used Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Shampoo (and ended up taking out the braids because it just wasn't happening in the sections. I was still removing the kanekalon from my hair and I had to do it with all of my hair out). I then spent damn near an hour using one of the Herbal Essence conditioners to finger detangle and braid my hair into sections again, followed by a black tea rinse before rinsing with cool water.

Now here is where I made a change in my regimen. Instead of using my Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, after finger detangling (again), I squeezed excess water from my hair with an old t-shirt, and applied Extra Virgin Coconut oil - I hadn't figured out the best way to use this for my hair, but after doing some research I decided to try again because the biggest problem I seemed to be having with my hair before I put it in twists was retaining moisture, and I know that the answer lie in my hair washing routine. I braided my hair into six braids, wrapped the t-shirt around my hair, and went to sleep!

The next morning I ran over three miles and thought about what the heck I was going to do with my still-not-dry hair. I decided to do a soft blow out, so I did this section by section, applying more coconut oil, Tresseme's heat protectant, and using the wide tooth comb attachment on the warm and then cool settings, and ended up looking like Chaka Khan in her Rufus days (yes!). I followed that up with some chunky twists, let it hang for a bit, pulled it into a bun, put on my scarf and kept it moving!

Here's the thing: I finally figured out how coconut oil works for me and that I have to pull back (or all together stop) with the heavier products on my hair. The EVCO totally conditioned and moisturized my hair. It was so agreeable in the last detangling session, and leaving it on my hair to mostly air dry allowed my hair to really absorb it. I also use EVCO for my skin and cooking.

As for my heavy butters and oils, they have their place. When the weather gets colder I can use the butters on my body, and as for my castor oil and Jamaican black castor oil, I will use it on my scalp, but it's a no go for my hair. I will also clean my scalp weekly with apple cider vinegar, but wash my hair every other week (well see how long that lasts!).

I also realized something: while my hair on my head is very thick, I have learned that my actual hair strands are very fine (aka, very sensitive). Seeing how I am able to retain length as a result of the changes to my regimen over the year makes me understand why Shea Moisture's Yucca and Baobab products for fine hair works so well for me. The one thing I will say about all of this is there is always something new to learn and I have to not get complacent in paying attention to my body and hair and the adjustments that I will always have to make along the way to stay healthy (and happy).

Note: I know, I didn't take photos. I just wanted to get outta my hair at the time, but I still should have taken a pic of two. I will in two weeks.

Hairline Regrowth Progress

Earlier this month I took photos of my thinning hairline, which was a result of wearing my hair in a top bun ALL THE TIME. I got comfortable...lazy. And I paid for it. For the first time in my life I knew what many other women go through when it came to the thinning hair line. I literally was like "What?" And then I took action.

I immediately pulled out my unopened second bottle of MTG - yes, the -ish that smells like bacon grease! I was a horse losing it's damn hair and I needed help stat! And then I whipped out the Jamaican Castor oil. As mentioned in a previous post, I bought the oil and didn't find much use for it. I even threatened to give it away, but I kept it and used it as a carrier oil for my scalp oil. Well in this case, I mixed the MTG with the Jamaican Castor oil, and massaged my hairline daily.

I thought I'd seen a difference in a couple of days, but figured that was wishful thinking. I wanted to wait a while to take follow up photos to compare to the original ones, but I saw a major difference in the 3 weeks that I have been using this scalp oil, as well as continuing with the Shea Moisture Yucca and Baobob product line (if I could drink the Hair Milk, I would - it has been a miracle to my hair).

(for whatever reason, the date is not showing on the second set of 

photos, which were taken on March 31)

It is without question that I am satisfied with the progress that I am making, and will continue on this path. I also changed my hair maintenance routine a bit, as I've found that the longer my hair gets, the more work it seems to require (and here I thought I would be able to just throw it up in a ponytail or bun and keep it moving... NOT!).

This is the second week where I am wearing my hair in a partial blow out (I blow my hair out with cool and warm air, not the hot air that I used to use back in the day). And I have gone back to styling it daily (ugh!), but mainly because I oil my scalp and re-moisturize every night. That routine goes as follows:

1. I finger-part my hair into 4 sections (I do not use a comb when my hair isn't wet, and even when it is wet, I detangle with my fingers - not a bit comb in hair fan).
2. I apply a quarter size of the Shea Moisture Yucca and Baobob Hair Milk to each section, then apply a dime size of my homemade Hair Buttercream.
3. I place the section in a ponytail and braid the loose hair.

In the morning I add a bit of homemade hair pudding followed by hair buttercream to the sections closest to the roots to control those stray hairs. Just before heading out for the day, I release the 4 braids, shake my head a bit, and peace out.

The one major thing I discovered after using the Shea Moisture Yucca and Baobob hair products (shampoo every other week, conditioner weekly, hair milk daily, and now the hair masque which I will use with every shampoo), is that my hair was soooooo soft, but strong. Strong enough that I feel confident with the blow out hair (I usually get nervous after a couple days and spray it to coil it up).

Update on Product Usage

I think I used to be a product junkie, but I was mostly a 'recipe junkie' - I was always mixing something new because I just like to create things. I've been like this since I was a kid, growing up with my Caribbean Grandma and Mom, we cooked (my Grandma even made candy!). Anyway, I've always been that friend who knows how to make this, or mix that, for whatever ailment you got.

After chopping my hair off back on 2010, a lot of products worked great. On my short hair. Now that my hair is 7-10 inches long, a lot of things, methods just don't work anymore. I feel like my hair texture changed, even before I started coloring it again (at first for style reasons, now I'm actively covering greys ya'll!). And just in general, with my thick hair, it's just too damn much. This is why I kept my hair chin length from my teens thru my 20s. I remember now why my mom couldn't handle my hair and 4 other kids. I remember why she sent me to get a perm (I still wouldn't have done it myself, I'd have just kept my hair in braids). I remember it all, BUT I'm still not cutting it, and I still ain't getting a perm.

As a result of being overwhelmed by my hair, I took to keeping my hair up in a bun when I lost my job. Maybe once or twice a week I would take it out, but I'd keep it up all week, and it grew so much. And then I started incorporating one of those keratin conditioners in my co-wash routine, to handle all the frizz because I was doing less. The conditioner did a great job without changing the texture of my hair from what I could tell and feel, so I thought why not try the shampoo. 2 weeks later I realized that was a mistake. Also all the bunning was a mistake too. Interestingly my son said to me a couple months ago, 'Ma, you shouldn't tighten your bun.' I thought he was mistaken, my bun wasn't too tight.

Well, it either was, or my hair got mad at me for not doing anything with my hair because my shyt starting falling OUT. Whole strands. NOT breaking off... FALLING OUT. AND my hairline in the front has "eroded" - that's the nicest word I can think of.And I freaked out. I actually cried and flashed back to the time my mom was trying to save money and had her friend's 14 year old daughter named Tiny put a perm in and TAKE OUT my hair when I was 14.

A few weeks ago, I washed and conditioned my hair (I tried cleansing every other week, but I need every week), finger detangled, and loss so much hair, I could have made a wig for a small child. Even a friend of mine told me that while I still had a lot of hair, it looked thinner (the previous week we joked about how I looked like a poodle). I felt so defeated. And I truly had to dig inside and repeat "I am not my hair" to myself, and just remember all of the other things about me (I wasn't sure if the shedding was going to stop since it'd been happening for 2 weeks).

Then I remembered Shea Moisture produced hair products for thin hair. I hit up the local CVS and they only had the shampoo, so I purchased it and Organix's new Biotin and Collagen conditioner because I was not in the mood to drive around looking for the Shea Moisture conditioner. I used the products, along with performing a tea rinse, and while there was shedding, it was less.

I've also been oiling my scalp with the MTG oil (and a lot of peppermint essential oil mixed in to cover the smell). It's been 2 weeks, and my shedding has decreased significantly - I would say it's back to normal. I also finally obtained the conditioner, as well as the Hair Milk (off topic: the Hair Milk does nothing for my hair when wet, but when dry it gives my hair the boost it needs in between washing and I love it).

Looking at the photos, especially the most recent ones, I sit here and can't believe it. I mean I am looking at the Naomi Campbell hairline for real. I guess that's what I get for being careless with my hair. I did forget to take care of myself with the stress of job hunting and other emotional trials, but still.... Anyway, onward and upward.

UPDATE:
Yes, it's only been one day but I had to give my quick review of how the Shea Moisture conditioner worked. So, I co-washed last night, dividing two sides of my hair into 7 braids on each side (no more washing my hair loose). I sprayed, applied the conditioner and braided, put a plastic baggy over my hair and then went about my day cleaning. I didn't do any EVOO/ honey pre-treatment, just the water and conditioner. Rinsed and reapplied a small amount of conditioner and rinsed again.

I undid a braid, finger detangled, applied Shea Moistures Curl Enhancing Smoothie, my homemade shea butter cream, tension blow dried on a cool setting (for super thick areas at the root of some braids I applied warm heat for a few seconds), and then pinned aside as I went through this same process with each of the 14 braids total.

After drying, I went through my hair - now divided in 4 sections - and applied a small amount of the Yucca and Aloe hair milk, oiled my scalp (especially around the edges), pinned up in a very loose bun, applied my homemade hair jelly (mixture of curl activator and oils - I'll do a post on that), tied my hair down and went to bed.

This morning, the bun was big a poofy and soft and luxurious! I kept the bun in for part of the morning while I handled my business this morning. I just undid the bun, and my hair is even more soft and bouncy and big than I thought. It feels great.

My Favorite Products/ Ingredients

I don't know what it is about me, but I suspect my Grandma Ida has a lot to do with my semi-boho, almost granola, kinda-flower-child kind of ways.  Growing up watching her and my mom sew clothes, crochet and knit, cook all kinds of dishes inspired by her homeland of St. Thomas, growing small potted herbs in her small kitchen window (the woman even made her own candy, even though she was diabetic and knew better!) - a lot of that had rubbed onto me.  I remember selling the knitted bags I made when I was in the 6th grade! (Hey, other kids said they liked me bag and wanted one, so you know I wasn't doing all that work for free!).  I say all of this to express how doing things with my own hands, or dealing with products that aren't so manufactured, always appealed to me throughout my entire life (it's only recently that it's become some sort of "movement" where words like "organic" and "natural" are thrown around like the latest coolest ebonically inspired word, when many folks have been doing things like they did in the "olden days" way before things became popular.  With that I just wanted to share some of my favorite products and ingredients that I incorporate into my life for various health, beauty and fitness reasons.

1. Shea butter (click for benefits of shea butter)

I love this stuff!  I've used it for my skin and hair!  For my skin, being someone who has struggled with acne and dark spots for over 20 years, shea butter has always provided me with the kind of moisture that no other product can.  For my hair, shea butter has been a main staple, in the summer and winter.  In the beginning, I would just use shea butter alone (even when I'd had a perm), but over the years I have experimented by adding natural oils, and have not been disappointed yet.

2. Aloe (click for benefits of Aloe)

This plant was always a mainstay in my Grandma or Mom's home growing up.  When I was younger I thought it was just for burns, but as I've gotten older, I have found that it is great for internal health (I've only had the flavored aloe juices - I just can't drink plain aloe yet, I can't, lol!), but also for the hair as well.  I discovered this when I started using Kinky Curly's Knot Today.  I occasionally incorporate Aloe into my regimen, but not always as I find it best - for me - to use when I need "special treatments."

3. Tea Tree Oil (benefits of tea tree oil)

What a great find for me. With all the skin irritation that I have, and continue to experience with my skin, tea tree oil saved my butt many times.  And with my son dealing with eczema, tea tree oil is definitely a must for our medicine cabinet.

4. Honey (click for benefits of honey)

I sure didn't know a quarter of the benefits of honey!  I have not begun to explore the benefits to skin in any homemade products yet, but I include this ingredient in my pre-shampoo mixture.

5. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (benefits of EVOO)

If I was forced to only use 3 of the items on my favorites list, extra virgin olive oil was definitely be on that list.  As a matter of fact, it would be in the top 2.  What an incredible ingredient.  For food. Skin. Hair. Everythang!  I use it in my pre-shampoo treatment. I used it in my hair oil recipe. I use it for skin ailments. I use it in my food.  This ingredient is an example of how great and versatile natural products are.

6. Avocado Oil (click for benefits of avocado oil)

I just discovered this little gem last year.  In the past, I'd tried the whole mashing up an avocado and putting it in my hair, and all I felt I got, was avocado in my hair - avocado bits that were hard to get out.  But ever since incorporating the oil in my hair oil recipe (this, when my hair was super dry and I was at my wit's end), I'd never felt my hair be so soft, and that softness last for so long.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar (click for benefits of apple cider vinegar)

Another great ingredient that I use in various ways.  For the hair, it is a part of my pre-shampoo method, removing all residue from the previous week so that the products that I use to wash and condition can do their jobs as efficiently as possible.  For skin, I use it for acne in particular on my shoulders and back, my son uses it for eczema outbreaks, another person I know uses it for melasma, and the list goes on.

8. Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (a vlogger's review of the product)

I never really likes the idea of using gel on my hair all the time, in order to set my curls and keep my hair looking moist, so when I hit up a Shea Moisture store in one of those holiday outdoor fairs, I thought maybe this would be it.  And I was wrong - at first.  But then I tweaked my moisture and sealing routine (thanks to Nikisha on Urban Bush Babes), and it was like I discovered gold in a jar!  Not since my son was 1 (he's 11 now) have I been able to let my hair do what it does and I love it, and a lot of that has to do with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, seriously! It's such a great finisher to an involved, but important regimen.  And unlike the opinions and experiences of others, this products actually brings out my curls better than any gel ever has.

9. Castor Oil (click for benefits of castor oil)

Another one of the best ingredients/ products I use. This is the final touch in my hair regimen, and once again, thanks the Nikisha on Urban Bush Babes, I learned that I was using the product in the wrong part of my process, but once I got it right, I experience soft, bouncy, moisturized and manageable hair for an entire week.  I am now learning and experimenting with recipes for skin ailments.


10. Bentonite Clay

I've been using clay masks for years, but using the Aztec Secret Healing Clay showed me what all clays should be. I mean, I felt my face pulsing! And as I began to add essential oils to my clay mixtures, I found it even more beneficial.  Last year, I started using the clay in my pre-shampoo routine - mixing in apple cider vinegar, honey and extra virgin olive oil, and it helped clarify my hair sooooooo much, that the shampoo and conditioning products I used afterwards, worked even better.