February Goal Review & March Goals setting

February review

1.      Exercise twice a week- there was only 1 week I exercised for 1 day, otherwise it was usually 3 times a week

2.     Make two new dishes a month - includes baking–  posted a blog with all my success with my new dishes

3.     Undertake weekly protective styling- This worked really well for the first 2 weeks, but due to my drying hidden hair I stopped it

4.     Moisturise and seal regularly - Success

March goals

1.     Continue exercising a least 3 times a week

2.     Drink 1 litre of water a day

3.     Cut down on sweet stuff to only 3 treats a week (chocolates, biscuits and ice cream)

4.     Moisturise and seal regularly

How were your February goals?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

‘Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.’ – Bertrand Rusell

Mid-week Hair Update

Bagging

This week I tried out bagging again. Now I am not the biggest fan of bagging (aka GHE) but boy do I take my words back!

This week I M&S my hair thoroughly on the Monday as I did not. My wash day last weekend was quick and simple, mixed my shampoo with walnut oil and cleansed my scalp and hair and then co washed with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner and that was that for the week.

I bagged my hair 3 times this week and only M&S once. Honestly, my hair was so soft and moisturised throughout. The only thing I added to my hair was a spritz of my leave in mid-week and then some oil today to seal in the moisture. Are we still in winter, because my hair is not!

I have also managed to keep a week long PS because of it! Now I don’t know why this turn of events with bagging and me, but I am so loving the results! I will definitely be doing it at least once a week for the rest of winter.

Exercise

This week I managed to get 3 days of exercise, and one thing I have changed it waking up 45 mins early to do my exercise in the morning. Boy on Monday I just hit the snooze button and went back to sleep, and did my exercise in the evening, but Wednesday and Friday I did it! I dragged myself out of bed and went for a run! I felt great for the rest of the day and had some time to myself after work.

Celebrating the Life of my Grandmother

I lost my grandmother this week, so grateful to have had such an amazing lady in my life; I celebrate her life and thank God for her long rich life at 92 years. With 28 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren she remembered all our names to the end. God did not take her mind or her sight. She is greatly missed! RIP Agogo! We selfishly wanted you with us forever.

 

Happy Hair Journey’s Ladies!

‘If I had a flower for every time I thought of you….I could walk through my garden forever.’ – Alfred Tennyson

Why isn’t my hair growing?

My last stretch was the longest stretch I had even been on while on my hair journey, 17.5 whole weeks! When I stretch for 12 weeks my hair usually gains 2 to 3 inches! Boy was I excited to see my results on relaxer day! I had done all the things right, M&S, I was in box braids for 10 weeks, therefore very low manipulation! I was buzzing!

Then relaxer day came and….. No length at all! I was where I was 17.5 weeks ago….I don’t get it, what did I do wrong? And wait a minute…I just did a week’s worth of GHE and inversion method, are you telling me I did not even gain ½ an inch?

What are the reasons hair appears not to grow?

Hair is always growing from our scalp (if we have a good enough balance diet) the weakest part of our hair in addition to the line of demarcation are our ends. Our ends are the oldest part of our hair and to see length they have to be cared for so that they don’t break off, and we appear to have reached our maximum achievable length when we haven’t.

My thought of where I went wrong?

1. I had my hair in box braid for 10 weeks, although my hair was not tampered with it probably wasn’t being moisturised adequately enough, especially with start of the cold weather.

2. I did not actually deep condition or protein treat my hair once in the 10 week period. I regularly washed my hair and used instant conditioners for my moisture boost; this could have led to a moisture protein imbalance.

3. The one thing I really did not do during my last stretch was drink water….Honestly guys when your body is hydrated so is your hair, all the good nutrients in the body can be shared with your scalp for hair growth.

What I will be doing going forward

1. Fewer length checks - Have length checks once every 2 touch ups. Since my last length check was traumatising, I need to move away from length to a health mentality. This will be a hard thing for me to do, but I really need to get over length!

2. No Heat – Reduce my heat usage to a minimum, as I will only be doing length checks once every 2 touch ups I will only use my flat iron once every 24 weeks.

3. Shorten my stretch - my longest retention has been at 12 weeks and this was before my new growth got out of control, for now I plan to keep my relaxer stretch to 12 weeks.

4. Avoid long term protective styling. This works well for people but not everyone, it definitely did not work well for me.

5. Short term protective styling – I will try doing it like the naturals, protective style on wash days up to the next wash day

6. Deep conditioning!

7. M&S - Regular Moisturising and sealing

8. Protein – Give my ends a shot of protein. Use protein conditioner for my ends and coconut oil for moisturising or sealing

9. Water, water, water and a good balanced diet!

What has helped you most with your length retention?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

‘Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.’ – Benjamin Franklin

Mid-week Hair Update

Hair

It’s been another super doper week with my hair. My Bantu Knot Out was a success and my hair moisture levels were also a success. I did not have for a week long PS, as I wanted more contact with my hair. I think I will avoid week long PS during winter as the hair that is hidden becomes very dry by the end of the week, and is prone to breakage.

Goals

My monthly goals are going great thus far. I will be dropping the week long PS for reasons stated above. Otherwise, M&S regularly – check; Cook two new dishes a month – check; exercise twice a week – check!

Blow drying on cool

I have been trying to keep heat out of my regimen for this stretch and so far I am happy to report I have not used direct or indirect heat for 6 weeks! I have tried the tension method of blow drying which gave me great results, but it did make my wash day a little longer.

Last week, I blow dried my hair with cool air, using no technic, just random. Then, I detangled my hair. When my hair was still damp but not really wet, like 90% dry, I M&S, then installed BKO. I really loved the way my hair felt and looked after blow drying on cool! I have never really liked the way my hair feels when I air dry it and honestly I really loved the results I got from blow drying on cool , it was quick and my hair was easier to detangle. This also pushed me to M&S in sections as I was detangling my hair in smaller sections. This was a win. I was able avoid going to bed with wet hair and with future wash days I will avoid walking around with wet hair and getting frizzy hair from air drying!

Exercising

My goodness, has the weather been bad or has the weather been bad! Thanks to insanity I am able to bring my exercise indoors! But I do enjoy my outdoor jogs. I have only been out jogging once last week and once this week and supplementing my missed jogging days with insanity. It is really true that, if you wait for the weather, you will be waiting a really long time, so for now I will continue with my jogging and switch it up for insanity when the conditions are just too crappy.

How has your week been?

Happy Hair Journey’s Ladies! :o)

‘Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.’ – Leo Tolstoy

Why is my hair still dry after a deep conditioner with a moisturising DC?

This was one of the biggest issues I had at the start of my hair journey, my thinking was as long as I used a moisturising conditioner my hair should be moisturised….right….to a newbie who had never used a moisturising conditioner before, I thought this was all I needed.

Dry hair after DC has also become an issue during this winter. My stable DC has just not giving me the results I had gotten used to. This has led me to write up this blog, for other people who are experiencing a similar problem.

Some of the reason hair doesn’t feel moisturised after DC and possible solutions.

[1] You could be using a conditioner that isn’t suitable for your hair, or the outcome you are looking for i.e. instant conditioners are not deep conditioners - Shop for products with ingredients such as behentrimonium chloride, use honey or glycerine addition to help conditioner penetration into your hair strands. Sometimes you just need to shop around and try products that work well for your hair. I have tried other moisturising DC that had behentrimonium chloride but they did nothing for my hair!

[2] You hair might have product build up therefore, the conditioner is not taken up into your hair strand as well – the solution for this is just to apply conditioner to freshly washed hair.

[3] You have not moisturised and sealed hair after washing – all the great nutrients can leave the hair strands, especially during winter when the surrounding environment is sucking moisture out of our hair

Moisturise and Seal your hair, more important to seal so that moisture doesn’t leave the hair strands. Hair porosity is real!! Depending on your hair porosity level your hair might be failing to retain any moisture as it passes right through your strands (high porosity) or it might be difficult for moisturise and product to penetrate into your hair strands at all (low porosity). I have also learnt that you need heavy butters for moisturising during winter and heavy oils for sealing as well.

[4] Not using a satin scarf or pillowcase at night, all the moisture in your hair ends up on your cotton pillowcase - Always use a satin scarf or pillowcase when going to bed to keep the moisturise in your strands and not on your pillow

[5] Using products that are stripping, i.e. harsh shampoos – try prepooing your hair with an oil of your choice before shampooing your hair. Also try to use less harsh sulphate free shampoo.

Or, you could also use a sulphate shampoo for your first wash (you need to remove all that built up) and a conditioning non sulphate based shampoo for your second wash. Avoid washing your hair 3, 4, 5 times!

[7] During winter the central heating can cause our hair to dry out - Regulate your central heating, bag you hair, or use a scarf for your hair indoors to help with moisture retention levels

 [8] Incorrect protein moisture balance - Protein and Moisture are the pillars of healthy hair, getting the right balance will avoid subpar results from deep conditioning. Also keeping yourself hydrated at all times will help you have great moisture circulation within your body that will in turn be of benefit to your hair!

The key is to assessing your products, your hair, and your methods. And always keep in mind the changing weather, what worked in summer will not always work in the winter time.

What has helped you obtain all the benefits of a deep conditioner?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

‘All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won’t succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy’ – Wayne Dyer

Wash Day #6 weeks post

This week I had my wash day on Thursday evening as I was away for the weekend. My wash day was really simple and quick.

[1] DC’ed on dry hair with Vatika Black Seed Deep Conditioner mixed with glycerine and walnut oil. Left a heat cap on for 2 hours (as I went jogging #yayme)

[2] Rinsed out conditioner

[3] Tea Rinsed hair with Rosemary tea and a few drops of rosemary essential oil

[4] Co-washed with Herbal Essence Bee Strong, left it on for 5 mins

[5] Rinsed out my hair and T-shirt dried for 45 minutes

[6] Applied Aussie Hair Miracle Insurance leave in conditioner, I then blow dried my hair with cool air, I did not use any method, I just needed my hair to get dry quick. I then detangled my hair from root to tip in sections

[7] Moisturised my hair with ORS Carrot Oil and sealed with IC serum and two strand Bantu knotted my hair

I haven’t done a bantu knot out in a long time, but my hair was so bouncy I loved it.

How did your wash day go?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

“ Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. ” - Robert Frost

Mid week hair update

This week has been super easy in terms of my hair. I have had it in a PS all week which is such a life-saver with time.

Shedding and Breaking

I have noticed that my hair has been shedding, not badly, but more than usual, so I mixed my rosemary tea with black tea during my last wash day.

I have also noticed that my hair has been breaking; I have shorter strands of hair that I get when I detangle. I am not sure is this is because I have been detangling my hair while it is slightly wetter than usual, or if I am lacking moisture. I worry as it is likely to be my ends that are breaking off #boohoo. I believe this could be more due to my week long protective styles; my hair (ends) might be lacking moisture. For the next 2 weeks I will give the week long PS a break and bun my hair so that I can M&S my entire hair more regularly, then I can rule that out, man, just can’t get the PS trick right!

Warming Conditioner

I did a protein treatment on Sunday and this was the first time I warmed up my conditioner in a bowl of hot water, the conditioner just sunk into my strands. I will definitely be doing this more going forward.

Christening

My really good friend is having her baby girl christened over the weekend, so I got to jet off to Copenhagen and witness it. Children’s bible stories in hand and my super cute Bantu knot out style I was ready to go to the event!

Exercise

My exercise this week has moved indoors, with insanity. I was unable to go for my usual jogs because the weather has been super jealous of my progress so far: p #rollonspring

What are the benefits of hair supplements for my hair?

There are a lot of hair supplements out there on the market that promise hair growth and hair thickness, in record time. I have always been so tempted to try all the pills out there! The only vitamin supplements I take are vitamin C when am under the weather and Iron for medical reasons. I have tried multi vitamin supplements before my hair journey and that wasn’t even for my hair so I cannot say if I benefitted from using them. However, I have heard that iron tablets (just a soft iron tablet) is really good for thicker new growth hair strands – (Stylist Magazine UK), their advice was to eat red meat or lentils at least twice a week and have some green leafy vegetables, as that is all the body needs (disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or doctor don’t quote me on this, I just read it)

What are the benefits of hair supplements?

1. If your body is lacking some vital nutrients that aid to the growth of hair, then taking supplement will help you obtain the deficiency you are lacking. If your body is lacking nutrients, the first part of the body that suffers are the ones that are not vital for day to day body function; i.e. nails, hair, skin (these are less important that keeping you breathing and digesting and fighting disease)

Questions you need to ask before taking

1. Am I really lacking the nutrients I am taking in? It might be worth going for a blood test to see if you are actually low in these nutrients that you plan on taking, if not then really it’s a waste of money as it will just be removed from your body at best or hinder the function of other bodily functions at worst. Interesting article on the huffpost.com about the dangers of Biotin and how an excess of this supplement actually hinders hair growth and can also case high blood sugar levels, skin rashes, lower vitamin C and B6 levels. The article also says that a deficiency of Biotin is very rare. The required daily dosage for biotin is 2.5mg, but some biotin supplements are up to 5mg! Though the article does say biotin is important for hair growth (Article: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4016804)

Ø  Biotin rich food – carrots, almonds, chicken eggs, cow and goat milk, berries and fruits, onions, cucumber, cauliflower – (phew I am definitely eating biotin rich foods!)

2. What are you actually taking? I have seen so many hair supplement products that have unnatural products; I sit there thinking what the hell that is? If you are taking a product that is not normally in your food how will your body react to it? Supplements are produced in a way that mimics the naturally occurring nutrients and is not really in its natural occurring state

3. If you have had issues with your health, it is probably worth taking to you doctor or pharmacist about the supplements you are about to take, as this might actually make your condition worse. I will not lie, the idea of supplements has always been something I wanted to try, however, at the start of my hair journey I was diagnosed with a clot in my brain and had to take up treatment, and guess what every single hair supplement I wanted to try did not work well with my treatment, damn…..had to leave my 10 hair supplement bottles I had picked up back on the counter for someone else to enjoy.

I am not saying hair supplements are bad or that they are not necessary nor am I saying they are good; we just need to ask more questions before using them. Just because your hair crush is using them and got super amazing results does not mean that they are good for you. Most bloggers have disclaimers on their websites; therefore, you should also be making an informed decision.

The funny truth is even when you have a ‘bad’ diet you will be amazed at how much of your daily required nutrients you are consuming and in excess even, therefore taking supplements might not actually be of any benefit. I always thought the supplements we took in that our body didn’t need would just be processed as worst, I was very shocked to even think that too much of a naturally occurring supplement could actually led to complications.

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

‘When you love someone, you love the person as they are, and not as you’d like them to be’ – Leo Tolstoy

 

Fitness Friday on a Monday :)

When I saw the page on KLP on Fitness Friday, I thought, I should up an exclusive exercise post, so I get in on the action!!

I was never one to exercise, the only thing that worked well for me was my high metabolism rate, I could eat as much as I wanted and it would just pass right through me….youth! Until in more recent years, the weight has started staying on me, around my tummy and thighs. I decided enough is enough and if I started exercising, it would help me drop the pounds and tone up in the process. However the willpower was just not there. No matter how hard I told myself to get up in the morning or exercise as soon as I come back from work, it just didn't work. I had so many excuses, ‘I work too hard I am too tired to exercise’, ‘it’s better just to go on a diet’, ‘ the weight isn’t that bad’, ’gym memberships are so expensive'

At the start of the year, I told myself I will try doing a 5k race, but 2 weeks went past and no training was done. Then a few weeks ago, as I was browsing through podcasts I noticed the NHS choices couch to 5k, the title spoke to me, this was a big sign from above! I thought why not try it; there was no excuse about avoiding high gym memberships or lacking a clear plan. Failing to find any more excuses, I started my exercise on the 18th of last month, a fresh Saturday morning. The podcast was great, in 30 minutes I had actually done only 8 minutes of running and the rest was brisk walking, I have slowly gone through week 1 - 3 workout and furthered my running distances every week. Each session is required to be done 3 times a week, and I am told when to run, when to walk, and the music helps too!

I also downloaded Mapmyrun app, and it is amazing at tracking how much I have run and keeps me motivated, as I see the calories burnt and the distance covered. So far in the 12 days of January I covered 13 miles, and lost 5lbs!

I have also incorporated in a day of insanity a week, this completely kills me. However, the stamina from running has really helped get into the intense insanity workout.

This approach has gradually taken me into the exercise work without feeling the initial aches and pains and then shying away. I have lost 5lbs in 12 days! And now am looking forward to covering move distance as I go! And I have never had so much energy in a long time!

 I have just incorporated the exercise into my daily routine, when I get back from work I go out for a 30 min run and it's amazing how quick that goes! And I am so full of energy afterwards, which is so amazing! Another 5lbs in February please! 

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

‘The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.’ –Ayn Rand

Wash Day #5

This week it's protein treatment time. My hair has been in a protective style all week so it was nice dealing with it again. This week my plan of action was try heating up my conditioner and also do a black tea rinse as shedding with the weather tends to be a problem. Here is how it went. 

[1] Prepoo with coconut oil 

[2] Shampooed with Elasta QP creme and conditioning shampoo twice 

[3] Tea Rinsed hair with Rosemary and black Tea

[4] Applied PMSSDT for 5 mins and rinsed

[5] Warmed up my conditioner - protein treatment ORS Hair Mayo mixed with glycerine, walnut oil, peppermint, lavender and rosemary essential oil and wore a heat cap. Left conditioner in for an hour

[6] Rinsed out my hair and T-shirt dried for 45 minutes

[7] Applied Aussie Hair Miracle Insurance leave in conditioner and detangled hair from tip to root

[8] As my hair was 50% dry, I moisturised it with ORS Carrot Oil and sealed it with IC serum and used coconut oil for my ends.

[9] I left my hair to air dry with a scarf on. #exhausted 

How did your wash day go? 

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

'“ The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true. ” - James Branch Cabell

Midweek Hair/Other Update

Hair

This week has been a quiet safe week with regards to my hair. I DC’ed on Monday as the weekend was packed out and have been PS it since. I have been M&S throughout the week. My thought for this week are if there is no extra attention my hair needs I am so OK with that!

Exercising

I have been so happy with the way my exercise goal has been going! Last month I run 13 miles! I have been jogging for 30 mins a day and 3 times a week, and have also shed off a few pounds! Yay me!!

It's too cold to run

Food, food and more food

Also I have been cooking and baking new dishes!!

My latest accomplishment was chocolate fondant!

Chocolate fondant

My next project on the baking sphere will be an apple cake.

In terms of cooking, I tried out a new sausage and vegetable one pot dish, savoury mince pancakes 

savoury mince pancakes

and other favourites of mine has been chickpea, tomato and spinach curry with paratha or chapatti and mushroom, celery pearly barley risotto

Tasted nicer than it looked

 Gosh I feel like I have been eating, eating, eating! I definitely need to keep exercising! The thing is they were all such yummy meals and not complicated to make at all.

How has your week been?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

‘Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind’ – Bernard M. Baruch

The things I do every day that could damage my hair

1. Bunning hair at the same point – this weakens the hair strands in that area and can lead to breakage. It is always best to change your bun position around.


2. Using hair pins – these can pull on your hair strands and break them, make sure the bulb end tips aren't broken off, as the exposed points of your hair pin can tear and snag on your hair strands


3. Nail extensions – badly done nails can tag and pull at the hair and cause breakage. Also unfiled nails can also pull and break thought hair strands. 


4. Portable fan heaters – Oh this can be so drying for the hair, this is like having a blow dry to your hair. 


5. Clothes that pull at your ends – I try wearing a silk blouse when I leave my hair down, otherwise I can feel the damage when my hair gets stuck to a zipper or hook


6. Only moisturising the hair I see in between wash days - this is so bad when I have a bun I just don't want to take down! 


What bad habits do you do every day that could potentially danger your hair?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o)

" O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales. ” - Leo Rosten

Wash day - 4 weeks post

This week I haven't had any issues with my hair that I need to address during my wash days so I kept my was day very similar to last week's. My wash day was done rather late in the week, it fell on a Monday after my jogging session. 

[1] Blended in glycerin, walnut oil, rosemary, peppermint and lavender essential oils and DC over night

[2] rinsed out the conditioner

[3] Co washed with Herbal Essence Honey Bee Strong conditioner 

[4] Tea rinsed with Rosemary tea

[5] Applied PMSSDT for 5 mins and then rinsed out

[6] T-shirt dried hair for 45 minutes

[7] Applied Aussie Hair Miracle Insurance leave in conditioner and detangled hair from tip to root

[8] Moisturised hair with ORS Carrot oil and  sealed with IC serum.

[9] Flat two strand twisted my hair in a parted crown and this is me for the week! 

How did your wash day go? 

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :o) 

' I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world' - Albert Eistein