Challenge review month #2

Stretch: I am currently 12.5 weeks post. My aim was to get to 12 weeks post and pass it. I have achieved this goal with little breakage compared to my last stretch. I will be 13 weeks post on Wednesday and will relax my hair on the Saturday at 13.5 weeks post. This is the end of my stretching challenge and I am happy to say I achieved my goal and looking to stretch up to 16 weeks next time!

The things that helped me during this stretch was S Curl for my roots and water and glycerine mix for the rest of my hair.

Nape: My nape area has been moisturised throughout the month of August I will be reviewing the growth on my relaxer day when am 13.5 weeks post, this challenge will continue until my 1 year anniversary.

Ends: My ends have really picked! I posted a picture of my ends for the GAHL challenge! My personal ends challenge is coming really well, official check in to be done after relaxer and dusting in the next week.



my ended as they were at the start of August 2013



Protective styling: This month was really good, I managed to do my 2 protective styles plus 1 extra. One I had one at a wedding and the other I did on my day to the office, and the final one over the weekend. Thinking of it I am always in a protective style (hair clip) but it’s too boring for the challenge hehehe. See my results below

Protective style for a wedding

twist out faux bob

Protective style #3

Hairline: This challenge has been going really well. I use castor and peppermint oil every night, at the start I used it twice a day! My hairline has improved, I have been doing this for a month now, my hair line on my left hand side it back to how I know it, it’s just the hair line on my right hand side which needs to continue on this challenge, see pictures below. I am really happy with the state they are in at the moment, but I will continue with the castor oil! Also added some grapeseed oil and rosemary oil to my other mix, this challenge has 2 more months remaining, but the improvements are definitely there



Top: this was my hair line as at 28^th July left hand side. Middle: hair line right side 28^th August, Bottom: Left hand side 28^th August



Overall: Wow, I cannot believe the number of self challenges I am on!!! Hehehe....the biggest improvement has been my hair line! My ends still need to be loved, and for better ends it will come with trimming/dusting, I believe my challenge will help me with good hair practices.

How are your self-challenges going?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies and Gents! :)

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

Boost of moisture - Mini week Wash

1.     Sectioned hair in 4

2.    Applied Vatika Deep Conditioner hot oil treatment to dry hair, sat with 2 heat caps and cloth shower cap for 2 hours

3.    Detangled with a wide tooth comb

4.    Co-washed with Aussie take the heat conditioner and Herbal Essence Bee Strong Conditioner

5.    Rinsed out

6.    T-shirt dried hair for 1 hour

7.    Sprayed Aussie Hair Miracle Insurance and detangled

8.    Bunned hair and applied gel to edges, tied it with a silk scarf.

9.    Next morning moisturised it with Elasta QP Mango and Olive Butter Moisturiser.

10. Bunned it for the day

I needed a quick moisture boost to my hair last night, I still need to carry out a protein treatment before my relaxer which I will do over the weekend or midweek next week.

My hair was so soft and fluffy and really at this rate, it could go for another week or so, had no idea just having conditioners without all the fuss of tea rinse, oils etc could be so amazing and moisturising, will try incorporate a mid week DC cowash!

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies! :-)

‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favour freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle.’ – Fredrick Douglass

Product Haul

Am sure am not supposed to be having a product haul as it is not in line with my monthly goals but oh well.....

1.     Herbal Essence Bee Strong Conditioner – this product was on buy one get one free deal, and am almost out of conditioner, so it happened....

2.    Herbal Essence Hello hydrations Conditioner

3.    Ginger Herbal tea – I am planning on using this for my tea rinse, it comes with a blend of other teas such as peppermint, liquorice root, rose hip, strawberry leaves, sage, basil, birch leaves, nettle, hyssop and walnut leaves, just to name a few (yes the list went on).

4.    Rosemary essential oil – I used to have this but gave it to my mum for her hair.

5.    Rosemary tea

6.    Burdock root

7.    Elasta QP Mango and Butter
8. Vatika Honey, Almond and Aloe Vera Moisturiser - biggest mistake, I should have read the ingredients, 2nd ingredient Paraffin liquidium :( will use it for my length during my relaxer days. 

I got the teas because of a blog I read on ‘Relaxed thairapy’. Divachyk spoke of tea rinsing helping moisturise hair?!?!? Now I have been using black tea to do my hair since the start of my hair journey, but moisturising is not a word I would associate with what that tea does to my hair.

I reached out to Divachyk who told me that she has the exact same experience with black tea, however, the teas she uses that are moisturising are marshmallow root, burdock root and slippery elm. So I embarked on a mission to find other herbal teas, and I came across rosemary tea, ginger tea and burdock root! Tada! I quickly bought them.

What hair products have you stocked up?

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies and Gents! :-)

‘Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words’ Robert Frost

Wash day 11 weeks post

1.        Sprayed ginger tea on dry hair

2.        DC with ORS hair mayo mixed with peppermint oil, grapeseed oil, glycerine, lavender and rosemary oil for 30 minutes in a heat cap

3.        Detangled hair

4.        Rinsed out conditioner

5.        Shampooed hair once with Elasta QP crème conditioning shampoo

6.        Tea rinse with ginger tea using a spray bottle, let it drip out

7.        Applied Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment for 5 mins

8.        Rinsed out

9.        Applied Tresemme Rich Moisturising conditioner for 5 mins

10.        Rinsed out

11.        T-shirt dried my hair for 1 hour 

12.        Sprayed Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave in Conditioner

13.        Detangled hair

14.        Air dried hair

15.        M&S using ORS Carrot Oil and coconut oil

16. Tried out a protective style.

Am currently 11 weeks post and aiming for a 13 week stretch. My new growth has really set in, have more new growth at the back and crown of my hair.

This was my first time using ginger tea rinse, last week I did a coffee rinse and I really didn’t like it, the coffee smell lingered on for so long. Ginger tea was gentle on my hair and will definitely use it going forward, I didn't have the drying feel i get witg black tea, my hair was soft and fluffy, did my hair feel moisturised....well more moisturised than when I use black tea, however, my DC is loaded with so many oils, so will have to make a review of this after a couple of day.

My hair was in need of a protein treatment this week, it was close to having a moisture overload, thus this wash day has restored my hair protein and moisture balance. Might do a moisturising DC mid week and protein again at 12 weeks post in time from my relaxer at 13 weeks post. 

Happy Hair Journeys Ladies and Gents! :-)

‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ – Dr 

Seuss

Lessons learnt: Stretching 101

This has been my longest stretch without the use of a ‘permanent’ protective style i.e weaves and braids, I had a setback due to protein overload that results in breaking hair from my pervious stretch, so was out to really do it well this time around. These are the lessons I have learnt during my current stretch

1. Moisture is very important – in order to maintain my moisture levels I M&S more frequently than I usually have done. My new growth at about 7 weeks post really likes S Curl.

2. I started DCing with glycerine – I always add oils in my DC, but I have found that added a little bit of glycerine really draws the moisture into my strands!

3. Tea rinses – Since I have been doing tea rinses I really do not have a problem with shedding hair due to tea rinsing, when I stop I do get shed hairs but it’s not alarming

4. Protein and Moisture ‘balance’ – at the start of my hair journey this statement to me meant, 1 part moisture, 1 part protein, as in really balanced, however, this has been far from it, my hair and most requires more moisture than protein, this ‘balance’ is not an equal like to like balance at all.

5. Protective Styling – my go to protective style was usually a bun, however due to incorrect bunning I suffered thinning hair line and therefore opted for hair clip which is better for my hairline and general hair

6. Castor oil and peppermint oil for the hair line – due to my bad bunning habit I have been using castor oil and peppermint oil to rebuild my hair line, will post one month results soon. Castor oil and peppermint oil really do stimulate growth and thickens the hair strands

7. Ceramides – I have only just started using grapeseed oil in my hair journey about 7 weeks now but I can already say I see the benefits, my hair is much stronger and better moisturised than it was during my last stretch, will never go without ceramides!

8. Finger combing – this I swear by, less hair manipulation = less hair breakage and loss

9. Detangling before washing hair- This has helped me so much, I either detangle after my pre-poo session or DC session if this was my first step, matted hair is no one’s best friend!

10. Loosening my hair after a long day! – Honestly, just giving my hair that breather from the protective styles and hair ties has been so amazing, most people use this time for scalp massages which stimulate blood flow to the head, but honestly I hardly massage my scalp (lazy!!) just letting your hair have a breather at the end of the day has helped me keep my head relaxed!

Learning all this has helped me during my stretch this time round and will be using this going forward.

What stretching techinics do you swear by?

Happy Hair Journey’s Ladies and Gents :-)

‘There is always some specific moment when we become aware that our youth is gone; but, years after, we know it was much later’ – Mignon McLaughlin.