Relaxed Hair Tings

 As my hair grows longer I am excited to try new styles and build up my go to low manipulation and protective styles. This past weekend on wash day I decided to try braiding my hair into 2 braids. I like the simplicity of this style and you can move the part around so as not to stress the same area. No extensions were used. I have to say it was a bit more challenging than I thought it was going to be. I persisted and got a pretty good outcome for the first try. With more practice it will get better. I only used my moisturiser and sealed with coconut oil to keep things simple. I am currently just over six weeks post relaxer and that new growth isn't playing. Once I start wearing my hair out more this will definitely be one of my go to that will help give both me and my hair a rest. What are your go to styles?

 I am currently 4week post relaxer and am planning to stretch to 10weeks this time around. What is relaxer stretching? Also commonly referred to just as stretching, relaxer stretching is when you wait to apply relaxer to your hair after the last application. How long to stretch is an individual decision, however there are a few things to consider. Generally people stretch from 8 to 12 weeks to 6 months or even a year. The main reason for stretching is to ensure there is enough new growth to apply relaxer without overlapping previously relaxed hair. Overlapping can lead to over processed, damaged thin hair. What to consider when stretching One of the things to consider is how quickly your hair grows. If your hair grows out pretty quickly you may have sufficient new growth to relax at 8 weeks for example compared to someone who might need to get to 14 weeks for the same amount of growth. This also links into another consideration of how manageable it is. If your new growth is super t...

 It's been a while since my last update. Hope you have all been well, learning and making progress towards your goals. I try to use each relaxer stretch as way to find my ideal routine, products etc. Last stretch I had noticed some itching and flaking on my scalp and wanted to get to the bottom of it. It wasn't a major irritation but it made me feel like I needed to wash my hair more often. One ain't nobody got time for that and two the dollars I have are finite, also there was no guarantee washing more often would resolve it. I am looking to make a nice routine that I can manage in spite of what life may throw at me. Having said that I completely stripped back what I was doing. I stopped oiling my scalp. Initially I had stopped using my oil mix and went down to just olive oil but my scalp was itching before the week was out. I tried just my coconut oil and had the same result so I completely stopped. The itching and flaking completely reduced. When I deep conditioned I had...

  The below is what my regimen is currently looking like. I am still working on it as I learn what my hair likes and also trying to find products that I will stick to all the time. Daily - Put hair up in a scarf/bonnet when I go to sleep   Weekly - Shampoo and condition x1 - Moisturize and seal x2 - Oil scalp x2   Monthly - Clarify x 1 - Deep condition x2   Others: - Dust/trim as needed  - Wear protective/low manipulation styles 99% - Prepoo as needed   What is your current regimen and has been working for you?

With starting my hair journey I quickly realized I needed to make note of how things were going. This  included making note of what products I liked or disliked and why. That's how my hair diary started. Before I started my hair journey I would buy whatever products I could find at the shops and use them. Once they run out I would go back see what is available and buy that. I have realized that most products especially for relaxed hair are imported from overseas. If the store thinks a product is not popular or going slowly they may choose not to restock when it runs out. This is the kind of challenge I have on top of some products being discontinued. With starting my hair journey and trying to find products I like, I now have to make a conscious effort to find them. My current plan is to find a main staple product and a back up for each use. Hopefully they will be from different companies too. Recently trying to see what some highly recommended products cost left me a little down a...

  First ever roller set!   We welcomed the new year and I started preparing for my relaxer. For the first time in a while I could now part my hair into 4 sections! This really showed the progress as last time I struggled to section it. A new thing that I added to my relaxer routine was to twist my hair in those sections. I did this a few days prior. It wasn't a precise job by any means but it really helped on the day. I was able to go through applying the relaxer in a good amount of time and managed to smooth my hair out a few times before rinsing the relaxer out. I have seen this method from a few ladies on YouTube and it certainly makes the process much smoother. I was going to do a comparison with pictures of my last relaxer and this one but I didn't feel like flat ironing my hair so that will have to be for some other time. After relaxer my hair is soft and easier to comb and run my fingers through. However my hair is still curly and still has texture. I would like to get ...

  Over on Instagram Val (@hairlicious) was hosting a castor oil challenge from October for 3 months and this has just finished. I was so excited to join the challenge, I signed up so fast! Then I had to dig through my cupboards to see if I had any castor oil. I found some Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil from a while back and was relieved I could participate. The reason for the excitement was that I was rebuilding my routine and trying to be consistent. This challenge would help me stay on track and be accountable with the weekly check ins. I joined the basic level for a few reasons. One of the reasons was that I hadn't used castor oil for a while and I couldn't remember the reason I stopped. I didn't want to join at a higher level with higher usage without knowing how my hair will react. The other reason was also to not overwhelm myself so the requirement to apply castor oil 1-2 times a week was just perfect for me. First I incorporated the castor oil by applying it to...