Condition Yo Hurr

Me with blown out hair

As the title states, this post will be about conditioning the hair. This applies to ALL hair, not just natural hair. I cowashed my hair with Vo5 conditioner (Cost $1 from Family Dollar) and deep conditioned with the same Vo5 PLUS coconut oil.

So what's the point in conditioning the hair in the first place?

From what I understand, DEEP conditioning gives nutrients directly to the hair shaft by entering the cuticle, the first layer of the hair and reaching the cortex, the second layer of the hair. Deep conditioning isn't the same as any other kind of conditioning technique because it actually gets INSIDE the hair shaft instead of sitting on top of it like a leave-in conditioner would.

This stuff won't 'fix' your hair, rather, it will reduce as much damage as it can. It will NOT fix 1)Split Ends, 2) Broken Hair, 3)Chemically Damaged Hair, and lastly 4) Heat Damaged Hair.  BUT, it will fix 1)Dry Hair, 2) Weak Hair, and 3) Overly Porous Hair (to an extent).

Here are my top 3 HOMEMADE conditioners.

1. 1 Banana and 1/2 cup olive oil
2. Olive oil, honey, and coconut oil
3. Mayo and olive oil.

I love making things so I usually use a homemade conditioner. The Vo5 that I mentioned above is half decent. The slip is amazing. Detangling has become a much happier experience now. Unfortunately I used about half the bottle in one sitting, so I'll have to get more.

The reason that I say that it's half decent is because I'm not feeling the ingredients in it. I can barely pronounce the majority of them. The quest for the awesome conditioner continues.

But seriously, PLEASE condition your hair at least once every 2 weeks. Once a week is best but if you're doing a protective style like me you can tailor that to your own needs. Try the Vo5 out and tell me whatcha think. 

I Think I'm Finna Henna

 

I've having a serious problem with dryness right now. I guess the combination of the winter and all of the gel I've been using in my protective styles has jacked me up. I've seen a couple of people do it on youtube and they had awesome results.

Problem is, they were 4as. I've never seen a 4b/4c do it. So, when I get some money, I'm going to order some Jamila Henna and try it out.

I've gotten most of my Henna info from curlynikki.com. She has a tutorial on her website that simplified the process. I'm willing to try anything at this point to cure this dryness.

I also noticed that her hair was tinted a red-ish color afterwards. I DO NOT want that to happen. I like my naturally dark hair. For me, red=ghetto and that ain't cute. But, if it does, I'll deal with it if I get the moisture that I'm seeking.

These are the links that give info about henna.

http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/10/im-henna-head.html

http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/12/henna-pictorial.html

Would you try henna out? 

Regimen Change and Online Shopping

 

I ran out of the majority of the products that I bought from the Jane Carter Solution. I've only got half a bottle of shampoo and a full bottle of holding spray left. Because I am a firm believer of deep conditioning, I need to find a CHEAP, effective conditioner that I can use until the JCS(Jane Carter Solution) shampoo runs out.  Then, I'll move on to another product line.

To be fair, the JCS was pretty darn good. Much better than anything else that I've used, BUT, I don’t think it's the perfect fit for my hair. I'm not in love with the products at all. Detangling is still a tedious chore. I absolutely HATE detangling my hair. It's ridiculously difficult to do. So, we must part ways.

My sister bought some Vo5 Conditioner from our local dollar store and it worked pretty well. It didn't leave me hair feeling super moisturized, but it wasn't dry at all. It will probably be my conditioner of choice for a while. I'll  add a shot of olive oil to it to give it a boost.

On another note, I wanted to talk about where I get my products from.

One word. Online.

Surprisingly, lots of people are afraid of buying things online. They're afraid of getting ripped off or getting a low quality product. And justifiably so. Ordering online is an at your own risk activity. Nonetheless, it's my source of hair products.

Recently, I bought 3 Scalpmaster denman style brushes and some Dr. Woods black soap from amazon.com. I've also bought some coconut oil from amazon.com. I'll be reviewing those products when they arrive.

Anyway, I've never been ripped off or have gotten anything unexpected from online stores. I usually get on YouTube and research a product extensively before I buy it just to make sure the product is legit.

So, try the online thang out. The internet won't bite.

Comments are ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS  welcome.

Thanks,

Lexi

New Protective Style

Sorry for the updates, or lack thereof. I've been swamped with schoolwork.

I'm still going strong with my Natural Hair Challenge.  I have the two strand twists, but this time I have flat twisted the sides to give it a faux-hawk look. I used Eco Styler Gel and Shea Butter. This combination of a holding product and a moisturizing products makes my hair look awesome. 

 I bought some Lustrasilk Shea Butter and Mango Cholesterol at the BSS and used it as a deep conditioning treatment. I actually had to condition twice because I was being hardheaded and left the cholesterol in for 30 minutes instead of the 3-5 minutes that were in the directions. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. 

Anyway, I'm considering getting some weave just so I can get a new look. I've got about 61 days left of my challenge and I really wanna finish, but I'm getting bored with my hair.

 My options are:

A) A huge afro with the front flat-twisted-sew in

B) a quick weave in the still of Rihanna's short hair

C) A bob quick weave.

I'm worried about how flat my big ole hair will lay underneath the weave and I have a problem with hair that looks 'wiggy'. Most weave hairstyles with no part look like wigs to me, so I'm worried about that. I would like to have no hair 'out' so I don't have to worry about blending it with the weave.

But most importantly, I'm worried about the GLUE. Back in my relaxed days, glue was the devil. It snatched out waaay too much hair and was extremely difficult to get out.

What should I do? Keep going with the hair challenge or get a new hairstyle?