My current products 2013

 

This past summer I updated my product stash, adding a few new products which have since become my staples.

 

Firstly, for the oldies:

 

 

I've had the Creme of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment for quite a while now, and I occasionly use it to deep condition my braids. The ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner will probably always be in my product list since it is very effective at softening and smoothing my hair.

 

Since putting in my current set of braids, I haven't deep conditioned as yet. Instead, I've been using my new Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Deep Treatment Masque.

 

 

 

This conditioner is definitely my current favourite! It contains less synthetic materials than mainstream conditioners and can be used as both a deep conditioner and a leave-in treatment. When I wore my transitioning fro some weeks ago, I used this treatment as a deep conditioner and it left my hair very soft and easy to detangle. Now that I'm wearing braids I use it as a leave-in treatment. Need another pro? It smells like pina colada! I fell completely in love the first time I got a sweet whiff from the jar.

 

Also new to my product list are the V05 Moisture Milks Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner in Passion Fruit Smoothie.

 

 

 

I do like the shampoo since I find it to be relatively gentle on my scalp. Unfortunately, it has a very thin consistency which I am not used to. I don't like runny shampoos- they are too messy to deal with for my taste. The conditioner is exactly like the V05 Strawberries and Cream in texture, but I definitely prefer the Strawberries and Cream scent.

 

 



 

 

Finally, I purchased My Honey Child Type 4 Hair Creme from amazon.com, after watching a review by jouelzy on youtube. She got very decent results with hold and moisture when styling her hair, so I decided to try it. When using it to create my transitioning fro I did notice that I get stronger, more moist curls the more product I apply. Since it is an oil and butter based product it has a thick, rich and very sticky texture.

 

 

Besides my trusty jojoba oil, that's my entire product stash! Quite minimalistic, don't you think?

 

Happy hair journey!

~Hatter 

Wash day @ 7 weeks post relaxer

On Monday I washed my hair at 7 weeks, 3 days post relaxer.

What I did:

1. Sectioned my hair into 8-9 parts, spraying diluted moisturizer on my roots to soften them and help with the parting. Finger de-tangled, applied ORS Vital Oils and braided each section. 
2. Pre-pooed for about an hour under my heating cap. 
3. Shampooed with ORS Neutralizing Shampoo.
4. T-shirt dried my hair for about 2 minutes, then applied ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner, using 1 & 1/3 packs. Sat with heating cap for about 1 & 1/2 hours.
5. Rinsed my hair and T-shirt dried for about 5 minutes.
6. While hair was still damp, I sprayed diluted moisturizer on my hair, focusing on the roots. Applied Herbal Essences Split-End Protector and de-tangled. 
7. Blow-dried lightly, using tension by pulling down on my hair while blow-drying to stretch my roots.
8. Sealed with ORS Vital Oils.
9. Cross-wrapped my hair for bed and done!

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source

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The next morning I bunned for the first time in a looong time. After doing my hair it felt very soft and manageable. I definitely attribute it to the ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner. It always make my new growth a breeze to de-tangle!

Unfortunately, the breakage is still occurring but I've almost accepted that as normal (sad isn't it??) so I ignored it and styled. I'll be dealing with this issue in a later post.

I planned to wear the bun for the whole day but...5 minutes after going outside it collapsed!
I didn't secure the ends well so when I charged into the wind...let's just say it was hair blowing left, right and centre =P After that I took out the bobby pins and just wore a simple ponytail.

Hair fails... they're inevitable!


Have a great weekend =)
~Hatter

Wash day @ 7 weeks post + ORS Nourishing Conditioner

Today's wash and deep condition was relatively easy for 7 weeks worth of new growth.

First, I deep conditioned on dry hair using Organic Root Stimulator Nourishing Conditioner.

After leaving it on for an hour with my heat cap, I rinsed it out and shampooed.

Then I air-dried my hair with a t-shirt for about 15 minutes, and applied some Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth Split End Protector. Even before applying the moisturizer, my hair felt very soft and smooth.

Today my comb was able to glide easily through my hair, and at seven weeks post that is something to rejoice about!

Usually at this time I would already be experiencing major tangles and friction when de-tangling after deep conditioning. Today I experienced none of those problems.

Firstly, I attribute my results to the ORS Nourishing Conditioner. This is the second time I've used it, and both times it left my hair very soft and smooth...even my thick 4c new growth! It did a marvellous job in increasing slip and leaving my hair well conditioned.

For my hair, it seems to be a light/medium protein. I actually like it better than the ORS Replenishing Conditioner, which was my main staple. The Nourishing Conditioner is less sticky, absorbs into my hair easier and makes my hair a bit smoother.

*Beware! Some may find that the ORS Nourishing Conditioner has a peculiar smell...the first time I used it I hated it! In my opinion it smells like play dough and faintly of bananas...today however, it wasn't that bad since I am a little used to it. My results outweigh the odour so I'll continue to buy this conditioner.

Secondly, I think deep conditioning on dry hair has also helped to reduce tangles and friction between my strands. Like a pre-poo, DCing on dry hair added strength and slip even before shampooing, allowing my hair strands to glide past each other with relative ease.


However, even after using the conditioner I still experienced noticeable, short strand breakage when de-tangling. It was no where along the lines of my previous stretches, but still unusual! My ends are thinning too. Before DCing, I dusted my ends in the hope that it would reduce breakage but it looks like I need a proper trim...and I thought I was protecting my ends well! I guess not...

Guuuurl look at those ends.

Honestly, I'm a bit discouraged because when I did my self-trim 7 weeks ago I thought it was thorough...and now it seems that my hair has gotten damaged since then. So I'm really not sure why I'm experiencing breakage. Is it moisture/protein levels, manipulation or something else?? My ends aren't horrible, but if I don't take care of them as soon as possible I might have to trim more than I'm comfortable with when I relax my hair.


But in all things, I give thanks. I'm trying to stay optimistic and I'm determined to regain thick, healthy ends as one of my 2013 hair goals.


How have you been caring for your hair recently? If you're busy busy like me you know its not always easy!

Love,
~Hatter

All Twisted Up: wash day @ 5 weeks post relaxer.

Today's wash day was very easy and enjoyable! 

What I did:

• Skipping my usual oil pre-poo, I instead deep conditioned on dry hair with Creme of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment with my heat cap for one hour. After my hair cooled down I rinsed in the shower.
• Using my trusted Motions Lavish Conditioning shampoo, I cleansed my hair once and rinsed with cold water.
• After air-drying with the T shirt method, I applied some African Pride Olive Miracle Anti-Breakage Moisturizing Lotion (see above photo) from root to tip, detangled, then proceeded to twist medium sections of hair. I lost very little hair today! Might have been due to my conditioning on dry hair :)

I have to say that the African Pride Moisturizing Lotion is fantastic for my new growth as it always leaves it extremely soft, moist, and flattens my poofy roots. Although it's a lotion, the consistency is light, quite watery and not too greasy to apply, which makes it perfect for my hair. It also helped to keep my twists from unravelling.

Both the Creme of Nature Conditioner and the African Pride moisturizer worked well for my hair- leaving it very easy to manipulate. I was able to easily finger-part my hair, plus, I had almost zero tangles!  Although in my opinion the Argan Oil Conditioner is nothing extraordinary, it's a nice weekly moisturizing treatment. 

I hope it works this well on 7 week post hair!

I really want my twists to stay intact for at least 2-3 days as they are a great low manipulation style. For classes, I plan to put them in a ponytail, bun, or some kind of twisted updo until I'm ready to take them down. The great thing about twists is that I can access my new growth and make sure that its thoroughly moisturized throughout the week. Hope they won't unravel during the night!

Have you ever done two-strand twists on relaxed hair?

~Hatter

Small Hair Haul

Yesterday I went to one of my local beauty supply stores and bought two deep conditioners that I've been wanting to try for a while now:


1.

Organic Root Stimulator HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner

Since the release of the ORS HAIRepair line I've been eager to try all of its products. I used the Vital Oils and the Moisture Creme and I liked them both, so I was glad to find samples of the Nourishing Conditioner. 

I first saw this product reviewed by my favourite youtube guru, ulovemegz:

There are many more reviews by other women with relaxed hair. Some women thought it was mild/heavy protein treatment while for others it was more of a moisture treatment. What's interesting is that they all agree that this product made their hair soft but strong, and some said that it might not be ideal for weekly use. If my hair responds the same way, this conditioner might be good for my first wash day after getting a relaxer to really strengthen my hair after being striped of protein bonds and moisture. 

2.

Creme of Nature Professional with Argan Oil  Intensive Conditioning Treatment

I'm sincerely hoping that this product is the same as the ones pictured below. The only difference I see from the packaging is that my bottle is all red, says "Professional" and the bottle holds 20 oz. I'm assuming that the formula is the same but the packaging is a little different because the size is bigger than the standard packaging. 

cremeofnature.com

I'm excited to try both products and post a review in the new year. (That's 2 days away!! haha)

This has been my last hair haul for 2012! I wonder how many more products I'll try next year...hopefully I won't become a product junkie x.x

What were some of your favourite hair buys this year?

Love!

~Hatter

My Stretching issues 8-9 weeks post relaxer

*disclaimer: this is a lengthy Hatter post!*

Okay, now that you're prepared, read on valiant reader!

On my last relaxer stretch I successfully made it to 9 weeks post. *woop woop!*

Ironically, the only other time I successfully stretched that long was earlier this year on my very first relaxer stretch of my hair journey. Since then I've only been able to manage my new growth for about 7-8 weeks before getting fed up and going to the hairdresser.

As I've mentioned before, by the 7-8 week post relaxer mark I usually encounter these issues:

1. by eight weeks post my hair does not feel "slippery" or smooth and lubricated after deep conditioning. 
2. detangling after washing and deep conditioning becomes almost a nightmare as breakage, tangling, matting (and tears) increase and rollersets become increasingly difficult.

Although I adapted my regimen slightly during my last stretch to try to deal with these issues, I still encountered similar problems. =(

Some things I thought would have helped:

•  using diluted moisturizer to hydrate and soften my new growth. (This actually did work! My new growth was as tame as a lamb lol.)

• more low manipulation and protective styles during the week such as buns and braidouts.

• I also stopped using combs everyday and decided to finger comb more often. I do think that this contributed to less breakage than I usually experience around 8 weeks post relaxer.

• I focused on keeping my ends moisturized by generously apply deep conditioner from tip to root, as well as coating my ends with oil at night.

• I used a heavier protein treatment to deep condition with. 

On my last wash before my relaxer I used the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise after pre-pooing with the Optimum Care Fortifying Conditioner. I realized that I gave my hair a double shot of protein! That might explain why I still experienced significant breakage on my last wash day. My hair might have gotten too much protein, causing it to snap and break off. 

This is actually ironic as my hair usually loves protein. I guess I messed up my moisture/protein balance that time.

It also didn't help that at 7 weeks post, I failed to detangle properly and as my hair air-dried I got some wicked dreadlocks forming at my roots. (For realz)

I can't understand why my hair gets so tangly and rough after 7 weeks post. Is it that my cuticles remain raised? If so a product like Roux Porosity Control or even an apple cidar vinegar rinse may help to close my cuticles and make my hair smoother and easier to manage.

Or maybe 8-9 weeks post just isn't a viable option for me. I know that the longer I stretch, the healthier my scalp becomes between relaxers, but I really don't want to sacrifice the health of my hair. My hairdresser claimed that the texture of my hair makes it difficult to stretch longer than 8 weeks. Honestly, I think I agree with her. I have a tight curl pattern...picture the thickest,  most dense afro you can imagine...

...yup! That resembles my 4c hair texture.

Can that texture and relaxed hair realistically coexist for an extended period of time? My experiences seem to be telling me no =(

I hate the relaxer process and I really want as few trips to the salon as possible in a year, but the cons have been outweighing the pros of stretching 8 weeks and beyond. The breakage (and tangling in particular!) I experience at 8 weeks post have to stop as I really can't bear to continue dealing with them in the near future.

I'm honestly not looking forward to stretching beyond 8 weeks again, so I think that on my current stretch, my last wash day will be at seven weeks post, then a couple days after that its relaxer time.


Any advice?

~Hatter

Softest, bouncy-est rollerset ever!

Last Sunday I washed my hair, and let me tell you, I had a blast!

On Wednesday 29th August I had my hair relaxed at a salon (stay tuned for my relaxer update!) at 8 weeks, 5 days post.
The major thing that struck me about my experience at the salon is that the lady didn't deep condition my hair after relaxing it. (Say WHAT?!)

It was only when she was rollersetting my hair that I realized this and asked her about it. She replied that I had to request a deep condition or she wouldn't do one. -.-
This explains why I was forced to make last Sunday a wash day, only four days after my relaxer.

I started by pre-pooing with the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque, which I reviewed here as a deep conditioner. Although I didn't like it for deep conditioning because it gives no slip, in my opinion it's good as a pre shampoo treatment.

Anyway! On to the good stuff.

This week my rollerset was the best I've ever done! In the past I've hardly ever gotten the soft, bouncy, moisturized and shiny results as I did on Sunday, so I'm recording what I did for future reference:

  

• After pre-pooing, shampooing and deep conditioning I applied a generous dollop (about quarter sized or a bit larger) of my Neutrogena Silk Touch Leave-In Cream to each of the four sections that I washed and conditioned my hair in.
• I then applied about half a pump of my Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum to each section of my hair. 
• I proceeded to detangle my hair and finally-
• Rollerset, using a small spray bottle filled with water to moisten my hair as I rollerset each section.
• After setting I used a blow-dryer on my hair for about an hour (taking a break in between! lol) to speed up my drying time

Et voila!

My hair was the bombbbbbb. Oh! Such soft and bouncy haaaaiiiirrrrr *swishes hair dramatically*
Plus!! Can you see from the picture above of how little hair I lost after detangling?! Ermergerddddd that's incredible! (I have a sneaking suspicion its only because I lost quite a bit of hair during my relaxer process with a new hair dresser...but maybe I'm just paranoid! =P)

I will definitely repeat the steps above on my next wash day! :) My results almost compensated for my nightmarish wash day experience the week before at 8 weeks post.

'Tis all for now!

(Forever)
~Hatter