Weekly Report: 6 week post (June 22-June 28)

I am now 6 weeks post.

For the past 2 weeks, I've had my hair braided under my half wig. I didn't really deal with my hair at all, except moisturize and seal it every single night, and also re-braid the hair left out in the front, so it would blend in with my wig.

This week, I tried a new method to help me retain moisture in my hair. I baggied my whole head every night this whole week. Basically, after I'm done moisturizing + sealing, I just take a plastic cap and put it on my head, and then tie my satin scarf around it and go to bed. This left me with hair that is more moisturized in the morning, and I didn't notice that much breakage. My hair had great elasticity. I think I will be adding bagging nightly to my regimen when my hair is in braids for a wig, and also when it's in a ponytail.

As you might have read in a previous blog, I bought Black Tea, and also garlic pills. I did my first rinse on Sunday {June 27th] and also started taking the pills Sunday night. After taking out the braids, my hair shedded all the dead hairs that I had since i didn't comb my hair in 2 weeks. But there was still some shedding going on. I'm still testing out the Black Tea and Garlic pills. I'm adding them to my regimen too.

I washed my hair on Monday (June 28th), and blow dried it 95%. I used low heat. Yea, I know I broke my heat challenge, but seriously the heat was warm air. I had to blow dry because I had a doctors appointment to go to, and it was raining outside too...I think you would have done the same thing if you were me!

Right now my hair is in a ponytail/bun, and will remain that way for the rest of the week. I ordered my Sensationell wig, but unfortunately, Clairhair contacted me and told me they were sold out and that I would have to wait 2 or 3 weeks for a new shipment. I just asked them to refund my money because I don't have time to wait that long...I need my wig now! In 3 weeks, that's the time I will be getting a relaxer so why would i want to wear a wig?

Anyways, I plan on washing my hair again on Thursday, so that by Friday I can do a spiral roller set for a BBQ I'm going to on Saturday. I have to do the roller set on Thursday night and remove the rollers on Saturday morning because my hooded dryer decided to stop working on me ugh! I want to get a Pibbs dryer so we'll see about that later on. Now I have to air dry for almost 2 days to get pretty results. I'll take pics to share with you all if it comes out how I want it to.

I'm Ready To Fight Shedding!

I went to the Supermarket today to do some organic hair shopping. I picked up some Black Tea (made by the company Salada), and a bottle of Garlic supplements (made by the company Sundown). I got the tea for such a good price! Luckily it's on sale this week..100 bags of tea for only $1.99..I had to get it. I'll have it for a while too. I also plan on drinking a cup of Black tea daily just to make sure it's running through my system. I'm going to use these immediately. I plan on washing my hair on Monday, so I will be trying the tea rinse on that day. But starting tomorrow, I'm gonna start taking the garlic pills. Wish my luck! And of course I'll let you all know how my experience goes.

1970's Hair Idol: Cher

I love Cher's hair, especially in the 70's. There's something about that long, thick, straight, Black as night colored hair that she had that was so captivating and attractive back then. I know she's not Black, but hair is hair regardless of race. I've seen some Black women on the online hair boards with hair as long as Cher's, so it's possible for Black women to achieve such length as she has. I hope one day to reach this envious length that she once had. Gosh, I love that woman's hair. And I wouldn't mind her stomach either ;)

Weekly Report: 5 weeks post (June 14-June 22)

I am now 5 weeks post.

The last time I washed my hair was last Monday (June 14th). I wore it in a ponytail up until last Thursday (June 17th). I braided my hair into cornrows (with my own hair) and wore my Outre Tammy half wig over it.

I am still wearing my Tammy half wig and plan on washing my hair next Monday (June 28). By then I should be receiving my Sensationel Half wig, which I will be rocking for 2 weeks with my hair braided underneath.

Before I braided my hair into the cornrows, I had a bit of shedding and got really frustrated, which is part of the reason why I put my hair into cornrows in the first place to wear a wig. I don't want to have to deal with my hair and see hair in the sink every day..(it hurts). I have to do something about this, and quick! Or else I could suffer yet another set back, which would probably mean reaching BSL before the year ends wont happen.

I plan on buying Black Tea at the supermarket this weekend, so I can be ready to use it for when I wash my hair on Monday. Black Tea is known to stop shedding, so I'll see if it works for me in my situation.

I still plan on relaxing at either 9 or 10 weeks post relaxer.

My Next Wig: Sensationnel HZ 7004

I've had my Outre Tammy 1/2 wig since January, and it's been 6 months already...I need a new wig. So I went over to Clairhair.com and browsed a little bit and finally laid my eyes on this cute wig. It's called Sensationnel Synthetic half wig HZ 7004. I like it because it looks just like my hair, just a little bit shorter, and seems like nobody would know whether or not I was wearing a wig...(not that I care anyways). But it's definitely what I'm looking for: Straight, silky, bouncy, and clean cut. I think I will be ordering this baby either this weekend or next. I hope to rock her this summer for my cousin's graduation, BBQ's, family gatherings, and of course, work. This will definitely help me stretch my relaxers out. I also decided that every 6 months, I will be ordering a new wig. Since I don't wear box braids anymore, I find that wigs replace the benefits that the braids provided, but without the damage and also helps preserve my thickness. Cant wait!

China Glaze "Solar Power"

It's been a minute since I last got my nails done, so I decided today to go get a manicure and pedicure. During the summer time, I like to keep the color of my nails fun and colorful. About 3 months ago, I went to Sallys and saw that the China Glaze polishes were on sale for $2 and some change each. I wanted to try something different so I picked up the Solar Power, to use in the summer time. I did a test sample, but never wore it until now. I went to the nail salon and got a mani and pedi with this beautiful color. I wanted to add a smiley face to each of my fingers, but I didnt have enough to pay extra, so I'll get it done next time. On my hands, I just painted them regularly, and on my toes, I added a smiley face to each big toe (I'll add pics of my toes later). But I'm definitely loving this color! One coat of this polish will give you a sheer color, so the lady added 2 coats. I just love the way the color compliments my skin tone..really pretty! I give this color 2 thumbs up :)

China Glaze "Solar Power"

Weekly Report: 4 weeks post (June 7-June 14)

Hey everyone! I'm just updating you all on my hair. If you don't already know, for this particular relaxer stretch (May-July), I will be writing a weekly report of my hair until it comes time to relax it. I am doing this for my records and also for my readers to keep up with my updates.

I am now 4 weeks post relaxer! I am really beginning to feel some buds of new growth sprouting up this week. Last week, the buds were just coming in and didnt feel so "bubbly". But this week, I feel a lot of bubbles of growth. My hair seems to get new growth faster in the summer time.

As far as maintenance, I think I did pretty good this week. I moisturized and sealed twice a day, and even baggied my ends for a few nights. I applied Jamaican Castor Oil to my scalp this week only 2 times. I think 2 times is enough for me because that stuff makes my scalp itch like crazy! And I also feel that it's too much manipulation to take down my ponytail all the time, and part my hair into sections to oil my scalp. So I just oil my scalp 2 times a week (Monday and Friday). My hair is still shedding a little bit, but nothing too drastic. Since my hair has some length to it, it will look like I lost a lot of hair when I shed, and that's not the case. I'm already taking my vitamins, every single day, and also plan on buying Garlic supplements sometime this week. Some ladies over at Hairlista.com recommended that I try a Black Tea Rinse. They said its supposed to reduce the amount of shedding, so I think I'll give that a try sometime in the future. I still need to do some more research on this method before trying it out.

I have 4 more weeks left before I relax, but lately I've been thinking of adding 2 more weeks to my stretch and stretching for 10 weeks instead of 8. Reason being, I just feel that relaxing at 8 weeks post is too soon for me. If my shedding persists, then I will definitely relax at 8 weeks post, but if not, then 10 weeks sounds alright to me.

I also decided that once I reach BSL, I probably will start on my transition to natural hair. Ever since I started my hair journey, I have been stretching my relaxers, and finally discovered how my natural hair feels like. I love playing with my new growth, and I always feel so naked when I relax them away. My head feels so light with out my NG. But for once in my life I want to grow long relaxed hair first because once I stop relaxing, I dont think I'll ever look back. After I achieve my goal with relaxed hair, I am looking forward to natural hair with out the big chop. It's just a thought. I will still relax until I reach BSL, which is approximately 4-5 inches away. When I start my transition, I will not be chopping anything off at all..just dusting/trimming no more than 1/2 inch off every 3 months. I am trying to reach WL with my relaxed ends first before they all break off from the natural hair hehehe.. I'll probably transition for 2 or 3 years. I'm just telling you guys what's in store for the future! :)

Weekly Report: 3 weeks post (May 31-June 8)

I am now 3 weeks post relaxer!

This week is not so much different from last week. I wore my hair in a bun for the whole week, and combed my hair only once this whole week. I don't know if I'm going crazy or hallucinating, but I'm beginning to feel some buds of new growth sprouting up. They say your hair grows faster in the summer time so that might be the reason! This past week, the weather was HOT and HUMID, and I sweated a lot. I really felt like washing my hair in the middle of the week, but I don't co-wash because my hair hates too much manipulation. I also drank a lot of water to help keep me hydrated and also to get that hair growth going. I kept my hair wrapped up in a satin scarf every single minute I spent inside my house, despite the hot weather. I just feel so much more at ease when my hair is wrapped up when I'm home for some reason lol. It's kind of like my "at home protective style".

I washed my hair today, and for the first time finally got around to actually documenting the whole process on my YT channel. You can view the video by clicking here. I had some shedding during my wash, but I'm not sure if its because I only combed my hair once this whole week or if its a deficiency. I am taking iron supplements, but I'm going to research on garlic supplements to see if they're safe to take.

Pretty much all I did this whole past week was leave my hair in a bun, and moisturize and seal almost everyday, probably missing 2 days. Tonight (June 8th), was my first time since my relaxer to apply Castor oil to my scalp. I plan on applying it to my scalp twice a week, because I don't like too much manipulation. I also bought a few things from the beauty supply store this week. I ran out of plastic caps and duckbill clips, so I restocked on those. And I also bought my first bottle of Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor. Omg...I love this stuff! I mean, pretty much, breakage is non-existant with this product. I think I'm gonna kiss Lekair goodbye :( I have a review coming up for the Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor, so stay tuned for that.

I also got to thinking about whether or not I want to relax at 8 weeks post this time around. I mean, I haven't relaxed as early as 8 weeks post for almost 4 years! I'm a long term stretcher and it just feels....wierd! It's too soon. But during my last relaxer stretch @ 12 weeks post, I had a scary amount of shedding, so my cousin advised me to relax @ 8 weeks just for this stretch to see how my hair reacts. I dunno, its seems so early to me, but for the sake of my hair's health, I'll do it. But I'm gonna try to see if i can try to hold out for probably 10 weeks maybe? It depends on how my hair feels..Sometimes I feel like my hair has a mind of it's own..ugh.

Alright, thats my report for this week!

Weekly Report: 2 weeks post (May 24-May 31)

I am now 2 weeks post. This week wasn't so bad. I purchased a few new things and tried them out on my hair this week.

For the first time, I tried the Aphogee 2 minute Reconstructor, and I must say...I'm impressed. So impressed that I might break up with Lekair Cholesterol. I bought the sample packet of the 2 minute to see if my hair would like it, and my hair loves it! I rarely had any tiny little breaks of hair strands yesterday after i used it. I even tested out how strong my hair was by taking a shedded hair strand from my comb, and tried to pull it apart to see how easily it broke. It took me a while to break the hair, which means that the product works! I also bought the L'Oreal Everstrong Sulfate Free shampoo, which I love! It makes my hair feel so soft and conditioned! I can definitely feel a difference between this shampoo and my old shampoo (NTM Cream lather shampoo). Luckily, I just finished my bottle of NTM shampoo and will not be purchasing it again because it contains sulfates. My new staple shampoo will be L'Oreal EverStrong, which contains no sulfates at all.

For the past week, I kept my hair in a ponytail with the ends tucked in, and moisturized and sealed with S-curl twice a day. I also took my vitamins everyday, probably missing 1 day. I did not comb for the whole week, so it was normal for me to have a few strands of shedded hair on my wash day, which is healthy because on average, humans shed hair everyday. I washed my hair on Memorial Day, and unfortunately had to break my No Heat Challenge for just one day because I was going to Wyclef Jean's house, and I didn't want to go with wet hair looking crazy lol. I only blow dried 85% and let the rest air dry, so it wasn't that bad. I blow dried with lukewarm air. I haven't applied Castor Oil to my scalp yet because I've been so lazy because of all this hot weather. But I'm definitely gonna start applying it to my scalp 2 times a week starting tonight. And that's it for my weekly report!