Caruso Steam Rollers

I am so interested in investing in the Caruso Steam Rollers system! I've heard of them before, and even watched videos about them..but I was never interested because I already had magnetic rollers and a hooded dryer. I saw it as a waste of money since I already had rollers. But 2 months ago, my hooded dryer decided to stop working..which left me a little lost. I didn't know what else to do with my hair on wash days except air dry and wear it in a bun. But a couple of days ago, a light bulb turned on in my head and I came up with a great idea. I could use steam rollers instead! They're fast, and easy, and they dont require the use of hooded dryers.

Every time i do a roller set, I always wrap my hair after wards, I never wear the curls out...I just don't like that look on me. I just needed a technique to give me the ability to wear my hair down with a little bump at the ends with out using direct heat. Roller setting and doing a saran wrap method was my only option, but unfortunately, my dryer broke! I can now alternate by using steam rollers.

Steam rollers are a lot more healthier than regular roller setting because it actually uses steam instead of heat. Steam adds moisture to the hair and seals the cuticle, whereas heat draws moisture out of the hair causing it to dry out the cuticle. I plan on buying this at Sally's Beauty Supply during the weekend. I will definitely keep you all posted on how my first Caruso roller set goes!

My July 2010 Relaxer Updates

I relaxed after 9 weeks post on July 23rd. My cousin relaxed my hair at the salon she works at in New Jersey. What a day...But I loved my results.

She used Affirm Fiberguard relaxer, and as requested, she left a little wave in my hair because i don't like when my hair is relaxed pin straight. She wet wrapped my hair, sat me under the dryer, then blow dried lightly and flat ironed. I also got a trim. I don't think I'm gonna make BSL this year, but I want to be as close to it as possible so that's what I'm aiming for. She always trims my ends with every relaxer, even if I don't want to lol. She says it'll be better for me in the long run. I'm really not in a rush to reach longer hair. As long as it's thick, healthy, and the ends are not split, then I'm good to go.

When I'm 6 weeks post, I plan on getting a partial sew-in and leaving it on my hair for 2 months. This will definitely help me stretch for 16 weeks with no problem. Here's a picture of my hair 2 days after my relaxer. I didn't have time to take pics before since it was so hot and humid outside, plus i was also very busy and tired.

I'm surprised I still have hair on my head after all that shedding I got for the past few weeks. I'm glad Im beginning to see results from the garlic pills though. I didn't shed as much as I did during my previous stretch. For the next few weeks leading up to my sew-in, Im gonna do protective styles 98% of the time. I'm getting kind of tired of this length.

My protective bun

I am back to wearing my buns! I stayed away from buns for so long because the style is so boring to me. But I realized in order to achieve my goals faster, I need to wear them. I tried something new with my bun yesterday. I added a side braid to the front to give my bun some personality. I like it. I will be wearing my hair like this for the whole summer up until I relax again in November. Speaking of buns, I need to do a tutorial on how i did my bun. I get quite a few requests. If you follow me on Youtube, keep a look out for my bun tutorial!

Front view

Side view


Back view

Weekly Report: 9 weeks post (July 12-July 19)

I am now 9 weeks post relaxer!

I will actually be relaxing my hair on Friday (July 23rd) instead of the 26th. My mom's surprise birthday party will be on Saturday, and also my church is having a celebration on Sunday. So I think it's right that I relax my hair on Friday so it can look good for those days.

Thank you all for sticking with me for 9 weeks and reading my weekly reports! As most of you may already know, I will be attempting a 16 week stretch after my relaxer on Friday. If it goes well, I may stretch every relaxer to 16 weeks. I am also set on maybe transitioning once I hit BSL. I have no problem with my relaxed hair, but sometimes change is good. I would like to experience natural hair one day. I also know my hair would be thicker, and retain length better. This would also mean I would be going back to braids, which means I would get to see my braiding lady again!! I miss her... Once I hit BSL, I want to enjoy my length for a few months, then proceed to transitioning :) I have maybe 4 or 5 inches to go, so transitioning wont be anytime soon.

I washed my hair on Friday after wearing cornrows for a week under my half wig. I'm surprised I didn't have that much shedding as usual. I was shocked! I think the garlic supplements and the black tea are working!

Right now, my hair is in a bun. I haven't worn a bun in so long. I'm gonna have to get used to it, because this is the way my hair is gonna be all summer through November. I tried something new to spice up my bun. I did a side braid in the front to add some life to the boring librarian bun lol. Thursday night, i will detangle my hair in sections, base my scalp, and protect my previously relaxed hair with coconut oil.Let's pray my relaxer day goes well.

Weekly Report: 8 weeks post (July 5-July 12)

I am now 8 weeks post relaxer!

Thursday [July 8], I braided my hair into cornrows to wear my half wig over it for protection. I moisturize and seal my hair every night before bed. I also put on a plastic cap before bed to lock in moisture.

There's nothing much to report about this week since I haven't really dealt with my hair since last Thursday. I will be wearing my hair in cornrows until next Thursday [July 22nd]. I think I will be relaxing at 10 weeks post on July 26th. I wanted to relax on July 19th, but I don't think I'll have my GPS delivered to my house by then. I need a GPS to locate the salon I'm going to since this will be my first time going there, and it's 45 minutes away.

I am still taking my garlic pills nightly. I don't know if they are working just yet because my hair is braided up. But it feels good to not have to deal with my hair for almost 2 weeks.

Plans For My Next Relaxer Stretch

When I say next relaxer, I don't mean the one I'm about to get in a week or two. I mean the relaxer I get after the one I will be receiving next week.

Well last night, I made a drastic decision to stretch my next relaxer to 4 months (16 weeks). It's gonna be a long hard stretch, but I'm on a hair journey, so everything is a experience. If you've followed my journey before, you would know that I used to stretch for 24-26 weeks! But I couldn't have done it with out braids. Now that I don't get braids anymore, I cut the stretching time in half and relaxed every 12 weeks. Since I don't get braids anymore, stretching for 16 weeks is gonna a challenge, but I'm gonna have to face it and go for it.

I am stretching for 16 weeks for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is to gain even more thickness and also attempt to reach BSL before the year ends (hopefully). Another reason is to save money. Every time I get a relaxer, I have to pay $100 bucks! I love how my cousin does my hair but she has to charge me all that money because I'm getting my hair done at her job. I don't like when she does my hair at my house because she cant move around as freely as she likes in my apartment, and I feel that has a affect on the outcome of my hair. I need to save money for other things and paying $100 bucks every 9-12 weeks is burning a hole in my pocket.

This is gonna be a little hard, but I'm up for it. I am relaxing on July 19th. After that I will stretch for 16 weeks, which leaves my next relaxer date to be set on November 8, 2010.

Edit: I will relax on July 23rd, which leaves my next relaxer date to be set on November 12, 2010.

Weekly Report: 7 weeks post (June 28- July 5)

I am now 7 weeks post relaxer!

I really enjoyed my hair this week. I don't normally do co-washes, but I did one on Thursday for a few reasons:

Reason #1- I had a BBQ to go to on Saturday and needed to do something cute with my hair, and the style required my hair to be washed
Reason #2- Since I shampooed my hair 3 days before that, I didn't want to shampoo my hair twice in one week...so co-washing was a better option

I used Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner, and I must say...I'm impressed! It left my new growth very soft and manageable! Usually at 6 weeks post, my new growth starts to act up, but not this time. This encourages me to co-wash more frequently. But my problem is, my hair hates manipulation, which is why I don't co-wash often. Anyhoo, I co-washed, deep conditioned, and applied my leave ins. Then I proceeded to flexi-rod my whole head. I used a new setting lotion too. It's by Fantasia and I love it. I will review it later on, but it left my curls soft and moveable, but at the same time fought humidity and kept the curls intact...I'm in love!

I loved the outcome of my flexi-rod set. I actually had to air dry with my flexi-rods because my hooded dryer stopped working. I felt like a prisoner to my hair on Friday because there was no way I was gonna leave my house with flexi-rods all over my head.. I like the fact that I didnt have to use any heat at all and took a healthy approach to roller setting by letting it air dry all day. When I removed the rollers, I seperated each curl with coconut oil. Everybody loved my hair and couldn't believe me when I told them I did it myself lol. But I loved the way I looked for the holiday weekend. My hair was on point, and so were my outfits, and also my confidence which is a plus :)

(Click to enlarge)

Today [July 5th], I washed my hair and did a tea rinse. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what I'm gonna do to my hair this week. I dont know if I should just wear it in a bun for the week, or just wear my half wig over it while my hair is braided underneath. Decisions, decisions. I should be getting a relaxer in 2 weeks, but I think I may push it to 3 weeks, which will make me 10 weeks post.

As far as my shedding goes....yes I'm still shedding, but not too drastically though. I am still doing a tea rinse weekly and I am still taking the garlic pills.