What Some of My Sunday Co-Wash Days Consist of...

I've found that shampooing my hair often is a no no. When I started this natural hair journey, I thought this was something I needed to do. I mean it seems logic. Who wants dirty hair? But, for some (like myself) your natural oils are better than dry, brittle hair

Sunday's hair day: Wanted to showcase items I typically use on my hair every week on my wash aka Co-wash days.

-Applied VO5 Milk Moistures conditioner + oil mix (EVOO, coconut oil, grapeseed oil which is pictured below).
-Allowed that to stay on my hair for an hour & detangle my hair
-Washed it out

-Conditioned & detangled AGAIN with TRESemme moisture rich

photo: left-to-right mixed oils, Organic Root Stimulator Hair May & Restortative Mask

-Protein treatment: with Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo (left it in my hair for a few hours then washed it out).
-Applied the One n' Only Argan Oil Restorative Mask to my hair & let sit for 10mins.

-Hot oil treatment with my oil mix (pictured above) + JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil). Sat under my dryer for an hour.

Lastly...

-Applied the ApHogee ProVitamin Leave in Conditioner

-The applied the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil hair lotion

Question: What are some products you use when you CoWash your hair?

Heat Training...April Hair Routine

When I started heat training was Feb. 17th the day before my birthday....

At that time, I had planned on washing (shampooing) my hair once/twice a month, but co-wash as needed. I started off slow. Since most of my shampoos have sulfates in them & really cleanse the hair, I don't need wash it every week. What I do need is moisture & TLC to my hair.

Currently doing...

So this month (April) & what I've been doing since March is washing my hair once a month, but co-washing it every week. This week I'll be straightening my hair again. Last weekend I straighten my hair twice for Easter Sunday & that was it. I may blog about the process of me heat training. Nothing different than any other time. Just extra steps to make sure I don't cause any breakage.

April Routine...

So this months routine consist of 1 wash (which I did last weekend), co-wash each week, & straighten my hair every other week. & the days I don't wear it straight I'll add moisture, conditioner (mix) & Shea butter mixture I made. OMG I forgot to mention I finally got my hands on some unrefined Shea butter. Yessssssssssssss BABY!

Any who, again...my whole reason for switching off weeks of straightening my hair is to loosen my curls, & allow the detangling process to be much more pleasant. Detangling is a VERY important part in a curly girls life like me. I have coarse hair which means easy breakage & it's harder to retain the length. And it's a headache 99.9% of the time. I've found that I need to start trimming my hair once a month or as needed (More often).

Although I have been slacking on my hair since Nov. when my hair challenge ended & I added some hair color to my hair, I am back to my length I started with before doing the BC in May 2011.

Video...right on time!

Check out the video below of one of my favorite Youtubers AlexandraBond who went to a salon in ATL. This is another salon I'd like to check out when I go there.
I like the stylists "Elecia's" technique/routine with "her hair"...similar to mine. 

You can fast fwd to the part I'm referring--> 6:50 where she explains how hydrating is important for curly/straight hair or watch the whole video

Natural Hair: Heat Training

As some of you may know, I've been on my natural hair journey for a year & two months now. I started out not knowing what to really expect during my transition, and eager to see how my natural texture was. Welp, after transition for a few months, I did a BC (big chop) on my hair in May 2011, and my hair has grown out a lot since then. I didn't think it would happen. Dealing with short hair is NOT my thing. I am a natural chick aiming for LONG healthy hair.

You maybe thinking..."healthy hair & heat training? That doesn't go together" Well it does, just like colored treated hair. I know of quit a few natural hair ladies that have big, beautiful healthy natural COLORED treated hair. I don't see anything different with them & ladies that heat train their hair. Just like ladies who relax their hair. Some of them have LONG healthy hair. Whatever works for you boo!

Won't that mess with your natural curl.kinky pattern? Yes. I have really, CURLY, coarse, & kinky hair (click link for photo). I love the results I am getting from being natural (thickness, growth), plus it allows me to be more hands on with my hair & take care of it how the way that I should have been when I was in school (college), and when I was younger (high school) & didn't know any better. That's beside the point.

The way that I will be heat training my hair is by using a blow dryer & flat iron or blow dryer & pressing comb. How often, new regimen is MUCH needed for this new change. I'll more than likely go into MORE details in another post.

Why are you heat training your hair? Because it's really difficult to detangle my hair now that my curl pattern has made it's way into my life a year & some months now. I don't ever plan on wearing my natural curl pattern & if I do, I rather let them be loose then tight. My hair has really bad skrinkage that I hate. People say embrace every part of being natural but I don't like it & I will NOT embrace that part about it. That's just how I feel. There's no right or wrong way. It's my hair right?

-Next few posts I plan on speaking on the Bigen permanent hair color I applied in my hair Nov 2011 *Once my healthy hair challenge was over*
-Products I've been using lately
-Length check *photos :)

Update [14] 2011 Hair Challenge- Have I Fallen Off?

Okay, if you've been following me & my hair journey here, you maybe wondering where has the updates on my 6 months hair challenge been? Well I've been semi busy with work & projects, and when I do have a little time to update I'm lazy. I'm still going strong though! I'm still on the road to healthier, & which seems to be curlyer (Nope, not a word) hair. 


I was suppose to have BEEN posted a blog post about the different products that my hair loves!!! Haven't even gotten around to posting it. Shame on me right? Yes, I know. I'm really going to try my best to push out as many helpful, updated blog posts about my hair before this challenge ends.


Speaking of....I am currently in my 5th month which means next month I will be done (Nov. 6th). If you're into natural hair, check out my challenge/journey (links will be below). No I haven't posted pictures of my hair here. I was undecided, and as you can probably tell, I won't be really doing that. But I do have a picture or two of how curly/coil my hair is. It's stupid hard to detangle. I really don't see a point in detangling my hair because it just curls back in the position it was in...so defeated -_-


Links: to my hair journey:
Update [1] 2011 Hair Challenge-Brief

Share Your Hair Type: Simplicity

The BC (Big Chop)

Update [2] 2011 Hair Challenge-Concoction: Mint Spritz

10 months Being Natural

Update [3] 2011 Hair Challenge-Going On Two Months

Homemade Deep Conditioner [2]

Update [4] 2011 Hair Challenge- Products I'm Using

Update [5] 2011 Hair Challenge- June Hair Regime

Update [6] 2011 Hair Challenge- Length Check & Time To Get Straight

Homemade Deep Conditioner [3]

Update [7] 2011 Hair Challenge- Getting Back On Track

Update [8] 2011 Hair Challenge- Protective Hair Styles

Update [9] 2011 Hair Challenge-Protein Treatment

Update [10] 2011 Hair Challenge-Frizz Go AWAY!

1 Year Being Natural....Woot Woot!!!

Update [11] 2011 Hair Challenge-August Hair Regime

Update [12] 2011 Hair Challenge-The Benefits Of A Good Deep Cond.

Update [13] 2011 Hair Challenge-A New Way To DC

Homemade Deep Conditioner [4]

Homemade Deep Conditioner [5]

Thanks for the encouraging words, & comments regarding my natural hair posts :)

Update [7] 2011 Hair Challenge- Getting Back On Track

Okay, I've said this before and although I have gotten back on track with taking care of my hair, but I want to really get back into this hair challenge like I was when I started it. Plus, my hair needs the TLC it's been lacking.


How I'm going to do that is...for the rest of this month I must do:
- 2 Deep Cond. a week
-At least one Co-wash per week
-Mint Spritz my hair everyday
-Apply an oil/cream leave in to my protective hair style (braids) everyday

One of the reasons why I'm doing this other than the obvious, is because my journal speaks for itself. There are gaps where I don't do the necessary things to retain the length/moisture in my hair....I do see some progress in my hair. I do still have a little relaxer in my hair (the ends) from the time I did my BC (big chop) in May. I didn't want to rock a tiny fro, so I told myself as I go, I'll trim & dust my ends frequently (which I have) but I do see some great progress :)


Thank you for the well wishes on this journey, I do appreciate it. I'm totally in this alone which is fine. Just hearing from some of you is great. If you're documenting your natural hair journey drop the link below & I'll check you out.