March 30, 2012

What I Bought Today

Mannequin Head


Weave Aide - Straight Edge Pomade:  Hopefully this crap works! It was 6.99$ Nothing has been holding down my edges so I'm getting desperate!


Peppermint Oil

Hair Styling Razor

Lusters Renutrients Slick Stick

I Made My FIRST "3/4 U-Part Wig" !!

Ahhh yess! So I originally used this hair Freetress Attrak Synthetic Hair 1B(pretty good) for a half wig I made(See previous posts). But as I kept doing my research I kept seeing U-Part wigs on Youtube so I took the tracks off and decided to try this instead. Let me first start off saying that the half wig was a semi fail. I don't want to talk about it because it's not that serious but anyway. my first U-Part wig was a SUCCESS! I'm going to order some Brazilian hair to make another one and use my old indian hair to make another one. It took a couple of hours. I am very satisfied. My only thing is, it's a 1B, that's way too dark for my hair color. I need to find out a natural way of hair dying. :(

I will post a video soon! I'm so excited to wear this once Amber gives up on me. It's going on two weeks! Yes! I will make a post on how to make your synthetic hair last!

P.S I know a lot of people have problems with the sizing of their caps. This dome cap I got fits so snug and perfect. I will share the brand/name of it when I get a chance.

Now I have to sew on the combs.

Tip: Save your combs from your instant weaves!! They will come in handy!!



 LETS GIVE HER A NAME!! LEAVE SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENT BOX!!

March 29, 2012

REAL QUEENS CHALLENGE A: Personalized

Instead of washing every Sunday, I will save my one wash day for the 6th of every month and I will just co-wash every Sunday or every other Sunday[to be determined]. I will continue to do the GHE.

Black Hair Destroyers! THROW IT AWAY!!!

THROW IT AWAY!!!

From BSL to MBL...Hear Me Out

I've decided to journey to MBL as my ultimate goal. I think I've been somewhat doubting myself. I'm still in the phase of denial. I'm still in the phase of somewhat believing that I may not reach my goal length. But you know what, I've seen so many inspirational videos and pictures that have proved me wrong. I know everybody has different hair and it grows at different rates but I'm trying to convince myself that I can make it to MBL. The reason why I chose to journey to BSL as my ultimate goal was because I didn't want to strive for anything "impossible". But I won't even doubt myself. I am going to journey to MBL and that's final. It is possible! If all these women on youtube and these hair forums can do it, there's nothing stopping me. I ask that God helps me on this journey to growing the natural hair that he blessed me with.

Good Hair Was All She Wanted...

This is such a sad/touching story. I say to all of you who wear relaxes/perms please be careful! 

March 27, 2012

My First Youtube Video!


Subscribe! I have lots more to come.

African Black Soap from Ghana

I ordered this about two days ago. I received it today. I heard it's supposed to be amazing on the skin as well as the hair. The initial purpose of me buying ABS was for the Real Queens Challenge A. But I also saw a skin care video that made me HAVE to get it. I can't wait to see the results of this. I also can't wait until I start my RQChallenge A. April 6, is around the corner!


She has such beautiful skin! Along with being a hair inspiration for me, her skin is an inspiration as well! Lol

March 24, 2012

18 Days Into My Journey


So far, SO good. I GHE every night and I follow my regimen that I made. Next month I will be doing the Real Queens regimen, STRICTLY. There are some things that I do plan on changing, such as, keeping my braids in for my instant weave for a full month instead of redoing them every Sunday. I will give more information about that next month. I feel as though my hair has already improved a great amount. Maybe this is just a mental thing, but I feel as though it grew a lot already as well. As I've said many times, my hair lacked moisture more than anything; now that It gets moisturized, it's thriving very well. I'm excited to reach APL, but I'm itching to do a length check next month! I know I shouldn't be so anxious but I feel as though I'm doing so well, I have to!

I just can't wait until the front of my hair grows out those nasty permed ends and all of my hair gets to an equal length/length that I'm satisfied with. I'm so happy I started my hair journey.

Product Review: Via Stimulating Gro Creme

This is one of my recent purchases, I got it a couple weeks ago. It was originally 6.99$ but it was on sale for 3.99$ and so I said, why not? What I love about this creme is that it IS indeed stimulating. It gives you that cooling/"it's working" sensation. I use it on my hair line and I massage my edges with it to help promote growth. I also put it on my scalp at night before I GHE. I love the feeling. You're "supposed to" massage it into your scalp 2x a day, but I do it when I get around to doing it. So far, I really like it. Does it work? Who knows. Does it feel like its working? Yes. Would I recommend this product? Yes

Real Queens Regimen Summer 2012!!!


1. Shampoo once a month
2. Condition as needed (once a month or not at all if you don't feel you need to)
3. Do the Green House Effect as often as possible...the more you do it the better
4. Try to only use natural products

When my black soap arrives I'm starting this challenge. I will still be doing my protective styling, I just won't be braiding it every weekend. I will braid it at the beginning of each month, that will also be my ONE shampoo day.

Join Us!
http://realqueens.ning.com/group/realqueensregimensummer2011challenge?xg_source=activity

My Regimen x Real Queens Regimen

Am I Washing My Hair Too Often??

Okay, I have been doing the GHE for the past three weeks, since I've started my journey. I want to do the real queens challenge but here's my dilema...
Rewind: One day I went to the BSS and I was going to buy this big bottle of Black Soap for 5$! Why did I put it back? I don't know; maybe because I just bought HE conditioner and shampoo AND Mane n Tail shampoo. Now I am regretting it. I am going to have to do it soon so I can REALL do the real queens challenge. The only thing stopping my from doing the real queens challenge/regimen is my use of shampoos that aren't natural.
 
I also don't know if I'm washing my hair too often. Once a week? I'm thinking about doing it every other week instead. I should have the black soap by April so I can start fresh! I will stop using those shampoo's and I will use the black soap for the next three months where I'm actually following the directions of the real queens challenge. I feel like I'm cheating by only doing the GHE and not using natural products but I'm trying to utilize what I have already. So, once again, I will be changing my regimen. I will be updating it in my "My Regimens" section. I will see if I can get black soap on Amazon for cheap and once April comes I will really be a "Real Queen!"

March 21, 2012

Product Review: Doo Grow Mega Thick Growth Oil and Doo Grow Anti Itch Growth Oil

Doo Grow Mega Thick Growth Oil and Doo Grow Anti Itch Growth Oil



I truly believe that it is because of these two oils that my hair is at the length it is at now. While I was wearing weaves this was the only thing I would apply to my scalp, every so often. It helped me retain some of my length and it helped my hair from breaking off. I am currently using the Mega Thick Growth oil, but I mixed it in with some other stuff, I think a little JBCO, shea butter oil, pine tar, and garlic oil. I took it out of it's original bottle because I needed it to put my JBCO in. It is now in a spray bottle. I spray this concoction on my scalp every night when I do the GHE. I recommend this product to everybody! All hair types and textures. You will not be disappointed. The anti-itch growth oil works well too. This product will run you about 6$ I believe. This is one of my favorite products. I'm going to try the stimulating growth oil next time.

March 20, 2012

My Next Half Wig/Instant Weave...

I will be making it! Ahh, I'm so excited. I know I said I wouldn't buy anything else but I have to do this. I am going to save my last two instant weaves that I bought for the summer! I think I may be onto something. I love the idea of making my own instant weaves! I am going to make an instant with my indian hair as well as this hair shown in the video. If it goes well, I will be making my own instead of buying them pre-made this way I can use indian hair, human hair, etc!

Isn't it pretty? Its supposed to be a very good brand for synthetic hair. I'm really trying to give synthetic hair a chance guys, especially with these instant weaves!

Review UPDATE - Amber Instant Weave


Amber has been through hell and back. I am now on my second Amber and I am going to try to make her last longer than my first one. I am still a rookie to this synthetic hair thing but Lord knows I am trying. I have not finger combed my current Amber, hopefully this will result in minimal tangling, and matting. I am not going to touch her much and at night I hang her up. With my first Amber I did the most, everything from finger combing her to make her bigger, detangling, trying to revive the curls, flat ironing her! The list goes on. I was really trying to get my moneys worth and I guess I did. I now have Amber in a 1B, and so far so good. This one should last about two weeks and some days if I am lucky (first one barely made it to two full weeks) The next thing I am doing, is making my own instant weave, stay tuned for that!

March 16, 2012

Can You Flat Iron Curly Synthetic Hair?

The answer is yes. My Amber instant weave was getting matted, frizzy and it was so tangled. Every night when I try to revive it I find a bunch of extra hair in my hands and on the floor. I was coming it out and I was going to try to bring the curls back but instead I decided to do my research and see if it was possible to flat iron synthetic hair and indeed it is! My Amber instant weave is now straight! I love it. I did have a couple incidents where small parts got burned but thats only because I don't have a mannequin or anything like that. You can't even tell. I will take pictures of it very soon. The key to flat ironing synthetic hair is water!
Spray the water on the hair, and pass the flat iron on it quickly. Start off on the lowest temperature possible. I eventually raised the temperature on mine when I realized it could handle more heat than I expected, all in all; I am very satisfied with the outcome. I am going to try to bring back the curls this weekend.

March 15, 2012

Hair Care Forums: Finding The Right One

Ever since I've started my journey, I've joined so many hair care forums. I'm trying to find the right one I can call 'home'. Right now, I'm really feeling Hairlista. I just joined Natural Sunshine about two minutes ago. This post is going to be a break down about how I feel about each forum thus far. Tell me your favorite forum/which ones you use/why you like it etc.

forum.blackhairmedia.com
This was the first site that I actually joined before going natural. It was this forum that encouraged me to start wearing instant weaves. I was stuck on the fact that I could take care of my hair underneath and quickly left the sew in weaves alone! I want to thank those women who put me on because I am much happier wearing instant weaves than sew in's, simply because I can gave my hair TLC + Attention + Moisture = Everything it was lacking before. I like this forum, but; it takes about 5 years (exaggeration) for someone to help you/comment on your post. I don't know what that's about. I started shying away from there once I found out about Hairlista.
A lot of the posts aren't recent.

Hairlista.com
I love the layout, I love the chat option, I love the profiles, I love the forums and I love the groups. There is a lot to choose from from this site and I like that about it. People are fast to respond, when you're in the chat of course. I've joined a few challenges and I've gained a lot of knowledge from this site. By far, my favorite. 


Napptruality.com
Upgraded version of forum.blackhairmedia.com
Better layout, faster responses. I haven't spent much time on it, but it's pretty decent.

Curlynikki.com
I just got my confirmation for membership today. I haven't spent much time on it. A lot of the posts aren't recent.

NaturalSunshine.ning
So far, it reminds me a lot of Hairlista. I like it so far. I am about to check it out some more. I will report back soon.

Hairspiration: Leela James


Product Review: Sulfur 8 Fresh Hair & Scalp Conditioner

I purchased this a few weeks before cutting away from sew in's completely. I was greasing my scalp with it to help keep my hair moisturized when wearing sew in's. Sulfur 8 is supposed to be a great product, though I haven't been using it religiously, I can say that it probably would work well if used consistently. Let me first start off by saying the smell is very nice. I don't know how to explain it but it's like a sweet mint type smell. Very fresh. I loved the cooling/refreshing feeling that it gives my scalp. Anything that makes my scalp feel cool/tingle, I like it - simply because it makes me feel like it's working. Lol
This product is medicated and supposed to be a very good anti-dandruff product. Sulfur 8 is known for both, it is also known to help hair growth. 
My bottle doesn't look like this one simply because the one I have is made with "cupuacu and shea butter" so it has red labeling. There really isn't much of a difference except that it contains those two products. 
I higly recommend this product for those who have itchy scalp and dandruff who don't want to break the bank. Although it was 5.99$, it IS the infamous Sulfur 8 and you're getting the bang for your buck. Is that the saying? Whatever, you know what I mean. I might try this with my GHE one day.

March 14, 2012

Week 1: Green House Effect Challenge (Recap)


I've done a complete week of the GHE! I think I've been so consistent with this because I want to see results. Anyway, let me first start off saying that this took lots of trail and error. I realized that all I need to do is braid my hair with Cantu leave in conditioner, oil my scalp with JBCO and seal it with my oil mix. My hair is so soft, it's not even funny. My roots are silky as well. I feel like my hair has grown at least half an inch, but I'm just talking we will see on April 7th (2 month mark). Until then, I'm going to keep this up. I really like the results. My hair feels a lot softer and thicker! I'm glad I took on this challenge.

I'm Scared

Okay, so today I went to the BSS to buy another Amber. I ended up buying two other instant weaves. La Frisco by Vanessa and Fuzzy Navel by Model Model. Let me just say, they looked surprisingly nice on the mannequin head. I'm guessing that's because they've been played with a lot. I just put them on top of my head to see what they would look like and let's just say I'm scared.

La Frisco is short and curly. I've never done that before. It looked so pretty on the mannequin at the BSS. It looked NATURAL! I'm probably going to save it for the Summer. What attracted me to it was the fact that you can wear some of the hair to the side. We shall see...


Fuzzy Navel, was on sale; also can be worn on the side; has very natural waves and it's pretty short. I am scared but I wanted to try something on the more natural side if you know what I mean. Amber is pretty dramatic and fake looking but, i'm going to give these two a try. I really love these instant weaves. I'm buying Evony next!

Review: My First Instant Weave - Amber


I decided to give up weaves for a while and give Instant Weaves a try(protective styling). I think I am obsessed.
I love long hair and I love curly hair. I am also a big fan of side parts. When I was doing my research on Half Wigs and I came across Amber come how. It...or "She" as many Youtubers would refer to it, was everything I was looking for! I looked at so many youtube reviews and tutorials on"her" before buying her. I rushed out and got her the next day. Seriously, this instant weave is beautiful. It's VERY long, and gets VERY big after a while. If you aren't into big hair; don't buy her. If you aren't into long hair; don't buy her. It's been about a week and a half I believe since I've had her and well, let me just cut to the chase.

  • When I first opened the package she was very flat and shiny. I had to finger comb her ALOT to give her some body.
  • She was VERY shiny so I had to put a massive amount of baby powder to reduce the shine.
  • A few days past by and she got very tangled and matted. I'm transitioning from low maintenance virgin Indian hair to cheap synthetic weaves; so I'm learning how to take care of my wigs. 
  • About two days ago I decided to comb her out a bit and soak her in some cold water for a few minutes and give her a small wash.
  • The next day, she was softer and less tangled, but still frizzy.
  • I had to wear a hair scarf over her for about two days. 
  • Today, I just soaked her in some water; put some V05 S&C MM conditioner on her, finger combed her, detangled her, and cut out some of the knotts. I am now laying her flat to dry. The biggest problem is the frizziness and the matting. The curls are so beautiful when you first get her, but it gets pretty bad a few days later. 
Since, I'm new to synthetic hair I am going to keep doing my research on how to take care of it. I assume it shouldn't be that hard as long as you know what you're doing. It's not like Indian hair where you just need to brush it out or comb it to revive it; doing this is a process! especially since it's curly hair. I just bought my second one in a 1b. I'm not using it until I'm finished with this one. Since it's my first instant weave I'm considering trial and error. 

Pros:
Very long, for those who are into it
Very soft, when you first get her
Beautiful
Can be worn as a middle part or side bang

Cons:
It gets VERY big and almost unmanageable after a while. 
High Maintenance 
Gets matted/tangled

March 11, 2012

It's Only Been 5 Days

It's only been five days since I've started my natural hair journey and I can't be any happier. I'm constantly thinking about it. It's something that makes me happy. I've noticed a DRASTIC change in my hair so far. Since I've been able to take care of it I've noticed that my hair has gotten a bit thicker and a lot softer! I truly believe this has to do with me keeping it moisturized and doing my two challenges; the JBCO challenge and the GHE Challenge. I look forward to coming home everyday to researching about healthy hair care and go about my challenges. I want to see results! At the rate I'm going, I will be at APL in no time!

Today, I bought...

Yeah, today I had to go out and purchase a few things for my hair journey...and some extra stuff. :)
I went to two different BSS and Conway. Can't wait to do reviews on everything. My regimen is definitely about to change again. Let's begin.

Infinity cord-keeper by CONAIR

I bought a hair dryer. Sometimes, air drying just isn't the way to go for me It makes my hair tangled. I don't plan to blow dry a lot; but it will come in handy, especially since there is the 'cool setting'. Only 14.99$ at CONWAY.

Mane n Tail Conditioner, Shampoo and Detangler
I've been hearing so many great things about Mane n Tail so I had to buy it. Each item was 2.99$ at one BSS, it ranges from 3$-4$ at other BSS. I've been needing some detangler because I've noticed a lot of shedding and breakage when I take down my braids/beehives. I can't wait to try it tonight. 

VO5 Conditioners 
99cents each! I love CONWAY! I had to get three V05 Conditioners for Co-Washing because they were so cheap! They're usually like 1.45 or something like that, either way; I saved money! I got the V05 Split Ends, Anti Breakage Conditioner, Herbal Escapes Clarifying Conditioner Kiwi Lime Squeeze with lemongrass extract, and Tea Therapy Clarifying Conditioner Vanilla Mint Tea. 



Cantu Leave in Conditioner 

My Favorite: Edge Control
Tea Tree Cholesterol + Free Tea Tree Soap



Weaving Cap

Cold Wave Rods 
2'' Butterfly Clips

...and some shower caps for DC'ing


March 8, 2012

My Next Purchases

Organics Hair Mayo: I've picked this up every time I've went to the BSS these past few weeks and I keep putting ut back! It's always on sale for 2.99$ at this one BSS that I go to. Next time I will NOT put it down. I hear nothing about great things about it. 



Cantu
: Ugh, I love this stuff. I haven't had any/used it in almost two years but I just remember my hair being so soft and manageable as well as smelling very good when I used it ! It's not cheap but it's worth it! 
Shower Caps: Essential! for my deep conditioning and GHE Regimen.

Product Review: Hask Placenta Leave-In Instant Conditioning Treatment

First of all I just wanted to say, don't be fooled by "candy coated names" by that I mean, products with names that sound like they're good for your hair. I used this product ONCE. I was in need of a leave in conditioner and I grabbed it because I heard placenta was supposed to be good for your hair and it was about 2-3$, I don't remember. So, before I tried to product I read reviews. It was 50/50. This product just felt like water and my hair didn't feel any softer. You have to shake it up to activate the 'placenta' I guess; but it really didn't feel like it was doing anything. I am going to mix this with some of my HE Hello Hydration, olive oil and a few drops of V05 S&C Moisture Milks Conditioner for my GHE Regimen until I get my Cantu which should be this weekend. The smell, wasn't anything special. Actually, the smell isn't very pleasing; but it's bearable. **** I wanted to add, I was watching a YouTube video and someone was talking about how the first two ingredients are the main ingredients in the product. The first two ingredients in this product? Water and Alcohol. Placenta is like one of the last few ingredients. That says a lot about this product. Not to mention, alcohol is bad bad bad for your hair. 
Would I recommend this product? No
Would I buy this product again? No

March 7, 2012

Green House Effect Progress Chart

This will be my post that I use to track/update my GHE Progress, it can be found at the side bar or on my links under "My Challenges"

Week 1 


3/7/2012 (Night)
Tonight is my first time trying the green house effect. I lightly applied my mixture of V05 S&C Conditioner, HE Hello Hydration and Doo Grow Mega Thick Growth Oil to my bee hive, followed by mu oil mixture and JBCO to my scalp, edges and hairline. I put a plastic bag around my hair, followed by a silk scarf, beanie, another silk scarf and a silk bonnet on top.

3/8/2012 (Morning)
Woke up this morning. My hair totally soaked up all the oil and conditioner that I put in it the night before! This is crazy! My hair is very dry and needs lots of moisture. I guess I will have to add a lot more oil tonight. So far so good!
I started off with dry hair but I did add conditioner + my oil mixtures so I thought my hair would be somewhat damp but I woke up and it was completely dry! As if I'd never put anything in it to begin with. That just shows me that my hair is dehydrated. I want to try this with an actual leave in conditioner. I need to purchase my Cantu!

3/9/2012 (Morning)
Last night I over did it with the oil mix, mixed the Hask Placenta leave in with V05 S&C MH, HE Hello Hydration and oiled my scalp with JBCO. Once again, my hair soaked it all up! With the exception of my leave out which got the full effect. I flat ironed it the night before(low heat), put in flexi rods and put it under the plastic bag with my braids. It was damp and my roots had curled up from the GHE. I'm going to get my Cantu, hair mayo, etc this weekend to see how my hair reacts to it.

3/9/2012 (Night)
I started off with spraying my conditioner mix, Haska Placenta, V05, HE Hello Hydration and olive oil, followed by oiling my scalp with JBCO, then I sprayed me oil mixture, then I sprayed Organic Shea Butter all over. My hair was very oily. I wanted to see how my hair would react with extra oil.

3/10/2012 (Morning)
My hair retained  .01% more moisture this morning but my plastic bag keeps slipping back during the night. I have to go to the BSS tomorrow! I'm guessing the more oil the better? I'm going to co-wash tomorrow to avoid the oil clogging my scalp.

3/10/2012(Night)
So, Sundays = Co-Wash/Braid day. But, I decided to take down my beehive early to get the full GHE effect. So I've been noticing that my hair wasn't retaining oil but when I took down my braids my hair was VERY soft and somewhat oily. Not drenched, but oily. I decided to spray it with water, comb it out, plat it, and seal it with my oil mixture which is now 65% Doo Grow Mega Thick Growth Oil. My hair was so soft! The only problem I have is tangling/shedding when I take my braids down. I need to invest in a good detangler. I can't wait to see the results tomorrow after I take these braids down and co-wash. I may be tripping but I feel like my hair grew at least 1/2 an inch within the past week!


3/11/2012 (Night)
I did my hair regimen for Week 2 and proceeded with my shower cap, scarf, beanie, scarf, and silk bonnet.

3/12/2012 (Morning)
GHE last night, oiled scalp with JBCO [morning and night] - Starting to get the full effects using a shower cap.


3/13/2012 (Morning)
Same as 3/12/2012

Daily Co-Washing?

My regimen changes like every hour, but that's okay. So for my leave out; I've decided that I'm going to try to co-wash everyday especially since it's the driest, shortest and most damaged part of my hair. I put all types of stuff in it in the morning so it can blend with my weave and stay down. I know that product build up is bad, so I'm about to go co-wash my leave out which isn't very much. Why should my leave out have to suffer while the rest of my hair grows? After I do this I am going to proceed with mt GHE Challenge! I'm so excited. Time to pop out the Strawberries and Cream V05!

V05 for Co-Washing

It has been said everywhere around the natural hair blogs and forums that V05 conditioners are the best when it comes to co-washing for two reasons, one - it's cheap about 1.74$ or less, and two they smell good and moisturize. I did my fist co-wash yesterday followed by my shampoo for the month. I have to do more research on co-washing. What I did was, dampen my hair after I did my length check. I waited for my hair to curl up. After, I poured a good amount of conditioner in my hands and massaged my scalp with it. I did it about two times before I washed it out and proceeded with my shampoo. After I shampooed I conditioned my hair with the V05 one more time before moving on to my Hello Hydration Conditioner for deep conditioning.I read that you're supposed to section your hair in four parts and like work it into your scalp. Supposedly it's a process? I want to do it the right way. It's supposed to be a great way to condition your hair and moisturize your scalp to promote growth; so it needs to be done correctly. Some people do it weekly, some do it monthly while others do it faithfully everyday! I will be doing it weekly so I know I am going to need a few more bottles. Personally, I just like the smell of all of them. I was torn between the classic Strawberries and Cream that EVERYBODY uses and the Strawberries and Champagne...as well as the passion fruit. I went with the Strawberries and Cream simply because it's a MOISTURE MILK and my hair needs moisture!

After watching these videos again I saw what I did wrong.
1. I needed to dampen my hair.
2. I needed to part my hair into sections.
3. I needed to moisturize and focus on each section separately.

Green House Effect Challenge

I'm so glad I finally decided to go through with my natural hair journey. I've watched so many videos and seen so many blogs but I never had the courage to do it (aka) I never had courage to take good care of my hair. I came across Meeka Jael randomly. I was watching one of her testimonies and it wasn't about hair, it was about her catching an STD. It randomly popped up on my youtube bar while I was searching natural hair videos and I couldn't stop listening to her story, anyway; I became a fan of her and her husband. She is very humble. Okay, anyway. I can't wait to start doing this challenge. I'm not sure what the results will be but she had amazing results! Since I'm protective styling my hair will be in braids 99.5% of the time. The other 5% will be when I'm taking down my hair and doing my Instant Weave Regimen. This will be my regimen before my Instant Weave Regimen. So basically, I will be doing the Green House Effect every day of the week; then come Sunday, I will do my Instant weave regimen. I'm thinking about taking Meeka's advice and only shampooing once a month instead of every week when I do my IWR(Instant Weave Regimen). I can't wait to start/see results!
My biggest worry is me keeping my braids in. I don't want to wet my braids because I know it won't be dry in the morning and I don't want it to smell. I'll be doing it on my dry hair, which she says it works, so we will see!

Silk Bonnet vs Silk Scarf

This is something I've always wanted to touch upon. The silk scarf vs the silk bonnet. I will start off with my story.
Rewind Silk - Scarf: I started wearing a silk scarf around the seventh grade. That was when I was experimenting and doing my own hair. Slicking my hair down with lots and lots of gel and tying my head scarf on it so my hair could stay down. I really didn't need it, but all the other girls were doing it so I figured that t must work. I eventually went on to learn that silk scarves are good hair protectants for your hair when you sleep. So now, not only was I using it when I gelled my hair down, but I was also using it when I went to sleep to protect my hair.

Fast Forward - Silk Bonnet: December 2011-January 2012
I put in my big box braids. My head scarf wasn't holding my heavy braids and I didn't want them to get messy. I decided to invest in a silk bonnet. Okay cool. It kept my hair together and everything. I used it for a couple months after until about two weeks ago. I noticed my hair line was thinning out a bit. That was due to the pressure of the elastic. I quickly set aside my bonnet and started wearing my scarf.

Today: Now, I wear both my head scarf and my bonnet for two reasons. One, to keep my scarf on and two, to lock in moisture and protect my head from my cotton sheets.
I will be starting my Green House Effect TONIGHT so I will be wearing a plastic bag, beanie, scarf, and my silk bonnet on my head.

If I had to choose one, I would definitely choose my silk scarf, forever and always. After my little incident with the silk bonnet, I will never go back to using it alone, again. I will only use it on top of my scarf for extra protection, or when I'm doing my green house effect.

Take caution ladies! That silk bonnet can make or break your edges. Be careful. This is just my experience. I'm not saying it will happen to everybody but it's just a heads up. I know there are some of you who prefer one over the other. That is okay! I will put a poll on the left side of my blog. I want to see what you all prefer. Are you team Silk Scarf, or Team Silk bonnet!?

Product Review: Suave 2 in 1 Plus

I purchased this bottle of shampoo/conditioner sometime last Fall. I still have it. The bottle is pretty big. It 's really nothing special. Since I wasn't taking very good care of my hair back then my main purpose of getting some cheap shampoo was to wash my weave. It left my hair real hair feeling a bit dry. So much for being a conditioner. It was just a simple cleanser for my tracks. I will give it that. Sometimes I would soak my tracks over night in this shampoo/conditioner to get rid of the product build up.It has a very light smell, and it has some glitter like things inside. For the price, you really can't complain.

Would I buy it again? Probably not 
Did it work well on my hair? No
Did it work well on my Indian Hair weave? Yes

This product was purchased by me and I was not paid to give this review.

Hair Length Chart

via  Hair de la Creme 

Results: Hot/Oil Rinsing

Sunday March 4, 2012 when I put in my first Instant Weave. I washed it with Suave 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner.( I will do a review on that soon) After, I poured a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, JBCO and Doo Grow Mega Thick Growth Oil (and I think Garlic Oil) into a cup and microwaved it for about 25 seconds. My hair was still damp and I poured the oil into my hair and massaged my scalp. I put a plastic shower cap over my hair for about 45 minutes and let it sit. When I rinsed it my hair was so soft and moisturized then I proceeded to braid my hair.
Tuesday March 6, 2012
I took down my braids and my hair was so soft and silky. I believe this really helped my hair a lot. I couldn't believe how soft my hair was. I noticed that there was still some shedding and I'm going to find out the reason for that soon. Maybe I'm not being gentle enough? Maybe I needed to use one of my wider tooth combs? I don't know. But, this is something I want to suggest to everybody! Try it once and tell my your results!

March 6, 2012

Product Review: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration

Growing up, my mom always used to by the HE Rose Extract shampoo and conditioner. Then we transitioned over to Garnier Frutics. Anyway, today I went to Rite Aid with intentions of buying the V05 Strawberries and Cream conditioner for Co-Washing since I've heard so many good reviews about it. I was just looking around (of course) when I saw that they were having a 2-for-5$ special on the HE shampoo and conditioner. So, I purchased the Long Term shampoo and Hello Hydration. I heard many good things about Hello Hydration and I can say that my hair loves it. I've deprived my hair of so much it's not even funny. As soon as I put the conditioner in my hair was so soft and manageable. I ran my fingers through my hair and there were no tangles what so ever! I went on to wrapping a plastic bag, beanie, silk bonnet and silk scarf around it for about 45 minutes. I am now combing through it and there is absolutely NO shedding what so ever! This could be the start of an amazing relationship. I do recommend this product for everybody! Like I said, my hair has been deprived of so much; moisture was one of the main things. This conditioner brought it back to life. I love it. Go get it!

I was not paid to do this review and the product was purchased by me.

First Length Check of My Journey

I trimmed my hair towards the end of the second or third week of February; about a half inch. It seems to have grown rapidly since then. I just made my length check shirt. I am about to co-wash and do my "instant weave" regimen for the week.
I just took my braids down from my instant weave. Look at the shrinkage. 

Bending back.

Actual length.