HAIR POST......MY HAIR REGIMEN UPDATE

Hey guys, it has been a looonnngggggg time since I posted on my hair. I think it is because I have not really been doing anything spectacular to my hair lately.

I had a relaxer touch up in December and I have been washing my hair every week (to the amazement of my mom). I had the touch up around the 19th of December and I think I am going to transition to natural again.

RAMBLINGS OF A DIVA....

Hi guys, how are you doing? The last couple of days has been out of my control. I actually wanted to name this post 'orishirishi' (assorted) but I decided to make it another series of ramblings of a diva.

Super woman Ernie.....

On the 2nd of November was the birthday of a CEO, blogger, student, wife and all round super woman....Ernie of everydaytibs.blogspot.com (Yay! I got it...) And to celebrate her birthday some of her readers went to heritage orphanage to visit and donate to the kids. How super dope is that? If you read my blog regularly you would have seen me yap a lot about her. She is simply extraordinary. Happy belated birthday girl....

PRODUCT REVIEW: EMILY MILLIONAIRE COCONUT OIL AND HERBS CREAM

Hey so like I said it my previous post I am writing my first proper product review. The product in    review is a product that I have known since I was a kid. It is a Nigerian made product.  Back when i was a kid the hairdressers used to apply it just before a client roller sets her hair. 

It is applied after washing and before applying the lotta body or setting lotion. I never liked using it then even if they did say that it made your hair grow faster because once you apply it you are bound to spend a longer time under the dryer. And I hated going under hair dryers (I still do while is why I rarely roller set my hair). I just recently realized why it always increased drying time. It has a mild buttery consistency (with its herbs) and so locks in the moisture and prevents the water from evaporating out of the hair strands easily.

WASH DAY (25/7/14): MOISTURIZING WASH (HAIR POST)

I really love wash days. I don’t know if it because of the water or because on wash days I feed my hair with lots of goodies and my hair is getting what it needs to grow to be long and healthy. Any whoo, it is another wash day and because I have been bombarding my hair with different types of protein lately I decided it was time to set the protein aside. Hence I did what i called a moisturizing wash.

Here is what I did and what I used:

1. I applied hot oil on my scalp and Emily Millionaire Coconut oil and herbs cream on the length of my hair. Covered with a plastic bag and a shower cap and left it on my head for 30 minutes.
2. I washed with my diluted VO5 shampoo (a sulfate based shampoo) remembering to only scrub my scalp with the pads of my fingers and squeeze the suds of the shampoo along the length of my hair. This helps prevents tangles which could lead to breakage.

FEATURE POST: MAINTAIN HEALTHY HAIR WHILE WEARING A SEW-IN (HAIR POST)

Ever since i embarked on my healthy hair journey (again) i always try to moisturise and seal my hair everyday whether it is in a weave, braids or left alone. However how i moisturise and seal and with what i use are different. I tend to get a  bit heavy handed with my products when my hair is free. 

Maintaining healthy hair when in a weave or braids is not so easy but when i think of the benefits, i tend to just follow the healthy hair rules and remind myself that the end would justify the means. I also make sure i do a heavy protein treatment a day or 2 days before i install the braids or weave. It helps strengthen my hair and prevents breakage.

I saw this post on a blog i follow and i thought i should share it with you guys. I know a lot people who tell me that they don't know how to care for their hair when they install braids or weaves. I hope you enjoy the article and learn something. It is a feature post from http://ezechimereuchenna.blogspot.com

MY 1ST RELAXER TOUCH UP……11/03/14 (HAIR POST)

My title should read my first relaxer touch up since I seriously started my healthy hair journey. Armed with all I knew about healthy hair practises off I went to the salon. I had added about 5 teaspoons of my oil mix to 225gram of my venus relaxer about 1 hour before I was at the salon. I was trying to reduce the potency of the relaxer so that it won’t over process my hair. Let me just say that I am never ever ever ever using that venus relaxer again! Why? Please continue reading, I would explain why.

 

Anyway I went to the salon where I normally get my weaves fixed and found out that the owner was not around. As I had already added oil to the relaxer I had to find another option fast because I could not come back the next day (the relaxer might not still be good). I remembered an IT student had told me about a salon close by so I went there.

The lady started applying the relaxer to my hair and I don't think she based my hair with petroleum jelly but I can’t be sure because I was distracted. A senior colleague had created some issues and I was trying to resolve it in a very mad state (some people are just annoying). When everything was resolved I started watching her carefully but she had applied the relaxer a little bit above where I would have liked. But what made me a little bit calm was that in the morning I had applied a lot of oil and shea butter to my hair strands (I think one of them even complained that my hair was oily). The oil and shea butter helps to prevent over processing of the hair. I however told her not to apply further or comb further. Oh I have forgotten to mention that I made her use my big comb (it is not as big as the wide toothed comb but not as small as the rat tail comb) and she complained but I told her that I didn’t want my hair to be too processed.

Immediately she was through I asked for the relaxer to be washed off and that was when her girl started dragging her feet with the water. I felt my hair processing at a mega speed and I was not happy. I don’t understand why my hair processed too much even after adding the oil but I have decided to change my relaxer. I would try ORS lye relaxer next and add oil and conditioner. I want texlaxed hair so that my hair can have small body!

After the relaxer was rinsed off with water, the stylist applied my ORS replenishing conditioner (as per my instructions), it was left on my hair for about 5 mins then rinsed off and washed with my neutralising shampoo (twice). After I wrapped their towel (next time I am taking my towels) then she applied my light protein, moisturising deep conditioner and oil mix. She literally didn’t understand what it was and how to apply it. I had to show her. I covered my hair with a light shower cap for about 40 mins then had her rinse it off.

Deep conditioning mode.......

Then it was time for drying with a hand dryer. I tried to make the assistant of the hairstylist use medium heat but they insisted on using high heat. After the hair was about 30% dry, I applied my protein and moisture leave ins then allowed the assistant to continue. When my hair was about 70% dry, because of the dryer I applied a little of my ORS heat protectant. I made her use my wide tooth comb when combing my hair (yes, I carried a lot of things. I had a very big bag.)

Then the flat ironing process began, she applied my heat protectant and began to straighten the hair. She made about 6 passes and I was not happy. She would have done more if I didn’t stop her. I pitied my hair. But since I only intend to apply direct heat to my hair only when I have a relaxer touch up and which would occur at least every 18-20 weeks I had to calm down.

The relaxer touch up didn’t really go well because my hair was a lot processed but I have learnt from this touch up and would try to do things differently and maybe with a different hairstylist. One thing is for sure I am not using VENUS HAIR RELAXER again. I also did not like the fact that she didn't follow all of my instructions especially with the direct heat. But seeing as she was confused with most of the steps i told her to do, i have to cut her some slacks. Most of these stylists don't know anything.

Here are pictures of my hair after my first relaxer and the touch up. My hair is uneven and it seems my back hair grows faster than the front and middle. This means that when my hair reaches a certain length I might have to cut some so that my hair can be even a bit.

November 2013

March 2014

Taken with my phone.....

Is there any improvement?......

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed today’s post and try out the mid relaxer protein treatment. I think I would always have that step included whenever I get a touch up. My hair felt stronger. I am determined to do everything I can to make sure I get waist length hair in the next 2 years.

Luv ya,

Petite Diva…..

HAIR RAMBLINGS: DEBUNKING SOME HAIR MYTHS

                                      

About 2 weeks ago a girlfriend had just loosened her braids after over 7 weeks, funny we did the braids almost on the same day shortly before I traveled and I was getting my 3^rd protective style and while she was just loosening the braids (shows i am into this healthy hair ish). She wanted to loosen the hair and retouch it immediately. I had to let her know that that was a 'no no' in healthy hair practice. Also when she was trying to detangle, she combed from roots to ends and of course her hair broke a lot. And when I asked her, how she combed she said ‘from roots to ends na’. And I said you are wrong!

A couple of days ago my immediate boss has just loosened her braids and wanted to retouch also, I advised her to wash her hair and apply a protein treatment to prepare her hair for the damage that is going to happen when she retouches her hair. And she said, ‘won’t that cause my hair to burn?’. She said that is it not said that you should only retouch on dirty hair. A myth that until last year may, I believed.

So I am going to try to debunk some myths that we have heard and also write on some healthy hair practices. Here goes:

1.     Never loosen any protective style and retouch or relax immediately. Always give it about 1 week minimum. Because you hair was in the protective style, there are bound to be some knots and you need to effectively detangle it so that when your hairstylist is applying the relaxer, she doesn’t have so much tangles to deal with. Most hair stylists are not gentle, so they would yank your hair out due to their impatience.

2.  You don’t need to have a dirty hair before you retouch or relax. It is always advisable to wash, apply a heavy protein treatment and deep condition with a moisturizing treatment at least a week before the chemical application. And no your hair won't burn if your hair stylists applies the relaxer the right way. Relaxers strip the protein out of our hair so by applying a protein treatment before and a light protein treatment after the relaxer has been washed off, you are trying to restore some of the protein that was stripped off. Some no lye relaxer kits have sample sized protein treatment. I know organic root stimulator includes a satchet labeled ‘replenishing pak’, it is a light protein treatment. However if you use lye relaxers or other brands of no lye relaxers, you can get their replenishing conditioner which comes in a 370ml bottle and you can use that for a long time (it has a fabulous smell and feels great on your hair).

3.  When detangling aka combing always comb from ends to roots and comb in small sections. A lot of hair stylists would never detangle your hair the right way so I advise you to detangle your hair yourself with a wide toothed comb that has wide space in between the teeth and also gently.

4.  When relaxing your hair make sure (THIS IS IMPORTANT!), make sure that relaxer is applied only to your new growth and when it is first applied make sure that they apply it a few centimeters away from your scalp. This prevents your hair from being over processed and prevents you from having scalp burns. Also to prevent your previously relaxed hair from being over processed, coat the length of your previously relaxed hair with oil or grease. It prevents the hair from being processed from the relaxer and reduces the amount of breakage that you experience, thereby allowing you to retain your hair growth. Because whether we believe it or not black aka Nigerian hair grows and can grow long. We just need to prevent it from breaking and retain all the length.

I think I need to stop right now. I didn’t know that this post would be this long. I have a lot more myths to debunk but I think I would take them one after each other in other posts.

Anyways I have put my friend and my boss on a regimen and even showed my boss how to apply protein treatment using my own protein treatment (after the wash she totally loved the way her hair felt) and I have decided to make them stick to their healthy hair care regimen. They are on a KIS (Keep it simple) regimen because they won’t be able to do more than the basics while I am on a KIC (keep it complicated) and KIF (keep it fun) regimen because I am so into healthy and long hair so I am willing to make the sacrifices. And besides I love pampering my hair......*smile

I hope I would be able to help them retain their length. I plan on making sure they follow their regimen for the next 6 months and see if they can at least retain 2 of the 3 inches of hair growth.

I am also going to have to relax my hair sooner than I thought. I had planned to continue my natural journey till I was either 24 months or 28 months post relaxer but someone gave me a business idea concerning my love for healthy hair journey. And if I am going to make money out of it I need to be able to prove to people that Nigerian hair (natural or relaxed) can grow. And there is nothing like 'live evidence' in front of people. I have successful grown my natural hair to armpit level(from my stretches, it shows that my hair is that length), I want to see how long it would take me to grow my relaxed hair from armpit level to mid back length.

I would talk about it more when I eventually relax my hair. I am trying to research on the best way to relax my hair so that I don’t suffer a setback. I no longer trust all these hair stylists.

Thanks for reading.

Luv ya, 

Petite Diva.

THE DIVA’S RAMBLINGS

So It has been a long time since I wrote and it is due to no fault of mine. My airtel modem has been screwing up lately and it just wiped out any motivation I had to write. As I write now I don’t know when I would post this entry but then I am bored right now and decided to write.

I finally got a cute plastic table and a chair. A lot of you might think I bought it to read. WRONG! Those who know me know that I hate reading with a chair and table. I am more comfortable on the bed or floor. Sitting in a chair to read is so restrictive.  I bought it to place my laptop on the table, for visitors and to eat……lol.

I cooked yam porridge for the first time in almost six months…Yay!! And I am pleased with myself. It tastes really great. I hate yam so I rarely cook it that is why cooking the yam porridge today was a real achievement. I would try to put a picture up. I also made vegetable sauce…..*dancingaboutinmyroom……lol. I am going to try to cook beans and plantain porridge tomorrow (haven’t done that in more than a year), hopefully I would like it and finish it. I don’t want to waste food again.

Vegetable Sauce (Don't Know the name)

        Yam Porridge (with fresh tomatoes, crayfish, fresh pepper, onions and smoke fish......Yay!)

I also washed my hair today. No shortcuts this time, i did the full regimen. I pre-pooed overnight with my hot oil treatment, washed with my diluted shampoo, applied my protein treatment, rinsed with water and a black tea (ginger flavored), rinsed, applied my deep conditioning treatment, covered my hair with a hot towel (squeezing the hot water is too annoying), rinsed, towel dried and applied my leave in conditioners and shea butter mix with oils when my hair was damp. My hair seems to be growing but not fast enough for me. I want waist length hair NOW!...lol. I know it would take time and loads of patience but patience is not one of my virtues.

Oh! My friend and I are great by the way; my foot in my mouth incident didn’t affect our relationship. We are really cool. Even without saying some things he knows a lot about me…..weird, super weird. Anyways we are cool and that is all that matters.

One of my ex said something recently but his actions afterwards has shown me that he is still the same. So I ain’t even thinking about it anymore, was confused earlier but now I am thinking much clearly. I deserve to be treated better like my friend said to me ‘don’t you know that you are a queen?  So there is no question about it, I deserve to be treated like a Queen.

Here is what i wore to work on friday (25/1/13), the girl has a bad ass and a hour glass figure.....#iamsohot!

Please don't mind the finger, my friend is bad at taking pictures.....lol

 

I have been getting financial advice from a girlfriend lately. Talking to her has boosted my confidence and given me the motivation I need to save money and not blow all of it. She sent me some videos on financial freedom and one advice the speaker gave was ‘rewarding yourself when you reach a milestone in your savings’. I then remembered that when I was doing my industrial training in 2007, I used to that so that I was not tempted to blow all my savings. It worked then, so I believe it can work now. I have therefore set a fair target for myself and an equally fair reward for myself anytime I reach my milestone. I feel confident that I can really do this saving stuff now. Thanks Tope, you are the best….#kisses.

That is all I can think of to write now folks. I have to go and wash up the plates I used and probably buy myself a drink (I think I earned it……lol).

Luv ya guys,

Petite Diva.