I want to be a woman...

Courtesy of RonkeIsBlessed

Caring for your child's natural hair : Coconut oil relaxer

There is one female left in my family who does not have a head of relaxed hair, and that is my 7 year old sister. As it happens myself and my other sisters were introduced to our first relaxers at the age of about 11, however we won't be taking that route for the youngest. The aim is to teach her that natural hair can grow and be just as beautiful as relaxed hair.

My sisters hair is in cornrows 90% of the time, however just like for most of us, her hair needs a break, so once a month she rocks her natural left out hair for a few days. The biggest struggle with her hair is that getting it super soft and detangling without waterworks! I'm sure many mothers can relate! 

Well, having done some youtube research i came across the coconut oil relaxer yet again! I tried this a while back, it worked wonders for my hair and i have used it to DC ever since! So of course i decided to do the same for the little one.

Despite the name, the coconut relaxer is a 100% natural deep conditioning treatment used to soften and nourish hair. The term relaxer is used to emphasize the soft and smooth results one experiences after using the coconut oil deep conditioning treatment. A more simple title would be intense coconut oil deep condition, but you know how it goes... the snazzier it sounds, the more appealing!

Ingredients

 Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Technique

Adults: section hair and thoroughly coat EVCO all over hair strands from root to tip. Lightly detangle to ensure full strand coverage. Once applied cover head with secure shower cap and deep condition with heat for 30-60 minutes. Without heat 2-3 hours. Final step, wash hair in sections and finish off with quick co-wash for detangling.

Children: section hair and thoroughly coat EVCO all over hair strands from root to tip. Lightly detangle to ensure full strand coverage. Once applied cover head with secure shower cap and deep condition during the course of the day. No heat needed for children. 1-2 hours whilst watching television, reading or playing is the perfect distraction! Final step, wash hair in sections and finish off with quick cowash for detangling.

Extra tip: Applying an extra coat of a thick moisturising conditioner (e.g Herbal essences smooth and soft mask) on top of EVCO, encourages easier detangling for children. 

et voila!

x edF

8 months post relaxer

The post that has been long coming! Yes guys i finally relaxed after 8 months of stretching. I decided, based on my weave take out and excessive shedding, that there is no benefit in stretching for so long unless your hair loves the stretch, and unless you plan on transitioning. 

Despite my thickness set back i do believe i am on target with gaining 3 inches of growth in 6 months. I have however decided that as soon as i have reached that landmark, i will be giving myself a hefty trim. It has taken me over a year to embrace cutting my hair and not being scared of getting rid of thin, dusty ends. So the countdown towards my 3 inches of growth and my hefty trim still goes on!

The current state of my hair is... it looks thick! Funny considering the fact that i have already said that my hair has had a thickness setback. Well, this is a result of texlaxing hair that is 8 months post! 


My initial reaction to the curly texture at the back of my head after relaxing was shock! I couldn't believe that i still have two very distinctive hair textures, however after blowdrying and straightening, i must say the thick look remains so beautiful to me.

Here are some pics :)

x edF

New Buys

Forgive me for not checking in for over a week! I've now moved back home and settling in has taken the longest amount of time! My first London trip was of course to the wonderful Superdrug (i heart this place!), I decided to do a mini shop in preparation for my 8 month post relaxer.

I usually use a product over a period of months before reviewing it, but i had some immediate results, so let's call this the taster review!

PRICE
Cheap ☆

Average ☆☆

Pricey ☆☆☆

LYT RATING
Below average, will not be using again ❤
Nice results, but other products work better ❤❤
Absolutely love it, new staple ❤❤❤                                         

Matrix Biolage Ultra Hydrating Balm
Price: £9.00 ☆☆☆
Claims: Indulge dry hair and protect essential moisture. A softening treatment to improve the condition of damaged hair. Leaves hair noticeably softer, conditioned and more manageable. This conditioning treatment is especially formulated for dehydrated, under nourished hair. Infused with nurturing algae and wheat germ to enrich your hair with essential moisture and manageability, transforming unruly frizz by smoothing and controlling. 

LYT Rating: I decided to follow the instructions and use the Balm immediately after shampooing my hair. Although the balm was only left in for a few minutes it made my hair so soft and silky. I know this one is a keeper and look forward to seeing how it holds up as my hair gains more re-growth. ❤❤❤

Herbal Essences Smooth and Soft intensive mask
Price: £4.00 ☆
Claims: Soft and smooth hair
LYT Rating: This rating isn't based on results from my hair. I used this as a deep conditioner for my younger sisters natural hair. It made detangling very easy and moreso left her hair very soft. Therefore this will be a staple, seeing as I will use it again for her! ❤❤❤

V05 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil

Price: £3.00 ☆

Claims: Containing Argan Oil, known to be high in Vitamin E, rich in anti-oxidants, our miracle concentrate will provide ultimate hydration. Intensely conditioning and not only protecting your hair from blow drying, it helps reduce drying time too. The result is unbelievably smooth and silky soft hair with luminous shine.

LYT Rating: I was extremely disappointed with this! I applied it to my hair just before commencing with blow drying and it made my hair feel very dry. Funny for something which is supposed to be a miracle elixir right? I may try this product one more time for the sake of being sure however for now it is not even worthy of one rating.

x edF

Vintage Revamped : the truth behind stretching

primary source: fuckyeahcurlscurls tumblr

So following my 8 months stretch hair tragedy i'd be a fool not to re-visit the topic of stretching and my discovered do's and dont's! So here we go with the first take of the Vintage revamped series.

Stretching is, simply put, extending the length of time in between relaxers. The average recommendation of time before re-applying your next relaxer is 8 weeks. Stretching requires that you exceed this length of time by a few weeks or even months in order to achieve healthier hair, because of the reduced use of chemicals in your hair.

There is no doubt that by reducing the frequency of relaxers, you in turn strengthen your hair. 

The use of chemicals breaks down the keratin bonds in our hair, therefore making our hair weaker. Of course the health of your hair is also determined by how you treat it, however all in all the less relaxer you can use in a year... the better!

The longer you go without a relaxer, the more you have to pay attention to your hair needs. Re-growth generally (experience with my hair) begins to crop up within the first month of having a relaxer. It is manageable to begin with a.k.a you can still survive airdrying, however once you begin to glide into month 3/4 (12-16 weeks) you begin the texture war. That is, dealing with the texture of your natural re-growth and the texture of your relaxed hair. The famous line of demarcation (where relaxed meets natural) is the most fragile point of our hair strand. Not having the correct balnce of protein and moisture in our hair regime can cause easy breakage at this point. 

So you've decided to stretch past 16 weeks and your re-growth is wild. Perhaps you want to transition and still do not know! At this point deep conditioning is a must! If you do not DC regularly now is the time to start! Better yet deep conditioning with heat helps soften your hair, which makes it easier to detangle. 

Relaxed and natural hair respond differently to hair products. It is time to find something that works for both textures, even if it requires you adding water or oils to your favourite products in order to make the perfect product.

Forgetting to moisturise and seal, deep condition, wash in sections, at this point of your hair journey, can result in a lot of hair loss and breakage. So listen to your hair... if you have decided not to transition then  it may just be time to relax. Otherwise if you do want to transition, changing your hair regime may be the next step to take. (Transitioning post coming soon!)

STRETCHING TIPS


 UP YOUR CO WASHES
 Use conditioner to wash your hair instead of
 shampoo, this encourages moisturised hair. Shampoo should be used when there is a lot of product build up.


GET DEEP CONDITIONING
Deep conditioning with heat following each wash is an absolute life saver with regards to restoring moisture and softening hair, especially new growth.


BLOWDRY
The comb motion and cool/warm air will help detangle your new growth and make your roots more manageable.


MOISTURISE AND SEAL
Be sure to add moisture to your hair. Twice a day is essential when stretching. Lighter more water based moisturisers help to keep hair strong, especially at the line of demarcation.


PROTECTIVE STYLE
Keeping our ends far from reach allows us to retain length and prevent breakage at the end of our hair. Buns, weaves, braids, wigs etc are great protective styles. 


HEAT CONTROL
If you must use heat, only use it on your new growth. Try to wrap the rest of your hair to create a smooth finish. This way there is less damage to the ends of your hair. 


HOT OIL TREATMENTS
Using a hot oil treatment as a pre poo or deep conditioner softens new growth to another level. As a pre poo this helps detangle hair before commencing with washing. It also soothes the scalp.


PROTEIN/MOISTURE BALANCE
Alternate between protein and moisture deep conditioners. When stretching one usually feels more inclined to use moisture deep conditioners all the time, however we must also make sure our hair is strong enough to withstand its two textures, hence use protein too!


You may feel like you've heard this all before but all of these steps make the biggest difference. Trust me!

x edF

Auf wiedersehen Pet

Wow so this is my last week in Munich! A year has flown by... i can't retrace my steps! The memories, challenges they're all behind me now and it's time to go home and join another rush hour... 

'It was fun while it lasted'

x edF

Protective style challenge : length check 1

Here's a taster into my current hair length after taking out my first Protective Style Challenge install. As you know from my previous post i"ll be relaxing my hair next week, so will be sure to do another length check so that i can really see how much my hair has grown minus regrowth!


I'll be right back into another protective style in 3 weeks... still trying to figure out what kind of weave i want to try out...hmm...any ideas?!

x edF

relaxer stretch over!!!

12 month relaxer stretch 

That's right guys i'm calling it quits! There is no way in the world i can bare to stretch another month! If you saw what i went through on Saturday you'd have even begged me to relax right then and there!

It was horrendous... in all of my relaxed, stretching days i have never experienced so much hair loss. Now shedding is one thing, but hair loss... that's a completely different ball game. I had to grind my teeth to stop myself from crying  when detangling after my wash... especially because two of my girls were there thinking i was being a diva about nothing.

There is no way you can comfort a hair diva when they are faced with 3 large clumps of hair! 

Anyway point is there is no need to force a stretch? 8 months has been more than enough for me! You have to handle stretched hair like a new born baby...with delicacy and care. I'm not saying you should relax often, i'm just saying if you're stretching and do not plan on transitioning, then you need to know when the stretching has done its time.

I am officially crowning this as my first set back. It isn't a length set back (because i know i grew about an inch), but instead a thickness setback. It has been a while since my hair has felt and looked so thin. I'm definitely going to up my castor oil game and focus on maintaining the thickness that i have left!

So ladies, fellas, folks... the countdown begins... 11 days till i reach for the crack... the creamy crack!

Check out my next post for a length check! I'll be doing a more up to date length check as soon as i've relaxed for a more accurate measurement.

x edF

Henna gloss treatment : In action

So the day finally comes when my weave has reached its 8 week landmark, so of course i take it out!

As usual, after unravelling the weave i'm left with what feels like the lightest airhead ever!

I skip to part 2 and begin to undo each cornrow using some conditioner and detangling after each cornrow has been taken out. Approximately an hour or two later and i'm fully detangled, so of course it's time coat my hair with the fab henna gloss treatment.

Ingredient Re-cap

100g BAQ Henna powder

1 cup of Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner (review to come)

1 cup Queen Helene cholesterol Deep Conditioner

20g Neem powder

2 tbsps Shea butter

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Coconut oil

Method

1. Get a plastic bowl and pour the henna powder into it.
2. Add water to henna (approx 200ml or enough to make the mix a thick but runny consistency)
3. Measure out 20g of Neem powder and add to henna mix
4. Add cup of QH cholesterol DC and cup of Giovanni conditioner
5. Mix all and then add melted Shea butter and melted EVCO
6. Part hair into sections and apply henna using gloves
7. Leave Henna gloss treatment for one hour or longer depending on the outcome you want (longer= deeper conditioning + more visible colour effects)
8. Rinse hair in sections and commence with hair washing 
9. Deep condition with moisturising Deep Conditioner
10. Style as wanted

Tip: Only use a towel you don't mind getting dirty 

x edF

Supplements... Part 2

So following on from Supplements Part 1, i thought i'd share the supplements i take and how and why i use them...

I literally began life in the supplement lane 2 weeks ago! Honestly there's no reason why... I just wanted to try something new and see if this time my skin could handle it! I was raised on Cod Liver oil so i guess you could call it revisiting the past!


I was scared that i would break out just like i did when i used to take Biotin a year back, but i made some amendments this time and they seem to be working!

My supplement list: 

Biotin 1000 mcg

Cod liver oil

 MSM 300 mcg.

If you guys remember the Supplements Part 1 post, you may have caught on to me saying that the more the supplements are that you use, the lower the strength (mcg) they should be...Well the reason why i have such a high strength of Biotin is because i don't use all of my supplements in one day. I use Cod liver oil and MSM together, once a day, and Biotin the next day by itself. So my week looks something like this:

Monday- 1 Cod liver oil , 1 MSM

Tuesday- 1 Biotin

Wednesday- 1 Cod liver oil , 1 MSM

Thursday- Biotin

etc 

----

Biotin: Biotin is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. It is good for hair as it strengthens both hair follicles and the hair shaft which results in thicker and stronger hair.

Cod liver oil: is derived from the liver of cod fish. It has high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids. Cod liver oil is widely taken and known to have a positive effects on the heart, bones, as well as helping to repair wounded skin, hair, and nails.

MSM (Methylsulphonylmethane):  strengthens joints, helps in increasing blood flow, muscle contraction problem and mobility related problems.

x edF

Hair Tag

Stalking the blogs as i do and I came across this cute 'Hair Tag' posted by EbonyCPrincess from Longing4Length. Here goes my take!


1) Top three things you love about your hair:
-  I've never had problems with growing my hair and retaining length
-  My hair is generally quite healthy
-  The way it looks after a blow out. I love the thick look!


2) Top Three things you have learned since being on your hair journey:
-  It is so important to take care of your ends. Retention lies in the ends of your hair, and a simple yet small trim can make your hair go from thin looking to thick.
-  Everybody's hair reacts differently. Always stick to what works for you and not what works for someone else.
-  Heat is not your friend!

3) Top three things you want to accomplish during your hair journey:
-  My ultimate hair goal is to be mid back length with thick hair
-  To show people that although hair is relaxed, it can still be very healthy
-  To fulfill my 3 inches in 6 months protecttive style challenge


4) Top Three things/Products you love:
-  Extra Virgin Coconut oil.
-  My Castor oil challenege mix
-  High buns ( just like the one in the blog header picture!)

5) Top three Hair inspirations (youtube or otherwise):
-  Tracyee from K.I.S.S Her hair is absolutely amazing. Its thick, healthy and long, and her blog is so informative. She has been my ultimate hair inspiration since beginning my hair journey.
-  Sunshyne from Hairlista. 
-  The mumsy... she started the hair journey, I jut have to finish it!

Tag tag tag tag tag Tag tag tag tag tag Tag tag tag tag tag Tag tag tag tag tag you're it !!!

x fi

Supplements... Part 1

Evening lovelies,

I've decided to finally dare the controversial topic of taking supplements to aid hair growth/health. I was on the edge because the topic is just like Marmite! You're either for it, or totally against it...

Either way i'm real comfortable with taking supplements. Don't be fooled though it took me a while to get to this stage! Lets dive right in...

Supplements are formations in the form of tablets, powders or liquids. They are formed in order to supplment your diet and contain vitamins and vital minerals that may in some cases be missing in your diet or that you do not have a sufficient amount of in your body. With regards to hair supplements, supplements such as Biotin, MSM, Cod Liver oil etc contain many vitamins that enhance hair health and growth.

Personally i believe in dietary enhancement via food. However my first point of call is vitamins and minerals using real food, e.g fruits and veg that are jammed packed with the good stuff!


On the other hand supplements work great during those times when you haven't fulfilled your daily vitamin intake, and you need or want to do so without having to cook up an entire meal.


My take on supplements is, they are fine as long as they do not replace food. For example one of my sisters does not drink milk, therefore her taking calcium supplements would be justified... ya dig! 

...All in all there are several things to consider when taking supplements...

* Vitamins and minerals can help protect your body from disease and are great for those who do not consume enough nutrients on a daily basis. They help to reduce the risk of vitamin deficiency.

*Be aware of the strength of the supplements you are taking. In most cases if you use more than one type of supplement they should all be of a lower strength. This is because many hair supplements contain similar vitamins/nutrients and therefore you do not want to take too much of what your body doesn't need. This because this can lead to many issues, one of which i have experienced... Skin breakouts.

* Never use supplements to replace food.

*Observe your skin, hair and body when taking supplements before engaging in everyday consumption.

x edF

When the going gets tough...

Hey guys,


i just wanted to be soppy and say thank you for not abandoning me despite my lack of posts! I flew home last weekend and the weekend before that and each weekend was so busy! Weddings, birthdays the whole sha bang.  Anyway my time in Munich is drawing to an end... 2 more weeks and i'm home sweet home and back to the London routine.


But yes back to the post... the weather was acting real silly last week and i had just straightened my hair... there was no way the rain was going to ruin my journey to the airport na uh...


I guess the term ride or die would apply here right....


Oh what i do for my hair!

x edF