Trouble Spots

For the last five years I have been dealing with two patches of hair on either side of my nape after a bad experience with a glue in weave. These spots refuse to behave themselves no matter how special I treat them. Argh..... it makes me so mad!!

This area tends to be drier, thinner and more fragile but it can feel coarser to the touch than the rest of my hair and simply refuses to grow as well. 

Since I still holding out hope that these follicles have not been damaged beyond repair, I will be embarking on a plan to revive them. Over the next few months I will be paying special attention to this area in an effort to see increased health. I will soon be getting a sew in so I will not have to manipulate that area very much. I will also try to keep it moisturised in addition to applying my hair growth mixture to this area. I am also considering relaxing this area less frequently than the remainder of my hair in my quest to achieve more thickness.

Time to get this part of my hair up to scratch. The work begins now.

Successful Air Drying

In an effort to reduce the amount of heat that I subject my hair to I usually air dry after my weekly washing process. Understanding what my hair requires in order to achieve a smooth air dry took a long time and has been a process of trail and error.

To begin my air drying process I start by removing the excess water from my hair via the t-shirt method. First I comb through my hair using a wide tooth comb, starting from the ends. Then I wrap my hair in an old t- shirt and allow it to absorb the excess water in my hair. I usually allow my hair to sit in the t shirt for approximately 20 minutes or until my hair is about 20% dry. After this I apply my leave ins to my damp hair. You need to add some sort of product to your hair since air drying without any product is not a good look.

My leave in mixture consists of HELTR, Smooth and Shine Silk Therapy, L'Oreal Eversleek Serum. I also add a little of my  moisturiser to this mixture.

 I then seal this leave in/ moisturiser mixture with what ever oil I'm feeling that day which is usually olive oil, coconut oil, Kemi Oyl or my new friend Hot Six Oil.

Since my hair is now short these days I simply wrap my hair and tie it up in a silk scarf after I have applied the products to my hair. However, when I had longer hair I used to comb my hair straight back and use a Goody ouchless head band to keep my hair off my face. This also assists in laying down my edges. I leave the rest of my hair hanging in the back. It usually takes about 4 hours for my hair to completely dry.

After several failed air drying session I have found that the key to achieving soft smooth hair is to just leave your hair alone while its drying. This aids in significantly reducing the amount of frizz experienced.

I hope this helps you guys.

My Hair Growth Journey

Since I have decided to grow out this pixie cut and go back to my long hair I thought it would be fun to take you guys along for the journey. The last time I did this it took me approximately one year to go from a pixie cut to shoulder length. This is going to be a long journey.

I will be posting regular updates about my progress. I am really not looking forward to going through the awkward stage where my hair is too long to be a pixie cut but too short to be a bob. Ugh!

To achieve my hair goals I will be bringing out the big guns. I will be using a scalp mix to assist with my hair growth. This mix will contain olive oil, castor oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil and cayenne pepper and will be applied to my hair three times per week. This will be done in conjunction with my usual weekly regimen.

Hopefully I won't have any major setbacks. I will let you know how its going for me.

Wish me luck guys!! 

Scalp Health

I have decided to step up my hair care game recently since I have noticed that I have been slacking off a bit. This has led me to do some research about the benefits of head massage and hair follicle stimulation and the general health and cleanliness of my scalp.

The act of massage warms the skin and opens up the blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow. Increased blood flow to the hair follicle will result in increased nutrient intake which can lead to increased growth. Going by this premise, I purchased a shampoo brush in order to increase the opportunities for scalp stimulation in my hair care routine. In addition to scalp stimulation I also wondered about my ability to really clean my scalp with just my fingers to remove any product build up, sebum and dead skin cells. Since I am now on a quest to regrow my hair ( sigh.... I know, I know) I want to ensure that my hair has the healthiest possible environment to grow in.

I purchased this shampoo brush from my local beauty supply store. 

This brush has soft, rounded plastic teeth on the underside and a handle on the other side. The teeth are soft yet firm enough to adequately exfoliate my scalp and the handle on the reverse side allows me to control the amount of pressure that I exert. I use this brush during my weekly shampooing and I ensure to rub my entire scalp but not too vigorously. I have only been using this brush for the last to weeks so I will let you guys know if I have observed any improvement in the condition of my hair and scalp. 

Hot Six Oil

Frequent readers of this blog know that I usually use Kemi Oyl as my sealant, however I have been experimenting with Hot Six Oil for the last few weeks. 

I was forced to search for an alternative to Kemi Oyl since my local beauty supply store was out of stock. After I did a little research I decided to go with African Royale Hot Six Oil.

First of all let me say that this oil smells delicious. I love its sweet smell but thankfully its not overpowering.

Its ingredients are: Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Safflower Oil, Castor Oil, Sesame Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Cyclomethicone, Sheep Sorrell, Yarrow, Slippery Elm Bark, Sage, Henna, Comfrey, Burdock Root, Ginseng, Goldenseal, Cherry Bark, Black Walnut, Chamomile, Alfalfa, Hyssop, Wheat Germ, Fragrance

As you can see from the ingredients list that this product contains some great ingredients, most notably being wheat germ oil that is packed full of ceramides. The combination of oils in Hot Six Oil are so convenient for me because I would not have to mix these oils on my own for sealing.

In addition to sealing, I have used this oil in my deep conditioner and I even used it on my skin.

So guys do not sleep on sleep on this product go out and give Hot Six Oil a try.

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect Edges

I know many of you want to know the secret to taming those edges between relaxers in response to this Creme of Nature has developed an edge tamer called Argan Oil Perfect Edges. 

I have not used this product personally but I have read some great reviews for this product. Many persons have said that this product does not flake and cake up like ORS Edge Control. In addition, this product is alcohol free so it would not cause your edges to dry out, leading to breakage.

So ladies it you are looking for that sleek look you should check out this product.

Optimum Care Salon Collection Deep Conditioning Mask

I have been watching this product get a lot of buzz lately on the hair boards and in the hair care forums so as usual my PJism kicked in and I picked this up at my local BS store.

Description: A weekly intense treatment with a refreshing scalp sensation that infuses hair with Ceramide and Coconut Oil for instant breakage protection, lasting moisture, strength and shine.

Product Claims: NEW Optimum Care® Salon Collection features professional-quality formulas for salon results at home. Repair, reconstruct and replenish each strand with our patented Dual Strength Complex for instant breakage reduction after just one use. Endorsed by stylists. No appointment necessary.

My Thoughts: This product has a nice thick consistency that I like with my deep conditioners.

It also has a slightly perfumy smell that is not overpowering but pleasant.

I applied this product to damp hair just like I would apply my usual deep conditioner but without any additional oils becuase I wanted to see how this product would react with my hair on its own.

The product absorbed into my hair and did not leave it feeling coated. Awesome! At the end of my wash process my hair felt strong and moisturised and it had really good body.

This product has done what the manufacturers have promised in my opinion and I believe that this will be a part of my usual product rotation in the future.