Hi ladies. I have to tell you I am hating the new set up for Blogger. Blah. I mean, I really hate it. I know I've been gone a while but I was mourning (and still am) a loss of a family member. I'm much better now and ready to come back and post a little more regularly. I haven't been using my MSM at all, or oils or pretty much anything over this month. I just managed to keep my Hair moisturized and protected my ends. I decided to straighten my Hair yesterday because I was curious at the length and needed to trim my ends. I admit, hair has been the last thing on my mind so I slacked but I wouldn't say big time. I couldn't let my ends turn into big crunchy messes. No. No way. So I do have some current length check pics dated 10/17. I literally just took them 5 minutes ago. Before I post those though, do you know some person had the nerve to report my blog post? LOL all the way back from February about cowashing no less. I hate cowashing anyway so I just deleted the post. I'm not here for drama. I never claimed the article was mine, or written by me so whatever. Imagine how hard I rolled my eyes when I saw the complaint. I wonder what they're going to complain about next. Anyway back to hair news: My current hair length as of October 17th, 2012:

I don't have too many pics because I slammed my Ipod Touch on the concrete and well, it takes funky pics now. I still look like I'm about 1 1/2 inches from APL. It may take longer because I can't deal with funny,fuzzy, thin looking ends. If you notice I got my hair way too straight yet again. I don't like it this straight at all. Blah. But what's done is done. I even had the temperature on 250 (the lowest setting) 1 1/2 passes and this is what I got. Ok ladies, I'll be writing you next month. I still have pretty much the same regimen as I always have had. I'll just try to be a bit more consistent now as much as I can. Ciao ladies :) Product reviews coming soon

My current Sulfur mix for Sulfur challenge 9/1-2/28

My mix consists of :

1 TSP (heaping) of Sublimed Sulfur
4 oz JBCO
4 oz EVOO
2-3 drops of Lavendar oil
2-3 drops of Tea Tree oil
2-3 drops of Sweet Almond Oil
2-3 drops of Peppermint Oil

Hoping for more great results this next round of applications :)

:D Hi ladies! I had to get one good entry in before September!

Well you ladies pretty much know that I've been using sulfur oil since May. I've been getting great results and so far my hair is about 1 1/2 inches to APL. APL where you at! I've been waiting for over a year now, crap. Well, surely the Winter will be the time when I hit it. Now whether that's November or December, only time will tell. The good thing is it seems I'm retaining length so the goal isn't too far away. September 1st starts the NJOY concoction challenge on Long hair care forum. Here: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=16737781&posted=1#post16737781

We're going to use Njoy's mix that led to her tremendous growth. You can view this growth my typing NJOY in the search on LHCF,or googling NJOY or even going to her site Mydivaspot.com on her blog

so just a recap so far

This is my current length

I notice that blow drying yields my regular thick hair than flat ironing so I may do that instead when I want straighter hair. I am only about 1 week and a half post relaxer and since my hair is never bone straight, i swear it looks like Im already 8 weeks post or something. OH well. I dont use heat regularly and never will. My hair just can't take it. I won't chance it. Hope you ladies have a great Labor day weekend and HHJ to you all!

Fresh relax pics! :D

More pics of how my hair currently looks as of today. I ended up flat ironing it again this morning (1 pass) and it will be a long time before I flat iron it again. Atleast 6 weeks- 2 months.

News Alert! I caved, I am....Relaxed again :)

I know you joined this blog to see relaxed hair retain length right? I flipped on you guys and you know what? I ended up ending my 6 month stretch (no longer transition) because I realized a couple things.

1. I don't love myself any less because I prefer to make my hair manageable with chemicals.

2. My hair is thick, but my strands are fine and cannot take too much heat. "Heat training" (which I think is baloney anyway (spelled wrong on purpose) wouldn't work for my Hair.

3. I don't have the time to invest doing twists, I can't braid and I don't really like "big" hair on me.

4. I prefer my Hair straight 60% of the time (even though I do NOT use heat often on my hair)

I decided to go back to relaxers and there's no shame in my game. At any time I can choose to start transitioning if I wish. So this, once again, is a relaxed hair blog! My goal is still WL. I've made up my mind and this is what's best for me right now. Sorry for the yo-yoing, but you know how indecisive us ladies can be sometimes :) I actually feel relieved and know that I can stretch 6 months if I have to again. I don't think I'll stretch longer than 4 or 5 mths this time around. I relaxed 5/18/12 and I just joined the NJOY Concoction challenge 2012 on LHCF. You ladies should join this challenge. Most of us have seen what sublimed Sulfur has done for her hair. You ladies know I've been using it since May and you've seen my pics on here so it does work. Anyhow, I actually was procrastinating post this LOL feeling shame? LOL the nerve of me. I am confident in my decision and everyone should be happy and confident no matter how they choose to wear their Hair. I have a product review on Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner and you ladies do not want to miss it! Ciao Bellas!

My hurrr (yes hurr) is done! :D

Ok I was playing around and today while I was washing and DC'ing I took some texture shots of my hair

and these are pics of my hair after straightening today. My goal is still WL even though I'm transitioning. I figure when my entire hair is WL, my Natural hair will be atleast APL or longer and then I can chop away the relaxed ends. I will not be bald (no offense to bald people). I did something a little different this time when flat ironing. I only did 1 pass and maybe 1/2 on the root because I'm 26 weeks post almost and well, the roots are resistant. I think it came out the thickest I've ever seen. I hate when I straighten my hair too straight. Small sections and 2 passes left it way too straight. I use the Kiss Red Flat irons 3/4 & 1/2 on a setting of 280-300 degrees. I will not go any hotter than that.

Here are my current hair pics and length check. I did a trim as well and only took off a tiny bit not even half an inch to even the ends out.

and my ponytail currently:

Ok and one more thing. Last night I took a section in the middle left area of my head and cut it to natural haha :) I was curious to see my natural texture. This next pic is all natural (the strand I'm holding anyway. I'm assuming majority of the hairs on my head are about this length

It's looks like approximately 3 in or 3 1/2 inches of new growth natural hair by me just looking at it. This is growth from February-Present.

whew! I think that's all the pics I wanted to show you all today. But one more. A comparison pic from February- the length now. I started the Sulfur oil in May of this year

sorry bombarded you folks with pics but you know how I am. I am constantly taking pics of my hair haha. Not sure how long this will last but just wanted to get some pics in.

Washed 2x today. Yes two times. Darn Ecostyler gel

Ok so I did an overnight DC w the Silicon mix, woke up this morning and washed it out, shampooed and DC'd again. I stupidly applied Ecostyler (the clear one) to my hair. Why? Why oh why did I do that? I hate having a plastic/plaster head. So my hair got hard and looked awful so I ended up washing it again. I need my hair free from products unless it's moisturizer. Gel is only when I'm about to wash my hair. I will never use it after a fresh wash again. So I have a function to attend this Weekend and I'm going sleek. So I'm flat ironing right now. I try not to abuse heat and I think I've done pretty good so far regarding that. I think the last time I used it was a month ago. Once a month isn't so bad but I am trying not to get addicted to it like I used to be. That's the only concern I have about going natural. Not knowing if I will want that sleek look more often later on down the line and not wanting to singe up my ends with the Heat. Oh well, I'm still doing it. I will let today worry about itself. I'm only doing 1 pass with my Kiss red silicon irons. I'm no where near being done but these irons are so good, you can't even tell I only did 1 pass. I am using the 3/4 in (small) for my roots, and the 1/2 in for bigger sections. I just realized for the bigger one I need it up to 300 degrees because it wasn't getting the job done and right now the 3/4 one is at 280. I don't want to go above 300 degrees on either. I have no idea how ladies flat iron their hair on 425 and up. I'd be paranoid I was going to get damage. Anyway, let me finish. As usual, pics are to come

:D Hello all, hair update

Well, I got restless and cut a small piece of the hair from the left middle section. No one can see it but wow! I think I've gotten about 3 1/2 in. from May to now when I started using the Sulfur. This piece is fully natural so I will be monitoring it as the days go on. I've never seen my real texture since I was a child. This is a whole new world for me and I'm pressing forward! :D

I'm still using my sulfur oil about 2x weekly. Still washing 2x weekly (sometime more) and I think i'm due for a trim if not a search & destroy. I am considering straightening my Hair this weekend, I'm not sure about that yet. It depends on how cool the weather is.

Yay it's finally August! First wash day of the month!

I just applied my sulfur and now the bottle is empty. Time to make a new batch. I originally use Amla oil along w the other oils I mix,but I ran out and since Amla did nothing for me I won't be buying it again. I probably will just do a mix of JBCO (8 oz) couple drops of Lavendar, Peppermint & Tea tree oil this time. After applying the oil, I massaged for about 5 min, then applied Silicon Mix Bambu that looks like this:

I heard great things about this product ladies and so I'm excited to see what it does to my hair. As of now, I really haven't revamped my hair regimen much. I'm still moisturizing regularly, I have incorporated mandatory light protein treatments that I did before and had success with, but I've just been to lazy to do it. Hope you all are doing well on your journeys and if I haven't followed your blog back, please let me know! Sometimes with real life I get flustered and forget. Ciao Bellas!

Big news about my Hair Journey ladies! I'm transitioning to Natural! :D

Well I've thought long and hard about this for about a year now and now I have realized that it's inevitable. Right now I've been stretching 6 months after my Relaxer and I no longer want to continue to relax my Hair. I never thought in a million years that I would ever say that. I have never seen my Hair texture as an Adult. I don't remember what it looks or feels like. I know it isn't going to be easy,but maintaining Relaxed hair is too much for me so it can't be any worse than just rocking my natural hair. That being said I will NOT be BC'ing my hair any time soon. Length is extremely important to me. I feel and look better with longer hair. My attitude about it being sleek and straight all the time has completely changed. I look good with my naturally curly hair. This is who I am. This is who God intended me to be. Now I plan on Long-term transitioning and I will not cut any relaxed hair until my Natural hair is atleast SL or APL. This if I'm counting right, should take approximately 18-24+ months. I'm willing to wait. I just took a picture of my approximately 2 inches of NG (new growth) and this is my natural hair texture in this pic below:

I'm excited to see how it looks in full.

What made me decide to go natural

Well it was a bunch of things but the major turning point for me was watching Chime aka Hair Crush's video on "Why I went natural"
HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVotrFMm5T4 and it really made me think long and hard about why I relaxed my hair. Why was I whipping my strands into submission with those Chemicals every 12 weeks? Did I not feel that my kinky,curly,coarse hair was beautiful? I honestly feel that I (like many ladies) didn't feel like I could rock my natural hair like ever. Sleek and silky was the way to go. I've viewed this video 2 or 3x and on the 3rd time, I realized what I had to do. I want to embrace the texture God gave me. I don't need to match up with the European/Caucasian idea of what beauty is. Now, I will NEVER be a natural (I won't use the 4 letter n words as that's offensive) militant. I have been relaxed over 20 yrs. It would be hypocritical of me to bark the woes of Relaxers. I will never do that. I will respect everyone else's decision to do what they want to their Hair. It doesn't affect me directly what someone else choose's to do with their hair anyway.

My decision is NOT solely based on a Youtube video. After all, that would be silly right? It's been in me lately to attempt to love all of me. Not just my face, my nails or my body but my Hair as well. I also started researching transitioning blogs and I'm getting so much information. For the longest time I've been a member of Naturally curly or Curly Nikki as some of you may know it and didn't/wouldn't tell them that I'm relaxed. Now I actually belong there, heehee.

I also last week came across Fusionofcultures on Youtube. Her hair is gorgeous. The first video I encountered was her mini chop to completely natural. I was floored at how beautiful her hair was. Now I am aware that my curl pattern won't be the same as hers. I am aware that I'm a 4B and proud :D I can't claim 4a or 3c nope. But my curls are not in a zig-zag pattern whatsoever so I'm pretty sure it's a 4B. Anyway, you can still follow my journey. I'm still meeting all of the previous goals I have had set for length. The only difference is once I hit those goals, the goals for my Natural hair will change. I'm excited, apprehensive and I don't plan on announcing it to family and making a huge deal about it. Everyone isn't going to necessarily react the way you want them to. I even considered a BC but I know I don't like short short hair on me. My hair has never been shorter than a Halle Berry cut. Anyway :) thanks for listening to me babble. Thanks for following my blog and more awesome products, info, length check pics to come.

Cowash today blah :P

I loathe cowashing but darn it, I ran out of shampoo. My hair has just been feeling heavy so I figured earlier today I might as well put my Sulfur oil on and let it sit for a few hours. I baggied my hair after oiling/moisturizing and left it baggied for about 3 or 4 hrs. I cowashed with HE Hydralicious Conditioner. DC'd w Grapeseed Oil, JBCO, a couple drops of Peppermint Oil and a couple drops of Rosemary Oil & sat under the dryer for about 5-7 minutes. I can't wait to see how soft my Hair ends up. My hair was so silky and smooth while washing. I don't even believe it. I swear it's the Sulfur as I told you ladies before that has my hair so manageable while washing and all around handling. I think I may either air dry, or blow dry my hair on cool. I'm being lazy today. I know, this is the 3 time I'm washing my Hair this week but I cannot walk around with sweaty,dirty hair. I don't care if I end up washing it 5x a week. There is no way I will keep that stuff in my Hair. Clean hair is the key to length retention. I'm a witness.

DC in prep for wash day!

Tonight I applied my Sulfur Oil, VO5 Conditioner,Argan Oil, Lavendar JBCO and bagging overnight. Giving myself a good wash and then wet twist out tomorrow. I am at the point wear I really love Twist Outs.

Product Review: Fantasia IC Olive Anti-Breakage Treatment & KeraCare Twist & Define Cream

Fantasia IC Olive Anti-Breakage Treatment

This would be considered a Medium Protein treatment. For protein sensitive this may be considered a hard treatment. My hair is a 4B and for me it's medium. First off, this stuff smells so good..oh yes. I can't describe how good it smells. I use this every 2 weeks- 1 month. I probably could get away with using it weekly but I don't use it that often. This contains Hydrolized Silk & Keratin. These ingredients are listed in the middle. The further down on the Ingredient list, the less amount is in there so this is definitely a medium protein.

My hair felt so silky and smooth after using this. I love it. I mean love it. I would definitely recommend if you need a good protein treatment, between this and ORS Hair Mayo I don't know which one is better. On a scale from 1-10, this is a definite 10 for me. I paid approximately $7.49 plus tax for this. Hopefully it's cheaper where you off. NYC ripping folks off haha

Keracare Twist and Design Cream

Ok so at the beginning of my journey, I could never ever see myself wanting texture, wave or curl in my hair. Well thankfully my attitude has changed and I've started doing braidouts and twistouts. I did a twist out with this Cream and well, it was so nice! I love this stuff. The consistency is similar to Let's Jam..so I'm not too fond of that, but the smell is great and as far as holding my waves it did a good job. The cost, whew..this little container costed me $11.99 plus tax. I will be buying it again though and stocking up. It worked very well on my Hair and I really like this product. I think you ladies should try it. It worked better than Ecostyler Gel for me. My rating again, is a solid 10. Worth all my money.

Product Review: Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer

The long awaited review of the product everyone seems to rave about. This 8 oz bottle costed me about $6.99 plus tax. This spray has 3 different proteins: Silk, Vegetable & Keratin. I bought this as a suggestion and let me just say, it made zero difference in the feel of my Hair. It pretty much did nothing. Now, I have been using this for over a month so if my hair was going to tell me something about it, it would've by now. I'm sure if another lady uses it, she might have better luck with it, but for me it was a bomb. I mean, I bought two 8 oz bottles and now I am trying my hardest to get rid of them. This product is to be used with heat. So I usually use this after a wash, and right before a blow dry or flat iron. I would say it wouldn't hurt for you to try this for yourself. For me, I'm giving this product a 3. It showed no major change or anything while I used it.

Dusting :) made it to Sunday with straight hair!

ok so I'm going to dust my ends if they need it. I haven't been abusing heat so my ends shouldnt need much. I have noticed that they aren't even when they were not too long ago when I trimmed. No better time to trim while my Hair is still straight. So after Sunday, i'm free to proceed with my hair washing. I can't take trying to preserve this straight hair anymore. It's just too much work.
I took more pics with my Hairlista length check shirt. Should make it easier next time to see my progress

Here are my present length pics after flat ironing :)

Ok so here are my long awaited pics. I was slacking posting them. I have so many on my computer, but you know me, I am very picky about what pics to post and thats the only reason why I blur my face if I think it looks funny in a pic. I've put a full face pic (bottom) unblurred for you ladies that have no idea what I look like :)

I flat ironed my hair July 9th and these were taken on the 9th, 10th and today the 11th
I am currently 21 weeks post relaxer and I am unsure when I'm going to relax. I'm keeping my hair moisturized and pretty much sticking to my simple regi that I have posted. I'm still doing my Sulfur 1-2x weekly and then washing my Hair. That's pretty much all I'm doing right now. This is the first time I've flat ironed since 5/28.

I am not sure when I'll flat iron next. Most likely not until September because I refuse to press out my Hair when it's too hot. This week has been 80s and very low humidity so I was able to straighten it and make it last for looks like going to be a week soon. I see some progress but I did feel like my hair was too straight. I mean, I had a huge Lion's mane when I started and ended up with sleek, but I think too sleek for my liking. I used my Kiss Silicon Flat Iron (the small one) and big mistake. Small sections and small iron= too sleek and straight. I'll remember for next time. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the pics and I am pleased so far with my progress. Hope everyone's journey is going well. I'll be back later this week with a long awaited product review. This week i'm reviewing Aphoghee Green Tea Reconstructurizer. So don't miss my blog post :) Later Chicas

Finally a cool day without humidity so doing a length check w Flat ironed hair :)

pics coming today!

Wash Day/ Protein treatment and update

hey folks :) well I know it's the Summer, I've been relaxing a little on my entries but I do make sure to check atleast every 2 weeks to let you girls know how my hair journey is going so far. As of this past Saturday, I am 18 weeks post relaxer. I do not know how long I will stretch. I am still using the sulfur oil 2x weekly,but I may start only using it the night before wash day. I really don't like how my Hair feels after using it. So styling my Hair with it in it, is not an option for me. I don't think I did a Protein treatment this month, so I washed my hair real good this morning with HE Color Me Happy (smells so good!) and used 2 Eggs as my Protein treatment. I haven't had a chance to purchase more Hair Mayo which is actually my preference so Eggs it was. After that I'll rewash, DC w Moisturizing condish..rinse and then do my last rinse of ACV like I always do and airdry. I've been mostly rocking buns. It's just too hot to straighten my hair and I dont really feel like doing much else. I'm still trying to perfect the perfect braid out. If I can get that down I'll wear them more often.

Still using Sulfur oil :)

Well ladies, I never did Flat Iron my hair when I said I would. I almost did last night but darn it, it's just too hot and I refuse to waste my time. What I've been trying to do lately is perfect the perfect braid out. I got it cute only once which sucks. Haha. Well I've been using my Sulfur oil concoction 2x weekly. I might up it to 3x but I'm seeing good results with just the 2 days so who knows, I may stick with that.

Hair Update w Pics!

Hey Ladies, I've been MIA enjoying this beautiful Summer Weather but I must say my hair is thriving and thriving. I am still using the Sulfur Oil 2x weekly and pretty much doing everything else I've always done in my regimen previously. I am currently 17 weeks post relaxer as of tomorrow and I don't believe it. I've never stretched longer than 16 weeks and my NG is soft as what! I mean, it has to be the MSM i'm taking or the Sulfur oil. I can run my fingers through my Hair with no tangles. It's truly unbelievable. I took pics of course haha. My hair is thicker than ever and I love it. I'm considering straightening it tonight because I just splurged and bought 2 new Flat irons. They were a bit pricey, but they're 100% Ceramic w silicone protection. I got these:



and I also got the bigger one like the small one above at 1 1/2
so here's a pic of my hair I took yesterday. This is blown out, not flat ironed.



I will do my official length check at the end of this Month. I also bought some Keracare twistout creme and finally Chi Silk Infusion because I was hearing so many good things about it. Hope you all are well and more updates to come.

I know this is a hair blog but do any of you wear Glasses?

I've just discovered Zennioptical.com and OMGosh!!! I just ordered my first pair this Morning and I am loving how cheap these frames are. The lenses are free (regular) and if you have Bifocal or a stronger prescription it could be a little more but in all you wont pay more than $40 for frames. Crazy right? My entire order just now was $15.00 and I got these:

I'm so excited and I would've purchased more but those are coming. I have like 30 in my favorites. You can even virtually try on frames. I can't believe I was paying over $300 for Frames/Glasses. Ridiculous. Never again. HTH

Still on my Sulfur oil for this 4 mth Challenge

Don't think I'm slacking my oil ladies. I am still using this 2x a week. I did start at 4x a week,but that was way too much for me. I am no longer using too much to the point of it dripping haha, and I only use it the day before a wash. So Im washing 2x weekly and that may increase as the Weather gets hotter. I also have some pics from my last flat iron most likely until the fall(yeah right)

Here are my braidout results. I just did 2 or 3 braids in the back for this. Sorry for the blur

and these are pics of my hair last week Friday

I'm not sure when i'll trim next. My ends still look great from my recent trim. Maybe in 3 or 4 mths.

Wash day /Flat Iron

I just bought a new Ceramic Flat iron, my first one ever and I couldn't resist flat ironing my hair tonight. I haven't flat ironed for about 2 weeks, so I think I'm safe to do it again. I used a Semi-permanent dye for these dumb Greys (Reviving Colors) in natural black. I use IC Olive Oil Reconstructor after that, did a moisturizing condish w Suave coconut and ended w an ACV rinse. I've just prepped my hair for flat ironing by spraying Aphoghee Green Tea Reconstructurizer and some Elasta QP Design silk heat protectant. My hair is pretty wet, so I'm going to let it Air dry maybe 90% and then blow dry the rest w a low heat setting until it's completely dry. I don't think I'm doing the flat iron tonight simply because I'm tired but who knows. Maybe I will. I just hope it's not in vain. It's been pretty hot this week and this may be the last time I flat iron for a while. I'm trying to get used to braidouts. Tomorrow I will be 14 weeks post relaxer. Still pushing for 6 months. That yet remains to be seen if I can go that long without a retouch. I've noticed the Sulfur oil is making my hair feel so soft. I mean, I was washing my Hair and I couldn't believe I was this many weeks post relaxer. I bought some MSM pills today and OMGosh. Seriously these pills are huge! I wish I would've known. I took the first one today and almost choked O_O. Oh gosh. I don't know if I'm finishing the other 89 pills. I'll let you all know on that. Enjoy your weekend. I should have some pics as usual coming soon.

Update on what I've been doing so far last/this week

Well last Friday I used the Sulfur oil. I also used it tonight..and the night before. I washed my Hair yesterday. I am starting to do braidouts. It actually came out pretty cute this past Sunday. I thought I could never like wavy/curly hair but my Hair was cute enough to wear to Church and so I did. I'm trying to perfect the braidout. It's going to allow me to stretch out my Relaxers even further. Right now I am 13 weeks post relaxer. I don't know how long I'll stretch. I admit, I do have a big old box of ORS on top of my Kitchen Cabinets but I am fighting the temptation. I'll be doing a product review this week. I have so many awesome products so this time i think I'll review 3 heat protectants for you ladies.

I straightened my Hair Saturday! So length check time!

Ok so to give you ladies a reminder at where I was when I started my Hair journey 1 year ago.

This is what I started with:

and my hair currently. It was longer in certain areas, but as you ladies know I had splits so I did a good trim and evened it out. I'm very confident I'll reach APL this year now.

VHF thoughts

Ok, I know I've only been using it 1 week but I must say, I hate it. I hate the smell. I hate the consistency. Just the sheer fact that it has Petroleum jelly in it makes me want to puke. I have a little left in this tube and I will not be finishing it or ordering more. Some ladies swear by it, I hate the way it feels. Now I'm not saying it doesn't work because I didn't give it a few months,but I will be doing Sulfur oil mix every week about 3-4x week and no more VHF. I hate the way it leaves my Hair. I may do JBCO/Tea Tree Oil alternating weeks instead,but I'm not sure yet. Just letting you folks know how I feel. It's 2am here in NY and I swear I want to wash this crap out of my Hair like right now. I'm so tempted to but no. I'll do one more night of greasy hell, and then I'm done with VHF. My rating for VHF? Blah!

My Hair Forums!

Here is a list of my Screen names and the sites that I'm on :) Feel free to friend me!

Long hair care forum: TracieBLovely http://www.longhaircareforum.com/

Black Hair Media forum: TracieBLovely http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/forums.html

My Diva Spot: Pink Sunshine http://mydivaspot.com/forums/forum.php

Hairlista: Tracie B. http://www.hairlista.com/profile/TracieBLovely

Hairlista FB group: Tracie BeLoveliness https://www.facebook.com/groups/40923346750/

The Science of Black Hair: TracieBLovely (http://www.blackhairscience.com/forum/

Naturallycurly.com (curlynikki): Pink_Sunshine http://www.naturallycurly.com/

Long Hair Community: Pink Sunshine http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=50861

Wow is that 8? Good grief...hmmm..yeah well that's it haha

Yesterday/Today Hair update

Yesterday was wash day. I usually make a big production of it and post all the steps here but frankly, I was being lazy as far as blogging (hehe). I have incorporated a light Protein treatment weekly and trimmed my hair real good and will be trimming on the regular (every 4-6 mths) from now on. I used VHF last night and tonight and honestly, I'm not liking how it makes my hair feel. It's heavy, greasy and I don't even mind the smell. If it works, i'll stay with it. At this point my tube is almost done and in all honesty, I don't think I'm going to re-purchase it. I hate grease and this stuff is just too much for me. I can deal w the Sulfur oil and it's heavy as well,but I've seen the results with that. Im not sure about the VHF though. I haven't seen too many people on my hair forums that have gotten good results from it. If any of you ladies know someone who got good results with VHF, let a Sista know! Anyhow, I think this will be my last week using that stuff on my Scalp. I've officially had enough of it.

More tips on how to deal with Split Ends

Preventing Split Ends

Use the Right Comb

The best comb for natural hair is the wide toothed comb. You want to avoid using small tooth combs because they tend to cause more split ends due to the edges of the comb’s teeth snagging against the hair.

No Harsh Cleansers: Moisture and Conditioning Often

You want to find a shampoo that will not mess up the moisture balance of your hair strands. Harsh shampoos with sulfate leave the hair dry and cause breakage.

Of course,moisturizing is the key to keeping your hair supple and pliable. Depending on your hair’s texture and ability to seal moisture, you want to moisturize daily or every 3 to 4 days.

Minimal Manipulation of Hair

Protective styles can be your best friend when trying to avoid the creation of split ends. You want to keep your styling to a minimal in order for your ends to become stronger.

Wrap Your Hair Up at Night

Always keep your hair wrapped up with a satin scarf or sleep on a satin pillowcase. Sleeping without having anything on your head on a cotton pillowcase will leave your hair extremely dry and susceptible to breakage.

Treat Your Ends with Care

Your ends are actually the oldest part of your hair. Make sure you moisturize your ends and your scalp in order to stop breakage in its tracks.

My Updated Regimen

Here is my current regimen as of May 7th, 2012

1-2 weekly wash
DC 2x weekly
ACV rinse after every wash
Light protein weekly
12-14 relaxer stretches
1x Monthly Protein treatment
Weekly ends dusting
M&S Morning and Night
Oil scalp nightly with Sulfur Oil (or 3-4x weekly)
*alternating between 1 week on/ off using VHF 1 week and Sulfur Oil the next*
Airdry or blow dry on cool

Nothing special but it sure did take me a while to get it perfect. I did incorporate a light protein weekly. I can't believe I wasn't already doing that.

The benefits Search and Destroy & how to do it the correct way

Benefits of the Search and Destroy Trim Method

Search and destroy trimming saves hair length and keeps pesky split ends in check. Most of us only have a few split ends sprinkled throughout our mane. The proportion of split, damaged hairs to healthy normal ones is often quite small. Since search and destroy trims only target and trim ends that are damaged and actually splitting, you avoid having to trim the neighboring healthy hairs which are typically the majority. You can trim through your hair without losing any noticeable length.

Another benefit of search and destroy trims is that anyone can do these! They require no skill whatsoever. If you can see a split, and know how to work a pair of shears, you are already good to go. Search and destroy trims are so light and noninvasive that they are barely noticeable. No one ever walks away feeling upset or having to adjust to a "new look" as is often the case with a standard trim.


Search and Destroy Method

You'll need: Good lighting, 1 Sharp pair of hair shears/scissors, comb, and moisturizer.

Get your lighting. I find that the natural daylight in my car and even computer lighting works pretty well for search and destroys! Good lighting will expose your splits and help them show up better.

1.) First, section your hair into 4 quadrants by making a line from hairline to nape, and make another line from ear to ear. This should give you 2 front sections, and 2 back sections.

2.) Gently detangle the hair starting with one of the top 2 sections.

3.) Gather the section together, then slide your hand down the length until you have about an inch left to go.

4.) Flip the ends up, and scan them for split ends. Identify any bent (hard angle) ends that are about to snap, or hair that just looks like it has seen better days. Snip these hairs straight across just above the damage.

5.) Staying in this first section, part your hair in 1 inch intervals. Search for splits in each 1 inch mini-section. Snip the splits!

6.) Continue searching and destroying until section is complete.

7.) Moisturize the section, then twist the hair all the way down. Look for any splits you may have missed. They will be sticking out. Snip them!

8.) Repeat steps 2-7 in the remaining sections.

Darn Splits! What to do when you have Split (Multiple or Single) ends

Ok so I was sitting here wondering why it's taking me so long to reach APL. I have noticed that I get a shed hair, when I examine it sometimes it's split into 2 or 3! :O I just found this article on Long Hair forum (different from LHFC) and OMGosh..I need to Search and Destroy more often! I found out my issue. I don't know how often because I never used to do it at all. I did a good trim or so I thought. I still won't do a big trim often,but will S&D more regularly. Maybe this will help me reach my goals. This is a response I found on that forum and boy was it helpful. If you ladies have Hair that's splitting and in more than one area on a strand, your hair needs that split cut and more moisture. HTH everyone

How to cure your Hair of Split Ends

1. Every once in a while go through your hair and find the bad splits. Cut them with a pair of very sharp (hair cutting) scissors. That's called search and destroy (S&D) if you didn't already know.

2. As other ladies have said, oiling does help. Moisture is key! I have noticed a lot less splits after I started using oils. I have been doing Jojoba oil for about a year, and have recently added Castor Oil and Almond Oil to the mix. I use all 3 as a hair mask. I put it in my h air and then put a shower cap on, then leave it in all day. It also helps to use a deep conditioner once a week. I use Aussie's 3 Min Miracle. It's cheap and easy to use.

3. The best thing to prevent split ends is to reduce the amount of heat you expose your hair to. I have made a serious effort to cut down on heat this year. It's made a world of difference. If you do use heat make sure you use a heat protectant every time. Even for blow drying. You could also look into different no-heat methods to curl your hair, of make waves (My favorite is sock buns).

4. Keep up with trims. I self trim about every month of so. Just a dusting (1/4 of an in ish). I haven't had to do it as often now that I don't use a lot of heat.

5. Hair is at it's weakest while wet. While your hair is wet don;t wrap it up too tightly or leave it up in a towel for a long time. Wrap it loosely if you have to and take it down ASAP. You can gently squeeze the water out. This will prevent a lot of damage and frizz. You should only use a wide toothed comb while your hair is wet as well.

This week is VHF week!

I'm alternating with VHF one week, Sulfur oil the next so that's why it's been quiet. That's all I've been doing in addition to my regular regimen.

What I did today

Applied Sulfur Oil. I added a little Lavendar oil for the slight smell. I am doing GHE (plastic bag and scarf over that) and then going to bed. In the morning I most likely will wash or cowash.
Up next will be a product review..hmmm what will I do? I'm going to do a Cantu Shea butter gloss shine. coming soon!

May 1st Sulfur Oil Challenge with FB Hairlista!

Ok so it starts tomorrow and I know, I cheated and started 1 week early. This gave me the opportunity though to gage how often I'd do it, how often I'd wash so it was a good trial week. I haven't used the VHF since this past Friday. I used the Sulfur Oil last night. I think I'm going to drop the oil usage down to 2x weekly. Sundays..and Wednesday night. My Wash days will be the next day after. I'm thinking about incorporating one additional day but I'm not sure about that yet because the more I use it, the more often I have to wash. I hate Cowashing so it has to be a regular wash. I'm starting the challenge with freshly clean hair. I did just apply VHF to my edges. I know I know, they ARE already full, but like you ladies know, in my mind, edges can never be too full. So I'll be of course tracking my progress here. I will make a post for the Challenge directions in case any of you ladies want to join in. The Hairlista FB page is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/40923346750/
it's more personal, closer knit friendships and hair talk. I love it.

Sulfur & VHF Update

So I've been using the Oil concoction of:
2 oz Grapeseed Oil
2 oz JBCO
4 oz EVOO
4-5 drops of Tea Tree Oil
4-5 drops of Peppermint Oil

since Friday 4/20
I oil on these days and wash the next morning..and if I use it in the day, I wash my Hair at night

Fridays
Sundays
Mondays
Wednesday
I do GHE 1-2 nights per week with the Sulfur oil

I also have been using Virgin Hair Fertilizer on my Edges since 2 days ago about 2 or 3x daily

Protective Hairstyles

Here I will post some cute protective Hairstyles I find for you ladies: