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!