January 30, 2010

Today is the day that I'm supposed to update you all on my hair. I've officially been transitioning for 39 weeks and 3 days and yesterday made 9 months EXACTLY! So last night I washed my hair and had my older sister, who is also in her 9th month of transition, help me take pictures of my new growth. She also was so kind to let me take a couple pictures of hers while she redid a few of her braids. So without further adui, here are my updates!

wet newgrowth with gel & shea butter

dried

wet hair, no product

wet hair no product

wet hair no product

i have no idea..lol

i think i put gel..

raggedy relaxed ends. i suspect this is "scab hair" but we'll see.

i put miss jessie's curly pudding on this on little piece

Show & Tell

Minus the "show". Yesterday I tried something a liiiitle different with styling my hair. Even though I forgot to take pictures, trust me ya'll, it looked GOOD! So Thursday night I was too tired to pin curl my hair so I just threw my satin bonnet on and called it a night. When I woke up, my hair was feelin a little dry so I sectioned my hair off in relatively small sections and applied 100% raw shea butter and extra virgin olive oil to seal to each piece (focusing on the ends) pin curled, and wrapped it up in a head scarf. Immediately after, I hopped in for a hot, steamy shower. When I got out my hair probably sat for about 30 minutes before I took the pin curls down and styled. I'm not sure, but I think the steam had a lot to do with the results. My hair was smooth and easy to comb through. I think it was almost as if I had given my hair some sort of treatment. So next time you're in a rush and don't want to break out the curlers try this and see what happens! Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Sad But True..

I've been wanting to go back to my bantu knots for some time now and up until today, the only thing holding me back was my ridiculous levels of laziness. However, today it dawned on me that putting my bantu knots back would interfere with my megatek regimen and more than likely my moisture and sealing process as well. Since I'm transitioning, my relaxed ends don't behave the same way as my natural roots. I'm afraid that the moisture will ruin the bantu knot out results and make my ends go straight which, believe me, is not cute. At all! So now I need a new straightened regimen. I straighten my hair about once a week but now that I have my silk scarf to tie my hair up, I should be able to stretch that a bit longer. I use two different types of heat protectant, 1. Nexxus heat protexx and 2. Fantasia IC Hair Polisher/Heat Protector/Straightening Spray to try and avoid heat damaged roots. The reason for using two is this: Nexxus is a GREAT heat protectant, smells great and everything but the product is water based. Therefore, I only use it before blowdrying. To blowdry my hair and then turn around and spray a water based product onto it is insane and counter productive. I'd rather not. Instead, I turn to my Fantasia IC Heat Protector when it's time to use my handy dandy Chi flat iron! It smells like watermelon candy (yumm) and works like a charm! Hopefully in taking these measures to protect my hair, I'll keep my hair from getting damaged and will never have to report any bad news! Below are pictures of the products listed in this entry just in case anyone wants to check them out. Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Girl, No!

As you all know I've started my End Saver Challenge in an effort to retain my length and start healthier habits with my hair. I can't remember if I gave you all my regimen in a previous post and I'm much too lazy to create a new tab and find out so I'll just tell you all again. :)

Daily:

Moisturize with 100% raw shea butter focusing on ends

Seal with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Apply Megatek to scalp in small sections

Well over the weekend I traveled to New Jersey to visit family and of course while there, I fell off my regimen. I was there from Thursday evening until Sunday morning. The only days that I didn't do what I was supposed to do was on Saturday and Sunday and BOY did my hair let me have it! I know I've said it before but I am now truly learning that my hair TRULY loves and needs moisture to thrive. Those two days without my moisturize/seal routine really showed up in my comb! My hair was breaking off a little more than normal. I never grabbed my shea butter and EVOO so fast in my life! I'm back on track now however and things are back to normal. The megatek is really doing it's job also guys. My hair hasn't shown any major growth yet but it's definitely thicker! It's only been two weeks though. The young lady in the example I used when first introducing the product to my blog has been a devout user for 2 months. We shall see and I shall definitely update! Until next time...Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Color Me Bored

Looking at the ladies on youtube and just out and about, I've come to the conclusion that I'm ready for color! The first and last time I dyed my hair was for my senior prom nearly 4 years ago and I'm ready for something new again. I want a honey blonde or some sort of strawberry blonde or something. I don't know, obviously I have very little experience with hair coloring. I do know one thing however, I'm not too sure if I want to dye it now while I'm transitioning. My hair and I are still feeling each other out and I don't want to do anything to make my hair go "Girl, no!" Also, what if the two textures "take" differently. Ehh, I'd rather not take my chances on that! Last time I dyed my hair, my hair barely took. I'll show you all a picture. It wasn't terrible, cause honestly I probably wasn't ready for that kind of change anyways. But now, I'm grown up and I want something else to look at in the mirror. Hmmm, maybe I should just cut and dye and see how the world receives me! LOL, sike. I'm way too much of a punk for that! What do you guys think? And has anyone dyed their hair while transitioning? Am I right to be weary of the outcome? Let me know! Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

P.S.,

See, you can't even tell there's anything in it! Also, please excuse my 2007 self..lol. My, how I've changed!

Trader Girls

Tasha Jay

Hair Status: Transitioning since July 17, 2009

Tips & Tricks: ummm lets see that’s kinda a hard one. I don’t really have a lot of tips, but certain products have definitely made my transition smoother than it could have been.

1. Silicon Mix conditioner and leave-in conditioner has saved my life. it is a light protein so it helps strengthen my hair especially at the line of demarcation. It also has helped with detangling. It adds mega SLIP!
2. Minimal heat has definitely made my transition easier as well. I rarely add head to my hair right now because I cant stand dealing with the two textures
3. Co-Washing! When I first tried co-washing I definitely couldn’t get with it, but as I kept trying it, I felt that my hair retained more moisture and made my hair more manageable
4. Pony-tails and buns! I’m a student and I refuse to straighten my hair all the time so the pony tails and buns have been my chosen protective style.
5. Treat your hair like its fine silk during the transition process. Its very hard not to get frustrated with your hair and you want to basically yank it out. But even though I am transitioning, I’m also in it for retention. Until I BC I will be holding on to whatever hair I have!
6. Watch Youtube and visit hair blogs and forums for tips on how to retain hair and product reviews, but remember what works for everyone may or may not work for you. Don’t jump on every bandwagon you hear about. And of course Research new products before you buy them. That will save you money!
7. Don’t be discouraged. The first time I transitioned I went 9 months strong, and then I got discouraged and peer pressured into slappin some Kreamy Krack in my head. As a result, my hair broke off drastically. That was the final straw and now Im in this for the long hall. Don’t let people tell you that going natural Is a waste of time. DO YOU BOO! Its your hair, do as you please with it.

Staples: Hydratherma Naturals Growth Lotion and Gro

wth Oil. IC protein gel (the clear one), Silicon Mix, Just for me Hair Milk detangler, Chi silk infusion, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration, Wide tooth comb and paddle brush, My Handy Dandy Scarf! (the term wrap it up aint just for me. Tie

your hair up at night to prevent breakage)

Goal Length: FULLY NATURAL BSL

BC Date: July 17^th, 2011 (might change that who knows.

I Stand Corrected!

"Whoops." -DJ

So as I was tweeting about my usage of Megatek, one of my followers, fellow student at our University, and hair GURU let me know that what I was doing was counter productive! She told me that using the megatek on my actual hair strands everyday would most likely lead to protein overload and hair breakage! Instead, she recommends that I only use it on my scalp. SO, that's what I will be doing from now on! Starting NYE, I began my megatek scalp regimen and I will keep it up until the bottle is empty! I'm excited! The next couple entries will be Trader Girl editions! So stay tuned for real life accounts of how other readers are doin' their thang!

Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!