Daily Archives: May 22, 2012

May22

April GOC Update: Gina (#40)

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Well let’s see … this month has been quite the month. Moving … baby shower … studying *sigh*.

Hair:
I was on track with my regimen and decided to try out Bantu knots on my hair. I have to say that I was very happy with the results. I did that style for, like, a week. Then, proceeded to just wear my hair in a ‘fro. Very little effort and I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to really pay too much attention it.

Then I got an AWESOME blessing!!! I attended the NJ Hair Expo and was approached by a stylist for a product line called Isabella’s Own by Bronner Brothers. She said that she loved my hair (I needed to hear that!) and its texture. She asked if she could do my hair as a demo. Now, I don’t let anyone do my hair. I’m major paranoid that something is going to go wrong that will require me to cut it again *lol*. But, then she said, “I can give you a style that can last you up to a month.” She’s been doing natural hair for like 15 years. That was all I needed to hear! Two strand twists!!! I did not know how I was going to maintain my hair with all I had going on. So I had it done and whooopp whoooopppp, here we are!!!

Weight:
Don’t ask, don’t tell. *lol*

♦

See Gina’s very first GOC post here!  Want to see how far she’s come? Check out her Big Chop Hairstory here!

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May22

April GOC Update: Shellie (#22)

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My niece and I. She’s transitioning.

Hair:
Since starting this GOC, I’ve paid more attention to how my hair feels. During the month of April, I gave my ends a really good search and destroy tending to, it was well needed. My wash day is every Friday, if I miss that, she (my hair) tells me. When I don’t have to do a henna treatment, I use Terressential Left Coast Lemon (smells awesome) on my wash days. It truly does make my hair feel soft and moisturized. To seal in the moisture, I’ve made an awesome oil mixture in an applicator bottle of EVOO, Vitamin E oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and Aaocado oil. Then, I let my hair air dry before twisting with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. This is the first time that I’ve used a styling product one month straight without switching up.

For my thinning edges, I’ve been giving Jamaican Black Castor Oil a nightly work-out. I think I see a difference, but I’m not going to take a picture to compare until the end of June. For the month of May, I’m going to use Ouidad Curl Quencher Hydrafusion Intense Curl Cream for my twist out.

Fitness:
I signed myself up to do the Peachtree Road Race July 4th (what was I thinking?). I’ve been “training” 2-3 days a week, depending on how I feel and I can actually run 2 miles now without stopping (go me). My vitamins of choice are Biotin, MSM (it’s suppose to help with your joints) vitamin B12, vitamin E and D.

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Missed Shellie’s first GOC post? Check it out here.

May22

How I Retain Length – Part Two

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Last week, I did this post on the three mainstay components of my regimen that I believe have allowed me to retain a lot of length: Moisture, Protection and Strength. I’ve shared how I do these three things over the course of the last year through a variety of posts. Well, I thought it might be a good idea to put the links to these articles all together in one place. As new readers come to discover the site and “old” readers want to find a post that they know they read, but just can’t find, thought it would be helpful to have a “Library” for quick reference. I hope that you agree!

So, here is Part Two of How I Retain Length with links to core posts related to my regimen!

1. MOISTURE

The first step in moisturizing for me is pre-pooing:
My Staples – Virgin Coconut Oil & Vatika Oil
How I Pre Poo (w/Video Tutorial)

Next is deep conditioning, which I’ve recently discovered a new way of doing:
Deep Conditioning Tricks – Cool & Seal (now for post henna or post-wash protein only)
Pre-Wash Deep Conditioning

Let’s not forget the all important leave-in conditioner:
The Power of pH

(I use the Kimmaytube recipe, but modify it to use less oil for my fine hair: 2 tbsp Kinky Curly Knot Today, 2 tbsp aloe vera juice [food grade-whole leaf], 1 tsp jojoba oil or Jamaican black castor oil; the “regular” recipe includes 2 tsp jojoba oil & 2 tsp castor oil.)

And finally, I have to seal all that lovely moisture into my hair:
My Staples: Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO)

2. PROTECTION

Protection starts with gentle handling in my book:
Finger Detangling
Tools of the Trade (gentle tools & accessories)

Next is protective and/or low manipulation styling that hides away those ends from environmental and mechanical damage:
Protective Styling … Boring?
Style Library: Updos

Then I protect the ‘do at night:
A Bonnet for Every Occasion

3. STRENGTH

I have truly realized the importance of treatments that reinforce and strengthen the hair strand.
Henna – My Two Step Henna/Indigo Process
Moisture & Protein, Finding the Balance
ApHogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor
ApHogee 2 Step Treatment (my first time review and process)
I ♥ Aubrey Organics (new product)

♥

And that’s it! Enough isn’t it?! I’m nothing if not thorough ;).

(p.s. I’ll add new articles to this post as I discover and incorporate new techniques/products into my regimen.)

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How do you moisturize, protect and strengthen your hair?