Daily Archives: August 20, 2012

Aug20

July GOC Update: Adrienne (#4)

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by Adrienne of Natural Embrace

It’s August already? This challenge is almost over huh? Well let me get to it!

First, I’ll begin by saying July was an awesome month for me simply because I got engaged! My hair could have been a bird’s nest all month, but I wouldn’t have cared.

Hair
Since getting engaged my hair focus has intensified. Yes, I’ve been partaking in this challenge. But, I feel like I’ve been doing a half-hearted attempt to grow my hair. I know that protective styles work best for me, but do I do them? Nope. I like manipulating my hair and changing up styles and I knew that the length would get there eventually and I was in no hurry. Well, now that I’m engaged, I really want to have longer, bigger hair for my wedding and I’ve got about a year and a half to do it (plenty of time). I want to retain every single inch of growth I can get and for that I need … protective/low manipulation styles.

Half of June and all of July were Wash and go hair only. I loved it. I would get to wet my hair every other day, use a new product, and show off my curls. Was my hair growing? Yes it was, a little. But, at the end of July, I was feeling my hair while on vacation and noticed TONS of single strand knots. I’d been feeling them before, but it didn’t bother me But now, it felt like every other strand had a knot on it! I tried oil rinsing and deep conditioning more frequently, but still the knots appeared … so, I figured maybe it was my hair’s way of telling me to retire my wash and go.

So, I decided to put in mini twists and self-trimmed my ends to get rid of the knots I was feeling (instead of snapping them off with my fingers … shameful I know). So far the twists have been in a week and I will find the strength to make them last three weeks before taking down, washing and conditioning and putting them right back in. My goal is to keep my hair mostly twisted up until the end of the year so that I can hopefully claim full shoulder length. If I manage this, then I know I can get to APL next year and hopefully approaching BSL by the time I get married. Who knew that all it took was a pretty ring to get me focused!

On a side note, while on vacation in San Diego visiting family, I got my younger sister Kyky to Big Chop! She’s been wearing weaves for years and not taking care of her hair. She finally stopped getting weaves, but resorted to wigs because her hair was so damaged (try matted, broken off). Her hair was so broken around the perimeter, it was barely reaching an inch, but the crown/center area of her hair was longer. It was an awkward look to say the least. She told me she wanted to go natural, but she wasn’t sure what to do. I told her there was no point holding on to the longer hair with so much hair broken off around her. I offered to pay for her chop and told her she’d look cute and it’d grow out in no time. She agreed and voilà!

The cut suits her. She still wasn’t on board with the short hair, but it’s growing on her and she keeps texting me, asking what products to use. I sent her a few things, explained how I follow the curly girl method and told her she’ll have to figure out what works for her and that moisture is the key. I can’t wait to see how it looks in a month or two.

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AWWWWW!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT ADRIENNE!!!

If you would like to see all of the Adrienne’s updates, just enter her name in the “Search” box on the right >>>>! The results will return all of her updates (and guest posts)!! See where it all began and how she’s progressed over the course of the challenge!

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Aug20

My Spring/Summer 2012 Regimen

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Yeah, it’s been a braid out kind of Spring/Summer … well, initially it was a WnG kind of late spring …

But, then I started getting all of those SSKs and nasty tangles!!! So, it evolved into a braid-out kind of summer.

Anywho, realized that I haven’t posted an updated regimen and it’s changed since I last posted it for the GOC that started in April. I’ve chronicled everything here during regular weekly posts. But, figured I’d put it in consolidated form for those who are seeking a one-stop shop for it ;).

Regimen:

Weekly:

  • Working in sections, pre-poo and finger detangle dry hair with Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose (moisturizing) or GPB conditioner (protein) mixed with Vatika Oil. I alternate the Aubrey conditioners depending on what my hair seems to need, but generally I’ve been using the GPB every 2-3 weeks.
  • While detangling, conduct Search and Destroys (S&Ds) to eliminate any visible/tangible split ends and SSKs.
  • Place hair in 6 twists.
  • Oil scalp with Wild Growth Hair Oil (WGHO) original formula.
  • Don plastic cap and apply heat using Hair Therapy Wrap for a minimum of 1 hour. (I’ll usually sleep in the pre-poo overnight out of laziness). 
  • Shampoo hair in twists with DevaCare No Poo diluted in water (approx 2 oz. shampoo to 5-6 oz. water).
  • If hair is especially tangled, condition and finger detangle further with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration (HE HH).
  • Deep condition with Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm (minimum 1 hour under Hair Therapy Wrap).
  • Use “Cool and Seal” DC technique to rinse DC with diluted HE HH.
  • Apply leave-in (LI):
    • Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose conditioner or;
    • Modified Kimmaytube LI recipe:
      • 2 tbsp Kinky Curly Knot Today
      • 2 tbsp aloe vera juice (whole leaf)
      • 1 tsp oil (JBCO, EVOO and/or jojoba oil)
  • WnG or braid-out to stretch hair. Products vary, but generally:
    • WnG: Carol’s Daughter Healthy Hair Butter and LaBella Lots of Curls.
    • Braid-Out: LI only or LI with Wonder Curl Butter Than Love Pudding.
    • Seal with JBCO/EVOO mix or WGHO Light.
  • Air dry and/or use hard bonnet dryer to speed drying time.
  • Shine/Release braids with Wonder Curl Polishing Pomade, Moxie Hair Bling or WGHO Light.
  • Wear hair out 3-4 days, maybe re-braiding once (little more manipulation and exposure than usual; So, I’ll probably go back to 1-2 days out and 5-6 days in a protective style come September).
  • Protective/low manipulation style as needed once braid-out becomes too frizzy (buns, updos, side braid, etc.).
  • Nightly: Pineapple, loosely braid or bun and don satin scarf /bonnet for bed; Sleep on satin pillowcase.
  • Massage scalp with WGHO as needed, usually 1-2 times during the week.

Deducting the time spent “marinating” with my pre-poo and DC, the actual work time for my wash day is probably about 3 hours: 1 hour pre-pooing/detangling and 2 hours to wash, condition and style. Since I don’t tend to do everything in one shot, but rather split it over two days, I tend to spend 1 hour on Friday or Saturday night for my pre-poo session and 3 hours on Saturday or Sunday to wash, DC and style.

Every 4-8 weeks:

  • Two step henna/indigo (roots only full strength application/gloss on length).
  • Clarify, with diluted Ion Curl Solutions Shampoo or Aubrey Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo.

I still have the ApHogee 2 Step Protein Treatment under the sink and now I have a hard bonnet dryer too. But, for the immediate future, I have no plans to do another 2 Step Treatment. My hair has just been doing so well with the Aubrey GPB, I don’t feel it’s necessary right now. But, maybe I’ll revisit it in the fall or winter.

Can you tell that I got a new “toy?” 😉

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Does your regimen change with the seasons? If so, what is/are the major difference(s)?

Aug20

Wash Day: Trying Something(s) New

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Okay, quick post to tell you a couple of new things that I tried/revisited this weekend on wash day. A full regimen update is coming later today.

My routine was pretty much par for the course:

  • Pre-poo/dry detangle and oil scalp
  • Shampoo
  • Deep condition with cool & seal technique
  • Style

Now, what I did different was this. I revisited the Aubrey Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo (if you remember, I posted here about it not working out too well for me). Well, actually, first I broke out the Terressentials Mud Wash in Lavender Garden that I’d yet to open. However, after trying to cleanse one twist, I knew it wasn’t going to work for my heavily saturated locks. So, I ditched it and decided to clarify with the Aubrey shampoo. Now, maybe it was because my hair was very stretched from the brush-out late last week, but things went much better this time. I also realized that really working up a lather created more slip than trying to prevent the shampoo from foaming. So, Aubrey Green Tea Shampoo may not be a wash quite yet … no pun intended ;).

The other thing that I tried was something else that has been sitting under my sink, mostly unused … but this one had been sitting for much, much, muuuuuch longer … since last July actually!! Goodness! Anywho, I used it once and then it went under the sink with the rest of my PJ-induced purchases ;).

I decided to layer the ORS Lock & Twist Gel on top of my modified Kimmaytube leave-in (LI) and Wonder Curl Butter Than Love (BTL) Pudding to see if it would help with hold and block humidity. I applied the LI heavily to wet (not damp) hair and then applied about a finger-full of the BTL and Gel to each section (15 total) before braiding. I sealed my ends with JBCO/EVOO and sat under my dryer for about 1 to 1.5 hours, setting the ends on rollers about 30 minutes into the drying time.

The plan is to see if I can get away with keeping these braids in for work today. Braid and twist outs always are more defined and last longer the longer that they are allowed to set. So, we’ll see. I’m writing this Sunday night and I may be too impatient to wait to see how the gel worked! But, if I’m running, like I usually am in the morning, there’s a good chance they’ll get another day to chill.

In Health & Fitness news, I completely fell off after Monday of last week. I did Cardio Max Week 3/Day 1, but that’s it :(. I hyperextended my left hamstring doing all of those lunges with Bob and all those sustained warrior poses in hot yoga on Sunday. I didn’t want to further injure myself and wanted to allow my body time to recover… or at least stop hurting, so I took off Tuesday. Wednesday, I was better, but didn’t get home until really late, because of the funeral of my church friend and a visit to my grandmother in the hospital. All of this was in South Jersey and I was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time I got home. Thursday – Saturday (yeah *sheepishly* Saturday … see, what had happened was … ), I have absolutely no excuse for not working out. I ate okay, though I was going hard on the 94% FF Pop Secret popcorn with some melted Smart Balance spread!! That being said, went to hot yoga on Sunday morning with a friend who I’d been telling about it. Hopefully, this will be our regular thing. And now, this week is a re-boot of Cardio Max Week 3. Bring it on Jillian (soooo talking trash. *lol*). Oh, and my first set of Zaggora Hot Pants arrived! I wore them for about 3 hours on Saturday. The intent was to work out. But … yeaaah … I didn’t. I just wore them. *lol*

So, that’s it.  Hmmmm … I really don’t know how to write a short post, do I? This is why I don’t like Twitter. I talk too much for it. Anywho, hope that you don’t mind too much ;)!!

Lata!

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Back to hair, have you tried the ORS Lock & Twist Gel? If so, how did you like it?