Eureka! I've finally figured out what I was doing wrong with my roller sets. As I mentioned before, each time I roller set my hair it was very pretty but I didn't have the bouncy hair that everyone claimed to get from their sets. What was I doing wrong?
Well I stumbled across a blog, www.dominicanblowout.com (which by the way was quite informative) and the owner of the blog happened to mention that she only used water and a bit of serum when roller setting her hair. Why didn't I think of that??? Because my hair is so fine, putting any kind of product on it weighs it down...then you add a moisture sealing roller set to it and of course you're going to get heavy hair, right? Right!
Sooo, I did another set tonight and my hair turned out amazing. It has incredible body and bounce and it was surprisingly really soft...even though I only used water. I still rubbed a little bit of coconut oil on it and sealed that in with a moisturizing oil but I am loving this roller set. Whoo hoo!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
ApHogee ProVitamin Leave-In Conditioner Product Review
After reading lots of positive reviews, I was anxious to get
my hands on this puppy. I’m happy to say
that the reviews were accurate and this really is an awesome product. I’ve only used it (so far) for roller setting/roller
wrapping but I will try it next week when I air dry or when I dare to blow dry
it again…which by the way I haven’t done in about 2 months (yay me!).
I decided to try the ApHogee because, again it got great
reviews, and also because I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the way my sets
turned out using the Proclaim Tea tree oil Leave-in conditioner. Proclaim is a
really cheap…ahem…inexpensive product
out there that worked really well for me when I was blow-drying all the
time. What I loved about it was how
great it smells, how light/clean it left my hair feeling, and how much overall
body it gave my hair. I now know how
completely damaging that whole process was for my hair. When I tried the Proclaim with the roller
sets, I found it to be too light. It didn’t hold the curl well enough for
me…hence my switch to ApHogee.
The difference between Proclaim and ApHogee
Like I said, thus far I’ve only used the ApHogee for roller
sets but I will say that my roller sets come out a lot better with the ApHogee. The curls seem to have some moisture to them
and are incredibly soft. This is the way
my sets feel when I leave the salon so I knew I could get optimal results, sine
I usually get anywhere from 4-7 days of wear of out a salon roller set (that’s
pushing it I know).
With the Proclaim, I found that my hair was a little dry and
slightly brittle, which is obviously never a good thing. It also gave it a dull
appearance as compared to the ApHogee that’s always shiny and healthy
looking.
The Results are In
I feel so disloyal because I used the Proclaim for so many
years but it looks like ApHogee is definitely the forerunner. I honestly don’t
have a bad thing to say about the product.
It’s going in on my Counter list.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Heavy hair with roller wrap
The last few times I've washed my hair (be it a co-wash or regular shampoo), I've roller wrapped it (roller set, then wrapped it and set under the dryer for about 15 minutes). It turns out great when I do like that. Its incredibly soft, lots of shape (no heat necessary), and it has great volume.
That being said, I have fine hair. My hair is actually kind of an odd texture because its fine but it gets really dry too. The problem I'm running into is that the roller wrap allows my hair to retain the moisture from the conditioner so it feels great. However after about 2 days, its really too heavy for me to wear out comfortably. In fact, at the beginning of the 3rd day, I think its ok...then half-way through the day I'm like, "ok, my hair is disgusting. I don't even want to touch/see it myself!". Now that might not sound like a long time but I'm accustomed to washing my hair every 3 days anyway because it is so fine, and holds onto product buildup like you wouldn't believe.
So, my new task is to come up with a way of roller wrapping that allows me to retain the moisture, but also have a lot more body than I'm getting from the way I'm doing it now. It may be my choice of products. I'm currently using the Aphoghee Leave-in conditioner and nothing else. I actually really like this conditioner because my hair is so soft when its dry. Actually now that I think about it, it couldn't be the Aphoghee because my hair doesn't appear to be that heavy when I take the wrap down. Its only when I apply the oil to my hair that it holds on to it for dear life. But as we all know, the oil is necessary so its a Catch 22. I don't know. Ugh. A little frustrated here but I'll figure out the best balance/combination and share my findings.
That being said, I have fine hair. My hair is actually kind of an odd texture because its fine but it gets really dry too. The problem I'm running into is that the roller wrap allows my hair to retain the moisture from the conditioner so it feels great. However after about 2 days, its really too heavy for me to wear out comfortably. In fact, at the beginning of the 3rd day, I think its ok...then half-way through the day I'm like, "ok, my hair is disgusting. I don't even want to touch/see it myself!". Now that might not sound like a long time but I'm accustomed to washing my hair every 3 days anyway because it is so fine, and holds onto product buildup like you wouldn't believe.
So, my new task is to come up with a way of roller wrapping that allows me to retain the moisture, but also have a lot more body than I'm getting from the way I'm doing it now. It may be my choice of products. I'm currently using the Aphoghee Leave-in conditioner and nothing else. I actually really like this conditioner because my hair is so soft when its dry. Actually now that I think about it, it couldn't be the Aphoghee because my hair doesn't appear to be that heavy when I take the wrap down. Its only when I apply the oil to my hair that it holds on to it for dear life. But as we all know, the oil is necessary so its a Catch 22. I don't know. Ugh. A little frustrated here but I'll figure out the best balance/combination and share my findings.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Roller Wrap
Last night I made my second attempt with a roller
wrap. The last time I did it, about 2 weeks ago (one week before my
relaxer), I could tell that it would be really nice on freshly relaxed
hair but it didn’t work well for my pre-relaxed hair.
Anyway,
last night I cowashed my hair with the Design Essentials Moisturizing
condition and deep conditioned with the 6-N-1 reconstructor under the
dryer for 15 minutes. I then saturated my hair with Aphoghee Leave-in
conditioner and set it with hard rollers. **I used slightly larger
rollers in the top than I normally would for a roller set because I
needed the volume since my hair is freshly relaxed.** I dried it on a
low setting for about 50 minutes, then removed the rollers and brushed
the curls out with a paddle brush. I then wrapped my head snuggly with
Saran Wrap. I got back under the dryer for about 15 more minutes and
then combed down my wrap.
Black Hair Mistakes
I must admit that this hair journey is a bit more of an undertaking that I had anticipated. I'm learning so much! For years I thought I was taking care of my hair because I washed it so frequently (thoroughly washed I might add), I used minimal products (thus keeping my hair follicles free of build-up so they would easily grow),and I styled my hair daily and always got compliments so I had to be doing something right, right???
I'm quickly finding out that I couldn't have been more wrong! All the things I listed were in fact quite detrimental to my hair. It's a wonder that my hair remained so thick after all this time...must just be nature.
So what was so wrong with my hair regimen? EVERYTHING!
Mistake 1 - Washing my hair 3x/week! Although I have African-American hair, the strands themselves are quite fine and therefore hold on to products; I have build-up like you wouldn't believe! Needless to say, I thought washing it and getting rid of that buildup was the best thing I could do for my hair. In doing my research I found that not only was washing my hair so much damaging to it, but even when I wash it (oh, and hair enthusiasts prefer the term "shampooing") my goal is not to have "squeaky clean" hair.
Most retail shampoos have harsh sulfates that strip our hair. If used frequently, the hair becomes incredibly weak and prone to extreme breakage. Yeah so...me washing my hair that much was definitely not the way to go. However understanding that didn't solve the problem of me having fine hair that's prone to buildups. My savior has been the co-wash. I co-wash my hair every 3-4 days with a moisturizing conditioner. This way, my hair isn't stripped of the oils it needs to survive, yet I'm still able to rinse my hair out and get that "fresh look" that we all love. I now only shampoo my hair with a very mild shampoo (Essentious Exonerate) once/week, while co-washing in between.
Mistake 2 - Using minimal products. My efforts were great, as I had the right idea by not trying to block the hair shaft. However using nothing on my hair was not the way to achieve that goal. In hindsight, I'm really shocked I have/had any hair at all! LOL. I always liked my hair to be really bouncy and flowy so I put next to nothing on it, blow-dried it out, then flat ironed it (gulp). Now, I will admit it was always really pretty and I got endless compliments, BUT it never made it passed neck length. :-s
Research has revealed that our hair is the driest of all hair types and needs endless moisturizing to stay healthy. I now moisturize daily with Coconut oil (water-based) and seal it in with an African Pride herbal oil (oil-based moisturizer). **Africa's pride (or African - I can't remember right now) is an el-cheapo oil I picked up from Wal-Greens. It works just fine but I'll probably invest in something slightly better from the health food store after this is done. The idea is to moisturize the hair with a water-based moisturizer, and seal it in with an oil-based moisturizer. As I expand my research, I'll have more product reviews and insight as to what works best.**
Mistake 3 - Constant heat styling. Ok, I knew all along that heat styling wasn't good for the hair, but I had no idea just how bad it is for our hair. It really does just fry the hair to a crisp. I literally used heat all over my head every single day without giving it a second thought. Constant heat styling coupled with the lack of moisture on my hair??? Geez.
Because my hair is currently so short, I'm forced to use a little bit of heat here and there just to get it to look decent but sparingly. I haven't blow dried in about 2 months; I either air dry or roller set under the hood, and the flat iron is only used to smooth out portions of it that didn't wrap correctly or when I'm trying to make it through those last few days of a relaxer.
All in all, I've learned quite a bit and I think I'm off to a good start. This has become more of a way of life than I thought it would be...partially because I'm now obsessed with it. LOL. More to come...
I'm quickly finding out that I couldn't have been more wrong! All the things I listed were in fact quite detrimental to my hair. It's a wonder that my hair remained so thick after all this time...must just be nature.
So what was so wrong with my hair regimen? EVERYTHING!
Mistake 1 - Washing my hair 3x/week! Although I have African-American hair, the strands themselves are quite fine and therefore hold on to products; I have build-up like you wouldn't believe! Needless to say, I thought washing it and getting rid of that buildup was the best thing I could do for my hair. In doing my research I found that not only was washing my hair so much damaging to it, but even when I wash it (oh, and hair enthusiasts prefer the term "shampooing") my goal is not to have "squeaky clean" hair.
Most retail shampoos have harsh sulfates that strip our hair. If used frequently, the hair becomes incredibly weak and prone to extreme breakage. Yeah so...me washing my hair that much was definitely not the way to go. However understanding that didn't solve the problem of me having fine hair that's prone to buildups. My savior has been the co-wash. I co-wash my hair every 3-4 days with a moisturizing conditioner. This way, my hair isn't stripped of the oils it needs to survive, yet I'm still able to rinse my hair out and get that "fresh look" that we all love. I now only shampoo my hair with a very mild shampoo (Essentious Exonerate) once/week, while co-washing in between.
Mistake 2 - Using minimal products. My efforts were great, as I had the right idea by not trying to block the hair shaft. However using nothing on my hair was not the way to achieve that goal. In hindsight, I'm really shocked I have/had any hair at all! LOL. I always liked my hair to be really bouncy and flowy so I put next to nothing on it, blow-dried it out, then flat ironed it (gulp). Now, I will admit it was always really pretty and I got endless compliments, BUT it never made it passed neck length. :-s
Research has revealed that our hair is the driest of all hair types and needs endless moisturizing to stay healthy. I now moisturize daily with Coconut oil (water-based) and seal it in with an African Pride herbal oil (oil-based moisturizer). **Africa's pride (or African - I can't remember right now) is an el-cheapo oil I picked up from Wal-Greens. It works just fine but I'll probably invest in something slightly better from the health food store after this is done. The idea is to moisturize the hair with a water-based moisturizer, and seal it in with an oil-based moisturizer. As I expand my research, I'll have more product reviews and insight as to what works best.**
Mistake 3 - Constant heat styling. Ok, I knew all along that heat styling wasn't good for the hair, but I had no idea just how bad it is for our hair. It really does just fry the hair to a crisp. I literally used heat all over my head every single day without giving it a second thought. Constant heat styling coupled with the lack of moisture on my hair??? Geez.
Because my hair is currently so short, I'm forced to use a little bit of heat here and there just to get it to look decent but sparingly. I haven't blow dried in about 2 months; I either air dry or roller set under the hood, and the flat iron is only used to smooth out portions of it that didn't wrap correctly or when I'm trying to make it through those last few days of a relaxer.
All in all, I've learned quite a bit and I think I'm off to a good start. This has become more of a way of life than I thought it would be...partially because I'm now obsessed with it. LOL. More to come...
Friday, March 2, 2012
1 month Hairfinity results...post relaxer
I'm not the best picture taker and I feel like I can't get a good shot of the progress but here goes. I was really pleased to see how much it has grown out and how noticeably thicker it's gotten. Whoo hoo! The back has always been my problem area and it's finally starting to break through. Grow baby grow!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
1 month Hairfinity update!
Today is the last day before I get my relaxer. I'm really excited because if you look closely you can see how much growth I've had since taking hairfinity on february 3rd. I hope that my stylist notices all the growth I have tomorrow and she doesn't have to cut too much off because I've been really making an effort to keep it wrapped at night and the ends moisturized. Take a look at all the growth! So excited! I'm not entirely sure why my part looks enormous but other than that you can really see the new growth there. I will post the big reveal tomorrow!
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