Friday 21 December 2012

Hair Goals for 2013

I'm flying back to London tomorrow for christmas whoop whoop.... I will finally be able to try out, the Bee Mine products, that I ordered! I cannot wait, they better be good. Before I get into, how much I can't wait to be back at home, stuff my face, see my family... Let me share my hair goals with you.


1. Keep my hands out of my hair! 

2. Switch to organic products by 2014

3. Be more creative with hair styling 

4. Wash my hair more often

5. Cut down daily styling




Pretty short and sweet, what are your hair goals for 2013? Ps. don't you just love the photo!!!

Sunday 9 December 2012

Creme of Nature Professional Moisture Extreme Conditioner


                                                

Promises:
to soften & infuse moisture
Deep penetrating moisturizers hydrate hair 
Guards against dehydration
Replenishes Moisture 
Softens & Detangles 
Great for Relaxed Natural or Weaved hair

Is it just me, or have they basically stated it's ability to moisturise four times, in four different ways.

Directions: For best results start with Creme of Nature Shampoo. Apply treatment liberally throughout hair. Leave on for 5 minutes. Rinse and style.
 As a Deep Treatment: Apply liberally after shampooing. Cover hair with plastic cap and place client under a warm dryer for 10-15 minutes. Rinse. Proceed with desired style.

Ingredients: Ultra-Purified Water (Aqua)(Eau), Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride,Lanolin Oil, PEG-12 Dimethicone,Amodimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicur (Basil) Extract, Polygala Senega Root Extract,Nasturtium Officinale (Watercress) Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract,Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract*, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract*, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Theobroma Caco (Cocoa) Seed Butter,Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil,Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein,Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Panthenol,Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Isostearyl Ethylimidazolinium, Ethosulfate, Polyquaternium-10, Polyquaternium-32, Paraffinum Liquidum, Fragrance (Parfum)**, Citronellol, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal,Limonene,Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Methylparaben,Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben,Isobutylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, 


My Verdict:
The consistency is beyond WATERY. Does it provide extreme moisture?...Uh Noooo! One of the only things I can credit this conditioner on, is that it has great slip, my hair detangles with ease! This is the only reason why I haven't stopped using it. My main use is to deep condition, but I have to mix it with; EVOO, EVCO, honey, JBCO and peppermint oil. My deep condition mix is GREAT (Tony the Tiger voice), but why should I have to add to a conditioner? Even more so, why should I have to add to a conditioner that appears to have all the ingredients under the sun already? This conditioner certainly does not blow me away, but the  smell fragrance comes close to knocking me out.... it reminds me of the cream that comes with cheap perfume gift set. The price was £7.99 for 32 Oz (they didn't have a smaller size), decent price for the size, bad price for the product. As I can remix it to make a good deep conditioner, I won't throw it away. Would I purchase again? NO!




Thursday 6 December 2012

Will you Bee Mine?



I just ordered some new products :D. Four sample sizes from Bee Mine.

  • Bee Mine BEE-U-Ti-FUL Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
  • Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturiser Island Mango
  • Bee Mine Botanical Moisturising Shampoo
  • Bee Mine Strawberry Kiwi with Sulphur

I intentionally only wanted the moisturiser but for £5 delivery, I also wanted value for money! The range is natural and organic, which is a major selling point for me. One of my goals is to only use natural products by the time I'm fully natural.  I ordered them from www.britishcurlies.co.uk to my home in London. When I go home for Christmas, they'll be waiting for me :D. Once I try them, I will definitely let you guys know if it was lust or love.

Saturday 1 December 2012

Steady Growth



I'm currently 34 weeks post *dances*. I took the picture on the left earlier this week and was amazed at my progress. My hair may not be flying out my scalp at 1/2 an inch per month but it is definitely growing. Not long now before I'll be whipping my fro back and forth or before I'll be running my hands through my single strand twists, lool. As you can probably tell... I can't wait to be natural! At the start of my journey, my goal was to transition for 2 years, mainly because I didn't want short natural hair. Now, I'm almost 100% sure that I'm going to cut before then. I guess I'll know when I'm ready :D.

Saturday 17 November 2012

Texture Shot



Whoop Whoop Whoop.... I'm starting to see texture when I style my hair. It's always great motivation when you can see your progress. I highly recommend taking photos of your hair during your transition to use as a source of motivation when the going gets tough. I'm currently so excited to see what my curl pattern is going to be like when I'm completely natural... between me and you and the world wide web I cut a lock of hair in the middle because suspense was killing me :P

Saturday 10 November 2012

7 months post relaxer

I'm officially 7 months post *dances*, finally past the honeymoon stages. Here are 7 things Ive learnt so far, that will help you on your journey to natural.

1. Detangle your hair!- The main culprit for my tangles is shed hair! Tangled hair is nightmare, I advise you to finger detangle your hair in sections at least 4 times a week.

2. Treat your two textures differently- your natural hair will need more moisture than your relaxed hair. Overmoisturising your relaxed hair and undermoisturising your natural hair will only lead to breakage.

3. Hair Accessories will solve a bad hair day! Scarves have been my favourite so far, they provide a great distraction when my hair is looking catastrophic.

4. Protective styling is your friend.

5. Get a good Oil. My two favourites are Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Peppermint Oil. They are multipurpose. I add them to my conditioner, oil my scalp and seal with them.

6. Stop counting the time and time will fly.

7. Enjoy the transitioning phase.

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Trim Often


Make sure you trim your hair often! Trimming is essential if you want to be a long term transitioner. It helps keep breakage at bay and not only will your hair look better, you will also feel a sense of motivation. With every trim you'll be one step closer to being fully natural. I'm now 29 weeks post and I've trimmed 3 times, the first time I went to the hairdressers and the other two times I went for the D.I.Y approach. If you think that you might get a little scissor happy or you want your hair to be level, I suggest you let someone else do it for you. At the moment I trim my ends every 8 weeks which is more than enough time for my ends to start looking tired.

Saturday 20 October 2012

Moisture Moisture Moisture


I have made the ultimate moisture concoction. Water + Jamaican Black Castor oil Peppermint Oil + Extra virgin Olive Oil + Aloe Vera Gel + Wave Nouveau = MOISTURE! For the past few days my hair has been feeling and looking great as a result. Moisture is crucial for transitioning hair in order to prevent breakage at the line of demarcation. I normally have a moisture issue after wash days, even with a non sulphate shampoo -______-. I find myself having to use far too much Wave Nouveau to get my hair back to feeling moisturised. The best thing about this mixture is that both textures love it and with it being in a spray bottle it is so easy to apply and a little goes a long way. Hopefully this makes my transition a lot easier. If you've made your own moisture concoction or even try this one, let me know!

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Out with the Plaits, In with the Buns



The plan was to wear plaits as a protective style this winter... 'was' being the keyword. After keeping them in for a whole 2 weeks, I have changed my mind! I felt as if they put too much tension on my hair line especially with the two textures. Apart from the tension, not being able to keep my hands out of my head and looking 5 years younger, I would recommend plaiting your hair to give you a break from daily styling. A word of advice if you decide to plait your hair, make sure you still moisturise. I mixed conditioner, water and a little oil and spray it on once or twice a day.





Thursday 20 September 2012

Rain respects NO ONE!

Rain and Hair, is like, Oil and Water... They DO NOT mix. If it starts to rain when I'm on the go, I normally have no problem, I'm either in the car or I have my loyal umbrella. I've recently moved to Amsterdam *woop*... traded my car for a city bike and as a result rain is a big problem *sighs*! Personally, I'm not big on cycling, as a driver I found cyclist a nuisance, as a cyclist, guess what?...... I find cyclist a nuisance.

You know what's worse than riding a bike? Riding a bike in torrential rain!!!! Last night I got caught in the torrential downpour, 30mins from my flat with no umbrella... no hood... no newspaper...no plastic bag.... just me, the clothes on my back and my bike! I have a picture and a cold to prove it loool. If you're like me you'll know when it rains, personal appearance becomes i-rre-le-vant! I took my coat off, put it on my head and cycled to the nearest bridge until the rain calmed down a little.

Luckily my hair didn't get wet, as for my clothes? The picture says it all. The picture was taken whilst I was under the bridge by a friend. At this point I still had a 20min cycle left. I'm buying a raincoat and I will never leave my house without it again!

Word of Advice 'Be Prepared'

Monday 17 September 2012

Back to Plaits

I've started back at university now and I noticed I was slacking a little bit in the hair department. I wasn't taking the extra time to style my hair and as a result I was leaving the house with hair that wasn't meeting my normal standards. I had two options, 'wake up a little bit earlier and style' or 'plait my hair'. The former option just wasn't going to happen so plaits it was. Despite the slight irritation from scalp exposure I'm enjoying my new do.

I plaited my hair first, when I was 3 months post and, I have to say as a protective style it is ACE. I previously kept them in for just under 2 weeks, spritzing twice a day with homemade braid spray and when i took them out my hair was well moisturised.

I'm going to attempt to wear plaits through winter in the hope of retaining moisture and length and at the expense of losing heat from my head. Anyone who has had plaits before knows, when the wind blows you feel it!

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Journey Update

Time is flying by!!! I am a few days away from being 5 months post relaxer :D. I think things are definitely getting easier. Here are a few update photos.
( middle, back/side, front/side)







Thursday 16 August 2012

How I've been styling my hair thus far...


I have always been some what of a 'plain Jane' in the styling department, but lately I have attempted to branch out. 'Attempted,' being the keyword, my hairstyles are not yet worthy for a feature in Black Beauty, but hey they're a start. I tend to bun my hair on a day to day basis, but with my natural roots being quite thick in contrast to my relaxed hair, my hair has begun to resemble a camel's hump when pulled back..... not so attractive! Below are a few styles that I have been experimenting with so far during this transition.








Thursday 9 August 2012

4 months Post Relaxer

As of the 7th August I am now 4 months post relaxer *dances*. I was told by my hairdresser when I went for a trim a month or so ago, that it gets easier once you get past 6, only time will tell if he was right. On the right is an image of my progress thus far.

My biggest problem at the moment is probably laziness. I haven't washed my hair in nearly 3 weeks... something that most people on a hair journey would turn their nose up at... in my defence I'm on an intensive language course and it is taking up a lot of my time. An alternative could have been to co-wash because it takes much quicker but I don't like the result. I've co-washed in total 3 times, yes 3 whole times and each time I've wondered what the fuss was about. I feel like it leaves more build up than I had to start with, I guess it's just not for me.




Friday 20 July 2012

Are you defined by your hair?

Do we pay too much attention to our hair?


Although it's not a new epidemic, I have recently become more aware of the immense attention that women, including myself, pay to our hair. I am all for healthy hair but when is enough, enough? It is so easy to get caught up in the whole excitement of a hair journey and spend hours on youtube or hair networks such as hairlista.com and then spend hours treating our hair and then some more hours looking for products and  then minutes to spend money on products that we heard were Amazing... believe me I know. Knowledge is power, right? BUT Does our hair have power over us? 



I remember when I was in 1st year university and there was an incident where one of my housemates burnt her hair on the cooker and yelped, "No! not my hair I'd rather have burnt my face." -_______- It was like really, your face over your hair, personally I'd rather not burn neither but I'm sure you get my point. I've often been told by the older generation that hair is a woman's beauty and although that may hold some 'truth', as women we shouldn't forget that true beauty comes from within. I don't know about you but I would much prefer to be described as "the woman with the kind heart" as opposed to "the woman with the nice hair." 

Monday 16 July 2012

Beginners Tips

I am currently 14 weeks 2 days post relaxer, the longest I've ever been in my 7 years of being relaxed. The journey thus far has been better than anticipated and I couldn't have got this far without *drum roll* ....... PATIENCE! I am still intending to transition for around 24 months so I have a way to go but I'm feeling motivated. Here are some tips for transitioning that have helped this far.



1) Patience- Yes, I said it before and I'll say it again: Patience. You will not go from shoulder length relaxed hair to shoulder length natural hair overnight! Not only do you need to be patient with the journey from chemically treated to natural hair you also need to be patient with taking care of your hair. The comb will not pass through your hair the way it did when you got a fresh touch up and detangling will take some time.


2) Minimal Heat to No Heat - Direct heat is not, nor has it ever been your friend... Don't be Fooled! Transitioning hair is weak at the line of demarcation, where the two textures meet, heat can encourage the hair to break. Heat can also damage your natural hair before your natural hair journey has even begun. 

3) Wash your hair in Sections - This helps ridiculously in reducing the amount of tangles during washing, it also makes the hair more manageable and ensures all your hair gets an even distribution of product. I use plastic clips and section my hair in 4, you could use hair bands, 4 isn't a set number just use as much as you need.

4) Keep your hands out of your hair- This is something I'm guilty of, I like to play in my new growth. Playing in your hair can lead to breakage.

5) Check the ingredients in your products- Buying hair products can be a daunting experience, so much variety but how many of us actually check the ingredients before we buy? A lot of hair products are full of chemicals that do our strands no favours. I try to use products with wholly natural ingredients but this can be expensive and close to impossible. Stay away from products with ingredients which look like they belong in a science lab.

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