Today's Henna Experience

Photo is from a previous Henna treatment

I took a few days off of work this week and I decided to pamper myself a little so I did a henna treatment. My henna mix now is simple (no surprise there).

My Henna Mix
2 Black Tea Bags
1 quart of water
Brew the tea on low heat for 30 minutes so that it will be strong
Mix 2 cups of tea with one package of Jamila Henna in a plastic bowl
Stir until mixed well, it will be slighty lumpy and that's okay because the lumps will disappear
Let the mix sit over night in a covered bowl

Applying the Henna to my hair
Give the Henna mix a few more stirs before using
Separate your hair into workable sections - I do 4 sections
Wearing gloves, apply the henna to your hair section by section
Let the henna sit for the time desired. I usually do 2-3 hours
After the henna has been applied, put a plastic cap or bag on your hair to prevent any accidental messes

Rinsing
When it's time to rinse I like to hold my hair under running water and let the water do most of the work before I put my hands in my hair
The water will not run clear but the color will get lighter, once it gets lighter you can use your hands to start massaging out the excess Henna (I don't wear gloves at this point because its easier for me)
This time I used a mild shampoo to help cleanse my hair of the henna

Conditioning (IMPORTANT STEP)
Sometimes after doing a Henna treatment individuals will state that their hair feels rough and dry. Deep conditioning well is important to decrease the chances of that occurring with your hair
This time I deep conditioned with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. I applied the conditioner all over in the same manner in which I applied the Henna.
After the conditioner was applied I sat under the hair steamer for about 20 minutes and then rinsed well.
Applied my leave-in conditioner and set my hair in cornrows.

At this point I am unable to tell if the henna has changed my hair color (which is want I want). Right now my hair feel stronger and the strands feel smoother. My hair was relatively softer after the deep conditioning. I will remove the cornrows tomorrow - because today I am lounging. Pics will be posted. Stay tuned...

Tip: If you are a klutz like me, it may be beneficial for your to put down a few old and dark colored towels in your work-space. If you get Henna on anything - I have been successful in removing the stains with Oxiclean.

My Regimen: Wash Day

Got a question? Please leave a comment below.

Hot, busy, and big hair weekend

On this past Saturday I had the opportunity to co-host a baby shower for an awesome couple. The wife is truly a wonderful friend of mine and deserved every bit of the work we put into the shower.

Between making games, buying food, making candy, and creating a cupcake display stand...

Cupcake Display

I found sometime to work in some hair care and styling. The pic below shows half of my hair with a non-fluffed defined twist-out and the other side is the same twist-out after fluffing.

My twist-outs are usually just a result of how I feel at the time and usually I feel like fluffing for big hair.

Fluffed

Defined

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Bimbe 2011

Every year Durham, NC has a Cultural Arts Festival known as Bimbè, this has been going on for 42 years. I have attended every year that I have known about it. This year the turnout wasn't as huge as it usually is because of the threat of rain and thunderstorms. It's a great event to attend because 1) it's free 2) the crowd is diverse and 3) LOTS of vendors. This year the final act was Rob Base and Big Daddy Kane but unfortunately we had a lot of events that day and were not able to stay until the end to see them perform.

After watching a few of Alicia James' videos I was inspired to try a new look with my hair and I am happy that it actually came out exactly how I wanted it. I think that Alicia James' hair is beautiful (as well as her singing) and I love when she wears her hair big and full but not necessarily defined by a twist out.

To achieve this look I parted my hair down the middle (my hair was previously in a bun) and did two plaits on dry hair. One on each side of my head. In the morning I just removed the plaits and fluffed.

 Here's a clip of the performance pictured above:

Top Protective Styles

After years of doing protective styles on my hair I have finally learned the hard way which styles work well for my hair and which ones cause me more problems. Some protective styles are great for length retention but others have caused me breakage or an increase in single strand knots.

5. Yarn Braids

I really enjoyed yarn braids and they were so convenient. So why  are they last on my list? Well, they can be tricky to care for. I did great with caring for my scalp and edges with the braids but I failed to moisturize the ends of my hair well enough. As a result, when I removed the braids my ends were extremely dry and very close to the breaking point. I had to handle my hair with care and deep condition well for a few weeks after removing the braids.

#naturalhairtip: When using any type of synthetic hair to protect your hair or grow your hair out keeping YOUR hair properly moisturized is key to getting most out of the protective style.

4. Tucked Styles

I see a lot of tutorials on Youtube for some really cute tucked natural hair styles and a few of them are on my list to try. With the hair being up and protected from clothing and the outside elements, tucked styles are great for protecting your ends but there is a downside. With tucked hair styles, most times there is a requirement to manipulate the hair daily. I learned the hard way (through some breakage) that my hair does not like to be manipulated on a daily basis when in its natural state.

#naturalhairtip: When manipulating your hair daily be sure that your hair doesn't feel dry - handling dry brittle hair leads to breakage.

3. Mini Two Strand Twists

Two strands twists (TSTs) are the easiest style for me to do and since I also have a desire deep down to loc my hair they do help quiet that want for a little while. However, the ends of my hair are extremely curly so when I do mini twists my ends curl up and create single strand knots. After my Jan 2010 twists challenge I ended up having to do a trim all over to remove the influx of SSKs.

#naturalhairtip: TSTs need to be kept up off of rough clothing just as any protective style.

2. Updos

I LOVE my updos and the only reason that they are no. 2 on this list is because of time. Creating updo styles take a little more time than any other protective styles that I like to do on my hair.

#naturalhairtip: When doing updos on damp hair, your hair can start to dry before you finish styling. Keep a spray bottle with water close so that you can re-wet each section as you go.

1. BUNS!!!

I can't say enough about how much I love to bun. Bunning for me started off as a challenge and after a while bunning became a habit. I can't stop. During the challenge I took a tip from someone to take my bun down nightly so that I would not experience breakage. Guess what? Taking it down nightly actually caused breakage. I style my buns on wet hair only and I don't place my ponytail holder on my hair tightly. I now change the position of my buns twice a week (shampooing or cowashing each time) and it works great for me.

#naturalhairtip: When bunning change the location of the bun at least weekly to prevent weakening of the hair in one hair.

#naturalhairtip for all protective styles: A protective style will not do your strands any good if you do not handle your hair with care, moisture properly, and use a heavy oil or butter to seal. Always sleep on a satin pillowcase, in a satin bonnet, or (like me) both.

Hi, my name is Tia and I am addicted to protective styling...

Got protective questions, comments, or tips? Please leave them below.

(If the formatting in this post is a little off - blame blogger.)

I'm thinking about color

Color is not something that intimidates me because I have been doing my own color for years now. A few months ago I dyed my hair blue black because it had been such a long time since I had seen myself in dark hair. Well, now I am bored with it, I have a ton of gray hairs popping up, and I want to do something fresh for my 29th birthday (Mar 5). Yep {sigh} my last year in my 20s.

So the following color pattern ideas (not the colors) have popped in my head:

Utilizing 1 - 2 of the following colors:

At this point I am still undecided. I may not end up doing anything at all but I have bought a box of black dye. If I don't do anything with color there is a 100% chance that I will make an attempt to get rid of these pesky gray hairs. 

Have you dyed your hair recently? Thinking about it? 

Please share your experience.

Moisture, Massages, and Maintenance

As a result of having the yarn braids in for about a month and moisturizing my scalp regularly I realized something. I experience less itchy scalp in the winter if I keep my hair and scalp properly moisturized. Properly for me is applying some form of moisture to my hair and scalp almost daily. The Huetiful Hair steamer is also great for those days I want moisture but I am too lazy.

Incorporating a midweek co-wash has done wonders but my hair is telling me it can be better. So along with the mid-week co-washes I am also going to add in nightly scalp massages. I plan to try this for one month to determine if I get any additional benefits from the massages. Hopefully, nightly massages will not be too much for my hair - I will assess daily.

Wash Day

Regimen/Product Update & Tips

After removing the yarn braids I decided (along with the help of this brutal winter) that I need to amp up the moisture in my hair care regimen.

So far, I have been consistent with deep conditioning every week and limiting the use of shampoo. I am still deep conditioning with Giovanni SAS and we I do use shampoo and make sure to pre-poo with either Jasmine oil or Amla oil.

Mid-week I have been trying to implement a additional co-wash into my regimen. My hair needs (and loves) more exposure to water - water is the ultimate moisturizer. For the mid-week co-wash I have started using HE Hello Hydration because it is thick and creamy has worked well for my hair in the past.

Daily I am spritzing my hair with more moisture by spraying it each morning and night with Aloe Gro. I am following up that spritz by sealing in that moisture with coconut oil. My hair also soaks up coconut oil like there is no tomorrow!

Protective styles can be the busy lady's best friend. Doing my hair once a week saves me time and also limits me from over-manipulating my hair. Last winter I learned that a simple and consistent regimen can yield desirable results and I believe that anyone can do it.

First, decide what you will do on a regular schedule (monthly, weekly, daily).
Next, you want to select products for each step of your regimen and make sure those products work well together and work well with your hair. Choose products based on what your hair likes instead of what is popular at the moment.
Then, start doing some styles with your hair that will encourage styling practice and protect your strands from too much stress or harmful elements. This does not necessarily mean that you have to stay in braids and/twists. Don't limit your self, get creative.
Finally, garner your patience and perform your hair care routine on a consistent basis - write it down if you have to. There is a 99.9% chance that the results will not be instant but with time you will reap the benefits of simple yet effective hair care.

Good Luck! Happy Healthy Hair Journey!

Please comment and share your tips.

I trimmed!

I trimmed my ends and the hubby helped me even out the back. It's not perfect but it gets the job done. My split ends and SSKs were out of control!


I must say, I thought I would miss the length but I am loving my hair right now. It's so much easier to handle. I will be bunning all winter and I am looking forward to the length that I will retain over the next few months.


The caption under each pic identifies the line on my shirt in which my hair reached at the time of the pic:

Line 3
Oct 2010

Line 7/8
Oct 2010

 What a difference!

Line 5
Apr 2010

My reason for straightening

The ends of hair are extremely curly and coil around themselves easily. The picture below shows the curls that form from simply wetting my hair.

As a result of all of this "curliness" I experience a lot of SSKs. Sometimes I feel like I get more than the average curly girl. To remedy the problem (temporarily) I figured I would roller-set my hair for awhile because a roller-set stretches out my curls and prevents them from curling up onto each other. 

Also, roller-sets make it easier for me to identifying split ends and SSKs - then I S&D (it sounds so evil, LOL). By destroying those ends I can retain more length and experience less breakage. I have found that healthy ends are a great contributor to my length retention. I believe that my ends are now suffering as a result of a busy life and lack of proper hair care many times over the last two months. Roller-setting will help whip my hair back into shape for my bunning this winter. I can feel myself getting close to a length in which I will just focus on maintaining and not so much retaining more length. 

Un-stretched

Stretched

SSKs = Single Strand Knots
S&D= Search and Destroy

---
Then my hubby got jealous and wanted his own length check, lol (we're racing):

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 2)

Some of the products I want/plan to experiment/try again this season:

Shampoo:

Giovanni SAS - I have used this once and didn't like the feeling, however I was unable to prepoo before using because I was away from home

Dudu-Osum Liquid Black Soap - this is not an experiment, I am bring this back into my regimen because I have used it and my hair loves it.

Conditioner:

Suave Aloe Vera & Ginseng - Honestly I have used this and I loved it. However, I didn't purchase it again because I had other conditioners that I need to use up before buying more.

Aubrey Organic HoneySuckle Rose - I keep hearing so many good things about this and I am just curious

Deep Conditioner:

Still deliberating...

Stylers:

Koils by Nature Heavenly Delight - my hair simply melts with butters and I love the consistency of the Koils by Nature butters

Other:

Castor Oil

Jasmine Oil

Amla Oil

-I want to incorporate more oils into my overall product rotation and hair regimen so I will be attempting to some how include oil in at least 50% of my regimens from this point forward

The first day of Fall is September 23...I plan to start this reggie around that time.

I am open to any comments, opinions, and/or suggestions about the products list above.

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 1)

This year's regimen is a slightly tweaked version of last year's regimen. After going back through my posts I realized I have updated my regimens a lot and I am determined to put a stop to all the madness (LOL) and have set in stone regimens. Each I watch the weather forecast they talk about how the humidity and dew-points are decreasing so I know that time is drawing near to implement the Fall/Winter regimen.

Fall/Winter 2010 will go as follows:

1. Cleanse

Co-wash weekly and clarify monthly. Pre-poo before each shampoo.

2. Condition

Deep condition weekly. Except on shampoo week, on those weeks a quick 3-5 minute rinse out conditioner will be used.
3. Moisturize

After rinsing and while hair is still damp apply leave-in conditioner and then seal weekly.

4. Treatments

Oil Rinse after each shampoo monthly.

Henna bi-yearly.

5. Style

Styles for the cold weather will consist of braids, cornrows, buns, roller-sets and/or twists that are pinned up or styled in up-dos. Hair styles will be done weekly.

6. Trims

Trim as needed.

Products for the Fall/Winter 2010 will be in part 2.

How does your regimen compare?

Opinions are welcome

Warm Weather Regimen (update)

Back in March I posted my plans for my warm weather regimen, it has gotten hotter. A lot hotter and I have may a few changes to my regimen:

I am still shampooing weekly and prepooing before every shampoo

My deep conditioning time has shorten to about 10-15mins and I have been using HE LTR

I have only been using shea butter and Care free curl on my hair as styling aids

I'm still protective styling 90% of the time (as a result I have met and passed BSL)

This only exception to this regimen is my hair diet.

Warm Weather Regimen

This regimen is still in the making and subject to change frequently until I get it how my hair likes it.

Cleansing Routine

During the warmer months I like to shampoo weekly because I love being outside. As a result, there will be build up from sweat and outside dander and dust.

Shampoo Products
Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo

Dudu-Osun Black Soap Shampoo

Conditioning Routine

All year long I deep condition weekly- This does not change.

Deep Conditioners
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Co-washing Conditioners
Aussie Moist Conditioner
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-In Conditioners
Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave-in conditioner

Moisturizing & Sealing

The Sun is hot and always on my head so I still like to moisturize my hair after being exposed to the harmful rays of the Sun. Moisturizing and sealing will be done multiple times throughout the week.

Products
Kemi Oyl Conditioning Spray (moisturizer)

Moisturizing shea butter mix (sealing)

Styling Products
IC Aloe Vera Gel (for slicking back hair for buns)

Organic Root Stimulator Nature's Shine

Shea Butter (for all other styles)

Oils
Coconut Oil (used to prepoo)

Olive Oil (used to prepoo and in DC)

Peppermint Oil (used in DC)
Rosemary Oil (used in DC)

Special/Other Treatments

Protein: 1 egg & 1 tbs olive oil added to Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Pre-poo: generous amount of Coconut Oil or Olive Oil applied to hair and left overnight

Henna: twice a year (start of fall and start of spring)

Trims: when needed, S&D!!!

Hair Styles
Buns/Twists/Cornrows Monday - Friday

Braid Out/Twist Out/Wash N Go – on weekends

Hair Challenges

Weekday protective style challenge (self challenge) buns, twists, updos, etc

Regimen

Shampoo weekly on Saturday (if possible)

Deep Condition weekly (minimum of 30 minutes)

Protective style Monday - Friday

Co-wash – when needed

Hair out days: weekends only Pre-poo (before shampoo only) → Friday night (overnight)

Regimen and Product Finale

Nearing the end of the winter season this is how my regimen and product use ended up looking:

Shampoo
Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Herbal Shampoo (received at a swap)

Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo

Deep Conditioners
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Co-washing Conditioners
Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-In Conditioners
Never found one I liked enough to try or use consistently

Moisturizers
Aloe Gro Treatment (used on ends and on scalp)

Kemi Oyl Conditioning Spray

Oils
Coconut Oil (prepoo)

Olive Oil (prepoo)

Avocado Oil (mixed with Castor oil)

Castor Oil (mixed with Avocado oil)
Peppermint Oil (used in Aloe gro)
Rosemary Oil (used in Aloe gro)

Usually mixed together in different variations when used.

Styling Products
IC Aloe Vera Gel (for slicking back hair for buns)

FOTE Aloe Vera Gel (roller sets)

Shea Butter (for twists)

Special Treatments

Protein: 1 egg & 1 tbs olive oil added to Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol
Pre-poo: generous amount of coconut oil applied to hair and left overnight

Henna: NOT done during the winter season only because I have decided to Henna just twice a year
Oil Rinse: only done after shampoos

Hair Styles
Buns were worn for the majority of the winter season

Two strand twists were worn a few times

Roller sets were done for special occasions

Hair Challenges

Castor Oil Challenge (group challenge)

Bun Challenge (self challenge)

Regimen

Last weekend of the month - shampoo on that Saturday

Protective style Sunday - Tuesday

Cowash - Tuesday night

Protective Style - Wednesday → Friday

Pre-poo (before shampoo only) → Friday night (overnight)

It seems like this is a lot to use on one head but I like to alternate products and I also use no more than three different products on my head at a time after washing and conditioning. This is my way of keep my hair care regimen simple and effective. I had a great time with my hair this winter and learned something new about my scalp. Now it's time to learn my spring/summer hair.

Hello Spring I see you coming!

Cold Weather Regimen Update

So the original Cold Weather Regimen has been revised already....me and consistency just can't seem to get along. But I'd rather keep trying out new things to find what works over following a routine that does nothing for me.

Cleansing

Alternate between shampoos and co-washes. The winter hair is already drying to I don’t want to shampoo too often. Every week might be too much for my hair. I am only shampooing once a month.

Conditioning

Deep condition every week with Lustrasilk Olive Oil Cholesterol/Essential Oil Mix
Moisturizing

After rinsing and while hair is still damp, spray with Aloe Gro, and seal with Shea Butter/Coconut Oil mix

Special Treatments

Oil Rinse - If needed (I love these!!!)

Styling

Styles for the cold weather will consist of braids, cornrows, buns, and twists that are pinned up or styled in updos. Now that I can do roller sets, I will incorporate those as well.

Trims

Since I have been more loving towards my ends they have not given me a problem with splits and fairy knots. I am going to trim when needed - S&D!!!

Cold Weather Regimen

So I think I learned a lesson.....

This is the first year that I actually made an attempt to change my regimen with the seasons. I now see that I only need two main regimens; one for warm weather and one for cold weather. The regimen that I started the following for the fall was quickly thrown to the wayside and now it's just a cold weather regimen.

The first day of winter is December 21 but I guess it really doesn't matter because it's cold already. I hate cold weather. Hate it! It's like we went from summer straight to winter.

This is the update to my regimen:

Cleansing

Alternate between shampoos and co-washes. The winter hair is already drying to I don’t want to shampoo too often. Every week might be too much for my hair.

Conditioning

Deep condition every week with LeKair Cholesterol/Rosemary Oil/Olive Oil Mix Moisturizing: After rinsing and while hair is still damp, leave a small amount of condition in the hair and apply coconut oil to the entire length with special focus on the ends.

Special Treatments

Oil Rinse - Twice a month (I love these!!!)

Styling

Styles for the cold weather will consist of braids, cornrows, buns, and twists that are pinned up or styled in updos. Now that I can do roller sets, I will incorporate those as well.

Trims

Since I have been more loving towards my ends they have not given me a problem with splits and fairy knots. I am going to trim when needed. S&D!!!