Cream of nature Argon oil conditioner + Trim

I've been using coconut oil as a deep conditioner recently. I have heard great things about the benefits of coconut oil for hair and I had at the start of my hair journey used it, however it made my hair feel really dry. I used vatika coconut oil and whilst it smelled lovely, it had very little coconut oil. I later on tried pure unrefined coconut oil and found that it drying as well.

Of course, looking back, my hair was fried and nothing would have worked to repair the damage.

I decided to experiment with this oil and so far have tried it just as it is, not mixed with anything, left in overnight and then shampooed.

Then last week, I tried it with Cream of nature Argon oil conditioner. The conditioner itself has very little argon oil in it, but combined with coconut oil, it's been great for my hair. I moisturised with a mix consisting of almond oil, water, conditioner and sealed with mango butter.  I also gave myself a half inch trim all round and my breakage has improved.

Normally, just a little manipulation results in breakage and this has reduced significantly.

I'll keep trying this and see what the progress is.

Split ends

I mentioned in the last post that I've been experiencing breakage, particularly small broken hairs. I imagine all of this is taking its toll on my strands, so I thought it would be a good idea to post the different types of split ends I've seen so far. All the pictures below are of splits from about 2 inches from the end of the hair shaft.

Mid strand split

Severe split end, split in 3 different places

Split in 2 different places at 1.5 inches towards the end of the hair shaft

This last one is of multiple splits but the hair hasn't actually separated.

So all in all, my hair is in a mess. Time for a trim and it looks like the trim will have to be at least 2 inches. 

Long time no blog

I haven't blogged for ages. Nearly 4 months since my last post.

I've been dealing with a number of personal issues which have made me neglect my hair all together.

Over the last 6 months, I've been experiencing breakage - small crescent shaped hairs or half an inch hairs. Where I get shedding I check the strand and can see half way down splits forming down the shaft and then right at the tip the strand separates into two parts.

My hair breaks when wet and dry, however  when  it's dry, provided it's moisturized it doesn't break as much.

Regime :

Deep condition with herbal essences beautiful ends conditioner or do an amla powder treatment.

Moisturize daily with s-curl and jbco

When I go to bed, I spritz with S-Curl and do chunky twists, but I found that during the twisting process, I get lots of small broken hairs.

I realised that recently I've focused on moisture but neglected protein all together.

Making a change.....

Last week I decided to do a hard core protein treatment with Aphogee 2 step protein treatment.  So far, I'm experiencing some improvement, but the ends are still breaking. I stopped using S-curl and now moisturize with jbco and almond oil. I spritz my hair with water and conditioner and this has helped somewhat.

I'll keep monitoring the situation to see if I experience any improvements.

My crown

My crown area is still much shorter than the rest of my hair and is the most brittle I'd neglected that area too and I can see that the hair is really uneven and just running my fingers through it (gently) sees my fingers coming away with broken hairs.

So, the lesson? Get my moisture and protein balance right.

I big chopped!

I'm now fully natural after getting rid of my texlaxed ends.

I am however experiencing dryness and breakage which I'll investigate in more detail.

Post Senegalese twists - hair maintenance

So I've taken down my senegalise twists after 6 months. My hair has grown nicely - not as long as I'd like but long enough to make me feel my efforts weren't in vain.

Tips:

When taking out your braids, always make sure you detangle each piece of hair. You can use conditioner or main n tail detangler, which is a staple for me.

My routine for my natural hair after box braids is to:

1) Do some nice chunky twists
2) Deep conditioning treatment starting with a hot oil treatment. My favourite is almond oil as it's great for dry hair
3) Heat up in a bath of hot water. Don't microwave or you'll kill all the vitamin e which is a key ingredient in almond oil.
3) After coating your hair with oil, wrap your hair with cling film/saran wrap
5) Shampoo with your twists still in
6) Deep condition with Motions CPR conditioner

After deep conditioning for a few hours rinse and moisturise with almond oil.
Check out my YouTube video

Supple feet

With autumn here and winter fast approaching, it's easy to let your feet go into hibernation, leaving crusty skin behind to snag on your bed sheets. Not me, I have a great routine for keeping my feet soft, supple and looking like they're summer ready.

Step 1 - Soak your feet in a bath of warm water for about 15 minutes. You might want to add either a moisturining body wash or some of your favourite oils. I recommend almond oil.

Step 2 -  Use a foot scrubber to get rid of the dead skin on your feet. Pay particular attention to your heels.

If you don't have a foot scrub, then create a mix with oil and sugar to create a sugar scrub and rub that all over your feet

Step 3 - Dry your feet and rub a thick petroleum based moisturiser all over your feet. Vaseline is a great choice, then wrap your feet in plastic, either use an old bag or some cling film/saran wrap. Pop on a pair of socks, which will help generate more heat and moisture and it also allows you to walk around the house without falling over.

Step 4 - Wash your feet with warm water and hey presto, lovely moisturised , soft feet

DIY clear plastic clutch with studded Adrinka symbol detail

Hello loves,

I've been in love with studs which are really big this season. As I have to save for my wedding, I don't have a lot of money to indulge in the latest trends, but I really wanted something with studs. So, why not indulge my love of studs, clutches and Adinkra symbols?

I decided to go with the Gye Nyme symbol which means - except God (I fear no body except God)

Several hours, pin pricks and blood drops later (from pressing in the studs) I finished this creation.

Not bad eh?