Wednesday 31 December 2014

Top posts of 2014 that you shouldnt miss


These are the top and most beneficial posts... they have the highest page views and if you havnt seen them yet... do check them out because you will find lots of tips that i have gathered all through one year of being on a healthy hair journey. Enjoy!

Starting your hair journey

My techniques for maximum length retention

Protective Styling...what you need to know

Growth Aids...what has worked for me

Detangling...the right way!

Get fuller edges and nape.

Be sure to check them out...

*much love*


Relaxer Update and Length Check

I apologise for not posting this earlier...i had prepared this post before travelling for the christmas celebration but i had problems publishing this post while there. I published this as soon as i arrived.

 Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to you all!!!  This is my last update of the year. I relaxed my hair on the 18th of December and did a length check on blow dried hair
          
            Relaxer procedure:
I used Organic Root Stimulator No-lye Relaxer in normal strength. I started by parting my hair in four sections. Then detangled and twisted it into smaller 1inch sections on each of the four sections. Application and smoothing took me 12mins and i made sure i applied the new relaxer only to my new growth (it still overlapped a bit though). I'm new to using this relaxer and i didnt even do the strand test before relaxing. I think the front sections straighten more than i normally texlaxed it. This is surprising because the front parts of my hair is usually resistant and the back straightened easily but with this relaxer the reverse was the case. I plan on using half the activator next time i relax and that would be sometime in April because i don't want to end up switching from texlaxed to bone straight...i don't like the look of bone straight hair.

           Current Length:
 I'm still at armpit length about 2 inches away from bra strap length. About the length called below shoulder blade length.

I'm really happy with the health of my hair. The improvement in a year is so amazing. Dearies... being on a hair journey is fun and worth it too, just don't give up and dont compare your growth and progress with someone else. So there...this is the length check i will be using for the 6inches in 12months challenge hosted by Naijahaircangrow. I will give mini updates as i go along till the end of the year. I will do a mini length check at mid year next year. If possible join the challenge too as it will help you alot with being serious with hair growth and taking your hair health to another level...yes it will! thats the power of being in a competition :-)    

Will be back with my sisters 1 year natural heathy hair journey pics...enjoy the season.

                                                                    *much love*















Monday 15 December 2014

How i styled my hair: A Bob & My Bun life! How to create a fuller bun

I haven't put up a 'how i styled my hair post' in weeks.... OMG!! Those who follow me on instagram may have seen the pictures of what happens to my hair in between washdays (IG @Juditherese). If you're not on instagram no worries i still post about all i do. So this will be a post on what i did to may hair before my last washday...

I know i bought a wig and i have worn it for about 2weeks... the thing is... i am beginning to love wearing my hair out more. Also friends who have seen my hair frown at the fact that i'm always keeping my hair out of sight. So few days before my coffee rinse washday i stretched my hair with the threading method and then made a faux Bob hairstyle (i got the idea from Naija girl next door blog... though i do it on my sisters natural hair, i haven't stretched my texlaxed hair with threads). I used rubber threads. Threaded each with about Six pieces (those in Nigeria will understand what i mean). I did mine at night....nobody wants to walk around looking like "Simbi" lol...

Here's the steps i followed for my threading:
*divide into about 5-8 sections
*moisturise and seal each section then
*detangle and thread each section one at a time.
*if you really need to stretch your new growth then thread tightly towards the bottom (not too tight...adjust the bottom as preferred).
*to sleep...bend the threads down and wrap your head with a scarf. It helps keep the threads in place while you sleep
*loosen the threads the next morning... your hair is stretched!
comb out and style.

After washday...this week I put my hair in a bun and i will be on my bun life till i relax my hair. I have a couple of things to do before i head back home... anyways.... yea... so do you prefer big buns as i do??? if yes...

here's how i make my bun bigger without having to use a bun filler!
*use a small pony tail holder and secure it just once.... don't go round twice or make it tight.
*wrap your hair a to create a loose bun.

Don't make it tight.... i don't know if you get the idea but the pictorial will show you what i mean. I advice you do it a fee times and get the technique of wrapping it loosely and still getting it to look nice and smooth.

Pic guide:
*first pic: stretching my hair with African threading.
*second pic: how to create a fuller bun.
*third pic: tight bun vs loose bun comparison.

PS: My sister is 1 year into her hair journey this December... her progress post will be up as soon as i get home... Will also relax and do a length check pretty soon. You wouldn't want to miss any of this posts...

                 *complements of the season...much love*
         

Saturday 13 December 2014

Coffee rinse Washday: No step is worth skipping!!

Hey cuties! so is a quick recap of my easy breezy washday :-) I'm currently 12wks and some days post relaxer and the only thing my new growth and texlaxed hair does so well right now is SHRINK! lol

      I had in mind to cowash my hair but i haven't used a shampoo for sometime now and you know cowashing alone does not cleanse the hair well. I decided to shampoo.
I have noticed some shedding and i know its because of stress. Its been a long time since i did a tea rinse and i knew i needed one. Teas such as black tea, green tea and coffee contains caffeine which helps block the hormone responsible for hair shedding. This means there would be less shed hair when you do tea rinses.
      Now always remember that you should brew the tea or coffee in hot water and then leave it to cool completely before you use it. However...i was soooo lazy last night i decided to just put about a quarter spoon of coffee in my spray bottle filled it halfway with water and shake! shake!! lol (i know its bad...i wont try it again....*covers face*). so here are my steps

(1) sprayed my scalp and hair with coffee (it wasn't dripping wet just light sprayed so its damp).
(2)prepoo/deep condition with Organics by Africa's best cholesterol tea tree oil deep conditioner. Applied it to my coffee spritzed hair in 7 sections, twisted each section up and put them in Bantu knots. covered with shower cap
(3) deep conditioned overnight...
(4) rinsed it out and shampooed my scalp thrice...yes three times!! because it was needed.

        Now this is where the skipping starts... i was late for morning class so i couldn't do a quick conditioning :-(
(5)T-shirt dried while i got ready to leave the house
(6)took down each damp section... applied little organics cholesterol D.C (it can be used as a leave in too)
and sealed with Shea butter.
      I ran my fingers through each section and used a wide tooth comb to detangle. Separated the bangs or front section and did a loose flat twist then pulled the rest of my hair to my back and did a ponytail which i later braided. A wet ponytail that air dried throughout the day.

As soon as it got dry... IT GOT DRY! lol...understand what i mean?? my hair got soo dry. I just couldn't wait to get home. I knew it was because of the steps i missed but i was running out of time...

How i got back my moisturised hair-
First thing i did when i got home was to take down the pony. Spritz my dry hair with some detangler, then moisturise my hair and seal with Shea butter. Put my hair in a bun and then I covered it with a plastic cap for up to 3hrs and my hair felt really good. It was moisturised. wheeew!

An interesting washday... lots of layered products... i didn't mind because of the harmattan. It will only prevent my hair from dryness. This washday would have been my worst if my new growth matted a lot...i feared it would but thank God it didn't. This is to tell you that there is no step worth missing in a hair regimen. When you have gotten so used to following the steps religiously and then you miss a step or some steps you will surely notice. When you do its best to get yourself back on track.

Do you follow the steps of your hair regimen religiously?
                     *much love*

Versatile blogger award!

Hey cuties! Complements of the season to everyone :-)  I'm super happy and thankfull to the lovely Miranisa of mzdirection blog for nominating me for the Versatile blogger award!

What is the Versatile Blogger Award?
The Versatile Blogger Award is an award to
“honor and appreciate those bloggers who bring something
special to your life whether every day or
only now and then.”

.... Honestly I didnt think a blog award would come this soon being that my blog is only about 2months old..... i mean...you should have seen me dancing when i saw the notification on instagram lol!

Here are the rules
1. Thank the person who gave you this
award.
2. Include a link to their blog.
3. Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you
have recently discovered or follow
regularly.
4. Nominate those 15 bloggers for the
Versatile Blogger Award (you might include
a link to VBA site.)
5. Finally, tell the person who nominated
you 7 things about yourself.

So shall we?....
1 &2 Thanks a lot to the lovely Nisa of mzdirection blog (click to view). She's an inspiration as she shares her hair journey pics on instagram and gives so much details on her blog.
3 & 4. Here are the bloggers i stalk on an almost regular basis and nominate :-)

*donttouchthehair blog
*leezniji's blog
*diaryofapetitediva blog
*ghlonghair blog
*naijagirlnextdoor blog
*beautifullynappy
*todaysnaira blog
*wuras secret hair blog
(sorry its not up to 15..)
All awesome bloggers that you should check out...

5. Heres the fun part.... 7 things about myself...
                
1. Juditherse is a combination of my names Judith & Therese. (I pronounce the joint name as judi-theri:z)
2. I dont say no until i have tried and failed...call me stubborn but thats why i was able to start my hhj with just my own support and motivation...
3. If i had the resources i would have run a youtube vlog... i pretty much love making videos on my phone or laptop and i prefer it to typing.
4. addiction? inspirational hair journeys on YouTube... i cant seem to get tired of them.
5. My favourite exercise is walking....lol. Walking is an exercise right??? haha... anything more...I'll pass ;-)
6. I have passion for singing and modelling... (i'm slim and my normal walk is like a catwalk..wink! wink! :-))
7. My favourite colours are red and pink :-)

Thanks a lot to you all who read my blog and also share on their social media... i am super pumped to do more because this award only shows that the time and effort i put into blogging is appreciated... more posts will be up... keep stalking :-)
                 *much love*

Monday 8 December 2014

Guest post: How to make coconut oil easily at home....by Dada Oluwakemi

Hey dearies! hope everyone is doing great?!
       This is my first guest post... Dada Oluwakemi a lovely reader of my blog who recently began her hair journey sent me a text on how she made her own coconut oil. I was so impressed that I decided to share plus her steps are so easy and straight forward. Even though i haven't made it myself yet i sure will do it some day following her steps. Here it is... so take down some notes, save the page anyhow u wish to :-).

What you need:
3-4 coconuts
a knife
chopping board
blender
a bowl
a piece of cloth or mesh or handkerchief for straining.
an empty container of your choice for storing the oil.

Her procedure:
I bought 4 coconut (didn't use all tho. Kept some to eat). I took the coconut out of the shell.. Chopped it into the size of baba blue sweet (lol) blended it(I added enough water so as to blend easily). Then I squeezed the milk out from the chaff. I covered it in a bowl for 24hours (so as to make the water separate from the cream).. After that I opened it and scraped the cream at the top and then threw the water below away. I boiled the scraped cream with medium heat(don't add water. Just keep stirring it and the oil will be coming out ). When the residue is completely brown and the oil  doesn't make any sound then you can put off the stove, gas, fire wood (lol). I Left it to cool, then sieved with handkerchief. Transfered it to a container and....Thats it:-)

Thank you for sharing with us Kemi we would try it out and see how it goes. For those who have a homemade recipes to share or a hair story even a tutorial on how you styled your hair its easy. Send me an email containing what you would like to share to juditheresennenna@gmail.com and you will be featured in no time.

Meanwhile the Naija hair can grow 6inches of hair growth challenge has come to an end. I will be joining the challenge next year. For those who don't know about it there are details on her blog. Visit and vote for who you think retained or had much hair growth.

Alright dearies...that's all for now! hope this post helped a cutie wondering how coconut oil can be made easily at home... *Much love*

Thursday 4 December 2014

5 ways to step up your moisture game this season

Hey lovelies! this post is all about how to handle your hair to prevent it from drying out. We all know that Hair needs moisture to stay healthy so how are we going to win the battle against dryness? here are some tips to help you through

(1) steam your hair with a hair steamer more frequently or once in a while. If the saloons near you don't offer steaming and like me..you do not have a steamer :-) no worries. Simply moisturise your hair lightly then cover your with a shower cap for up to an hour or more and let the green house effect steam your hair with your natural body heat! No stress, No charge! but always remember to seal that moisture in if its not deep conditioning where you have to rinse your hair again

(2) Moisturise more often. This implies that if you normally moisturise once a day make it twice or thrice as the case may be.

(3) Add humecants to your deep conditioner. Humecants help draw moisture into your hair strands to prevent it from drying out. Examples of humecants are honey, glycerine and castor oil.

(4) Use heavy oils or butters to seal and lock the moisture in. This is very important especially when a humecant has been used. Humecants tend to do the reverse when the dryness in the atmosphere is a lot compared to the hair...meaning it would loose moisture from your hair into the atmosphere. Some people may advice to stay away from humecants but when properly sealed in it doesn't make your hair dry out.
      I even observed that my hair gets very moisturised in the early morning and at night when there is some sort of humid atmosphere. what i do every morning is seal with Shea butter immediately the fog created by water droplets in the air is completely gone  ( *hmm SCIENCE!* lol).

(5) Add co-washing to your regimen. This is best for those not willing to use humecants because of the dry effect. Co-washing is simply washing your hair with a rinse out conditioner instead of shampoo. Ordinarily conditioners are not meant to replace shampoos because they don't cleanse the scalp as effectively as a shampoo would but recently the haircare industries have improved and now have "cleansing co-wash conditioners" a good one i have seen reviews on is As I Am coconut cowash. Wherever you find this one dont hesitate to grab one for your self and you can always order from online stores. (click here to see Dabs of naijahaircangrow's review). so if you co-wash (especially using the rinse out that has no claim of cleansing the hair) use it as a way of boosting moisture and conditioning your hair because you still have to shampoo. Some conditioners for co-washing are VO5 conditioners and Hair fruits conditioners, Suarve and tresemme conditioners and all other conditioners that boldly and specifically states "co-wash".
         I haven't actually used any of such "cleansing co-wash conditioners" but readers who have please let us know... do they really cleanse well? can they replace your shampoo? what is the name of the one you used?
          I have added all of the above to my regimen i did my cowash today... so for those wondering which conditioner i uses for co-washing its gentelle hair fruits coconut conditioner. I use both castor oil and glycerine (the type i can easily find in cosmetic shops and it works fine). for steaming... i found a saloon that offers steaming services but i really don't like going to saloons anymore so i probably would stick to some GHE. So dearies...i hope this post helps a cutie out.... :-)
             
                  *much love*

          

Sunday 30 November 2014

Wash day: Back to wigging!

Hey cuties :-) been a while... hope everyone is doing great!? 
      
       Sorry for my inconsistency with posting its really been hard for even friends and family to reach me because of the area i live at the moment. The problem is electricity!!! I will soon move to a better apartment though and my dear school stress is also there ooo lol Thank you to all who keep reading my blog and sharing my blog url...I really do appreciate Sooo to you my lovely readers...Welcome to the last month of the year... may God Bless you, increase your joy and keep you safely throughout this festive season!....AMEN!!

       I had a busy school week as usual and i sometimes didn't get to moisturise and seal but what helped my hair is the glycerine i added to my moisturiser.
        I'm so happy that i'm this far into my stretch.... i have gone 10weeks without my wigs which is a huge progress for me because in previous months i would start wigging at 5-6 weeks. But i still have intentions to relax my hair this December either at 13 or 14 weeks post. This washday was on Friday 28 and it happened in the evening so my hair air dried all through the night. so.... here's my washday procedure:
     
Wash day procedure
*hot oil treatment with palm kernel oil
*finger detangled
*shampooed off (lathered twice cause its been two weeks since last washday i had to make sure my hair was nice and clean.
*deep conditioned with Organics by Africa's best cholesterol tea tree oil deep conditioner (i had a problem with the scent...it almost knocked me off ...seriously made me light headed) will do a good review on it on another post.
*rinsed off 30 mins later.... wrapped head with t-shirr for a long time while i flipped through some pages :-)
*by the time i took off the t-shirt my hair was nice and soft...

I moisturised with my kids organics olive oil plus Shea butter moisturizer and sealed with raw Shea butter and finger detangled again, then followed up with a wide tooth comb. Next i put my hair into 12 big plaits and left it to air dry. The next morning i wore my wig and i was sooo happy that my hair would be hidden away from the harmattan sun and dryness...at least it would conserve a bit more moisture under the wig.

Its the dry season and this is the time where our hair can get so dry... even our skin is not left out... keep stalking my blog cause i will be sharing some easy tips to get your hair through this season...
              How was your recent washday? tried any new products?? share!! :-)

                    *much love*

Thursday 20 November 2014

Washday & Flexi Rod set

Hey lovelies!! I'm behind on posts... so sorry about that :-( I have just been really busy! I'm glad i finally got to write this post.
       
         This wash day happened last Saturday. I was quite excited because i tried something new but i want to use it for sometime before giving a review and that is Palm Kernel oil. I have seen good reviews on it...but hey! what works for people may not work for you...lol.  Here's a quick run down on how it went.
washday procedure:
*oil prepoo with palm kernel oil
*finger detangle and covered with plastic cap for hours...lol
*shampooed it off with my lavender shampoo
*wrapped head for 15mins
*deep conditioned with ORS replenishing conditioner for about an hour

*rinsed out and wrapped my head with towel.
*detangled gently with wide tooth comb..
Now here's my flexi rod procedure.
* my hair was washed in sections so i parted with my fingers to create smaller sections.
*moisturised and sealed sparingly
*applied my lusti organics holding spray and
*combed through a section.
*rolled the rods tightly onto the hair and bent the ends of the rods to secure it.
*all these happened in the evening so i went to bed with the rods on my head and... its not a pleasant experience at all... i couldn't sleep well for a long time until i found a way to lay my head without much pain and disturbance... (things that we do for our hair;-)...lol)
Installing flexi rods is best learnt by watching a flexi rod set video. There are so many YouTube videos that teach how to use flexi rods.
In the end my hair came out with lovely curls... but before the end of the day my hair got poofy and poofier :-( that the curls almost became unseen. I think i know the culprit because i have done flexi rods before and they lasted longer than a day.
(1) i failed to moisturise and seal well. I thought i could just skip this but i should have just stuck to what i always do.
(2) I am 9weeks post relaxer and combing my hair at this time is something i try to stay away from. So i combed but didn't make sure to really smoothen the section out before rolling on the rods.
I love all styles that gives my hair curls so i will definitely give flexi rods another try and i hope it lasts longer next time!
Here's a pic guide.
*second pic shows my hair with the flexi rods in...total of 25rods
*next upper shows after removal and the curls have not been separated...lower pic is after separating one section into two or three.
*last pic is Sunday afternoon...the curls got a bit poofy.
      
              how was your recent washday? tried any new products?
                   *much love  :-)*
       

Hair porosity.... Tips to help you get healthy hair irrespective of your porosity.

Hello cuties! hope everyone is doing well?!
    This is quite an interesting topic... its really a big deal when it comes to hair care. Anyone who is serious about achieving and maintaining healthy hair must know their hair porosity.
What is hair porosity?
It is simply the ability of our hair strands to absorb and retain moisture.
How to do a Porosity test
* after detangling on washday when  much products have not been added to your hair take some strands of hair from the comb.

*Get a clean bowl or cup of water
*gently lay d strands on top of the water.... that is place them gently on the water surface.
*watch what happens closely
(A) If your hair sinks almost immediately or in less than 5mins you have High porosity hair
(B) If your hair sinks in about 10-30 mins you have normal porosity hair
(C) If it sinks hours later (or never sinks...lol) you have low porosity hair.
Now you have done the test and found out your porosity.... first advice... DON'T FREAK OUT!!! lol.
Know that regardless of your hair porosity you can still have healthy hair. Even those with Normal porosity could still get their hair damaged by not doing things the right way. Second advice is this... get lots of information concerning your hair porosity and bear it in mind always because when moisturising and sealing or any other part of washday you need to know if its necessary to add more or layer your products, if the timing on a product is enough for your strands to absorb the goodness.
Here's an explanation of the porosities and how to get the most out of them.
HIGH POROSITY
This is hair with cuticles raised and open in such a way that it allows free flow of moisture and also freely gives out the moisture in no time... meaning it receives and gives away moisture easily.
Here are some tips to help you handle your high porosity hair
* know that Your hair needs more of protein than moisture. Protein does help to fill in some cracked cuticles thereby helping more moisture retention. So deep condition more times with a protein conditioner than a moisturising one
*ensure that the final water used to rinse your hair is cool as this helps seal the raised cuticles.
*always seal your hair with butters like Shea butter or a heavy oil to help coat the strand and preserve the added moisture for a longer period of time.
*use light protein leave in conditioners
*do a heavy protein treatment at least once in a month
*completely eliminate the use of direct heat as it can further damage the cuticles.
*do not use baking soda treatments because baking soda has a high pH which enables it to open the cuticles of your hair strand which is bad for high porosity hair...opt for properly diluted apple cider vinegar as a final rinse to help it lock in the moisture and other conditioning treatments.
NORMAL POROSITY HAIR
This is hair with cuticles slightly raised. Products enter and leave withing a certain period of time. This type of porosity retains moisture more than high porosity hair but not more than low porosity hair and this is okay...that's why it is called NORMAL.
Here are some tips to help you handle your normal porosity hair
*use a cool water as your final rinse on washday
*moisturise and seal as needed
*maintain a balance between protein and moisture by rotating your protein and moisturising deep conditioners.
*use heat tools with moderation and always use a heat protectant. The safest way to escape heat damage is not to use them at all because all the porosities are prone to heat damage.
*seal with light oils like olive oil, grape seed oil.
LOW POROSITY HAIR
This is hair with cuticles closed tightly. Moisture does not penetrate easily and when it eventually does it doesn't go out easily either. This type of hair does not take to relaxers well...meaning it comes out texlaxed and not bone straight most of the time.
Here are some tips to help you handle your low porosity hair.
*Always rinse first with warm water to open up your cuticles
*use only cooler water for final rinse
*Always deep condition mostly with a moisturising conditioner... bear it in mind that low porosity hair naturally has more protein than moisture so hard core protein treatments are not so beneficial... focus more on moisture treatments.
*Seal your hair with a light oil
*Do not layer products because they will further close the cuticles preventing any more moisture from entering the hair during daily moisturising and sealing
*Limit heat styling because too much heat styling will lead to damage.
*boost the penetrating ability of your deep conditioners by using heat in the form of hair steamers, hot head conditioning cap etc.
*do not use apple cider vinegar because it has an acidic pH and will further close the cuticles of your hair strands and this is bad opt for baking soda which has a higher pH to open up the cuticles... but don't forget to close it with a final cool rinse.
     for more on high, normal and low porosity hair click here and here
When i did this test...my hair kept floating till i got tired of coming to check. So my hair is low porosity hair. I made my research and found out ways to care for my hair and even went crazy with moisturising and sealing. But now its not much of a big deal. Low porosity hair definitely needs longer time to absorb products so if a product says leave on for 15mins its advisable to leave it on for at least x2 of the time. This is common knowledge for bloggers and anyone that has gone far in their hair journey... If you know your hair porosity and work with it you will find that you hair will become healthier in no time.
My flexi rod set washday will be up pretty soon... thanks for always viewing my blog...
          *much love.....muah! :-)*

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Whats been happening to my hair

Hello y'all :-)
      I have been trying to put up this post but something always comes up... i moved to Port Harcourt for school and so far... its been a bit stressful but i know with time I'll get used to the environment and some how my days wont be sooo stressful. Anyways i will still try to give my best info on the blog and keep you guys updated on how my hair is doing... which is what this post is about.
              Right now i'm 8weeks post relaxer (2 months since i last relaxed). That being said... my hair hasn't been washed for almost 2 weeks....... my last washday was the one before my flat twist out and since then I've been so little with the things i do to my hair and ....this is really not bad...its beneficial because i have my hands off my hair... apart from shed hair which will still shed irrespective of being manipulated or not there are no breakage occurring during this period. Right now i have my hair in a bun. which it has been in for about 3days...i took it down last night, oiled my scalp and did a scalp massage, moisturised and sealed, finger combed and put my hair back in a bun. I then tied it down with a scarf.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Natural hair washday & flat twist out

Hello y'all hope you're having a fun filled weekend? ... I'm feeling so excited because its washday... wellllll not mine but my sisters.  The last washday happened on the 5th of October but i didn't post on it... it was actually a wash and blow dry...my apologies for not posting...i just had in mind to post some more important topics since its a new blog.
Here's what has been happening to her hair- she took down her threaded hairstyle after two weeks moisturised and detangled, then went for another threaded hairstyle. so...this is how her washday went:
washday procedures:
(1)after finger detangling i parted her hair in two
(2)prepooed with organics by Africa's best hair mayonnaise for 30mins (protein treatment/deep conditioning)
(3)shampooed it off with ORS creamy aloe shampoo
(4)wrapped her head wit towel for about 15mins
(5)deep conditioned with ORS replenishing conditioner for 1hr then rinse out and wrap head again for about 15-20mins
I decided to do a hairstyle i haven't done with natural hair before.... FLAT TWIST OUTS! I had previously done it with my hair but i wanted to see if i could get almost if not the same results with her hair.

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Protective styling.... what you need to know.

Hey dearies!!  I'm back with an interesting topic... Protective styling!
   Protective hairstyles are hairstyles that help reduce daily or weekly manipulation of our hair. It plays a big role in length retention as there will be less breakage due to restyling. If you are on a healthy hair journey its very much advisable that you use protective styles. However One should be cautious when choosing the protective style... This is because some protective hairstyles may damage the hair if not properly or correctly done.

Saturday 1 November 2014

Flat twist out video

Hey cuties!
Been getting comments from friends on how i made my flat twist out so i thought its better i share a video since i don't do videos for now. I just began to notice the importance of putting up a video because things like detangling and styling tutorials are better watched than read. I have not yet settled down with blogging... i may start up a vlog some time in the future but for now i will try my best to share videos that shows how to do the hairstyles if a pictorial is not enough.
  Here's a link on how to do a flat twist out..I hope you find it helpful. click on the link to view.
How to do a flat twist out
                  
                   *much love*

Friday 31 October 2014

How I Styled My Hair: FLAT TWIST OUT

Hey cuties! I've been itching to do a flat twist out ever since i saw Tomes flat twist. I love the curls they give but i barely do them... since my hair journey i have done it just three times. so without much chit chat... here's how i made and styled my flat twist.
After washday i detangled in the evening. Sectioned my hair with my fingers and sprayed each dry section with Lusti Organics hair spray for hold and shine.
I made about 12 flat twists making sure i twisted tightly as i went along and ended each flat twist with  bantu knot.
I let it air dry overnight and took down the curls gently. used my hands to separate some curls and pushed them. My bangs made the hairstyle i achieved really cute:-). I was really happy with my hair!!!
The excitement lasted just for one day because i got caught in a little rain that caused my curls to stretch so i just kept my hair in a bun which i will be wearing till my next washday.
Here are pics of the flat twists and how they looked when i took them down. (I still had a problem with lighting so i adjusted the pics a bit to make the curls clearer).
      Just wondering....how did you            style your hair??

Thursday 30 October 2014

Wash day + Product review

Hello cuties! been a while... hope you're doing well?!
I really didn't plan to spend more than three days in between posts. I travelled to Port Harcourt for school and while i was there i did nothing to my hair...didn't wash moisturise or seal i just wore my wigs and forgot about my hair (which is sooo wrong...*covers face*). I decided to shop a little before coming back home. I stopped by saloons and stores around Choba area to see if i would run into something nice but majority of the products they had were relaxers...the others, protein deep conditioners. Seriously?? is relaxing the only thing that can be done to our hair?? Anyways.... i picked up some products and decided to try them for my washday immediately i got back home.
Wash day procedure (New products to be reviewed in bold)
(1) prepooed by applying Gentelle hair fruits coconut smooth conditioner to my twists and covered it with shower cap for an hour.
(2) rinsed out the conditioner with warm water and applied shampoo Roushun care products Lavender anti dandruff nutrition and moisture shampoo. Lathered twice with it and rinsed off with warm water.
(3)wrapped my head with towel for 30 mins and applied the conditioner from the same line Roushun care products Lavender thermal heat activity & nutrition hair conditioner thoroughly and covered my hair with a shower cap for about 3hours
(4) rinsed off with cool water... wrapped head with towel for 30mins then applied my moisturiser and sealed with serum (mega growth smooth and shine serum).

Saturday 25 October 2014

Get Fuller Edges and Nape!! How to save and maintain your nape and edges!

Hello cuties! hows the day going?
   This post is meant to address a common issue among women regarding haircare. That is the hair on edges and nape. Here i will analyse the possible culprits causing receeding hairlines at d edges and nape as well as the solutions.
  Possible culprits:
* EXTENSIONS
   Wearing extensions is a good way to give your hair a break from every day or week styling. If you braid your extensions too tight it will cause pulling and much tension will be placed on the strands of your hair forcing them to shed or break in a matter of days.
   SOLUTION
   If you must use extensions ensure that the braids at the edges and nape are not held tight... if possible start your braiding about 0.5" before your direct hair line and use a gel to wipe it neatly to help it blend and look nice.
* HATS & CAPS
  When you wear hats and caps that are lined with cotton or velvet materials what happens is that any slight movement of the cap or hat would cause friction between it and the hair strands around that area..
   
  SOLUTION
    If you must wear caps and hats ensure that they are lined with silk or satin materials because these materials have less friction with the hair strands (there is free gliding movement when you move the caps or hats)

Thursday 23 October 2014

How to keep your Ends healthy

Hi cuties! been a while.... hope you're doing wonderful?!
    If you are reading this post you must have seen the topic already. For benefit of those just starting out on their hair journey i would explain in my own words what i mean by 'ends'.
  Ends are the last lengths of your hair. Its the very tips and the oldest parts of your hair being that it was protruded upwards from the follicles before the other lengths of your hair (a pic of my ends is at the bottom of this post).
   So, i wore my twist out for 3days and detangled it on the evening of the last day. Finger detangling was easy because the twists stretched my hair (No i didn't detangle without an aid....i used my lovely lemon grass infused oil) at 6wks post relaxer i have only followed up my finger detangling with a comb once when i blow dried my hair. So there i was taking pictures of my hair and i decided to take a pic of my ends too....guess what i found out? My ends were healthy! I have been taking good care of them because their health play a big role in my length retention. I wouldn't want to leave room for a setback or my ends becoming too thin.

Monday 20 October 2014

How I Styled My Hair....TWIST OUTS!

Hello cuties! hope you are all having a lovely day?
   This is my first 'how i styled my hair' post and its all about showing you what i do with my hair in between washdays. Things may get a little boring and i just wear my wigs throughout the week only letting my hair out when its time for a wash but i decided to switch things up this time.
   Its not the first time i have tried a twist out but its my first since i started blogging. I like twists because i like curls.... whenever i'm not wearing my wig i'm either on a twist, twist out, bantu knot out, flat twist out or a flexi rod set.
Here's how i achieve my twist outs without much products:
*After wash day (the last washday was when i did my beer deep conditioning/rinse) i finger detangle while its about 80% dry apply moisturiser and seal with Shea butter.
* put my hair in many twist of about 1.5" and leave it to air dry.
*i wear my hair in twists for about a week moisturising and sealing when needed.
*few days to my wash day i take down the twists gently and fluff it a little and then pull it into a loose ponytail and tuck it under at my nape to form a bun.

Saturday 18 October 2014

Growth Aids....what has worked for me?

Hey cuties! I'm back with an interesting post....growth aids!
What are growth aids???
These are things and methods consciously used to increase or boost our hair growth. There are different kinds of growth aids but you should take note that using any of them is totally up to you. Its not a must use because if you eat well, drink enough water and exercise regularly your hair will grow just as your nails grow. The only need for it is to increase your normal hair growth rate when used consistently.
What are these growth aids?
Ingested growth aids are growth aids in the form of pills or multivitamins. They work to boost hair growth from the inside out because they are packed full with most of the essential nutrients and vitamins that nourish the hair follicles and encourage the production of new hair cells. The most reviewed of these multivitamins are Biotin, MSM and Hairfinity.

Wednesday 15 October 2014

DETANGLING... the right way!!

Hello cuties! This is a long post but if you want longer hair its a must read!
What is detangling?
Answer: combing!
Its simply the process of combing thereby separating the hair strands from curling onto each other. It also aids better distribution of products applied to the hair.
Hair can be detangled either by:
*using combs
*using your fingers (finger detangling)
  If you detangle using combs its best to use a wide tooth comb and not use a metal comb. Do not use fine tooth (rat tail) combs for detangling.
How do you detangle your hair the right way?
  This is a big question because how you detangle your hair can help your hair increase in length overtime or decrease in length in no time! so this is how:
(1) Apply a detangling aid. This means applying a product that provides slip for the hair (detangler, moisturiser, an oil, water and glycerine mix).

Monday 13 October 2014

1 year healthy hair journey and progress picture plus first BEER rinse!

Hello cuties! I'm so happy today...why? because I'm 1yr into my healthy hair journey! well it clocked a year yesterday. Makes it officially a year since i began my healthy hair journey. It was infact my first wash day and just as adventurous as i was when i started i decided to celebrate my hair and try out a beer rinse (mine turned into beer deep conditioning...lol). I have seen beautiful reviews on it and it just happens that some one was drinking beer in my house (pls it wasn't me ooo). I asked that little be left in the can for me and i just transferred the beer to a small container.
As much as i would love to use just the beer i wouldn't want to smell like beer and so i mixed it up. When i came back it has mixed well and had a uniform consistency.

Procedure:
I started my washday by prepooing with my home made lemongrass oil and shampooed off with my NaturVital henna shampoo. I rinsed it off after 15mins (its a shampoo-dye made with henna for dyeing hair black so i left it on for more colour intensity).
After rinsing i wrapped my hair in a towel for 10mins and then applied my deep conditioning mix/rinse of about 10 spoonful of beer+a spoonful of rinse out conditioner+a quarter spoon of deep conditioner (i used these because i wanted to tame the smell of the beer). Wore my shower cap and left it on for 1hr before rinsing. I rinsed it off first with cool water and rinsed again with cooler water. Then wrapped my head with towel for 20mins.

Result:
AWESOME!
my hair felt sooooo soft and shiny! i couldn't stop putting my hands in it. My sis and mum also touched it and they were amazed.

You would probably think it was the conditioner and deep conditioner that made it soft....could be but the level of softness was way more than when i mixed the two alone and the shine in my hair! don't know if the picture shows it enough.
For doubting sake i would try it next time with just the rinse out conditioner (i want the effects but not the smell) and give another review on this treatment.

Happy 1yr blog-anniversary to Don't touch the hair blog! Her blog is one of my favourite. Cheers deer!!

Here's my 1st year hair progress picture (Oct 2013-Oct 2014) and my beer deep conditioning picture (picture taken without any added product or oil)
Have a blessed week...lots of love!

Sunday 12 October 2014

My home made oils carrot and lemongrass oils

Hi cuties, this is a requested post on my home made carrot oil.

I love making home made oils and i make them by oil infusions. I really don't like using plain olive oil for the length of my hair (apart from using it to stop dandruff it doesn't do much for me). So there, i use olive oil for my home made oil infusions.
Here's how i make my home made carrot and lemongrass oils;

All you need:
* a bottle of olive oil
* your preferred number of fresh carrots

how to:
1. wash and grate the carrots and transfer to a clean small container. 2. Pour in the olive oil till it fills the container (i use another empty olive oil can and add the grated carrots then pour in the olive oil till it fills the can).
3. cover and store under room temperature for a week.
4.  sieve off the carrots and you will be left with just the carrot infused oil.
      The oil will have a yellow-orange colour depending on the quantity of carrots used.

Lemongrass oil
*some lemongrass (i bought from the market so i just asked for the one of N50).
*olive oil or any carrier oil of your choice

how to:
*wash and cut the lemon grass into pieces about 3inches long.
*beat the lemongrass for about 10mins to properly release the liquid from the leaves
*put the lemongrass in a clean container and add in the oil. store in a cool dry place for a day (24hrs)
*next day sieve off the lemongrass by pouring it through a mesh sieve and store the plain oil in a better container.

. The lemongrass oil is not infused for up to a week because the lemongrass leaves will make the oil go sour and have a bad smell. Both the carrot and lemongrass oils have a nice scent and they are slightly thicker than the plain olive oil.

Benefits of carrot and lemongrass oils
*Carrot oil is good for sealing the hair especially the ends after moisturising
*It is filled with antioxidants and contains vitamin A and other nutrients that nourish the scalp.
*consistent scalp massage with carrot oil improves blood circulation thereby increasing hair growth.
*Carrot and lemongrass oils both helps to treat scalp conditions such as dandruff, eczema etc.)
*lemongrass oil helps to strengthen the hair strand.
* It stimulates hair growth
*lemongrass oil can penetrate the hair strand repairing and treating damaged parts.

I hope you find this post helpful in making home made carrot and lemongrass oils,  tell me how it turned out when you made yours:-)

Saturday 11 October 2014

My technique for maximum length retention

Hello cuties! hope you are having a lovely weekend?
  This weekend post is about my length retention technique and every lady on a hhj will agree to it that good length retention is key to having longer hair. My length retention was infact the first thing i worked on when i began my journey because i figured that if i get it right everything else will fall into place.
   Length retention as the name implies is simply retaining your current length while the new growth comes in. Always remember that your hair grows (at an average of 0.5" could be less or slightly higher per month) and when you get your length retention technique right, boom! you will begin to see improvements in your hair length in a matter of months.

My techniques for better length retention
* keeping my hair in a protective style of twists or braids (done with just my hair) and wearing a wig when i go out.
* moisturising and sealing my hair especially my ends regularly. I oil my ends with castor oil every time i oil my scalp that's every two days and it has helped to reduce dryness and split ends. I have always done this so i never had an issue with split ends.
* I practice exclusive finger detangling. Detangling is one of the main culprits that can drastically reduce your hair length retention if done wrong...could even lead to a set back so getting your detangling technique right is very important.
* deep conditioning also helps me balance moisture in my low porosity hair.
* leaving my hair alone especially deep into a stretch has helped me alot with length retention. I just slap on my wig and dash out of the door when i'm going out instead of combing...styling...and all of that.
* handling my hair like its my most expensive jewellery! (sounds funny right? lol). Handling your hair in an aggressive manner will cause it to tangle and snag when combing or trying to put your hair in a protective style.
* I made sure to totally get rid of my bad haircare practices and you should too. Remember little drops make a mighty ocean, you will love how your hair turns out after months of proper length retention techniques.
   I stress technique over products because i couldn't find the best products but i made sure to use the best techniques and they give me good result. There are also natural products that don't cost much but if u have a good technique of using them they will give you wonderful results. This is for someone starting out on a low budget like me but if you can afford the best products backed up by proper techniques then go for it!
      
What length retention technique is currently working for you?  share! share!! 

natural hair washday and blow dry post is coming up soon! Don't miss it:-)

Thursday 9 October 2014

Starting your Healthy hair journey

What is a Hair Regimen, why do i need one?
A hair regimen is simply an other of activities carried out consistently to improve the health and length of our hair. If you desire to have a healthy scalp and hair then you definitely need to start yourself on a regimen. Make it your hair time table if i should put it that way.

What results would having a hair regimen yield you?
*Healthy scalp and hair
*Hair that is not dry and brittle
*Hair that is free from dandruff and other scalp conditions
*Hair that visibly increases in length over a period of months.
     who wouldn't want that??

Yes i want that but how do i get started?
Simple.
First step is to set your mind on it and agree within yourself that you can do it...that you can get healthy hair. Great things happen when you believe so believe in yourself.

A basic hair regimen should consist of the following steps:
1. Pre-shampoo step
2. Shampoo
3. Deep Conditioning
4. Moisturise and sealing
5. Detangling (I will do a separate post on detangling soon)
As you keep on the journey and become more enlightened and conversant with some practices (like co washing, tea rinsing etc) you may like to add them to your regimen.

PRE-SHAMPOO (PREPOO)
A prepoo is a preshampoo treatment either an oil, conditioner or a hair cream applied to the hair prior to washing. This helps to reduce the stripping or harmful effects that shampoos may have on the hair. It can be done by simply applying the product on the entire length of your hair and then leaving it on for sometime before shampooing.

SHAMPOO
Shampoos are the main cleaning agents that is what you wash your hair with to get rid of dirt, dust and oils. There are so many types of shampoos; clarifying, moisturising, conditioning, voluminising and so on. I personally think you don't need to have all of them but which ever you choose is all up to you. However make sure to use a good quality shampoo that does not contain sulphates or you dilute it thoroughly because sulphates are bad for the hair.

DEEPCONDITIONING
This is a must for healthy hair and all haircare divas swear by it! It is a step that must not be skipped.
Hair should be deep conditioned to add back moisture or protein after shampooing. A deep conditioner is different from and cannot be replaced fully by a rinse out conditioner. There are deep conditioners either store bought or home made that provides moisture, protein or both.
Simply means you need a moisturising deep conditioner to add moisture and a protein deep conditioner to add protein. Protein and moisture are essential for healthy hair but should be balanced.
How often you deep condition is up to you but if you are starting out on a hairmegency then it should be once a week. you can adjust it when need be.

MOISTURISING AND SEALING
This is another essential of haircare that must not be over looked. Moisturising your hair with a water based moisturiser or leave in conditioner will help keep your hair soft and moisturises during the weekdays before washday. This will prevent dryness that can lead to breakage. Always remember to seal in the moisture with an oil or a butter (e.g shea butter) so that the hair strands will hold on to the moisture for a longer period of time.

DETANGLING
This is also a basic part of your regimen (except you have locs) because how you comb your hair and what you use to comb your hair will help you retain length or make you loose length. It has been my holy grail since i began my hair journey and it deserves a separate post.

GROWTH AIDS AND METHODS are up to you but i will still discuss it in another post.

Side gist:
Did i say use hair creams (i'm writing this because we are in Naija and don't want to name some products...lol) on your scalp? NO. Any hair cream that contains petroleum and mineral oil SHOULD NOT be put on your scalp or used to seal your hair. They just gunk up your hair and scalp...your hair doesn't really need that and if you keep using it its not going to be as healthy as it would be without it...trust me.

Our Relaxed and Natural Hair Regimen





My hair regimen has changed a lot. The first 3months i was on a strict weekly regimen (using mostly DIY home made product) but now i adjust it a bit sometimes. Here's my present regimen: 
Hair type: texlaxed, 4b, medium density, low porosity hair
Starting length: uneven shoulder length hair
Current length: Armpit length
Hair goal: waist length

Products or practices that have a line across them are discontinued 
Products or practices with a (***) in front of them were very recently added. 

I wash every 1 -2 weeks for the first 8 weeks of my relaxer stretch. For the rest weeks of my relaxer stretch (up to weeks 16-20 I wash every 2weeks)

First do a pre shampoo step by massaging warm oil into my scalp and down the length of my hair.

My current prepoo oils 

*shampoo
*rinse out and wrap head with towel for 15mins
*apply deep conditioner (either a moisturising or protein deep conditioner) cover with plastic cap for 30mins-1hr
*rinse out first with cool water then do a tea or coffee  rinse and leave on hair for 5-10mins then a final rinse with cool water and wrap again with towel till slightly damp.
*Apply leave in conditioner or moisturiser, seal with shea butter or serum for blow drying and finger detangle or
*put hair in small twists and allow to air dry.
next day i massage castor oil into my scalp for 2-5mins.
Moisturise my twist every two days and seal with oil.
I Just repeat this washday process every week.

Products i use.
Moisturiser: organics by Africa's best olive oil plus Shea Butter detangling moisturiser
                       ***Luster's S-Curl No drip moisturiser . I seal with olive oil.
Luster S-curl has been discontinued because it doesn't work well for my hair in the long run.

New Addition  (2016) moisturiser - Cantu creamy hair lotion
Leave in Conditioner - Cantu leave in Conditioner

*shampoos: Organic root stimulator creamy aloe shampoo, NaturVital henna shampoo for black hair colour. VO5 moisture milks strawberry and milk shampoo

*Deep conditioners
Protein Deep conditioner: Organics by Africa's best hair mayonnaise
Moisturizing Deep conditioner: organics by Africa's best olive oil deep conditioner plus glycerine mix 
                      *** Elasta Qp DPR 11 penetrating conditioner + ORS replenishing conditioner +Avocado oil (starting from September 2015)

For combined  protein and moisture: Organic Root Stimulator olive oil replenishing conditioner.

Rinse out conditioner: Hair fruits conditioner or VO5 conditioner.

oils i use:
Clear pharmacy castor oil
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Home made carrot oil  ***Home made Amla oil (starting from September 2015)
**palm kernel oil

Other products:
***Lotta body moisturize me curl and style milk  (starting from September 2015) 
Lusti organics holding spray
***Curl formers
Flexi rods
Jumbo rollers and  ***end wrap papers 

It is important to note that there are better products out there feel free to try other products. I also use natural home made products to wash and deep condition my hair just to be free from chemicals once in a while.

Last updated September 2015 


My Sisters Natural Hair Regimen
Hair type: 4c/a, high density, normal porosity hair.
Starting length: twa
current length: shoulder length
Hair goal: full bras trap/midback length
washdays are basically once a month but could be washed in two weeks depending on some factors.


*prepoo or hot oil treatment with coconut oil or a rinse out conditioner
*finger detangle to remove shed hairs
*shampoo with organic root stimulator creamy aloe Shampoo or any VO5 shampoo
*rinse out and wrap head with towel for 10mins


*deep condition with organic root stimulator replenishing conditioner (moisturizing deep conditioner) or Organics by Africa's best hair mayonnaise (for protein)  for 30mins-1hr
*rinse out and wrap head with towel for 15mins.


*spray some detangler and then apply moisturiser seal with shea butter and detangle with a wide tooth comb.
*blow dry or loosely thread in big sections to stretch the hair while it air dries.

Note: we no longer use the s-curl in the pic above because it doesn't work well for our hair.
New Addition  (here updated in June 2016) Cantu leave in Conditioner 

Other products for styling:
Beautiful textures curl defining pudding

Scalp oil:
Castor oil
Amla oil

NOTE: Her hair is always in a braided or threading hairstyle for two weeks then taken off, detangled, moisturise and seal then redone another style (so don't go thinking she leaves in a hairstyle for the whole month....lol).


Wednesday 8 October 2014

Hi, i think you should… put off that attitude that your hair cannot grow long!

Hey cuties! this post is about changing our mindset regarding haircare.
   The title of this post is straight forward. I actually said that to someone (not as polite as i wrote it though…lol) who kept giving me reasons why her hair will not get longer than


shoulder length.
    Growing up as a girl, you are either in that category that has very scanty but long hair, very full but short hair or vice versa. No matter the category you will get noticed. People will give you the advice of wearing weaves or wigs just to make it look nice. When getting braids the braiders will pull the hair too tightly and complain of how stubborn our hair is. Some push us to relax our hair in less than 6 weeks or comb the hell out of our heads because we choose not to. Simply put… these are the things that keep your hair from growing.
   If you really care about growing your hair long and healthy then take responsibility for your hair and care for it. Pay attention to the way you handle and style your hair which includes washing, combing, protective styles that will help you retain length, growth aid and others. Want to give your hair a try to see if it will grow? here are some bad hair care practices you should avoid:
    * washing your hair too often and without a follow up conditioning or deep conditioning.
    * over combing your hair
    * combing your hair with small spaced rat tail combs.
    * packing your hair into tight ponytails or installing very tight braids.
    * using rubber bands
    * installing braids and hairstyles that pull on the edges and nape hair too tightly.
    * not using protective hairstyles (allowing your hair to brush your shoulders and clothes all day)
    * flat ironing your hair too often
    * not air drying at all (heat from hair dryers and blow dryers dry out moisture from the hair leading to breakage so try to air dry most of the time).
    * using petroleum based hair creams that actually adds shine but prevent your hair from being moisturised
   lastly… always comparing your hair to someone else’s leading to doing too much for your hair to grow and this will only lead to disappointments.

       have you changed your mindset about your hair growth? what bad haircare practices are you guilty of?
 

xo Juditherese

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hi there! thanks for viewing our blog. Long hair is something i fancied right from when i was a kid but growing up, the only long hair i could get was the one from a sewn in weave on. My hair soon became damaged and i knew i had to set things right. On october 2013 i set out on a journey to long hair and i have noticed so much healthy ness and gained so much length in this one year period. I have also learnt a couple of tips and tricks that i would love to share in other to help you grow your hair longer be it natural or relaxed. My sister is natural and i am relaxed but we are on the same quest for long and healthy hair.
It will also be a documentation of our hair journey to track our progress and also inspire you to start your own hair journey. 
 I hope you learn alot from this blog, be motivated and share your thoughts, questions and opinion.
    xo...juditherese

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