Next day bantu knot out.

Unravelled the twists one by one and put them into a bantu knot. 20 mins. I remember how easy this style is and how I used to use it to get a stretched out look. Ready for the night out with the girls!

Washday (evening) Donee :)

When you get told that your hair has gotten thicker! Its nice to get second looks at your hair photos as its easy not to notice the changes. I've definitely been focusing on HEALTH on this journey, now I can't keep up with the growth (LENGTH). I love my hair! I'll be recording a hair update video soon and will be sharing the key things in my regimen that have made my detangling alot easier compared to my previous journey - prepooing is one of them! Detangling is such an ease, yes, I can't believe I'm saying it. But when you combine Kinky Curly Knot Today (the best detangler for 4C hair/any hair) with coconut oil, you create superslip!

I love having my wash day on Friday night to allow my hair to dry overnight, for a stretched out look on a Saturday morning. I simply soaked my hair in coconut oil and applied my hot oil treatment and covered my hair for 30 mins. Then I detangled my hair. It was really soft, and the hot oil treatment will continue to work its way while I detangle my hair. Then SHAMPOO, Then CONDITION. I'm so glad my hair is long enough to do all of that in twists.

Hair Update: New Growth!

Protective Style is Key

I recently uploaded a video on protective styles and in particular focus on my favourite option: kinky twists/mini twists. I had kinky twists in for four weeks and I took them down yesterday (07/feb-05/march). Let me just say... the new growth and thickness took me by surprise! My hair feels so much thicker, and LONGER. It's like it grew like weed in the last month. And, I gave it a trim before I twisted it.

Protective style is so key! Don't take the fact for granted. And I also believe that my regimen (hot oil treatment (JBCO + oils) and avocado deep conditioning) had a lot to do with the wonderful state of my hair. My hair feels amazing. I am still surprised by how much it grew! So this protective styling/avocado thing is a thing! This year will be all about that, more avocado and more protecting, less wash and go's.

   

My week of hair 18/1/16

• I did an avocado treatment this week and my hair feels so soft and moisturised after it. It's definitely a go-to treatment especially during winter. My hair just feels luscious after it. Note, to do it before shampooing as the bits can get stuck in the tresses but they do come out easily. I have not felt the need to overly moisturise my hair since I did my treatment which is just great.

• I just spent last night doing mini twists in my hair. I actually LOVE doing them. I start out of boredom and by the time you know it I've done my whole hair. Still short though, but my scalp feels tight for once as I have not done any form or twists/braids since I cut my hair.

• I will be sharing a video soon where I show you how to steam-moisturise your hair in the shower!

My New Minitwists Inspiration

My New Minitwists Inspiration

Like Nap85, Kinkystyles1980 has a set regimen whenever she does her mini twists/braids. But I have been binge watching on her videos again and I just love the results and the way her hair looks so visually healthy and thicker in each video so I wanted to learn her regimen. Here's Kinkystyles1980 minitwist tutorial. She takes her braids/twists down, oils her hair and roots to loosen up the bottom build-up, then she deep conditions with her avocado treatment. She then washes, and conditions as she detangles.

This will be my new minitwists regimen the moment I reach that length. I'll get onto my avocado treatments after keeping my twists in for 4-5 weeks to rejuvenate my hair! Avocado Oil is what I always use in my deep conditioners, but the actual fruit does more wonders to our tresses.

KinkyStyles1980

Jennell B Stewart (BlakIzBeautiful) has a great video on mini twists and how she does it aswell. Check it out!

My TWA Regimen

I still use the same products as shown in My Hair Regimen.

But now:
I spritz with water daily. 
Lock the moisture with cream and oil or butter.

Wash and condition every weekend in the shower - being able to wash your hair so quickly and effortlessly in the shower is amazing.

I feel great to be able to experience a low-cut/twa in my natural hair journey. When I initially transitioned, I cut it above twa length.

Hot Oil Treatments + No more combs!

One treatment in particular should just never be overlooked in your hair regimen - H.O.T.! I was just reminded by it after resuming it.

I recently came back to it, as I stopped because of the extra time it takes (but it actually doesn't take long, when incorporated into my prepoo routine) but now I am back at it. Result? I instantly felt an increased thickness and density in my hair. It's amazing. My hair feels thicker, soft throughout the week and more manageable. Who needs a volumising moisturiser product??

Combs: I was watching this informative youtube video about detangling and the woman spoke about the point of detangling - being not to separate the individual strands but to work through the hair. 4C hair naturally clumps together. I noted this. I had also been experiencing lots of single strand knots at the ends of my hair which lead to tangles. I will be trimming my hair next week, so that I can start this year ahead with a finger-only detangling method.

What's in my H.O.T: In my applicator bottle: jamaican black castor oil (75%), jojoba oil (20%) and rosemary oil (5%).

A typical wash day (updated and added to My Hair Regimen):
0) The night before: I prepoo my hair with coconut oil - softens up and conditions the hair in prep for detangling! I then use my applicator bottle with my Hot Oil mix to oil my scalp. This is left on the whole night until morning and it leaves me with super moisturised hair.
1) I detangle before anything: I fill in my spray bottle (with detangler & a little water) as my detangling liquid. I finger detangle. After detangling a section, I twist it up in mid-sized twists.
3) I shampoo my hair in the twisted sections to keep my hair from retangling. It's disaster otherwise.
4) Then I dry my hair with a shirt, apply conditioner and leave it for 30 mins-1 hr
5) After that I rinse it all out and with a final cold rinse and I am done.
6) I apply my leave-in and seal with almond oil. I apply castor oil to my ends and let it air dry into beautiful curls with a twist out or bantu knot out. This helps it to stretch out for any style during the week.

Just because it is natural...

Doesn't mean that it is effective or will work well on your hair. You can save yourself money on the expensive natural items (as there are still some cheap natural products out there).

My best leave-in that conditions my hair so well, is Cantu Shea Butter's Leave-in. This stuff is gold, and it isn't a natural product. Like I said in the It's My Hair Video, if something works, it works. I look at Indian women's hair and I wonder, apart from the cherished coconut oil, if they place any importance on whether a shampoo has any silicone or not.

I know, I know. There is no harm in having a few products that are 'non-natural' (my moisturiser is natural) but there are many long haired naturalistas who are not on a natural regimen.

Sensitive Scalp

I have had to make a few changes to my product stash (as if it's a lot) because of my sensitive scalp - a video is coming soon where I will discuss this! My edges are particularly sensitive. 

• Last week I did a apple cider vinegar rinse and my edges started hurting. I feel like the acid in this rinse has made my scalp more sensitive over the years. So I have bought the shampoo that I used to use during my healthy relaxed hair journey: Schwarzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk which has keratin in it for my thin, fine hair.
• I tried to use a cold Aloe Vera juice rinse as a final rinse on wash days but everytime I use it, my scalp tenderises. I don't know what it is, I just know that the properties in the liquid are sensitising my scalp. I might use it as a daily moisturiser or just use water instead.

There isn't much information out there about sensitive scalp, but I have had to take notes from my hair and take precautions. I can't just put any treatment on my hair. I won't be experimenting with anything anymore. I tried the black tea rinse last week and now my hair feels so limp. One time I tried the onion, garlic and ginger rinse and my scalp turned red and started burning. It tells me something. Not everything will work on your hair. Your hair won't die because you are using a few silicones or hard water. 

I'm going to stop trying out these things, maybe unsubscribe from some natural hair blogs and websites that always post articles about new things to try or possible things you are doing wrong. Every hair is different! Don't risk it. Your hair will grow, if you leave it be. Just like your nails grow. The natural hair movement has come a long way, but there is that extra set of information out there to keep you reading their blogs and websites. All of these new solutions, and new treatments to interrupt the natural growing process of your hair. Many men have long hair and they don't read these things. Let's not feed the anxiety of hair growth and lets be confident that the knowledge that we have about OUR OWN hair is enough for it to grow.

My hair profile: You will never stop learning..

I'm almost approaching my 2 years of growth stage and I still feel like I have a lot to learn about my hair. No matter how much knowledge and information you have acquired and how much you know about other people's hair regimen, you need to definitely learn about your own hair. And this learning, is continuous. I thought that I would stop when my hair reached a years of growth but no, there are many changes that I have had to make and habbits that I had to stop throughout this year.

I guess it is up to me to embrace it, and thank God that I have not hit a set back like many women have in this hair journey.

Most of all, I've stuck to my minimalist regimen, and I've realised that it is just hair. It's just hair. Learn about it, don't argue with it, and let it grow.  If it doesn't like something, stop. If it does, you know what to do. I will talk more about this in the following post.

All I know about my hair is that it is: tightly coiled (looser in some parts), and has thin/fine strands. In terms of density and thickness, I think it will come with time but I don't mind.

I can't use hair pins for too long otherwise the section that holds it starts to loosen up and eventually break. I knowwww, this hair. Ugh. What can I do.

I can't wrap a satin scarf tight around my edges otherwise they break off to.

I can't touch my hair at all. Even the tiniest bit of manipulation through the hands-in-hair-syndrome (that I WILL break free from soon) breaks it off.

This is my hair profile. I have to accept it, that way, it won't be as stressful and I won't want to scream.

How To Avoid Becoming A Product Junkie

http://blackhairmedia.com/natural-hair/how-to-avoid-becoming-a-product-junkie/

Nothing but.... other stuff I don't understand.

So I bought this to try it out because of the positive claims. Nothing But Curl Sealer - This says it has no sulphates, parabens, mineral oil or colorants. But see ingredient list? Yeah... bye. We need to be careful about these claims especially when other unknown stuff stays in the mix. I'd rather not. Also, water isn't the first ingredient and there is not one ingredient (apart from soy bean oil which is all the way in the middle) that I understand.

Bye bye LOL

Changes.... Experiment season.

You know its coming up, but quickly...

- Finger detangling has been going well. I'm sticking to it. I need me some thickness!

- My Youtube name is NaturalRose so I need to be looking for bomb natural remedies.

- Lots and lots of videos coming up.

- I've been researching bentonite clay and DIY detanglers similar to KKKT.

Please bear with me while I come up with these ideas.

Trim time!

So it's been six months and I need to trim my hair. Next wash day.
I have specifically set my trimming time to every 6 months as the last time was in September. This is good because I can feel some hindrance in growth somewhere. I just know it. I can feel it. My hair speaks to me. It's time. Dusting will be fine.

Why I stopped the wig regimen

The hair journey is truly far from monotonous. I'm quite tired with how easily bored we  women can get with our hair. I think its inborn into us to be bored with a hair style after one week haha. I guess you can always have a protective hair style that can be switched up easily with accessories, whilst keeping it the same.

Why did I stop

I initially wanted to go a year with the wig regimen - in fact that's how much I loved it and was content with it. It was the most simplest regimen ever! However, I started to miss my beloved hair. I also felt like it hindered my relationships: people would compliment 'my hair' but it wasn't my hair! I know some people will say, euhh why are you worried then? I'm worried because I'm going to intern and volunteer during summer and aim to build long-term relationships. Your hair is a part of you and I feel like I want people to know the whole me. The wig is very far from how my own hair looks like in terms of size and texture. People in uni were asking me how I managed it and I had to fight myself in the dilemma between whether to lie or say the truth. Well, in front of 5 people curiously wondering about this big hair how do you say the truth? So that bugged me. Bear in mind, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the wig challenge/regimen, I only wasn't comfortable with the questions and wondering. I needed to make it easier on myself. I also did not have any problem with the size - I loved it. And who knows how big my own hair can get in the future. Honestly, I received sooooo many compliments with that hair its crazy that I would want to ditch it. However, I'll still keep it and wear it for occasions just because it looks so good on me.

Faux Bun

Hello! I watched a youtube video of the faux bun. I tried it. I loved it. It's perfect. I've been keeping bags of textured hair with me because I planned on doing long kinky twists but now I've found something great to use them for. You can clearly see the smile on my face in the previous pictures that I posted in the previous post. This bun, has been making people ask the right questions and assume the right things. I know I shouldn't care, but seeing that in a few years time, my hair will be able to bun up in the same manner with that texture - it makes me happy. People think its mine because there is literally no difference between the textures. I am super comfortable and I feel like people can really approach me. Also, I can protect/moisturise and care for my hair in the same way.

My regimen is ALL NATURAL!

Check out my Hair Duties list at the top to see the amazing products.

Remember that I bought lots of Shea Moisture products from America last year December... well, they've been working so well for my hair. The shampoo cleanses my hair squeaky clean!

Moisturiser: Shea butter mix + water
Shampoo: Shea Moisture Restorative Shampoo
Protein Conditioner: Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner or Mayonaise
Moisturising Conditioner: Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner
Leave-in/detangler: Kinky Curly Knot Today
Clarifier: Apple Cider Vinegar
Treatments: Hot Oil (JBCO, Castor, Jojoba & Rosemary oil), Garlic and onion treatment and Avocado and greek yoghurt hair mask.

Shea Moisture products are super effective and a little goes a long way so you get your money's worth! ACV cleanses my hair so well! There is no way for any sulphates, parabens, and any other harsh chemicals to enter my regimen or hair. My hair is doing great and I'm so proud of it. I thought that it wouldn't feel as clean as it could with a sulphate regimen, but no.

My hair is super healthy (compared to my relaxer times, uuh) and I love it. :)

How To: WIG Challenge for natural hair

Click here for the Youtube video

 I decided to join the wig challenge for the year 2014 and hopefully last for a full year. I managed to find a really good natural looking synthetic wig by La Jay Vanessa ( my video review above). I have received soooo many compliments about this hair and how it suits me - from strangers and friends alike. I am in love with it. I only decided to buy it in the hair store when two women thought it was my real hair when I tried it on. I was like, really? Ching! Bought it in January.

Goals:

Simple: Achieve optimal growth by saying no to manipulation.

My Wig Regimen:

• Braid my hair in small sections (blog post) underneath wig.
• Wash day after 30 days. Undo braids, detangle, hot oil, wash and condition. Then back into braids.
• After 15 days, garlic and onion treatment and then co-wash to combat dryness!
• Green House Method I cover my hair with a plastic cap at night, satin scarf to wrap around and a beanie cap for extra warmth. I wake up in the morning with damp and moisturised hair. I try to do this everyday.
• Moisturise my hair every other day with my water and shea butter mix/castor oil. Castor oil is just the best oil for moisture for my hair! I've learned that my 4C hair just has a dry texture to it and there is nothing I can do about it. It's not a smooth surface so it won't reflect light and shine like straight hair.

& yes, I do miss my hair now and then. I have to keep myself from touching it but I'm good. Let me reach 2 years growth before I let it all out and surprise myself! I am too busy anyways.

Feel free to ask me any questions!

- Rose

Kinky Curly Knot Today Review

On thursday after I came back from Holland I took down my twists as they had been itching. I had them in for exactly 30 days and this is why I love doing singles because I can track and see my hair growth at the root! Whereas when i have my hair out it sometimes feels like my hair isn't growing.

It was wash day so as I do, I detangle with a conditioner before I twist them up snd wash and condition in the twists. I detangled with my detangling cocktail mixture:

- water

- a 5cm strip of KCKT leave in

This mixture was magic! I'm telling you, my 4C hair was never detangled this easy! I was so happy! Lisa even came over and she saw how easy the combs glid through my tiny curls. I for once, actually enjoyed my wash day. It was blissful. The great reviews about kinky curly knot today are true - this product is magic! I had been suffering unecessarily for too long with my hair. It gives it such a slippery slip that even the hairs want to looses before my hand touches them. I don't care about the price, anything that makes my wash day a joy is worth buying again. Please don't stop this product. It smells great, has a minimum ingredient list and contains all natural stuff. Perfect! Definitely the best detangler. Try it!

I added the ACV because my hair was obviously dirty and I needed it to loosen up the dirt while conditioning at the same time.

Edges Care

My edges have been very thin and I think it's time for me to start paying special attention to it. I was initially put off from doing another protective twists/braids again because of the damage they would do to my edges. It would take a month for my edges to renew themselves again and I told myself, I would never do single twists again. My edges!!!

But, I decided to search online for ways to protect the edges, especially when doing protective styles. Your edges are the most vulnerable tresses.

Through the web of information, one routine managed to catch my eye which was: moisturise your edges!

Seriously, do we actually do this? When we read 'moisturise your hair' we forget the most vulnerable and driest tresses which are our edges. So, I've prioritised spraying my edges with water daily and moisturising them. I used to only oil them (castor oil+peppermint oil) but never would I think to moisturise them. Since I've began doing this, I've noticed the growth in my edges, they are actually starting to restore themselves! This will definitely continue because I want my edges to grow full-out.

Anyways here are some tips to keep your edges healthy (for those who don't have full edges like Beyonce, but thinning edges):

• Spray and moisturise your edges daily! This makes it pliable and less prone to breakage. Remember, your edges are still part of your hair. Use a tiny spray bottle (£.99p) filled with water, leave-in conditioner and an oil.
• Moisturise with castor oil and peppermint oil. Castor oil helps to thicken the hair and peppermint oil helps to stimulate the blood flow. Perfect combo.
• In single twists/braids: make sure that the parts are cut a bit bigger at the front (no to tiny twists/braids), braid loosely at the front (not to loose since you want that tight face) to release the tension - this will ensure that the hair can move in all directions, extremely tight braids can damage the follicle and lead to hair loss, also, when packing up your hair loosen up the braids at the front to reduce the pull and avoid the risk of traction alopecia.
• Some people's scalp line are more sensitive than others. Determine how sensitive yours is.

I've noticed for me, that when I use a satin bonnet with a tight elastic band that my edges tend to thin out (Now I know this is true). Therefore, I only use a satin scarf and make sure that I wrap it lightly around my head. My edges are so fragile that, in my theory, maybe the tightness around the head area slows down the blood flow to your head. Figure how much your edges can take. Even some headbands can be too tight.

Changes to my regimen...

1) I do not comb my hair anymore - After I watched a youtube video about this girl who does not comb her 4C hair I did not really take much notice to it. However, as I went through my own experiences, noting how super curly my hair was and the difficult journey that a comb (whether wide tooth or not) had to make through my hair, I realised it was time to try something different. I had already been doing a little finger detangling here and there but I decided to completely abolish the use of any combs in my hair and just stick to improving my finger detangling skills. I think it was one of the best journey decisions I had ever made for my hair! I have seen incredible growth retention and I am pleased to say that my hair does not even tangle any more than it would do before. My finger skills are improving and I have come to learn my hair with every finger that flows and feels through the tresses. The more you FD, the quicker and better you become! It's important to be gentle and to make sure that you remove any shed hair. But the skill of being gentle will come naturally. The combs were breaking my hair, it seems.

2) GREEN HOUSE METHOD! - Lisa introduced me to this. Here's a link to how it works. Post coming following this.

2) I leave half of my hair at the back in twists to protect it and only style the front. I have been finding it difficult to maintain the back of my hair as it seemed to tangle the most. So I had this genius idea to just twist the back up in tiny twists and protect them effectively. Every day I spray water and moisturise and I'm done. I shampoo the back while in twists, aswell. This protective style has saved me time and helped me retain thickness! Like typical braids, once a month I will unravel them, quick detangle, and twist them back up. Protective stylin' is key!

3) My typical wash day routine has changed and been made easier. I learned a lot after reading The Science of Black hair. I found that it is best for me to initially detangle before I do anything that follows in my wash day routine. When my hair is super wet or when I detangle while I shampoo or condition, my hair is prone to more breakage, which takes more time. My current routine goes as follows: apply leave-in and detangle. pack up in sections (while the back remains in twists ofcourse). apply hot oil treatment for 1 hour. bend over in bath tub and shampoo the back. since my hair at the front is split in two sections I shampoo one section at a time in a downward motion as the water flows. i use this opportunity to take out any shed hair but i do not need to do any detangling since ive already done so - simply wash and rinse then pack back up with my satin hair tie (DIY video coming). I proceed to condition in sections for 1 hour, warm up 30 mins under heat cap. I then rinse, dry up and then stretch the front. My favourite stretching method is the bantu knot out because its so easy and quick! my wash day typically takes only 3 hours. While I do this, I'll be busy with uni work or reading.
  
Btw, The Science of Black Hair is a must buy. I learned so many new and fascinating things about black hair. It should be your life guide! Informative and easy to read.

Change in hair routine/duties!

I am getting much busier now - uni work, readings and job! Therefore my hot oil treatment along with other duties will be changed from every week to every 2 weeks.