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.

My new leave-in!

 

This leave-in conditioner is amazing! It is SUPER moisturising and has helped my hair to increase in moisture. You know I love my Elasta QP products with their good ingredient lists- this one is a staple. I use it to detangle and I add a peanut size amount into my spray bottle #2 (see routine) for the dry days.

Latest..

 

Protective stylin' it out...

This is my first time doing twists WITH expressions. Normally I prefer afro textured hair because I much prefer it and it looks more like my hair. But this came out good and it went great with my outfit for my mum's birthday event celebration. My aunt told me there was the fear that it would not last because our textures are very different (my hair vs straight expressions hair) but I love it! Next time I want to try afro textured twists but this time, very long! I've seen it on a few girls and it looks awesome. The older it gets, the better and the more it starts to look like beautiful dreadlocks.

I am considering protective stylin' it out throughout the year...

Patience!

Me and my cousin..

Hair...