Protective Stylin' for winter

 

Hey guys!

I went to manchester for the weekend to visit my uncle and his wife. She did my hair for me! I did twists (as usual because they are the least time consuming to do and to take out) with afro kinky textured hair. I heard that the older they get, the better and more natural they look as they start to resemble dreadlocks. Can't wait?! The sections are quite big because I simply wanted a quick style that would allow me to tuck my hair away for the winter and pack it up throughout!

I know I decided not to let anyone do my hair since handling relaxed hair is very different to handling natural hair. I believe that unless the person doing your hair is a natural or knows how to care for that sort of hair in such a patient and caring manner, do not let them handle your hair LOL. Yes, lessons learned! My hair takes patience and cutting sections will need a little movement with the fingers -  It won't open up like a stage curtain. And that's fine - I KNOW my hair and I felt it would be better for me to join the crew of girls who did their own hair (about time!). I asked my aunt to teach me how to start off a single twist/braid. I know how to cornrow and braid already but not how to start it off with an extension. She also thought me how to twist neatly. CHECK OUT THE NEXT POST.

Regimen for this protective style? It's easier for me to do the green house method now! So yeah! Will be doing this every night. Planning to keep it in for a month!

Length Check?

 

The middle of my head grows the fastest while the front grows the slowest.

Hello Shrinkage

My Green House Method Routine

Here is the basic information on the green house method for hair growth.

This is what I do:
I do this almost every night, especially for winter time and with protective styles!
-> Before I sleep (I am used to this now because it is winter time and the beanie cap and the warmth that you will feel in your hair will make your body feel warmmm ^_^) I pack up my hair in sections, wrap a dark/thick plastic bag around my hair, tie a satin scarf around it and then wear a beanie cap over it. Super warm! Ahhh :)
-> This is optional but to increase the amount of moisture you can spray water in the air above your hair and let it settle on your hair before you put on the cap. I do this.
-> In the morning you will wake up with damp and moisturised hair. You can tell the effectiveness of the heat by the amount of water droplets in your plastic cap or bag.
-> As you sleep, the steam effect will moisturise your hair, stimulate your scalp and increase sebum production which will boost hair growth and moisture!

What I have noticed:
- My hair used to be soooo dry, but since I have been doing this method and waking up with damp hair, my hair moisture levels have improved A LOT!
- My hair thickness has increased
- My hair growth rate is increasing
- My hair is super soft!!

Verdict: The green house method has made my hair super healthy and I absolutely love it! I will continue to do it and see where it takes me!

Hi! Did another trim in September.. (second in the year)

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.

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