"Get Your Hands Outta Your Hair" 2009 Edition

[Shay72]

Aww, you're welcome. It's a very brave decision you made. Do whatever makes you feel happy. You might get some nay-sayers along the road, but you'll get a lot of support here. Enjoy your transition and let us know what protective styles you utilize . I'm excited for you and your journey .

Fortunate for me I really don't care what others think about it. This is all about me . I will be bunning & doing twist outs. I just got some flexirods and a caruso steamer so I will try those out too. I'm also working on trying to perfect bantu knots.

 

[*Muffin*]

I updated the challenge rules a little bit. I included the "one month minimum" rule in the original post (because I see I neglected to put it there ) and also I added a helpful tip. I find that it's helpful to plan out what styles you're going to utilize throughout the week in advance. That way you can make sure you are utilizing a variety of protective styles and accessories and it reduces the temptation to fuss with your hair because it's already been "styled".

 

[*Muffin*]

Fortunate for me I really don't care what others think about it. This is all about me . I will be bunning & doing twist outs. I just got some flexirods and a caruso steamer so I will try those out too. I'm also working on trying to perfect bantu knots.

I always wanted to try out bantu knots. They're really cute. How long do you think you'll transition for?

 

[*Muffin*]

Me Too Muffin! Can I sign Up? I'd like to join for the remainder of the year as well 08-01 through 12-31? Thanks

Sure you can. I'm probably going to continue this challenge for '10 as well so you can rejoin January 1st again if you like it.

 

[Shay72]

I always wanted to try out bantu knots. They're really cute. How long do you think you'll transition for?

18 months maybe longer. Shrinkage with this texlaxed hair is amazing I can only imagine with natural hair. I need to be able to at least bun. I will be slowly trimming along the way.

 

[*Muffin*]

18 months maybe longer. Shrinkage with this texlaxed hair is amazing I can only imagine with natural hair. I need to be able to at least bun. I will be slowly trimming along the way.

Well we definitely will be there for you during your transition. I think there is a transitioners support thread or challenge going on. Have you checked that out yet? It might be able to help you overcome any difficulties you may run into during your transition.

 

[Shay72]

Well we definitely will be there for you during your transition. I think there is a transitioners support thread or challenge going on. Have you checked that out yet? It might be able to help you overcome any difficulties you may run into during your transition.

I've subscribed to thread and I have posted a little in there already.

 

[*Muffin*]

All members of the GYHOYH challenge: Please subscribe to the thread called "GYHOYH" Challenge 09': Monthly Heat Pass/Final Reveal Thread. There you can post pics of relaxer results, presses, how big your puff has gotten, etc. Please contribute. Seeing your good results can inspire others to do well on the challenge .

 

[*Muffin*]

I'm going to make it my goal to be BSL by my next relaxer touch-up (in 3 months). So that means babying my hair and relying heavily on protective styles because I want to retain every bit of that length .

 

[SweetSpirit86]

Hmm...can't find the monthly heat pass/final reveal...just wanted to subscribe, but my search isn't pulling it...

Anyways, here's my update (it's late! don't scold me! lol):

I'm bad at this. Whenever my hair's moisturized well...I keep touching it, and touching it...but my SO knows about this, so he reminds me, lol. I'm finally able to put one of the elastic headbands in my hair and do a mini-puff. It's helped in terms of keeping my hands out of my hair, though. As long as I feel it looks nice, I usually leave it alone, but I'm afraid it may cause a setback if I do it too often.

 

[Shay72]

^^I don't think there is a reveal thread. I need to cut back on the manipulation of my hair. I just need to leave it alone.

 

[*Muffin*]

^^I don't think there is a reveal thread. I need to cut back on the manipulation of my hair. I just need to leave it alone.

Au contraire ma soeur...there is a reveal thread . Here's the link to it right here. http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=387654&highlight=gyhoyh Anyway, on the hair tip, I've been really busy as of late. I'm going to school full time doing my nursing pre-reqs so I haven't had time to fuss in my hair. I'm co-washing once a week (on sundays) and DC'ing once a week (on Thursdays) and that's about all I have time for, lol. Afterward I put my hair in six small braids, let it dry, and rock a braid-out or twist out on most days. Pretty low maintanence.

P.S. I posted the name of the reveal thread in the OP of this thread when I created the reveal thread. Now that that's all cleared up, I hope that I get to see some hair-candy in the near future .

 

[*Muffin*]

^^I don't think there is a reveal thread. I need to cut back on the manipulation of my hair. I just need to leave it alone.

Hey, how's your natural journey coming along? You finding it hard to keep your hands out of your NG? A thing that helps me is, after washing you hair, put you hair in small twists or braids. Then when it dries unravel them. That way you don't want to touch the braids because you're afraid that they will unravel, and when you do your twist or braid out the NG will blend better with your relaxed ends .

 

[Shay72]

Au contraire ma soeur...there is a reveal thread . Here's the link to it right here. http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=387654&highlight=gyhoyh
P.S. I posted the name of the reveal thread in the OP of this thread when I created the reveal thread. Now that that's all cleared up, I hope that I get to see some hair-candy in the near future .

Oops, sorry . I'm subscribed now.

Hey, how's your natural journey coming along? You finding it hard to keep your hands out of your NG? A thing that helps me is, after washing you hair, put you hair in small twists or braids. Then when it dries unravel them. That way you don't want to touch the braids because you're afraid that they will unravel, and when you do your twist or braid out the NG will blend better with your relaxed ends .

The natural journey is pretty easy right now because I have stretched 4 months before and also 6 months. So right now I'm only a little over 2 months post. I'm having a problem keeping my hands out of my hair period. It's just so soft & moisturized. My regimen will change for fall/winter which will include less manipulation. Once I hit 6 months post I will manipulate even less. Thanks for the advice.

 

[*Muffin*]

Checking in:

Monthly Review: Haven't really been paying too much attention to my hair lately. I've just been DC'ing weekly as usual. I usually co-wash every 2-3 days, but I haven't really been moisturizing my hair regularly. I need to work on that. I've been really distracted with school lately, so I guess that's why it's been easier for me to keep my hands out of my hair.

What's New?: I've decided that I'm only going to relax twice a year (every 6 months). I'm going to be dusting my ends probably every month or two, and I'll get a trim to even my hair after every relaxer. I also plan on learning how to braid my hair and I want to figure out less damaging ways of wearing my hair straight. I've heard that some people blow out their roots and then wrap their hair. Just thinking while typing, lol.

Products: This month I tried using commercial conditioners (I usually use organic conditioners), and that was disastrous. I was getting so nauseous from the perfume and my scalp was itching as well, so I decided to go back to using more natural products. I recently tried Alba's leave in conditioner (I used to use AOHSR) and so far I like it. I'm also using the Giovanni Nutrifix Reconstructor as a protein treatment instead of AOGPB (It really doesn't do anything special for me). And I'm going back to using Giovanni Smooth as Silk conditioner for co-washing. Nothing detangles quite like it . I'll be relaxing in January, and I'll post the update pics in the GYHOYH reveal thread.

Also, I'm planning on starting this challenge again in the New Year, but I feel that it can use some improvements. So far what I like about the challenge is that you only have to check-in once a month. I know a lot of us lead busy lives and it can be very difficult to check in weekly. But I think that certain other things can use improvements. I was thinking about adding a list of questions that everyone can use as a template when they check-in. For instance: What new products are you trying? What accessories/styles have you used or want to used? Was this month a good month or a bad month for you on the hair front? IDK, just something to make it more interactive and fun for everyone. Feel free to post your suggestions, and if someone else mentioned something you feel is a good idea, click their thanks button so that I know you like it and I'll keep it in mind for the next challenge. Thanks a lot, and HHG .

 

[Shay72]

Muffin-- I think having set questions to answer would be helpful.

Here is my check in
I have switched to my fall/winter routine. I am cowashing 3x/wk, dc 2x/wk, and shampooing 1x/wk. Come January,I will cowash 2x/wk, dc 2x/wk, and wash 1x/wk. That has to do more with being 6 months post at that time. I've gone beyond bunning as a protective style because I want to give my edges a rest. I've been doing braidouts, twistouts, and rollersets.

 

[*Muffin*]

PLEASE READ THIS POST: Hey ladies. Just wanted to tell you I've been planning out the challenge for next year, and I've made some changes that I think will make the challenge a lot more interesting (and perhaps will motivate us to post more often). I've posted the changes in my blog. Please check them out. Feel free to ask questions, leave comments, and offer suggestions in the blog comments section. I'm really looking forward to next year's challenge and I'm hoping it will be a success.

Link To Blog Entry: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/blog.php?b=12886

 

[*Muffin*]

Checking in:

Monthly Review: This month started off pretty much the same as last month. Kept it pretty low-manip, but yesterday I let my aunt flat-iron my hair. It's ok, but I miss how soft and bouncy my hair was before I flat-ironed. Can't wait to wash and deep condition. I did gain a lot of length, though. Trying to resist the urge to trim my ends. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't trim my hair until the new year.

Products: As far as products go, I'm still using pretty much the same things, except I'm now using AOHSR as a leave-in conditioner. My hair likes it better that way. I'm also having second thoughts about this whole relaxing every six months business. It's tough! I'm approaching the fourth month, and the NG was insane! I'm still going to wait out until January, though. That will be five months. Afterward I don't know whether I'll do every 4 months or every six months. We'll see. I should post pics of the length of my flat-ironed hair. Now if only I can find someone to take them, lol.

Next month I'm planning on keeping it pretty simple and nursing my hair back to health so that I can relax in January.