Apl 2018

faithVA said:
Judge? Who am I to judge.

Your hair looks good. You are right, you are very close. :yep:
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Thank you! Na I just be extra if it’s not the perfect photo lol I really think Shea Butter has helped improve the quality of my hair a lot. I can definitely tell my hair like my roots have thickened so I’m retaining and I think all breakage has stopped. I think adding in tea spritz and oil massages will help take my hair to the next level. And of course being consistent about my wash and moisture/seal routine
 
Had some extra time today so decided to do a henna/indigo. Finally rinsed the indigo out at midnight. I spritzed in my leave-in and put my hair in 9 twists. I will need to figure out how to style it when I get up tomorrow. Maybe I will play around with it to see if I have any new styling options.
 
My suspicions were right. My hair is growing in coarser and tighter than its ever been. The texture difference on my head is ridiculous. I’m going back to relaxers much earlier than I planned
 
My hair was 80% dry in the morning. I took out each section added TGIN moisturizer, followed by Mane Magic spray and coated my ends in CD Honey Mimosa pomade. I tried to out it up in a bun but it's too much 9f a stretch with my current length.

I took the front and did a flat twist and used a banana clip to bun the back. I made two twist in the bun and pinned them under giving me a decent mini bun.

I not sure I will ever wear a bun for more than a day. I hate the way my nap feels exposed and frizzes which just makes me feel like its breaking off or splitting.

20180923_111616.jpg 20180923_111747.jpg
 
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Wore my hair slicked in a bun all week - proud of my self! But of course the weekend is here so I gotta get cute lol

Also spritz with aloe vera juice and oiled my scalp with an Ayurvedic oil last night.
 
faithVA said:
My hair was 80% dry in the morning. I took out each section added TGIN moisturizer, followed by Mane Magic spray and coated my ends in CD Honey Mimosa pomade. I tried to out it up in a bun but it's too much 9f a stretch with my current length.

I took the front and did a flat twist and used a banana clip to bun the back. I made two twist in the bun and pinned them under giving me a decent mini bun.

I not sure I will ever wear a bun for more than a day. I hate the way my name feels exposed and fizzes which just makes me feel like its breaking off or splitting.

View attachment 435977 View attachment 435979
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I love your hair @faithVA :2inlove:
 
Whew. So I had two weeks of duty out of town and this weekend I get to figure out if my hair is still alive.

It started with me bunning as usual, but the humidity was making no amount of gel lay my hair down. Then I started seeing little broken hairs so I straightened last weekend for a trim. I couldn't get it straight on my own and let the lady finish it at the salon after trimming the ends. At one point I smelled burnt hair, which followed me around for the next couple of days. I was only mad at myself, as per usual, I should have simply said I did not need her to straighten it further and only needed the trim.

I'll find out when I wash tonight if my curl pattern comes back. Here was my length check after I attempted to brush out the curls she had put in. The picture is comparison to 31MAR, which makes it a 6 month check. It might be hard to see, but I'm drawing the red line on the mole in the middle of my back. It only somewhat marks APL, but helps me compare pics since I can't always get them to line up right and armpits move depending on how I'm standing.

6months.png

Here is the damage on the one side with where I cut bad bangs and where I also think I'm pulling my hair too tight in buns. It's very noticable when it's straight.

20180923_115558-1.jpg 20180923_115650 (2).jpg

I'll have to do a chop at some point to even it out, but if I did it now I'd be right back to the 31MAR pic, which I constantly revert to. Gonna have to see if I can grow it out to a comfortable length before cutting, or let it naturally even it out over time as I just trim as necessary.
 
sunflora said:
Whew. So I had two weeks of duty out of town and this weekend I get to figure out if my hair is still alive.

It started with me bunning as usual, but the humidity was making no amount of gel lay my hair down. Then I started seeing little broken hairs so I straightened last weekend for a trim. I couldn't get it straight on my own and let the lady finish it at the salon after trimming the ends. At one point I smelled burnt hair, which followed me around for the next couple of days. I was only mad at myself, as per usual, I should have simply said I did not need her to straighten it further and only needed the trim.

I'll find out when I wash tonight if my curl pattern comes back. Here was my length check after I attempted to brush out the curls she had put in. The picture is comparison to 31MAR, which makes it a 6 month check. It might be hard to see, but I'm drawing the red line on the mole in the middle of my back. It only somewhat marks APL, but helps me compare pics since I can't always get them to line up right and armpits move depending on how I'm standing.

View attachment 436151

Here is the damage on the one side with where I cut bad bangs and where I also think I'm pulling my hair too tight in buns. It's very noticable when it's straight.

View attachment 436153 View attachment 436155

I'll have to do a chop at some point to even it out, but if I did it now I'd be right back to the 31MAR pic, which I constantly revert to. Gonna have to see if I can grow it out to a comfortable length before cutting, or let it naturally even it out over time as I just trim as necessary.
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Great progress pics. I hope your curl pattern comes back. And if it doesn't, pick up the Aphogee Amino Acid kit from Sally's and some Aphoghee protein and do that for a few months. You should be as good as gold. But I think you will be fine :yep:

The thin spot is more noticeable to you because you know it is there. It doesn't look too bad in the pictures. I think it is definitely something you can turn around by the end of the year.

As far as big chopping, just let your hair grow naturally and trim as you need to. You will be able to work that hair in as time goes on.
 
I used Jamaican Castor Oil Cowash tonight. I had two samples. It wasn't great in my hair. It was almost as if I used shampoo. I'm now deep conditioning with Kerastase Masquintense. Not sure if I am going to rinse and apply another deep conditioner and then rinse it out tomorrow or just keep this in overnight. I'm leaning towards the first.
 
faithVA said:
Great progress pics. I hope your curl pattern comes back. And if it doesn't, pick up the Aphogee Amino Acid kit from Sally's and some Aphoghee protein and do that for a few months. You should be as good as gold. But I think you will be fine :yep:

The thin spot is more noticeable to you because you know it is there. It doesn't look too bad in the pictures. I think it is definitely something you can turn around by the end of the year.

As far as big chopping, just let your hair grow naturally and trim as you need to. You will be able to work that hair in as time goes on.
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Yep, looks like I'll need it. The back layer is hanging extremely loose, almost straight in some places. It might just still be coated with cones from heat protectant though (hopeful). Is that treatment hard protein, and should I pair it with some moisture?
 
sunflora said:
Yep, looks like I'll need it. The back layer is hanging extremely loose, almost straight in some places. It might just still be coated with cones from heat protectant though (hopeful). Is that treatment hard protein, and should I pair it with some moisture?
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The amino acid treatment is not a protein but a treatment that restores the bonds in the hair which can get damaged with color and heat.

The aphogee 2 step is a keratin protein and it is a hard protein. Definitely follow this with a deep conditioner.

The first treatment after hear I shampooed, used the amino acid step 1 and then the aphogee 2 step and then DC. In between protein treatments I will use both steps of the amino acid. This can be done more often. the protein treatment is more of a 4 to 6 week thing.
 
faithVA said:
The amino acid treatment is not a protein but a treatment that restores the bonds in the hair which can get damaged with color and heat.

The aphogee 2 step is a keratin protein and it is a hard protein. Definitely follow this with a deep conditioner.

The first treatment after hear I shampooed, used the amino acid step 1 and then the aphogee 2 step and then DC. In between protein treatments I will use both steps of the amino acid. This can be done more often. the protein treatment is more of a 4 to 6 week thing.
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Thank you so much! I'll give it a shot.
 
On the topic of heat damage, I made an incredible discovery today. For as long as I've been natural (8 years), I've had a section on the front left of my hair that is either straight or wavy. Always. It was wavy up to the root, then very frizzy with no discernable texture. Only today did I notice that I have about two inches of curly roots in that section, while the rest is still straight and floppy. So for that long of time, I thought that this section was permanently that texture, but only now do I realize that I was wrong by seeing new growth!

ETA: Image

dmg2.png
I wonder if maybe I've been straightening for so long that I've been damaging without ever even knowing it, and immediately damaging the new growth too. This last time I went three months without heat, which is truly the longest I've ever gone PERIOD.

That's very eye-opening for me. I may still not truly know my hair texture due to my long addiction to heat. (Sorry for long musing, I'm more excited than anything that some day I may have curls all over!)

ETA: This is the damage mentioned in above post. Planning on going to Sally's tomorrow to pick up the Aphogee. As a note, my hair is pulled up in the second picture to show this layer. That damage is not everywhere, or I'd be going Liam Neeson on that stylist right now.
damage.png
 
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Did 1.5 days of deep conditioning. Finally going to rinse and put in two strands
sunflora said:
On the topic of heat damage, I made an incredible discovery today. For as long as I've been natural (8 years), I've had a section on the front left of my hair that is either straight or wavy. Always. It was wavy up to the root, then very frizzy with no discernable texture. Only today did I notice that I have about two inches of curly roots in that section, while the rest is still straight and floppy. So for that long of time, I thought that this section was permanently that texture, but only now do I realize that I was wrong by seeing new growth!

ETA: Image

View attachment 436245
I wonder if maybe I've been straightening for so long that I've been damaging without ever even knowing it, and immediately damaging the new growth too. This last time I went three months without heat, which is truly the longest I've ever gone PERIOD.

That's very eye-opening for me. I may still not truly know my hair texture due to my long addiction to heat. (Sorry for long musing, I'm more excited than anything that some day I may have curls all over!)

ETA: This is the damage mentioned in above post. Planning on going to Sally's tomorrow to pick up the Aphogee. As a note, my hair is pulled up in the second picture to show this layer. That damage is not everywhere, or I'd be going Liam Neeson on that stylist right now.
View attachment 436243
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You have cute curls.

Yes you could damage your hair on an ongoing basis and not know your true texture. I think you can still straighten and keep your curls but at salons they focus so much on getting your hair super straight that they will ignore damage as long as they can get it sleek and shiny.

But it looks like you have some good curls there so you may be able to bring them back with the TLC
 
I deep conditioned with Kerastase MasqueIntense Friday night, rinsed Saturday, reapplied Saturday and rinsed Sunday. I used TGIN leave-in, Mane Magic oil spray and Mane Choice 24K Gold Twist Gel with Carol's Daughter Honey Mimosa Pomade on my ends.

I put in 2 strand twists and will wear them for a week. My twists are definitely becoming more wearable. Thank goodness.

20180930_215952.jpg 20180930_220027.jpg 20180930_220047.jpg
 
sunflora said:
On the topic of heat damage, I made an incredible discovery today. For as long as I've been natural (8 years), I've had a section on the front left of my hair that is either straight or wavy. Always. It was wavy up to the root, then very frizzy with no discernable texture. Only today did I notice that I have about two inches of curly roots in that section, while the rest is still straight and floppy. So for that long of time, I thought that this section was permanently that texture, but only now do I realize that I was wrong by seeing new growth!

ETA: Image

View attachment 436245
I wonder if maybe I've been straightening for so long that I've been damaging without ever even knowing it, and immediately damaging the new growth too. This last time I went three months without heat, which is truly the longest I've ever gone PERIOD.

That's very eye-opening for me. I may still not truly know my hair texture due to my long addiction to heat. (Sorry for long musing, I'm more excited than anything that some day I may have curls all over!)

ETA: This is the damage mentioned in above post. Planning on going to Sally's tomorrow to pick up the Aphogee. As a note, my hair is pulled up in the second picture to show this layer. That damage is not everywhere, or I'd be going Liam Neeson on that stylist right now.
View attachment 436243
Click to expand...
Yes @sunflora,

Heat can really damage your hair. I cut my hair for the 3rd time after massive heat damage from a Chi Enviro Straightening Treatment and will never do that again. Your hair is beautiful by the way.
 
Aggie said:
Yes @sunflora,

Heat can really damage your hair. I cut my hair for the 3rd time after massive heat damage from a Chi Enviro Straightening Treatment and will never do that again. Your hair is beautiful by the way.
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Yeah, I will be straightening my own hair from here on out. I only need 300 to 350 and salons always want to do 400 to 450.
 
I know, that's the thing. I have a TON of hair and chile, im just disrespectful with the twists. They don't look juicy. They aren't uniform. I cant part to save my toes. I REFUSE to pay someone to do it. So, I just stalk everyone elses. :lachen: @faithVA
 
shawnyblazes said:
I know, that's the thing. I have a TON of hair and chile, im just disrespectful with the twists. They don't look juicy. They aren't uniform. I cant part to save my toes. I REFUSE to pay someone to do it. So, I just stalk everyone elses. :lachen: @faithVA
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I can't let you off the hook that easy. You don't need to part. Make your twist smaller to hide inconsistencies in size. And twist on damp hair vs stretched dry hair to give them the appearance of plumpness. For my hair I know oils and butters make my twist look thin. They hang more but aren't plump. Products matter. Every change changes the way the twist look and hang.
 
faithVA said:
I can't let you off the hook that easy. You don't need to part. Make your twist smaller to hide inconsistencies in size. And twist on damp hair vs stretched dry hair to give them the appearance of plumpness. For my hair I know oils and butters make my twist look thin. They hang more but aren't plump. Products matter. Every change changes the way the twist look and hang.
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I been on this natural train since 2006 . I little chopped in 2005. The only time my twists looked nice was when my hair was short. Anything under shoulder length, looked great! Now, I dunno :hammer:. I prefer length over shrinkage. I don't like when hair doesn't frame my face. Makes my head look huge in my opinion. Imma try some stretched twists when I come out of these twists and tag you @faithVA

Lemme find some pictures on google photos * looking*
 
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