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Cathy Howse 365 Days Challenge 2010-2011

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^^^Yes, I have been taking the One A Day Women vitamins and I have to say it has helped TREMENDOUSLY. I was never a real big advocate for vitamins because I always got sick taking them. Then I just realized that as long as I take them RIGHT after I eat, I am fine. I carry some in a baggy in my purse just in case I don't get to it in the morning so I hit it up during lunch.

Also checking in on this challenge. I have to say that I have done everything listed EXCEPT the protein treatments. I am just so nervous about them. I've bought the product...just haven't used it yet. And, not sure if I am following the 'no blow dryer' step correctly or not because I am still using a hooded dryer. I do not use the hand-held one so I guess that is still better.
 
Hello, hello, anyone here? I'm DCing tonight with Aphogee 2 minute mixed with EVOO, EVCO and peppermint.

Prettyeyes-- yes, I'm taking my vitamins- a multi, Andrew Lessmans's HSN and omega 3's.
 
I think vitamins are so important I get forgetful somedays but trying to take them consistenetly because it does pay off. Also, I am considering changing the dc portion of my regimen to follow Ms. Howse more in that area.
 
I'm too late to join this challenge, but I'm going to look into her methods and possibly start Oct. 1, together with protective styling. I need to to read the book and possibly order the products. I know we can get the info here, but I've read MANY Cathy Howse threads and I still don't fully understand the method...

ETA: Actually, I'm not going to buy her products until I run out of alllll of the stuff I have at home. I have more than enough stuff to do this regimen, including peppermint oil. But, I did order the book on Amazon. I can always resell it there, so that'll be a savings.
 
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Quick update!

So my hair fairs better with every 3 days deep treatments or washing/conditioning. It's weird, but if I go only wash once a week, my hair feels weaker at Day 6 than it did when I was washing it.

I still need to find my trimming scissors, but I can't wait to trim off the rest of my split ends and be officially split free. I still suffer from dryness, but it isn't as bad.

I try not to manipulate my hair, but I think my retention issues are due to split ends and dryness. This winter will be super important for me to address both. I hope I can be at 10 - 12inches all around by spring/summer next year so that means about 2 inches of retained growth after I cut off the last split ends.

I'm using Giovanni Direct, Ultra Duotex, and wheat germ oil primarily. It's been good :yep:
 
Being a PJ, I bought the book and her products. It's too early for me to speak on the deep conditioner, but I'm loving the Dew spray. I like the oil moisturizer, too, but I've been using the dew more. I'll report back in a couple of months....hopefully I'll remember.

The book was just okay. A lot of typos, but sound advice. If I didn't have LHCF, it could have easily set me on the right track for beginning my hair journey. I tried to keep in mind that she wrote it for a general audience.
 
Solitude said:
Being a PJ, I bought the book and her products. It's too early for me to speak on the deep conditioner, but I'm loving the Dew spray. I like the oil moisturizer, too, but I've been using the dew more. I'll report back in a couple of months....hopefully I'll remember.

The book was just okay. A lot of typos, but sound advice. If I didn't have LHCF, it could have easily set me on the right track for beginning my hair journey. I tried to keep in mind that she wrote it for a general audience.
Click to expand...

Solitude I'm curious about the ingredients in her products- especially the dew spray and DC.
 
OK, I know I am too late to join the challenge. But I am definitely going to follow along with you guys. I have used her methods before and was very successful, and it is time to revisit!

Off to get my vitamins!
 
I'm still hanging in, but I need to find a good protein DC. Are most of you using her DC or do you have another one?
 
ladysaraii said:
I'm still hanging in, but I need to find a good protein DC. Are most of you using her DC or do you have another one?
Click to expand...

I am curious about her conditioner and would like to hear some reviews. Right now, I am using either Aphogee 2 minute or Aveda Damage Remedy as a base for her conditioner recipe. It's been working pretty well.
 
janda said:
Solitude I'm curious about the ingredients in her products- especially the dew spray and DC.
Click to expand...

janda - here you go!

Dew Spray Ingredients:
Purified Water, Propylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Polysorbate-20, Coconut Oil, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Propylparaben, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Yellow No. 5

Note: this product smells great, it's moisturizing, and it gives a lot of slip on wet hair (probably due to the cones). So far, I've used it on straight hair after a rollerset (a light spritz; it dried quickly without making my hair frizzy), and I've used it on a braidout - it worked well, I sealed it with coconut oil. The 8 oz. bottle does seem awfully small....I'm not sure why, maybe because I buy a lot of my products in 16 oz bottles.

UBH Deep Conditioner Ingredients:
Aloe Vera Concentrate, Deionized Water, Peppermint Oil, Royal Bee Jelly, Menthol, Stearic Acid, Stearakonium Chloride, Jojoba Oil, Safflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Lecithin, Extracts of (Papaya Fennel, Kiwi) Tocopherol, Wheat Germ Oil, Ascorbic Acid, Silica, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, FD&C Yellow No. 5

Note: I'm hesitant to give a review on this one because I have only used it once. The "tingle" I was anticipating wasn't all that; dry and itchy scalp shampoo by Keracare tingles more. It also made my hair hard (which she states that it will, and to follow with a moisturizing conditioner). This scared me because it took a few rinses with my Aveda Dry Remedy Conditioner to get my softness back. But, after I added my leave-ins it was fine, I saw much less breakage throughout the week. I'll have to use it more to give a better review, but I've decided to use it only once a week, even though I wash at least twice a week. I'm kind of thinking that I'd prefer to use my Aveda Damage Remedy set because it has protein and it's also moisturizing.

Updated 12/1/10: I've been noticing some breakage, so I'm back to using this deep conditioner to see if it helps! The tingle is more noticeable, feels pretty good...

Lotion Creme Moisturizer Ingredients:
Purified Water, Olive Oil, 1-Octadecanol, Cetrimonium Bromide, di-Panthenol, Allantoin, Lecithin, Dimethicone Cocolyol, Methylparaben, Diazolindinyl Urea, Propylparaben, Retinol, Tocepherol

Note: I really like this moisturizer for straightened hair. It has no smell at all. (Notice, there is no fragrance listed). I'm not sure why that is. It reminded me of Olive Oil Moisturizer without the terrible (to me) smell, or the stickiness. It gave the same shine. Again, I've only used this one a couple of times because I've been using the Dew Spray daily. I really like that one. On the bottle, it says designed for all hair types, but I think this one was designed for relaxed hair.

Updated 12/1/10: I'm still loving this moisturizer. I'm using it on my ends mostly.

Please forgive me if I spelled any of the ingredients wrong. I typed them straight off the bottles and didn't double-check the spelling.
 
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Drtondalia said:
I want to join. I am new to this site. What should I do?
Click to expand...

Welcome. I'm pretty new also. Check out the Cathy Howse threads and you should get a good idea of her recommended regimen. Some of the ladies in this challenge actually have her book so you might want to ask them for any additional tips.
 
How's everyone doing? Any updates on your regimens? Nothing new to report with me. I'm still shampooing and DCing twice a week. Still haven't bought the book yet.
 
^^^ Get the book. It was the first thing I read on my hair journey. It really helps you understand why you're doing what you're doing.



Ladies...IMO...

You can do no wrong with Cathy Howse's method. It was how I began my journey, and how I deliberately grew my hair to BSL for the first time in my adult life. I've been around here for a loooong time, and seen many fads come and go but her system WORKS, specifically for 4 a/b relaxed hair. I'm natural now, but when I was relaxed I followed her regimen with her products to a T and my hair grew beautifully. Regimen:

Shampoo: Every three days with a moisturizing shampoo.
Deep condition: After every shampoo with her conditioner w/heat for 30 mins. (sometimes follow with a slippery coney condish as hers is protein and can make hair slightly hard)
Leave in: Neutrogena Triple Moisture
Style: seamless comb and wet bun
Maintain: Every night spray with dew, and apply an oil of choice. Wrap is silk or satin scarf at night.
Relax every 8-16 weeks.
Clarify as needed.
Aphogee 2 step every 6 weeks.

Hair will grow longer.

I followed this regimen religously and saw results.
 
janda said:
I am curious about her conditioner and would like to hear some reviews. Right now, I am using either Aphogee 2 minute or Aveda Damage Remedy as a base for her conditioner recipe. It's been working pretty well.
Click to expand...

Hi there Janda, I've been using her DC since 8/09 and I've had GREAT results with it. My method is to use the UBH DC weekly & then I do an Aphogee Reconstructor tx 1x/month. My hair is in pretty good condition. I've seen very little to no breakage or splitting over the course of a year of using her products and moisture methods.
 
ChanelNo5 said:
^^^ Get the book. It was the first thing I read on my hair journey. It really helps you understand why you're doing what you're doing.



Ladies...IMO...

You can do no wrong with Cathy Howse's method. It was how I began my journey, and how I deliberately grew my hair to BSL for the first time in my adult life. I've been around here for a loooong time, and seen many fads come and go but her system WORKS, specifically for 4 a/b relaxed hair. I'm natural now, but when I was relaxed I followed her regimen with her products to a T and my hair grew beautifully. Regimen:

Shampoo: Every three days with a moisturizing shampoo.
Deep condition: After every shampoo with her conditioner w/heat for 30 mins. (sometimes follow with a slippery coney condish as hers is protein and can make hair slightly hard)
Leave in: Neutrogena Triple Moisture
Style: seamless comb and wet bun
Maintain: Every night spray with dew, and apply an oil of choice. Wrap is silk or satin scarf at night.
Relax every 8-16 weeks.
Clarify as needed.
Aphogee 2 step every 6 weeks.

Hair will grow longer.

I followed this regimen religously and saw results.
Click to expand...

I'm in COMPLETE AGREEMENT! I actually took her 365 UBH Challenge, which I started on my natural hair on 8/6/09, and by 6/1/10 was able retain about 5" of new growth. I'm a witness to how important a good moisture system is, as well as weekly DC tx. IMHO, you can't go wrong with her system or her products.
 
Ok ladies, I have been following the method:

Poo: KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo
DC: Kenra Nourishing Masque or KeraCare Humecto (with or without BBD Stretch if i need protein or EVOO/EVCO if I need extra moisture)
Leave In: Salerm 21, LacioLacio

I am not using any brushes, except for my denaman detangling brush (thats allowed right?)

I wrap at night and clarify and do hardcore protein treatments when necessary, my hair usually tells me.

At the moment I have 4 tracks in my hair, just for added length and to take stress off of my own hair. My pictures below show my current length and starting point for this challenge.

Happy hair growing ladies.
 
I am wearing my hair in braids with my own hair. I've only been washing and dc once a week since the cooler weather has begun. I also been wearing wigs for ps.
 
Still wearing my protective twist style (no extensions). I've also been deep conditioning at least twice a week. Within the last two weeks or so, I've been final rinsing with Roux Porosity Control.

For the last four weeks, I've baggying with a moisturizer or conditioner overnight. If it's conditioner, I rinse it out in the morning. I've been really really trying to make sure my hair is getting enough moisture.

I stopped with the biotin, unfortunately, in October. I only grew half an inch in the last 8 weeks :sad:. The good news is that I retained! But I'm going back on to the biotin again and I hope I can get a couple inches in the next couple of months or so. Still cutting off my split ends (more so in the front), but my hair is getting a lot better.

I think I like the daily co-washing/2x deep conditioning in twists, but that forces me to redo my twists to prevent matting... I'll see though. I want to keep these bad boys in for 3 weeks without touching them, but I might only be able to get up to 2 :ohwell:
 
I've been using Joico K Deep Penetrating Reconstructor at least twice a month, this has helped a lot with breakage and retention.
 
FYI

FREE UBH products for your 365 day Challenge videos!

Are you an Ultra Black Hair success story?

We're looking for your video success stories to add to our website. If your video is used on our website, you will receive $100 in free UBH products.



Here are the details:

Use your webcam or video camera and tell us how UBH transformed your hair.
Your hair does not have to be long. Just show us your improvement and talk about how UBH products helped your hair.
Start or end your video by saying your name and "I took the Ultra Black Hair 365 day challenge."
Include your "before picture" in your video. (No pictures of your current hair). You must show your scalp to prove no extensions were used. (Videos that do not show your scalp will be rejected. We reserve the right to edit this out but to be considered you must show us you are telling the truth.)
You must also show your UBH products in the video.
Your video can be 1-5 minutes and is subject to editing.
Deadline for receipt of videos is 11/30/10. Send your videos to [email protected]. Please note: videos we use become the property of UBH and you will receive $100 in Free UBH products as compensation for use.
Finally Shake it, Flaunt it, Own it, Tell your story, make it yours!
 
ChanelNo5 said:
^^^ Get the book. It was the first thing I read on my hair journey. It really helps you understand why you're doing what you're doing.



Ladies...IMO...

You can do no wrong with Cathy Howse's method. It was how I began my journey, and how I deliberately grew my hair to BSL for the first time in my adult life. I've been around here for a loooong time, and seen many fads come and go but her system WORKS, specifically for 4 a/b relaxed hair. I'm natural now, but when I was relaxed I followed her regimen with her products to a T and my hair grew beautifully. Regimen:

Shampoo: Every three days with a moisturizing shampoo.
Deep condition: After every shampoo with her conditioner w/heat for 30 mins. (sometimes follow with a slippery coney condish as hers is protein and can make hair slightly hard)
Leave in: Neutrogena Triple Moisture
Style: seamless comb and wet bun
Maintain: Every night spray with dew, and apply an oil of choice. Wrap is silk or satin scarf at night.
Relax every 8-16 weeks.
Clarify as needed.
Aphogee 2 step every 6 weeks.

Hair will grow longer.

I followed this regimen religously and saw results.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the review! BSL is alluding me....I really need to be more consistent.
 
Update and BUMP!

So I think I've gotten a grip on my perpetual dryness :yep:. Co-washed with Elucence MB and used Roux PC on final rinse. I used the Kimmay Tube leave in and currently my hair has issues drying (which is GOOD since that means there isn't as much moisture leaving my hair anymore!).

I've been deep conditioning 2x a week religiously, with intermittent co-washing whenever I feel like my hair needs the moisture.
 
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