Hello puddles,
I like your signature and avatar SO MUCH!
Here's a brief description of my routine, but I'm planning to experiment with Breakthru shampoo and Elucence conditioner next wash. My hair is fine and 4a with a tight coil like a spring from a writing pen.
Diet and supplements:
These are important for increasing growth rate.
1. I take a teaspoon of MSM powder with juice at breakfast and dinner.
2. I have a 32 oz Nalgene bottle at work and another at home, and I sip water all day.
3. I make a high protein tuna salad (with eggs and kidney beans) each week and I snack on this for lunch and dinner. I try to keep nuts (pecans and almunds) and peanut butter around so that my snacks have protein too.
Hair care:
weeks 1 & 2: My stylist applies the relaxer for 17 minutes and combs the coils straight with a fine toothed comb. He rollersets the hair and then does a blow out on low heat. I hate the round brush! I get a "dusting" trim maybe every 4 months. After a salon touchup with Affirm lye mild or regular, I wear the rollerset straight style either down or up in a clip for 1-2 weeks. I do nothing with my hair besides a little combing. *lazy*
weeks 3-8 or 10: Then, until the next touchup, I wear the same braided vaselined bun M-F (Surging daily), and the ringlets down on the weekend. My fine hair falls very flat when rollerset straight, but it makes cute ringlets when I airdry it loose because my stylist only applied the relaxer for 17 minutes and the coil was tight. That protective bun keeps the ends in great shape.
Products:
I wash, deep condition for an hour with a heating bonnet, comb, and re-bun once every 1-2 weeks, depending on if I wore the ringlets that weekend or not. My hair is in 4-6 braided sections during the washing and conditioning to prevent tangles.
1. L'Anza Strait Line shampoo and conditioner straighten new growth such that my bun is not too bulky.
2. CON ultra-moisturizing => perfect ringlets all weekend
3. Aubrey Organics GPB is great for protein treatments. I combine it with the LSL conditioner when I'm deep conditioning.
4. I put Surge in an applicator bottle (pointy tip) and inject it daily down onto my scalp without taking the bun down.
5. Vaseline for the week-long vaselined braided bun
6. Pantene detangle light spray conditioner for the comb out