Myjourney2009
Ready to be APL
Hello all, well here I am a bit over one year after going back to relaxers, after being natural for almost 2 years. This year brought many aha moments for me and it did not come without some trouble, but I still have most of my hair on my head. I have included a bit of information followed by pics and my routine/products will follow.
Last year on 9/16/2009 I relaxed with Mizani BB reg. It came out fantastically. Three months later I TU'd (12/2009) with the same relaxer for the same amount of time and it was a disaster, it barely looked like I did a TU after I washed my hair.
2 months later (2/2010) I did a TU and a corrective, I wound up over processing a bit of my hairline. No problem, I waited 4 months for my next TU and realized the Mizani BB reg. was too mild for my hair because I had to keep it on too long for my liking and I still did not get the texture I preferred.
I went up to a Mizani BB super and did not smooth and kept it on for a total of 18-20 min and that was a disaster . I did a corrective 2 weeks later and gauged based on how my hair felt how much I needed to smooth this time it came out better but still not to my liking. My hair is very dense in the back and if I don't smooth well I will look like I did not have a TU. My goals for this year was to grow and cut off the color, most of it is gone I think I have about an 1/2 left that I will cut off in June 2011.
Here are some interesting things I have learned about my hair.
· At 7 weeks post I wash my hair in 4 braids because my NG is so dense I can't get the shampoo to the scalp without using a lot.
· I cannot wait a week to relax after washing my hair. I TU one or two days after washing my hair (Thanks @dlewis) It worked very well, no breakage and no burning. If I wait 3 days I can't get to my NG easily and demarcation breakage will occur.
· I can't sleep with anything on my head the day before relaxing. The front of the scarf/bonnet causes too much friction around my edges and I wind up burning during my TU. I will be sleeping on a satin pillow case.
· My hair grows an average of 1/2 inch a month from the crown back and a little more than 1/4 of an inch a month in the front. That looks to be about 6 inches in the back and maybe 4 in the front.
· I need a super relaxer (Mizani BB) for the back and I smooth 3x and my processing time is 18-20 min. For the front I am still trying to figure out if I will drop down to Mizani BB reg or if I will just doctor up my Super. Although I use a super my hair is not bone straight (I don't want it to be). IMO Mizani BB is a very mild relaxer
· I will NEVER try roller setting again without doing it using the ponytail method. I will put a couple of rollers on various sections where I plan on wearing a part to give me more lift and so that I will not have to use a flatiron.
· I found that applying the relaxer with vertical parts in the back allows me to get it on faster. This has shaved 3 min off my applying time, previously it took me 10 min to apply the relaxer to the back and sometimes. I go back horizontally to smooth ( and to apply more if needed). It took me over a year to get the texture I preferred. In the beginning my hair looked texturized and I have done a corrective a few times (one time I did one a week later and the shedding was out of this world, I will never do that again). The last corrective (10/2010) was done 2 weeks after the initial TU and no excessive shedding occurred.
· My hair likes protein in small doses, I add a little every week. A collagen heavy one week and a Collagen with Keratin conditioner another week. I usually add about a T to 3-4 T moisture DC and the next week the same amount to my Ion veggie protein conditioner (which IMO is more of a moisturizer than a strengthener).
· For the past two months I have incorporated ceramide rich oils into my routine (Thanks @halee_J), and that inclusion has really made my hair look and feel even better. I find that one T of HSO in my DC's is sufficient, however I need to add 2 T of WGO to my protein to get the same results.
10/21/09
1 month after returning to relaxed hair. I cut off 2 inches this same day.
11/18/09
Another trim to even it out some more.
2/17/10This TU was a corrective, I overprocessed my hairline and it thinned out ALOT. Also during this time I realized that doing a typical wrap was a no-no it caused the initial thinning of my right side. I did not TU again for 4 months.
3/2/10
This was also my 1st time with Caruso rollers and I absolutely love them. Hair was soft and bouncy.
3/4/10Same caruso set. I combed it down and UGH! I hated it look how thin may hair is in the front.
3/9/10
3/9/10
UGH squared!!!!
5/20/10
NG is screaming at me LOL, I didnt even flatten it, that is how I wore it. I also used my satin rollers in the front and flexirods in the back.
5/20/10
same set, back view.
7/4/10
looks like a fresh TU. satin rollers and flexirods again.
7/4/10
same day, back view.
7/24/10
hair was eithier satin rolled or flexi rodded. My hair was a bit stiff here, it took months for me to realize it was because my hair was not a fan of alot of protein.
9/17/2010
3 months post flatironed roots (before the cut) @410 with my Sedu and remaining hair @320 (Thanks @MsKibibi).I used EVCO and Sabino moisture block (the original). This was before the cut.
9/17/2010
Same day, this is the back view before the cut.
9/17/2010
Same day, front view. I did the cut to rid my hair of almost all the color.
9/17/2010
Same day, back view.
9/17/2010
Same day. The infamous swang shot
10/10/10
2 weeks after TU, Front hair line now. I left it on too long by accident and I got the front bone straight, (not overprocessed this time thank goodness).
10/10/2010
This side is going to take a little longer to thicken up because when I was wet wrapping I had some breakage
10/10/10
2 weeks after TU, Front hair line right side now. I left it on too long by accident and I got the front bone straight, (not overprocessed this time thank goodness. This is the left side, it is almost back 100%.
10/10/2010
Rollerset with salerm 21 and con argan oil mousse.
10/10/10
Rollerset with salerm 21 and con argan oil mousse, back view
Last year on 9/16/2009 I relaxed with Mizani BB reg. It came out fantastically. Three months later I TU'd (12/2009) with the same relaxer for the same amount of time and it was a disaster, it barely looked like I did a TU after I washed my hair.
2 months later (2/2010) I did a TU and a corrective, I wound up over processing a bit of my hairline. No problem, I waited 4 months for my next TU and realized the Mizani BB reg. was too mild for my hair because I had to keep it on too long for my liking and I still did not get the texture I preferred.
I went up to a Mizani BB super and did not smooth and kept it on for a total of 18-20 min and that was a disaster . I did a corrective 2 weeks later and gauged based on how my hair felt how much I needed to smooth this time it came out better but still not to my liking. My hair is very dense in the back and if I don't smooth well I will look like I did not have a TU. My goals for this year was to grow and cut off the color, most of it is gone I think I have about an 1/2 left that I will cut off in June 2011.
Here are some interesting things I have learned about my hair.
· At 7 weeks post I wash my hair in 4 braids because my NG is so dense I can't get the shampoo to the scalp without using a lot.
· I cannot wait a week to relax after washing my hair. I TU one or two days after washing my hair (Thanks @dlewis) It worked very well, no breakage and no burning. If I wait 3 days I can't get to my NG easily and demarcation breakage will occur.
· I can't sleep with anything on my head the day before relaxing. The front of the scarf/bonnet causes too much friction around my edges and I wind up burning during my TU. I will be sleeping on a satin pillow case.
· My hair grows an average of 1/2 inch a month from the crown back and a little more than 1/4 of an inch a month in the front. That looks to be about 6 inches in the back and maybe 4 in the front.
· I need a super relaxer (Mizani BB) for the back and I smooth 3x and my processing time is 18-20 min. For the front I am still trying to figure out if I will drop down to Mizani BB reg or if I will just doctor up my Super. Although I use a super my hair is not bone straight (I don't want it to be). IMO Mizani BB is a very mild relaxer
· I will NEVER try roller setting again without doing it using the ponytail method. I will put a couple of rollers on various sections where I plan on wearing a part to give me more lift and so that I will not have to use a flatiron.
· I found that applying the relaxer with vertical parts in the back allows me to get it on faster. This has shaved 3 min off my applying time, previously it took me 10 min to apply the relaxer to the back and sometimes. I go back horizontally to smooth ( and to apply more if needed). It took me over a year to get the texture I preferred. In the beginning my hair looked texturized and I have done a corrective a few times (one time I did one a week later and the shedding was out of this world, I will never do that again). The last corrective (10/2010) was done 2 weeks after the initial TU and no excessive shedding occurred.
· My hair likes protein in small doses, I add a little every week. A collagen heavy one week and a Collagen with Keratin conditioner another week. I usually add about a T to 3-4 T moisture DC and the next week the same amount to my Ion veggie protein conditioner (which IMO is more of a moisturizer than a strengthener).
· For the past two months I have incorporated ceramide rich oils into my routine (Thanks @halee_J), and that inclusion has really made my hair look and feel even better. I find that one T of HSO in my DC's is sufficient, however I need to add 2 T of WGO to my protein to get the same results.
I have learned a lot here and I am so grateful to all the information I have learned.
1 month after returning to relaxed hair. I cut off 2 inches this same day.
Another trim to even it out some more.
This was also my 1st time with Caruso rollers and I absolutely love them. Hair was soft and bouncy.
UGH squared!!!!
NG is screaming at me LOL, I didnt even flatten it, that is how I wore it. I also used my satin rollers in the front and flexirods in the back.
5/20/10
same set, back view.
looks like a fresh TU. satin rollers and flexirods again.
same day, back view.
hair was eithier satin rolled or flexi rodded. My hair was a bit stiff here, it took months for me to realize it was because my hair was not a fan of alot of protein.
3 months post flatironed roots (before the cut) @410 with my Sedu and remaining hair @320 (Thanks @MsKibibi).I used EVCO and Sabino moisture block (the original). This was before the cut.
Same day, this is the back view before the cut.
Same day, front view. I did the cut to rid my hair of almost all the color.
Same day, back view.
Same day. The infamous swang shot
2 weeks after TU, Front hair line now. I left it on too long by accident and I got the front bone straight, (not overprocessed this time thank goodness).
This side is going to take a little longer to thicken up because when I was wet wrapping I had some breakage
2 weeks after TU, Front hair line right side now. I left it on too long by accident and I got the front bone straight, (not overprocessed this time thank goodness. This is the left side, it is almost back 100%.
Rollerset with salerm 21 and con argan oil mousse.
Rollerset with salerm 21 and con argan oil mousse, back view
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Keep up the great work your hair is blinging 
