Hey ladies,
I'm here and need to be held accountable. I've neglected my hair for far too long, and I really want to get it back in shape. My crown is embarrassingly short. I'll be editing this post later today with the background and my plans to grow it out in 2018. Y'all don't let me slip up!
Edit: Oooohkay. So, my crown area is super kinky compared to the rest of my hair, and very, very dry. I did a good enough time growing it out some years ago, to the point where it was almost in line with the rest of my hair. Then, the bullcrap started.
My hair is on the low porosity side, so it's hard enough to keep it moisturized in the first place. Couple that with moving from FL back to the chilly northeast, serious life stress, a Dominican blowout where the woman literally ripped a paddle brush through my dry hair (that was previously in a wash and go) and braids with extensions for the past two summers, and my poor crown was basically non-existent. Like, I literally have pieces that are maaaybe an inch long. Maybe. My hair in general is APL-BSB. Last time I got a trim my stylist was like "Wow, it's a lot shorter right here!"
Since I've actively been neglecting my hair and doing the absolute LEAST (I've been W and Ging for months now), I sat down yesterday and wrote out my comprehensive plan. I'm not listing products because I have many, but I'm in the process of cutting down. I really want ONE OR TWO products in each category. This is the plan:
Use oil as either a pre-poo or an oil rinse, so either step 1 or 3 depending on mood/time;
Wash 2x a month, in five braids (Two front, two back, one crown);
Deep condition each wash, in braids, with heat;
Detangle each braid after the deep condition, rinse, apply leave-in, loosely braid again;
Plop hair for about half an hour;
Style braids by section, take out braid, place styling product, and twist or braid each section into threes;
Let dry;
Wear braid/twistout for the week and bun the next, OR;
After plopping, set hair using flexirods, perm rods, or spoolies (which I really want but don't have right now), then proceed to wear that for the week in place of the "-out".
I know this isn't crown specific, but it's a heck of a lot better than what I've been doing. I did this yesterday and already notice a huge difference in how my hair is feeling. I forgot that my hair could feel this good. It's a shame, really. I also have some MegaTek (remember that) that I'm gonna use up, and I want to try that Netwurks spray.
So, in addition to my manipulation of my hair, I am taking a few supplements. I take Vitamin D because I have a D deficiency, but I also drink Emergen-C and Neocell Collagen every night before bed. The collagen has made a huge difference. I'm so mad I didn't jump on this wagon before. I wasn't consistent with it before, and I still noticed a difference. With the addition of Vitamin C (which Neocell recommends) and my consistency, I've noticed a huge change just in the past few weeks. It's giving me Viviscal results with a much cheaper cost. It might even be better than Viv, actually. I have it on Auto-ship from Amazon. I think it's $8.79 for a thirty day supply. Highly recommend.