Here's my check-in for the year! This is only 9 months and I joined this challenge late, but if I post my other progress pics it's very clear that I've retained more in these past few months (heck, this past month!) than I was retaining before. My regimen is still changing, but this is what I'm DEFINITELY without a doubt carrying into 2019 with me.
1x week:
Hot Oil Treatment - I use warm coconut oil, mustard oil, or really any nutrient rich oil and massage my scalp. Then I apply it to my hair after warming it, using a wide-tooth comb and remove my shed hair. I braid up the hair and then put on a plastic cap, leave it on for as long as I can as I lounge around I mean be a productive citizen.
Shampoo - really nothing special here, I shampoo after doing this.
DC - I *always* DC with heat, which I realized was a game-changer early on. I use my hot-head with a plastic cap under it, and DC for maybe 30 minutes to an hour. Usually just watch YouTube videos in my bath robe and then hope back in the shower.
I do a rinse-out while I'm washing out my DC with extra light EVOO. Then I following with a regular conditioner so that my hair is not too oily.
I set my hair in 8 braids using LCO, followed by shea butter on the ends. This method clumps my hair and prevents ssks. It is an extra step that takes almost a day to try, but it is absolutely worth is as I cannot simply do a style like dutch braids on my wet hair. My hair wants to be dry when I manipulate it, or I get knots, tangles and irreparable breakage.
I've been wearing two dutch braids throughout the week. I re-do them as needed to keep them presentable, adding shea butter to the ends, as well as oil and a cream as neccessary. I gently remove shed hairs as I'm going, but never touch my hair with a comb or brush for the remaining of the week. This is why the HOT is so important! There's a lot of shed hair that would cause tangles and knots if I wet my hair after this, or went straight to shampooing. So gently removing the shed hair with a comb while my hair is heavily oiled prevents all of this from happening.
And here's my pic!
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Previous progress pics:
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See that difference in retention?? I do!!!
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I'm rather happy at this years gains, I was pessimistic at first.
Merry Christmas!!