SmilingElephant's Team for New Group Support Challenge Thread

[SmilingElephant]

I'm liking the name Mane Event...sounds classy

Also ladies i did kinda edit our first page...in case you wanted to take a look at it.

 

[nymane]

I think "Mane Event" is cute too!

 

[mysoon2behair]

Ooooh I like Mane Event also!

 

[Mrs. J]

I'm diggin Mane Event too

 

[Mrs. J]

I relaxed today!!!! With a little help stretching, since my hair doesn't get completely straight from my relaxer, it looks like I have 6 more inches to go all around before I'm WL in the back and just below boob length in the front!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!

 

[Avyn]

What is this?

 

[panamoni]

Okay today I did an Aphogee 2-step Treatment (love it! ), DC'ed with Silicon mix for the first time and I'm really impressed with this conditioner. I'll be 21 weeks post Friday and it made my hair feel like butta. I was mostly impressed because I didn't need half the jar for my hair to feel saturated.

Any way, after I DC'ed I applied my leave-ins and air dried in braids...
My hair feels great, but this process is always sooo time consuming especially now that I'm so far into my stretch

I did the 2 step last week, and I think it's great. Can't wait until I run out of all of the conditioners I have so that I can get Silicone Mix -- my old hairdresser used to use this back when my hair was it's longest/healthiest.

Where has this thread been??? I so completely missed this. SmilingE, thanks for the advice. I am still in braids and have not been able to try anything yet. With school starting back up, daughter teething and my full time job its gonna a bit rough but I am gonna do my best.

Will be taking notes in my note book.

ETA: For a team name, I was thinking of the following. Let me know which one you like:

Mane Event
Hair Sisters (i know its a website but i think its kinda cute)
Unified Tresses
Happy Healthy Hair

This is all I got so far.

I like Mane Event too!!

 

[panamoni]

Got my relaxer on Saturday. I think 12 weeks is just right. (10 or 11 might be good too, but I'll stick w 12 for now) Used Syntonics. Since I did the hardcore protein recently, I'm going to try to focus on using my moisturizing ones when I wash next...which I hate to do after a fresh relaxer, so it may not be for 2 weeks or so.

 

[Day Dreamer]

What is this?

This is a thread dedicated to SmilingE's team of the newbie support challenge.

 

[nymane]

I relaxed today!!!! With a little help stretching, since my hair doesn't get completely straight from my relaxer, it looks like I have 6 more inches to go all around before I'm WL in the back and just below boob length in the front!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!

Congrats! How long did you stretch?

I did the 2 step last week, and I think it's great. Can't wait until I run out of all of the conditioners I have so that I can get Silicone Mix -- my old hairdresser used to use this back when my hair was it's longest/healthiest.

Yeah it's good stuff...have you tried any other Dominican conditioners? I'm interested in trying different ones because they're pretty cheap.

 

[Mrs. J]

Congrats! How long did you stretch?

Thank you so much!!!!!! Initially, stretching wasn't intentional....so, I don't remember the exact date of my last relaxer. However, I did buy a relaxer several months ago that I'd never used (initially, it was sheer laziness and eventually, it became more and more interesting to see how long I could go without it)!!!! I'm pretty sure the last time I relaxed was prior to September or right at the beginning though! Now, I'm keeping up with dates this go 'round and I'm going to *shoot* for June 2010 to be the next time I relax!!!! Lawd, pray my stremph (strength)!!!

 

[SmilingElephant]

Hello ladies...jus checkin in on our team thread to see how everything is going so far. its been a week since our challenge started!!!

Is everybody enjoying their hair? I'm diggin that Longhair thread Hilarious-ness!!

Well...i'm gonna give you ladies another week or two to see if you've discovered your staples and remember...if you have any questions i will help you out ASAP!

 

[Day Dreamer]

Hey girls, sorry to say that I have not started yet. I was gonna take down my braids and do a wash and rollerset but I have the flu (this season has not been good to me at all). On the advice of my DH, I am resting and taking it easy for a while. Hopefully by next week I will be able to take them down and get this thing going.

 

[panamoni]

Congrats! How long did you stretch?



Yeah it's good stuff...have you tried any other Dominican conditioners? I'm interested in trying different ones because they're pretty cheap.

Yes, I use the Alter Ego Garlic DC and Salerm 21 Leave-in, which I love. I used to go to a Dominican salon when I lived in New York for years and my hair grew it's longest and was healthy, so as soon as I have space, I'm going to fill up on Silicon Mix and Miss Keys 10 en 1. Someone from the forum gave me some Lacio Lacio and Silicon Mix leave-in, which I'm going to try when I start doing rollersets to see which leave-in works best for me.

 

[Mrs. J]

I have two new staples.....Cantu leave in repairing cream and Elasta QP Mango Butter...they both smell VERY delicious....oh and they're good on my hair too !!!!

 

[panamoni]

Here's my starting pic

 

[Mrs. J]

Panamoni - where'd you get that shirt???? I've been seeing them around, but I never asked.

 

[Day Dreamer]

So I finally took my braids and I shampooed with suave humectant, dc'ed with banana brulee, LTR leave-in. Then I rollerset and sat under the dryer for 45 min. My hair came out very soft but I have alot of new growth.Then I oiled my scalp with JBCO, moisturized with ORS Olive oil lotion and sealed with seyani hair butter. My hair really feels great. I am sitting typing this and just loving the way that my hair feels. Hope you ladies had a good weekend.

 

[SmilingElephant]

Here's my starting pic

Your hair looks realy healthy

Whatever you are doing keep it up because to me it looks like its working for you

 

[SmilingElephant]

Hey team.....so i'm giving my hair a rest today. I shampooed and DC'd last nite and airdried in two plaits so i can rock a braidout...for those of you in Bootcamp...i've been breaking the heat rule...i confess!!!

And now i have to nurse my hair with moisture

Its been too cold for me to give myself my bootcamp punishements....lol <---trying to find a reason!!

But an-t-ways...no mor eheat on my hair...except for my bangs...this month

I DC'd with Banana Brulee...my DC i recently started using and now cannot live without bc it is very moisturizing and i am in love with that banana scent...i love the smell of bananas. Detangled using my Mane N Tail Herbal detangler spray which MELTS any tangles i have, sprayed my Aphogee Green Tea & Keratin Mist...this stuff not only adds a little strength...but it also helps seal in my color rinse.....used my Coco Creme Leave-In and sealed that with Vatika Oil and just plait and let it airdry. My hair feels happier today...especially after i put some Seyani hair Butter through it

 

[jdbe]

Hey there,

I had a little bit of a setback after taking down my sew in after 3 mths. Matted hair! I did not wash it right away, I knew to avoid that but after 2 days of using olive oil and Africa's best Kids Organic detangling lotion I had like 2-3 knots that I could not detanlgle. I ended up calling my stylist who did her best to detangle the knots with conditioner (they were really bad big balls of matted hair). Although the sections I detangled were able to retain more length, there were the sections of my hair in the very back and at the crown that were thinned out quite a bit after my stylist detangled it. She had to cut it about 2 inches and layer it out to hide the hair that was really thin. So now I am back to about 2 inches below shoulder length but it is really thin in the back so I am going to get my hair cut into a bob. I thought about keeping it this length and wearing it in a bun but everytime I run my fingers through my hair it really bothers me. It is not that noticeable to the naked eye but it really bothers me b/c I am used to having thicker hair.

Lesson learned, I can't keep a sew in installed for over 2 mths. I am still using the same regimen so hopefully I will be back on track soon - but I will be nowwhere near my apl length goal this year ): Sadness....

 

[SmilingElephant]

I'm sorry for your setback

I once had a setback some years ago with bleach causing the whole nape of my hair to fall out

But...i kept the rest of my hair....which was about Shoulder length/ APL at the time...at the same length and then just wore low ponytails until it started growing back....so if its not noticeable to the naked eye...keep your length and let the rest grow out...but do little trims if you want to help it catch up.

I know i say this alot...but JBCO is really good to help thicken and fill in thin spots...just put it on your targeted scalp area at least twice a week.

 

[nymane]

Hello ladies...jus checkin in on our team thread to see how everything is going so far. its been a week since our challenge started!!!

Is everybody enjoying their hair? I'm diggin that Longhair thread Hilarious-ness!!

Well...i'm gonna give you ladies another week or two to see if you've discovered your staples and remember...if you have any questions i will help you out ASAP!

DC Staples: Silicon Mix <---- OMG
AO HSR (this is great too)

Leave-in Staples: HE LTR, Darcy's Botanicals Transitioning Creme

Hardcore Protein Staple: Aphogee 2 step

Sealing --->Africa's Best Herbal Oil

 

[Day Dreamer]

I am really liking that shescentit banana brulee. Hardly any of my hair came out this morning. I guess all i really needed was some moisture.

SmilingE, thanks for the heads up about it.

 

[panamoni]

Panamoni - where'd you get that shirt???? I've been seeing them around, but I never asked.

Sorry for the delay. I got it here.
http://maneandchic.spreadshirt.com/p4

 

[panamoni]

I'm sorry for your setback

I once had a setback some years ago with bleach causing the whole nape of my hair to fall out

But...i kept the rest of my hair....which was about Shoulder length/ APL at the time...at the same length and then just wore low ponytails until it started growing back....so if its not noticeable to the naked eye...keep your length and let the rest grow out...but do little trims if you want to help it catch up.

I know i say this alot...but JBCO is really good to help thicken and fill in thin spots...just put it on your targeted scalp area at least twice a week.

SmilingElephant, do you have any other suggestions about the nape? My nape area is horrible, and I had started putting JBCO on it a few months ago, but when I went to get my relaxer a week ago, it's like the relaxer ate away at the little nape that I had been growing and there's an area that almost looks like it's been shaved.

I'm thinking of not relaxing that area for a year to see if it will retain length that way. I was also thinking of high ponytails (I can cover the spot with laying down enough little hairs) so that I didn't manipulate that area with ponytail holders. But you seemed to have success with low ponytails? What type of ponytail holders did you use?

Thanks.

 

[panamoni]

I forgot to mention, I rollerset for the first time this weekend!! I'm so excited and proud of myself. But, I'm still not sure of the benefits of it vs. air drying (which is effortless).

 

[mysoon2behair]

Great! thank you I will look into ordering this...

Hey Ladies!!!


SmilingElephant: I ordered the JBCO in lavendar scent and I cant wait to get it!! Thank you. I will let you know how I like it.

 

[SmilingElephant]

SmilingElephant, do you have any other suggestions about the nape? My nape area is horrible, and I had started putting JBCO on it a few months ago, but when I went to get my relaxer a week ago, it's like the relaxer ate away at the little nape that I had been growing and there's an area that almost looks like it's been shaved.

I'm thinking of not relaxing that area for a year to see if it will retain length that way. I was also thinking of high ponytails (I can cover the spot with laying down enough little hairs) so that I didn't manipulate that area with ponytail holders. But you seemed to have success with low ponytails? What type of ponytail holders did you use?

Thanks.

When i do my relxers...since i am still babying my nape....I do my nape area last....EVERY SINGLE TIME...this has helped tremendously....after i apply my relaxer there...i only wait 5 minutes before rinsing it all out...i am texlaxed slightly....but that really does help. I have read where some ladies just don't relax the nape at all and have had success.

I use the Goody or Scuncii ouchless scrunchies but i learned to not pull so tight...make it snug enough too look good...but not so tight it feels like your scalp is suffocating. And keep that nape moisturized...concentrate on treating your nape....with DC'ing, conditioning any treatment with moisture is really good to help the nape.

Hey Ladies!!!


SmilingElephant: I ordered the JBCO in lavendar scent and I cant wait to get it!! Thank you. I will let you know how I like it.

Awesome!! I hope you like it

 

[Day Dreamer]

Today was my cowashing day. Since this would have been the first time I had ever done it was not sure how it was going to come but my hair came out really soft and i did lose some hair detangling but not much. I will definitely watch to see how my hair responds.