Big Chopped!! Relaxed to Texlaxed!

And............ I'm just so excited I can't believe myself. I just lost a lot of length but I mostly feel so liberated and so back to the "feel good" factor that came with this hair journey in the beginning...No more do I feel like hair days are going to be work days. Honestly, that's just how this whole neglecting my hair started. It was real work with handling the 3 textures and I realised that now after my wash day after cutting my hair off. 

And surprisingly, that huge chunk in the crown that is almost completely natural, I seem to be giving much more tender loving care. Is it because it is short and I want it to grow out faster or because it is natural and I'm loving it? Hmmmmmmm, confused myself. 

Maybe I'm jumping too fast now...let's see how the next wash days will leave me feeling. Want to see how I cut it all off? Check my video below.

Let's grow it all back ...will we?!! 

Cheers,

Star.

Wash Day Horror: Lost All My Relaxed Hair!

It's happened again! I've lost my hair due to my own carelessness...lots and lot of my hair and I'm wondering whether to cut it all off and start over, go natural (yes, I'm highly considering it under these circumstances) or just cut off the thinnest parts and continue. Want to know the details? Here goes......

I was just silly. I've always had issues with wash day in a salon or with other people's hands and for years now, I do my own hair. Even with doing my own hair, the right way,  I still have tangles to deal with. So a friend seeing my hair after so long a while went the usual " wow, it's so thick" , "eiiiiiiii, it's grown papa" (it's grown so much), and all that and offered to wash and style it for me. Not a hairdresser, but loves to do people's hair including my daughter, and does it very well; and had been offering to do mine for ages. Well, I explained as usual how I don't wash my hair anyhow and how it must be in sections and all the hair care mantra, but she insisted to do it carefully and my hair will be fine. So I finally agreed.

We detangled thoroughly and combed through to ensure there were no tangles. Then we went to wash, without me braiding in sections as she insisted my hair was too smelly for sections to be clean while in braids. Well it was really smelly so I accepted. It didn't take 5 minutes in the shower to realise that was a BIG, BIG, BIG MISTAKE. My hair matted and tangled so bad in many places especially the crown, like nothing I have ever experienced yet right after shampooing and we both tried everything to remove the clamps. Detangler, oil, double deep conditioning, picking at the tangles with a needle....my oh my nothing worked and we were at it for hours. Myself, my friend and my nanny. Oh, we did everything to no avail. Finally, my friend left promising to come help next day, offering apologies but I knew nothing will work anyways and didn't want to make her feel any worse than she felt so just told her it was nothing and I'll just work on it. Later with the help of my nanny,  we had to cut through some of the knots with a razor to save some strands and had to cut off a big chunk in my crown down to about 4 inches because nothing we tried worked at the knots. 

As you can see from my face, I had little sleep that night as I stayed up till almost midnight trying to work the tangles out as doing so the next day would only make it worse. The line of demarcation now shows so clearly cos my ends are really see-through now. Time to chop chop chop ......and go fully texlaxed or natural (still thinking). As I wrote this post, my memory card corrupted and all I have are these pixs I sent to one of my hair buddies earlier. My hair is in plaits now and at the weekend, will take time to do a better photo story. 

Oh, how I wish that day hadn't come, how did this happen, had I known, ......*quickly removes that thought* especially the first one!! That day not coming, no no no....each day is wonderful and no matter how bad it turns out, we need to appreciate once we wake up from bed, we live to fight another and victory will surely be ours one day! Looking back at the last time my hair was free, it was really, really thick with struggling ends and just a huge trim would have been all I needed. Now , I don't know what to expect after the cut. I am only looking forward to some vitamins and biotin I ordered from the US arriving soon after my cut so I can grow this hair right back. But, we focus not on the past, but we look forward to embrace new beginnings. That's just how I feel right now. I've lost nothing at all.

So, I'm moving forward and thankful I'm not totally bald. I need a huge cut. All the way close to the new growth I have because I lost a lot of texlaxed hair as well...My hair now is the thinnest in years but thank God I have about 2-3 inches of new growth. Well, I had already planned going fully texlaxed after my next texlax and have brand new scissors just for the job. So I'm sad, but not to tears...*I'm surprised I didn't even shed a single tear*  but I'm just going to seize the opportunity to just do the big chop once and for all. I'm going to follow the Lunar hair cutting days to lengthen which are 28th and 29th February. Can't wait and hopefully, I'll film it for my Youtube channel. 

Which way should I go? Natural or Texlaxed?


Cheers,
Star. 

My Hair Goals for 2016

It's been a minute and all too soon, we are already in the 2nd month of the year. That really tells that time flies and what one has got to do, one has got to do now!!

So I decided to put down my hair goals for the year. It's the first time I'm actually writing them down and I feel like I can really be serious with accomplishing them. I definitely want to get a step further than getting 6 inches in a year because this is my Year of Trimming and I'm going to lose a lot of length. 

Check out what my hair goals are in my youtube video here: 

Consistency is Key and Patience is Golden. I pray for both this year.

Have you got any hair goals for 2016?...I'll love to read them.

Cheers,
Star.

Hair Update: Wigging all December

It's been a minute and I know y'all wondering if I went into hairding (hiding) again...

It's so tough at work at the end of the year I hardly have time for my hair. So I've chosen to keep my hair in wigs till we break for Christmas. And I'm totally loving the easy care routine. No worry over styling. This is getting nicer each time I try it and I'm looking at wigging more next year...#new year  hair resolutions being made already.

And, I'm no fan of human hair as I feel it is expensive but bought for the first time and we'll see how it goes. Video update on my wig , hair extensions purchased and how I keep my hair underneath here: 

 I just need a mannequin head to start wig making! Don't forget to like and leave comments below. 

Cheers,

Star.

Details of Last Relaxer Day!

Hi lovelies,

Just as promised, here goes my relaxer day in as much detail as I can give. Having to deal with 3 textures at 18 weeks post was not feeling funny anymore. Wash days began to feel like horror days and I just didn't look forward to it. Not, not, not that kind of feeling I want to have as far as my hair is concerned. So as much as I really wanted to get to 20 weeks, I just woke up that night and at 10 pm , I had absolutely no desire to wake up with hair not retouched. It was late, I was tired but Lord knows where I found my way to my relaxer. 

Threading for wash days were not working anymore and I had to try braids. It was far better than threading and it definitely is the way to go for my texture and length of hair now. I had been keeping my own hair in these large braids under my wig after I took my braid extensions out. 

I parted my hair into 4 large sections, detangled and coated the already processed parts with castor and coconut oil mix. I used a lot of oil as I bought the Motions Relaxer in super strength and didn't want to risk processing the already texlaxed parts.

I do not use a comb on relaxer days as I find that it delays the process for me. I make the parts with my hands and apply the relaxer with my hands. I always wear gloves. 

I scooped out enough relaxer and stirred it to get it into a smooth paste. This relaxer was so soft already that was a step I could have skipped . 

I made parts quickly and applied the relaxer starting in the back as always; cos my hair grows thicker in there. It was my first time of using this relaxer and so I worked very fast as I wasn't sure how it would process. This relaxer surprised me honestly. It was so gentle and smooth to apply, didn't have that huge awful relaxer scent. I actually had to put my nose close to it to smell it to be sure it was a relaxer. I was amazed at how it felt on my hair...like a deep conditioner. Hair felt soft within minutes of application.  I had no sensation at all after 15 minutes....that was a nice surprise considering it was super strength and I thought I won't make it through 10 minutes. Boy, I was so wrong!

I worked the relaxer with my fingers, stretching the new growth for the last 5 minutes of the time and then I rinsed it out. It rinsed out so easily. Meeeeehn, I had such an awe with this relaxer. How do I describe the feeling.....

I applied ES Keratin Hair Treatment right after and then followed with ORS aloe shampoo twice after rinsing out. I then apllied ORS replenishing conditioner and waited for 15 minutes before I rinsed out. 

I then used my fan to airdry, applied Hawaiian Silky 14-in-1 as a leave in, Afroriri butter to moisturise and Afroriri Hair and scalp conditioner to seal. I used a little pure castor oil for a final step.

My hair felt .....hairmazing!! I was in real love! Need I say more?! 

I was so confident I would have no issues for a long while and I put on my satin cap and went right to bed. I have been enjoying my hair for the past week. No issues with reversion. My texture is just the way I love it and my hair is in it's glory days once again. 

Styling has been easy and believe me, I still comb my hair no more than twice a week. Most of the braids and updo styles do no need to be very sleek so I just style and use a comb to smooth it afterwards. 

I'm considering a long term protective style soon but I'm mighty bored with braids or twists now...been my go-to option for the past months.... and would love to try a weave this time.

What product surprised you pleasantly recently? 

Cheers,

Star.  

What's In My Stash (Part 1)

Hey everyone,

So over the past months I have tried to keep my hands away from more products. I was successful to some extent but couldn't help buying these products I'm yet to use. I was particularly excited about getting  free T444Z Hair Products Shampoo and conditioner and can't wait to try it out. 

Check them out in my new video. 

Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe.

Cheers,

Star. 

Relaxer Update: Motions Relaxer At It's Best!

Hey everyone,

I've been so busy lately I have not updated y'all on my hair and what's going on with it. I relaxed my hair almost 2 weeks ago at home. I loved how the Motions relaxer I used felt on my hair and how the results I got were.

               

After : August 2015 

Before: October 2014 

My ends are much, much thicker and better now. And having trimmed twice between these 10 past months, I am mighty happy with my hair. All the vitamins and the growth products I'm using have definitely been worth it. 

I will do a post later on the relaxer day and the process. 

Cheers,

Star.

Tutorial: 10 Cute Hairstyles for Box Braids/Twists! (Video)

Hey hairdies,

So this was a highly requested tutorial of how I styled my twists while wearing them and I thought it best to do a video. 

Don't forget to subscribe and leave your favourite styles in the comments section!!


Thanks for stopping by and hair update coming up soon!!


Cheers,
Star.

Pamper Your Hair Challenge : Edition 2 Begins!!

It's amazing how many ladies in Ghana and Nigeria, and everywhere else are catching the "Pamper Your Hair" fever!! We really want thick, long and healthy hair by the end of December......who doesn't want that?

Thank all the ladies who joined in Edition 1 and I'm so happy many of them are joining in Edition 2 again, as well as a couple of new ladies. Who wins the prize in Edition 2? 

Let's meet our wonderful ladies who have decided to care for their hair consistently for the next 6 months! 

Ama

Genie 

Emprezz Abena 

Irene 

Mimi

Naa Adjeley 

Aba 

Emefa

Ruby 

Pat 

Rosemary

Adoma

Maame Akosua 

Ayeyi 

Maamle 

Nana Yaa 

Rashida 

Maame Akua

Augustina

Adoma

JUDITH 

SOPHIA 

ANITA

24 Amaaaaaazing ladies are in the competition!! 

And by popular request, I'm updating 1 rule. All ladies who do regular check ins , at least monthly throughout the challenge stand to compete in the Final Voting Contest!! Just remember to care for your hair, and hashtag #ghpamperyourhair2015 with an update photo at least once a month on Instagrama and Facebook. Everyone else can join in the competition, however only the ladies above stand the chance to win 3 Groganics Products and a Length Check shirt at the end of the competition in December. Once again, photos with hair combed back or pulled back are preferrable and can be sent asap if you were unable to do so. It helps to easily judge your progress!! 

All the best ladies.....and on, on we journey to waist length! 

Cheers,

Star! 

Pamper Your Hair Challenge Edition 1: We Have A Winner!!

And the winner is.........

Maame Akosua!! Congratulations!! You have won a 5 product set of Afroriri Products. Kindly get in touch with me as soon as possible to collect your prize!


Thanks to all those who voted and Edition 2 contestants will be introduced soon.


Cheers,

Star!

VOTE NOW: Who Wins Pamper Your Hair Challenge Edition 1?

Finally! Finally! Finally!!

We are all so excited that the challenge has ended and now it's time for one lucky lady to win the Afroriri Starter Pack which contains 5 amazing product from Afroriri Haircare!! Whoever wins, your hair is going to be so glorious after using the Afroriri products for a few weeks!! Trust me!

All the contestants did very well. Most of those who submitted ending photos had made progress with their hair; either in length, thickness or health. The contestants who did not check in at least once a month by posting progress pictures with hashtag #ghpamperyourhair2015 were not considered in the final selection process.  

Please find below the final 3 contestants who were chosen based on their overall progress.

Whose hair has improved the most in the last 6 months?

Is it.............

MAAME AKOSUA

Is it.........

MERCY

Is it.........

MAYBEL

The TRIPLE M......their names all start with M....amazing! The time has come for us all to decide. Please look closely at each lady's before and after photo in the grids; and vote by typing out the NAME of the lady you think made the most progress in the COMMENT SECTION.

Voting ends at midnight on 20th July....means there are only 4 days of voting. Woooohooooooooo!! I can't help but feel excited for these ladies! There's no time to waste.

Every vote counts!! Let's vote wisely!


LET THE VOTING BEGIN AND MAY THE BEST HAIRSISTA WIN!! 



Cheers,
Star.

Pamper Your Hair Challenge Ends!!

Hello lovely hairdies, 

It's so amazing it's half year already!! 

How is your hair journey so far? 

Remember I started a challenge to help us all keep pampering our hair? Yaaaaaas!! The 1st Edition has ended!! Finally, one lucky contestant will go home with a pack of Afroriri products. 

The contestants for the first edition should kindly send their comparison photos; before and now via message on my facebook page. You can also post your photo to instagram and use the hashtag #ghpamperyourhair2015. 

When does the next edition begin? 

Begins on the 16th of July. Anyone in Ghana or with an address in Ghana can join! 

Winner takes home:

GHlonghair Length Check Shirt

Groganics Growthick Hair Fattening Shampoo

Groganics Featherlite Voluminising Conditioner

Groganics Gro and Wild Intensive Growth Treatment 

Read more about the rules here and do join in the July to December edition and win some of my favourite products!! The rules remain the same. Use the hashtag #ghpamperyourhair2015 and indicate it is your starting photo. Send your starting photos before 16th July to be entered into the next edition. Those who contested in the first edition can contest again. 

Voting for the 3 finalists for the first edition would be on the 20th of July here on this blog. Remember, it is all about health and length........ all the best to everyone who contested!

Cheers,

Star. 

Secret Life of A Youtuber TAG!

Howdy!! Howdy!!

It's such a lovely sunny but cool day here in Ghana...and it just gives me that super happy feeling!!

I noticed this Secret Life of a Youtuber Tag on Youtube and I finally got tagged by EmprezzAbena and it was exciting to do this video. Hope you like it! 

Don't forget to leave your comments below and please subscribe.

Cheers,

Star. 

Hair Update at 4 Week Post

Thank you all for your patience and concern while I was away for God knows how long! All the while, I thought it was just a few weeks. My goodness, I'm ashamed it's been so long since I posted anything. Glad to be back and I'll not vanish like this again. 

I've been quite well and my hair is doing fine. Only issue is the reversion is getting worse ; or I'm just over-reacting? I really haven't gotten used to the texlaxed parts that much or rather the shrinkage that comes with it. I have found great products that make it easy for me to manage, but the shrinkage when I do not use heat is a little less welcome now but only because my roots look way thicker when that happens and my ends look miserable and far thinner. 

I relaxed 4 weeks ago at my regular salon and she did a great job. However, just a few minutes before washing it out, I let her smooth with a comb and told her to let it go over the texlaxed parts to loosen them a bit. My ends were thin and the left side had outgrown the right by far and she asked to trim it out a bit. I agreed and decided not to even look in order not to stop the trim as it's something I'd been considering for a long while. At first I thought it was a successful "corrective". But after 4 weeks now, doesn't look like it loosened one bit. Below is my hair after relaxing. I just took it out of a bun and took the photo without combing.  The ends are still way thinner than the middle. 

I try my best to prevent breakage by deep conditioning often, moisturising often (not daily anymore though this would be the best situation), and washing at least once in 2 weeks, if not weekly. I got that lazy and I think my hair doesn't like the "once in a while" wash. I noticed this week that it gets dried out quicker than it used to so I've had to moisturise at least every 2 days. 

My ends were not looking that healthy anymore after some lazy weeks and I snipped some off last weekend. I am yet to do a length check again.

Manetabolism update: I was on antibiotics and anti-malarial drugs for a long while due to an ear infection and my battles with malaria and mosquitoes ..... and I didn't take my pills that often. After 2 months, I still have some pills in my bottle. I've decided to wait till I'm totally fine before I start with the hair vitamins again. 

But 2 weeks ago, before my hair began to look horrible to me recently,....... well my sisters say I'm being complacent and getting scissor-happy again.....everything was fine. 

I got Diva by Cindy hair products from Cindy Tawiah a month ago and I've been trying them out for the past 3 weeks. I love how soft and manageable they make my hair feel, and I love the tingle the shampoo gives. Very soothing on the scalp. They give that silky feel after wash day. They don't weigh the air down at all which is fabulous. I use the leave in detangler every few days and the hair gro on my edges 3 times a week. I had an occasion at the end of March and I used the products for my wash. I used the detangler right in my hair before I applied a little grapeseed oil and blow dried it. My hair just felt so right afterwards!! I got that " Is that your hair?" question all weekend. 

Right now, my ends are better after the trim on Saturday but when I comb it all back and I see the thicker middle, I just feel like doing away with the bone straight ends. For now, I just bun it or tuck it away all week because I really want to continue growing it and cutting the straighter ends bit by bit though the desire to chop is overwhelming. 

I don't wish to come up with any surprise chop, but ........hmmmmmmmmmmmm....looks like I just want 3 or 4 inches off. 

How do you feel about your hair today? 

Cheers,

Star.

Hair Musings: Braids Out; What Next?

I took my braids out over the weekend and I was a minute away from relaxing but not having a relaxer creme at home, I put my hair in twists .....and have decided to keep them in till I go back to work. 

I don't really have anywhere special to go to and I might even go to work in these twists on Monday......hahahhahhhahaha......talk about putting my hair first! 

Because the braids were large, most of the knots came off easily without even needing a detangler. Some however were so tight, I had to use a detangler. I run out of VO5 conditioner too so I started detangling with Mane n Tail Detangler I won a few months ago...but I realised though it had a lot of slip, it was not meant for hard core detangling sessions needed after braid removal. I grabbed my old bottle of Hawaiian silky 14-in-1 and poured in a little water. I shook the bottle so hard and long and soon enough, I had some product in my bottle lid. I got almost 30ml of the product and used it to detangle the very tight knots in the back and the front around the edges. It just kind of melts the knots away. This product still awes me pleasantly. 

I had thick growth underneath and detangling was no joke. I lost a lot more hair this time around because I lost patience along the way and was so tired I just put on my sleep cap and slept.....without detangling after washing my hair. Next morning, my roots had clamped together tightly and I had to detangle again all over. 

I had to detangle small sections at a time, and I was thinking to make them small so the hairdressser won't need to section again if I went to the salon to get a retouch. But I put the sections in twists and by the time I was done, it looked OK so I've decided to keep the twists in. 

  

So I just pulled on my ends to see how much length I have retained and I am just so happy. Thanks to Groganics Vitamins! I've got my proof that 2 pills a day will give up to 1 inch of growth within a month. Thick, thick growth!

Looks like I am past BSL already! I just can't wait to see what my length will be at the middle of the year. I don't look so far from waist length right now and if I do things right, I should be waist length within a year. That will be OMG!!

What's your current length now? 

Cheers,

Star.

New Protective Style: Jumbo Box Braids

It's been ages!! 

Hi lovelies,

My hair has been in big box braids for the past 5 weeks. I have kept my haircare regimen very simple. I simply massage with T444Z food twice a week, spray roots with Groganics braid spray every few days and the braid length with Dark&Lovely braids and weaves braid spray. I massage once in a while with my jbco and oil mix.

New growth after 2 weeks

I had so much new growth after just 2 weeks as pictured above and so much now. You should see my new growth now. Posted to @ghlonghair Instagram page. I am done with my 4th bottle of Groganics vitamins; two months and just started with manetabolism vitamins 2 days ago.I have so much growth , it's unbelievable. I am looking forward to a great detangling session when I take my braids out next week. 

I've washed my hair twice in braids and looks really good still. 

Forgive me for the late post. I'm on holidays from work and getting on my pc sometimes sends me back working ..that's why you haven't heard from me in a long while. I will be back in full force after the Easter Holidays.

Happy EASTER everyone....

What was your latest protective style?

Cheers,

Star.

Hair Challenges I've Joined So Far

Hello lovelies,

Besides the Pamper Your Hair Challenge I am hosting myself, there are so many hair growth challenges out there and being totally all for long, long, and thick, thick hair by the end of this year, I have joined 3......and 1 more. The 3 are kind of major and the last 1, I deem minor because it is easy.

Let's see:

Let's Grow Our Hair Challenge: This is co-hosted by some of my favourite bloggers and I'm in as there will be mini challenges each month to keep participants in check. I really want to dedicate my time to my hair much more this year. 

Growth Challenge 2015 by Phro Group: This is hosted by Phrophro. It is also aimed at hair growth but it is at different levels based on how you want to wear your hair the whole year. I'm doing the Rested Growth Routine. I am challenging myself to keep in my protective styles for 6-8 weeks at a time and I found it perfectly in line with my own hair plans. 

Castor Oil Challenge by Sunshyne: I've decided to try Jamaican Black Castor Oil as a growth aid again. I will be using the Jamaican Mango and Lime brand and hope it works for me. I tried JBCO 2 years ago for growth and didn't see much so I only used it to seal in moisture.Will massage onto my scalp 3 times a week and hope to see results. This time, I will go through the 3 month period the challenge will last. It ends in April. It is hosted by Sunshyne.

Ms Direction Healthy Hair Challenge:  Healthy hair care practices is the focus of this challenge. I deem it a great challenge to because if hair grows fast and breaks fast as well, there will be little to no progress. Having reminders to pay attention to retention is also key. Hosted by Miranisa.

The last one is The Mane Challenge which is simply using Manetabolism Healthy Hair Vitamins which I would begin in May. I just started taking Groganics Vitamins as I don't want my body to get used to the Manetabolism Vitamins....

I will keep up with all the mini challenges the best I can...I aim to get no less than 4 inches more by June, 2015. 

Which hair challenges are you in? 

Cheers,
Star. 

Pamper Your Hair Challenge Begins!!

Hi hairdies,

Finally, the closing date for the Pamper Your Hair Challenge is past and I present to you the wonderful ladies who are in the quest to grow and maintain their beautiful hair for the next 6 months! At the end of the period, we wish not only to see improvement in length, but also in hair health, thickness, and shine. The winner will be chosen by voting here. 

Meet these wonderful ladies:

 Akosua

 Bernice

 Brigitte

 Chioma

Genie

 Ghanaian Emprezz

Leticia

Maame Danquah

Margaret

Maybel

Mercy

Miranda

Modesta

 Patricia

Rose 

 Rufina

Tilly

Adelaide

18 amazing ladies!! Thank you all for joining in this contest. It's going to be fun and have amazing benefits for your hair and most importantly, give you that boost of happiness and the feeling of accomplishment when you see the changes in your hair in just 6 months!! Let's have fun. Anyone can join in too.....however, only these ladies stand the chance to win the AfroRiri Starter Pack prize. 

Remember to use the hashtag #ghpamperyourhair2015 when you post your hair photos on Instagram and Facebook. 

There will be check-ins at least once a month. 

Are you ready to win ladies? 

Cheers,

Star.