Challenge: Braids Out Already

Braids undone!

My hair plans for the week changed. I was feeling quite uncomfortable in the braids as the new growth made it look like I had kept it in for months! I undid it yesterday and just completed my wash with my onion infused shampoo which is my new recipe to combat hair loss. I seemed to have lost a lot of length due to my frequent visits to several hairdressers in the past 2 months.

I didn't have much breakage as I detangled with conditioner and coconut oil. Thanks to ECG, with no lights to complete my wash, I left it in overnight. I washed with rainwater from start to finish but warmed a little to wash out the product to prevent buildup as I kept it in overnight. I used cold rainwater as my final 2 rinses. I did not ACV rinse or tea rinse as I didn't have any of those available. I have plans of getting back home to pick the products my sister left behind when she packed up my stuff for me. I will airdry my hair as usual and massage t444z hair food into my scalp for 5 minutes, use S-curl to moisturise and seal this time with Amla oil. 

I am getting my hair plans for June on paper and will share with you when I decide my do's and don'ts for the month. I think that will help to keep me in check as I'm getting less obsessed with my hair each day. This is probably also due to having less time, and also infrequent supply of water and electricity in my current residence. It is much easier to have a wash under a running shower. I'm not too fond of this pail and bucket order of the day here....lol!! I have to step up my game if I want to win this!!

How consistent have you been with your hair regimen?

Cheers,

Star.

12 Weeks Post:Yarn Twists

Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!

The past week was a hectic but great one!! I delivered my new baby boy safely last Sunday and can't say how blessed I feel right now. Thank you God for such a wonderful blessing once again!!

I did nothing to my hair in the past week...not that I didn't want to....but I was too busy with baby and moving home. Now that I've started my maternity leave, I hope I can have a little more time for my hair. I badly need a wash but haven't yet decided when to do it.

Can't begin to say how amazed I am at my thick new growth!!

Now that I think about it, most new mothers have less time dedicated to hair care because the whole day is busy caring for the new arrival and if care is not taken, serious postpartum hair loss can be experienced. I hope to come up with a time saving simple regimen to accommodate my new lifestyle change and hope it works for me.

I however see that I have so much new growth in just 19 days of having my yarn twists. It is so thick that I may have to reconsider keeping it in longer. I may undo it in a week and install a new braid or weave later.

In the first 2 weeks of having these braids, I massaged with t444z hair food 3x a week, moisturised with my homemade spray often, washed twice a week, and ghe'd every night. I will wash once this week, and probably undo it at the weekend. I think it is really time to get that new wig! 

Any regimen suggestions?

Cheers,

Star.

Onion for Hair Growth

Back to nature.....that's the revolution. All things provided by nature are indeed good!! I love home made recipes and this is another one I want to share. 

Juicing onions for hair loss...(and growth). There have been a lot of studies about onions and it's benefit for hair....and the results show that onion juice does help to regrow hair. It was mainly used to remedy hair loss and worked faster at regrowing bald patches in a few weeks!! 

  

Hair loss can be caused by poor diet, scalp infections, stress, alopecia and excessive use of chemicals.

Fresh onion juice: Photo: justbeautytips.blogspot.com

Onions are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Germanium and Sulphur!! Yes, lots and lots of Sulpur!! Onions can therefore;

• Cure scalp infections: Onion juice can fight bacteria and fungal infections which can cause damage to scalp and hair. 
• Reduces hair fall: Onion juice is rich in Sulphur which increases blood circulation when massaged onto the scalp and strengthens hair. 
• Relieves scalp itchiness and dandruff: The juice from onion can be mixed with lemon juice and is very effective for curing dandruff and relieving itchiness. 
• Enhances hair growth: This is the part I love...! With the high sulphur content in onion juice, massaging the scalp with the juice increases blood circulation to the scalp thereby promoting healthier hair growth. When the scalp is also free from infections, it performs its functions better. Blocked pores of hair follicles are also known to be opened by onion juice!! Hair then grows faster and stronger!!

Ways to use onion for hair:  

Onions have a strong scent and it is best to use sweet scented products when using onion recipes. You can also mix it with essential oils to mask the scent. The scent may linger for some time after your wash but it will definitely go away. You can chop, blend or grate the onions for use depending on how you want to use it. It is always best to use the juice or paste when it is fresh.

1. The onions can be chopped and added to shampoo. It is left to infuse for at least 15 days before use. Wash hair as usual with shampoo and finish off your wash with a nice scented conditioner. 

2. Chop onions and blend into a paste. The paste can be massaged onto the scalp, left on for about an hour and then rinsed off. Do this at least 3 times a week for bald patches and damaged hair line.You can mix it with an oil.

3. The onions once blended can be squeezed or sieved to extract the juice. This juice can be used alone on the scalp or can be mixed with other ingredients such as natural oils, eggs, honey, lemon juice, etc used to make hair masks for deep conditioning, for hot oil treatments,  etc.

4. Beauty inside out! You can increase your consumption of onions daily. Eating at least half an onion a day is very beneficial for your body and hair. 

If onion is good for the hair....I'm thinking garlic is too since they are cousins!! It definitely is but the scent!! Let's try the onions first, shall we?

I have my shampoo full of onions right now!! Can't wait for 12 more days to start using my onion shampoo. Remember to be consistent when using recipes. It takes time to see results. Challenge yourself and be consistent for at least 2-3 months. You will be rewarded with stronger, thicker and more bouncy, beautiful hair. I'll definitely take starting pictures and check for progress every 2 weeks. 

Do you have starting pictures of your hair journey? If not, how do you track your progress?  

Cheers,

Star.

Wash Day 1: Yarn Twists

 

 HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all great mothers!!  

May our children always give us great joy and eternal happiness!!

Hot Oil Treatment

Don't you just love wash day?!!

Prepooing and tea rinsing are the latest additions to my wash day regimen but yesterday, too bad I gulped down all the tea at breakfast. I had wanted to brew a new batch but I remembered it wouldn't steep as long as I wanted being fully aware that it takes time for yarn to dry so I decided to skip it. I put my mixture of oils in hot water to warm it up and applied it thoroughly to my roots and the length of the braids. I covered with a plastic bag for 2 hours.

Washing Yarn Twists

I got into the shower and diluted shampoo with water to make it easier to lather in. I scrubbed my scalp with my fingertips for a while and rinsed out. I lather only once with shampoo. I then squeezed out as much water as I could and then soaked the braids in diluted conditioner. I left it in for about 5 mins and then rinsed out. I then used Apple Cider Vinegar solution as my final rinse. An old T-shirt was all I needed next. Turban-style with my old shirt it was for about an hour. By then, the water was no longer dripping so I left the yarns to airdry. After about 4 hours, it was about 70% dry......so I massaged my scalp with T444z and moisturised with S-curl. I must say it took this yarn much longer to dry than the last one I used to braid.....hmmmmmmmmmm....or is it the rainy weather ?

Moisturising and Sealing Yarn Twists

As you can see, the braids still look neat after all that scrubbing.....lol! 
The ends which were initially in a bob have loosened due to the weight of the water but I don't mind. 

By almost 10pm, though the braids were not totally dry, I didn't mind as I GHE every night. I just sprayed the braids with African Pride Braid Spray, covered it with a plastic bag and my scarf and went to bed.

Have you ever tried the Green House Effect or Baggy methods for added moisture in your hair?

Cheers,
Star.

Caring for your Braids

Remember to take care of your hair while it is in a braid or a weave. Shampoo, condition, deep condition, moisturise and seal, prepoo, green house effect, baggy, .........etc, etc!!

This postcard sums it all up for me.....

Photo Credit: BlackHairInformation

Enjoy your hair however you are wearing it!!

Cheers,
Star

New Protective Style: Yarn Twists

It's been 9 weeks since my last relaxer and having my hair in a protective style most of the time is a huge part of my  regimen since I'm stretching at least 38 weeks.  After taking down the last twists, I decided to put my hair back in braids in order to minimize the manipulation of my hair. 

 I noticed that the ends of my hair had gotten thinner in the past 3 weeks  maybe with my visit to 2 completely new hairdressers who may have handled my hair roughly.... especially the one I got the rollerset from last week.  Yikes...........my hair was all over the floor. I was crying inside!! I do not want any setback again so I went to my favourite hairdresser, Miriam (054 7888997) during lunch break yesterday. I can't describe how glaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad I am!! I was doing my happy dance inside after the braids were all done.

She used 6 packs of black yarn and the installation time was 2 hours! That's fast! I dare say I haven't yet seen yarn twists with cornrows this neat and tidy....all rows even and twists the same size!! If I hadn't seen the yarn being installed myself, I would have said this is definitely not braids with yarn...............lol!! It was quite hard deciding to use yarn because I searched the internet for days of convincing images to no avail. If not for my resolve to get a style that will last at least 8 weeks, and Miriam assuring me I won't regret it, I'd definitely not have tried it at all. Great looking braids definitely depend on the braider, doesn't it? So far, my scalp is not itchy or sore as the braids are not tight, and I feel no pain or headache at all. This surprised me because the last time I got yarn braids with a different hairdresser, I couldn't sleep for almost 3 nights!! 

I chose this simple style because I want to have a lot of access to my scalp so I can massage in my T444Z hair food with ease and no fear of destroying the style. I will have no reservation about washing these braids as I am convinced they will dry much faster because they are short. I will wash twice a week as usual and deep condition once or twice a month with Vitale Mayonnaise or a homemade recipe (depends on how easily it rinses out the first time). I will continue to GHE every night using water and Profectiv Oil.

My hair is safely tucked away from my parasitic hands. What a relief!!

What do you consider before getting a hairstyle?

Cheers,
Star.

My Cool Braiding Skills

I always loved to do stuff to hair. I remember way back in JSS, one of my older cousins and I were the hairdressers in my house.....lol!! We used to wash, rollerset, style, and braid for my mum, aunt and cousins. I was her "senior apprentice" and even tugged along when she had clients outside our home. She learnt the art while she was awaiting her exam results and was so good at it that she was invited to braid for the neighbours at a fee. I quickly learnt from her........ I wasn't a bad stylist so I got to continue in her footsteps after she left for school mainly for my family members because I was in school then.

By the time I was completing  SSS, most of my cousins had left for the university and I was preparing for exams so our "home salon" went out of business. Also, a salon opened close by so everyone sort of just patronised the services there......before then, the closest salon was more than a 20 minute walk away. There were no taxi or trotro services on the school campus where we lived so you had no option but to walk long distances to access services.

My sister came to visit this weekend and she coaxed me into braiding cornrows for her. Hmmmmm.... I didn't want to at first because I thought I will just end up undoing it all again and then she'd have to go to the salon eventually....but no amount of convincing was enough to get her to budge as she had already positioned herself in front of me. She was convinced I still had the skill...lol!!

Well, I got to work and I must say though I found it easy to braid from the right to the left, but it was hard remembering how to braid from left to right..... so i styled the braids in a way that allowed me to braid only leftwards....(hairdressers' secrets) ......... haahhahaaaahahahhaa!!

End results........................  not bad huh?!! Used a wide tooth comb only for the parts. I try not to touch the blue tail comb at all nowadays!!

Cute Cornrow Style.

A lot more practice and I'm surely going to get perfect at cornrows again!! Trust me, I've got good hands................hahhahahhahhahhaha!!


Have you ever installed braids,cornrows, or weaves for anyone before?

Cheers,
Star.

Rule to be Broken

After a disappointing roller set result, I had no option but to wash my hair again. I decided to do a homemade avocado and egg treatment since my hair had suffered enough in the past 3 weeks and it obviously needed some strengthening.

I mashed up some left over avocado and mixed it with an egg. Just as I was about to add some homemade oil mix, i decided to prepoo; something I have not yet tried out on my hair. Prepooing is simply what you do to your hair before shampooing with the intention of reducing the amount of stripping that your hair suffers from sulfates. Usually, this is done by applying oil to the hair and covering with a shower cap for some minutes, hours or overnight.

Put my girl's hair in braids too.....not bad for the very first time!

I warmed up the oil in a warm bath and massaged it into my scalp and then all over my hair. When it was well drenched, I covered it with a plastic bag and a shower cap. I left it in for a hour, and then I massaged my avocado and egg treatment over it. I covered again for 30 minutes and then proceeded to wash.

I rinsed everything out thoroughly. I loved the way my hair felt....so soft and silky, and finger detangling was a breeze. In fact, I almost didn't continue with the rest of my wash routine....lol! I then shampooed, conditioned with my intense moisturising conditioner and then used an ACV solution as my final rinse. 

Guess what water I used? Rainwater!! It was awesome.....though cold. I immediately noticed a difference in the way the hair felt when I poured the water in it. It felt like I had already conditioned it. Very, very soft!! I'm pleased with the results of using rainwater in my hair. I was thinking my scalp may itch afterwards... but this morning, no itch, no smell, no nothing.....lol!!

I may get braids on tomorrow...............Am I breaking any rules? It is usually best to wait a week or 2 before installing braids again but I am quite pressed for time these days, hustling between Tema and Accra sometimes 2 or 3 times a week...making some nice plans towards my big reveal..............

Hair, I really have to put you back in braids. I'm thinking about yarn twists...it will last longer and this time I can wash as much as I like since I will have all the time to allow it to dry.

Cheers,

Star.