GHlonghair on YOUTUBE.....

Yes I did!!

Caught the vlogging fever, made a few videos and uploaded them here.................. 

GhlonghairStar Youtube Channel

Please watch, comment, like and most importantly SUBSCRIBE.


I know they may not be as fabulous as some others you may have watched, but I just started so support me and I know I will step up my game....heheheeh...especially with the lighting.

Any videos you would like me to make?



Cheers,
Star.

Nothing Something

I was lazy with wash day this weekend. Forgive me, but I was so tired after I went to the salon to get the twists redone. I spent an hour at the salon and was pretty exhausted by the time I got home. Besides, thanks to ECG, I had missed watching TV since Saturday morning so when the lights came on about 15 minutes after I got home, I just glued my eyes to the TV....hehehhehehe...watching I don't even remember what...lol!!

Now, I am reconsidering washing 2-3 times a week with these braids. I have no intention of going back to the salon to get them redone again so I will wash my hair only once a week, concentrating on my scalp and not my hair. I therefore intend to moisten my hair a bit more every night when I do my green house effect so that I will have more moisture in my hair in the morning. I will then moisturise and seal, and spray with my braid spray which I have not used since I undid the yarn braids. But as time goes on, if my hair doesn't like the change, I will wash as often as my hair wants. 

Good or bad idea?

Cheers,

Star.

How I Moisturise and Seal Braids

The weather in Ghana and most parts of Africa is hot and dry throughout the year. Even during the rainy season, it is quite hot though humid. This is not very hair friendly. Dry weather often dries out the moisture in our hair especially considering that most relaxed ladies use hair grease throughout the week and only wash hair once a week. 

 

The grease is such that it coats the hair shaft totally and doesn't allow any moisture from the air if any to penetrate the hair. The hair goes without moisture for a whole week mostly and this results in dry, weak, dull and brittle ends which split and break off easily. Your hair seems not to be growing and you are stuck at one length, usually shoulder length. 

There are however great ways to prevent our hair from drying out. Simply use as much water in your hair as it needs. Wash your hair at least 2 times a week but not with shampoo on every one of those wash days as too much shampoo can dry out the hair. Did you know you can use conditioner to wash your hair? That's cowashing!! You can also spray water on your hair when it feels too dry but you don't want to wash. 

VERY IMPORTANT: Moisturise and seal your hair (even if in braids) every morning, night or both depending on the needs of your hair with a good moisturiser ( preferably water-based) and a pure virgin oil such as olive, coconut or castor oil. Do not use too much products as this may weigh down your hair or cause build-up. A little goes a long way. Below is a picture story of how I moisturise and seal even when I have braids.Don't forget to massage your scalp during this process everyday for at least 5 mins!! You will see results!

For more information, you can check this older post.

What can I say to express my heartfelt gratitude to all my readers and fans here, on my Facebook Page and my Youtube channel (GhlonghairStar)?!! Don't forget to like my page and subscribe to my channel for updates. Thanks for your support.

You keep me going......keep the comments and questions coming.

Cheers,
Star.

How long will these braids last?

I'm quite sad about this protective style I got because though it is pretty, it may not survive a wash day without it being redone. Most of the twists at the back came loose just from my massaging, moisturing and sealing routine that I had to use my braid spray today. I passed by the salon and luckily met the hairdresser herself; the one who did these braids is her assistant, and she asked me to come after work for the braids to be redone. 

Check out the hair underneath the end of the braid as though it were new growth...lol!!

The big problem is that I don't have time to spare in the evenings, especially not at a salon.....seriously.....lol!! Besides, today is Wash Day!! So I guess I just have to wash my hair as planned today and hope just a few braids come loose. Luckily, I do have braiding skills and so far, all those I have redone are nice and tight. The trick is to part the real hair into three just as is done with the artificial hair when box braiding underneath. If the real hair is not parted , it is very difficult for the braid to stay in place as a slight pull is all it takes for the artificial attachment to slip off. 

I intend not to let this upset my hair care routine. I will wash my braids 2 times a week, moisturise and seal every morning, massage every morning and evening using T444Z 3 times during the week, and green house effect every night as usual using castor oil.

Hmmmmmmmmmm......I would really not want to sit through another braiding session!! Maybe a last resort would be to get these braids into a bun if I am unable to get it redone during the weekend. 

What do you think?

Cheers,

Star.

New Protective Style: Cornrow Twists

After waiting for hours for my turn at my salon, though I own the place, I make the customers the priority so I gave up and decided to have my braids done on Sunday instead.  I just whiled away the 6 hours I spent there chatting with the clients about hair care and gave some free tips!! And poor me, I had a flat tyre on my way to the salon on Sunday!! How much hussle do I have to go through to get my hair done by my favourite braider?!! Hhehhehehhehhehehe (I have no idea about where to even start fixing flats!! Bad huh?) !! Luckily, I asked around and found some mechanics who helped out for a fee, and then when I called the hairdresser about an hour later, she had already left the shop on an errand since she thought I would take longer to get there.

Now I was pressed for time since it was past 1pm by this time and I was sure the braids will take at least 3 hours so I decided not to wait for her but get another hairdresser to do my braids!! Bad idea? Let's see the outcome of my adventure.....lol! 

Used 1 and 1/2 pack of Darling Colour 1

I always try to allow some room for error when I go to a new salon, but not the kinds of errors that will leave my hair in a disaster.

My observations with this hairdresser:

She complied when I asked her to use a wide tooth comb only to comb my hair and did not braid tightly. I also asked for big braids so that was also done well. My only problem was that she wasn't an excellent braider.....the job is not the type that will turn heads......lol!! And she wasn't able to do the exact style I wanted with the cornrows in front though the photo calendar was right in her shop. I alerted her at least 3 times to no avail. Also, the braids were not done well; I had to redo 2 already this morning as they fell out as I was massaging my scalp. Conclusions, she is not a good braider and I won't patronise her service again. Too bad because her shop is very close to my house. 

I do really need to find a "spare" hairdresser!! Anyone around Tema especially Tema Comm 22 or Ashaiman you can recommend?

Cheers,

Star.

Wash Day: 4 Weeks Post

I can't believe I'm 4 weeks post already and I must confess I am disappointed with my new growth so far!! I don't see 1/2 inch new growth...it is probably 1/4 inch or less as I can't really see it though I can feel it when I massage my scalp. 

 There was only one thing missing in my regimen the past month and that was the use of T444Z Hair food for massaging my scalp as it was almost finished and I had almost no hope of getting more till June so I used it only once a week for my edges. I had to write this post yesterday but having heard T444Z was available in Ghana in Accra, I lost no time in getting one for myself and a few friends!! So happy was I that I used the last bit that was left to massage my entire scalp yesterday......hehhehhehhhehe!!

Last bit that was left...........

T444Z Reloaded....Zero to Hero!!

.....hhehehehhe....squeaky clean!!

Well, that was after I did my wash (too excited to wait to announce the GOOD NEWS!!).

This day, I did my wash a little differently, not because I wanted to but because I was too exhausted on Thursday night as I closed late from work and didn't wash when I took my shower but decided to do it eventually in order not to miss a wash day.....by which time it was almost 8:30pm. No kidding, I fell asleep while waiting to rinse out my deep conditioner....lol!!

1. I cowashed with VO5 conditioner.
2. I deep conditioned with Vitale Hair Mayonnaise .....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz mins....overnight! I must admit my hair looked extremely soft the next morning.

After applying deep conditioner

After overnight DC

3. Rinsed out conditoner and airdried with my fan....lol!
4. I then massaged T444Z into my scalp, moisturised with SCurl and Ultimax; and sealed with Profectiv Mega Growth Oil.
5. I decided to finger comb after which I just held my hair up with clips.

Just held hair up .....i was running late for work by this time.

Before mositurising and sealing.

 I've decided to get braids today as my protective style for the month of April...and I will continue to follow my regimen the same way.........One thing that is going to change is the number of times I use my precious T444Z Hair Food. For faster hair growth, it is to be massaged into the scalp 3 times a day so this time with hope that the product has come to stay, I will use it 3 times a week instead of once and see how much growth I get this month.

Cheers,

Star.

Tea Rinsing and Loving it!!

So lazy me finally got out of the holiday mood ....lol!! Hope you enjoyed the Easter season and didn't forget to share on picnic day!! I was extremely pleased about the past days... because it was Easter; that time when we celebrate the most wonderful sacrifice ever made on earth for our redemption, and also because I had a lot of time for my hair. I am almost 4 weeks post relaxer but I decided not to braid just yet so for the 5 days, I had my own hair in 6 large braids and covered it with a wig when I had to go to church..which was the only outing (lol) I did the entire time. I took the braids out on Sunday evening but didn't comb my hair. I washed my hair on Thursday evening, Saturday morning, and Monday morning...my hair is shouting..."thank you, thank you, thank you,..."....hehehhehhehehe!! 

This is the brand of tea I used.

Couldn't let all this go to waste......was pleased my hair was glad to consume it all!!

And I tried something new for my hair on Thursday and Monday....I Tea Rinsed!! I had read a lot about tea rinsing but since I don't really have a problem with shedding and breakage (I think), I was not really keen on adding it to my regimen. But then again, with a whole jar of tea leftover from breakfast on Thursday as it happens sometimes, I thought I should rinse my hair with the tea as it not only proven to reduce shedding and breakage, but is also known to add shine, lustre and thickness to hair, make it more soft, manageable and darker over time...and some varieties of tea are known to increase and stimulate faster hair growth. It is also a loved antioxidant!

This is one thing I didn't know earlier: A cup of Black tea has more caffeine than a cup of coffee!!

The main benefit of caffeine for hair is that it blocks DHT (Dihydrotestorone) which is the hormone  responsible for hair shedding. Use any blend of tea or coffee that contains caffeine. You can also infuse the tea with herbs such as rosemary, lavendar, chamomile, nettle, burdock root, etc if you have them !! 

Check out how these vloggers tea rinse: 

Simple way to use tea in hair (as I used it):

1. Boil a litre of water and add 3 (more or less if you want) teabags to it.

2. Take it off the stove and leave it to stand for at least 2 hours.

3. Wash hair as usual and pour tea over hair and scalp.

4. Massage your scalp for at least 5 minutes by which time the tea would have drained off.

5. Cover head with a shower cap for about 45 minutes. Do not rinse yet.

6. Apply deep conditioner (preferably a moisturing one as black tea may leave your hair hard) on top and cover head with a shower cap again for 30 minutes or more depending on the instructions on your product. You can use heat if you prefer to.

7. Rinse out completely and proceed to airdry, moisturise, seal and style as you desire!!

I must say I felt the results instantly after airdrying....most noticeable was the softness and shine...and so much less frizz!! I didn't even need to scarf my hair after moisturising and sealing...it was really good to go!! And finger combing was a breeze........hair was smooth and shiny, i didn't even use a comb in my hair till today since I didn't need it to be bone straight anyway!!

My first impression of tea rinsing is that it's definitely a keeper! I don't need much convincing because my hair loves it. I will continue to do tea rinses and give you an update in a month!! Just need to check out if it can be done with ACV rinses on the same day. (Will update you on that.) 

Check out this great post for millions (just to exaggerate...lol) of other ways to use tea in your hair. 

How Tea Rinses Stimulate Growth and Nourish Hair.

"I'm tea rinsing and loving it....tea rinsing and loving it.....tea rinsing and loving it...." (singing and dancing)

Have you tried tea rinses? Would you try tea rinses?  Share your experiences. Do leave a comment.

Cheers,

Star!

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