My hair has been pretty neglected for a long time now. It is time for a change. I have been natural ever since February 2004, and I have YET to embrace my hair like I should. I know I am not my hair, but my hair is a part of this vessel God has given me so it is my responsibility to take care of it as well.
So I have been doing some research on nappturality.com and lurked the forums for information on products I can experiment on my hair. If I am to restore my hair back to a healthy, fuller, and longer state, it is imperative I find out what my hair needs.
After doing a little bit of searching around on the homemade products thread, I went to buy the following:
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (Unrefined)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Honey
Vegetable Glycerin
Distilled Water
Pure Almond Extract (for fragrance)
Here are the products I already have on hand:
Castor Oil
Shea Butter
Safflower Oil
Rosemary EO (essential oil)
Lavender EO
Peppermint EO
Apple Cider Vinegar (my replacement for shampoo)
The only commercial products I have in my possession are:
Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioner
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner
Garnier Fructis Triple Action Conditioner (with shea, avocado, and olive oils)
(I am debating whether or not I will continue to use this three products. I am still researching what ingredients are bad for natural hair. But these are some products I have read from curlynikki.com that other natural haired women are using. So once again, I don't know the fate of these products just yet).
So yesterday, I mixed some olive oil, castor oil, honey, shea butter, almond extract, peppermint EO, and distilled water in a spray bottle to create a daily spritz for my hair. Today, I added some vegetable glycerin ($9 at Whole Foods...wow!) and after spraying it on my hair tonight, I noticed a difference in the softness of my braids. They really felt moisturized. This made me feel good. I even sprayed a little on Zakiah's hair after her bath. Her hair felt soft too. Yeah!
Lets back this up! I didn't even mention anything specifics about my hair challenge. SOOOO, my goal is to establish a healthy regime to help my hair grow fuller. I am not so concerned about length because my hair grows at a pretty good rate as long as I keep my hands out of it and don't get scissor happy (I am notorious for cutting over 2 inches off at a time). I figured what would be best for now is to braid my hair in box braids and wear my wig in order to keep my hands out of my hair. I actually started off with big braids about 2 weeks ago and ended up rebraiding my hair Wednesday night into smaller sections/braids. I don't really remember exactly when I started my braids so for the sake of setting an official challenge date, I will say I started my challenge on
April 1, 2010
I plan on doing this challenge for at least six months (October 1, 2010). By the end of the challenge, I am expecting to have grown at least 2.5 to 3 inches of hair from now (I need to take a before picture even though I am dreading it because my hair is no way cute). I am excited because this is my first challenge. I even hopped on the bandwagon with others doing the 6 month challenge on nappturality.com. I am hoping to do a monthly update on my progress either by a blog post or video.
The hair regimen I am hoping to follow is:
Spritz my hair (daily before bed)
ACV rinse (every 2nd and 4th Saturday)
Rebraid my hair (every four weeks)
Simple, huh? Well that is how I like it for now until I learn more about deep conditioning, co washes, and baking soda clarifying. I really want to keep things low maintenance.
Oh, and I plan on drinking AT LEAST 8 cups of water every day. So far, so good! I met that goal ever since I started recording on my calendar (since April 1st).
As far as my wig, I am only wearing it when I go out or have a tendency to put my hand in my hair. Other than that, I allow my braids to breathe. Underneath my wig, I wear this really wide crotchet headband to protect my hair from the wig and to allow some breathing room.
Hmm, I think this is it for now. I need to remember to post a before picture as a reference point for my challenge.
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