Rehairducation

HAIR UPDATE

Hello ladies,

I texlaxed my hair almost a month ago so a hair update is due.  My hair is doing pretty okay.  My ends look a lot better after my trim and I have very little breakage.  My hair still sheds more than I would like it to but nothing alarming.  I do have one issue and have made one product alteration  and I discuss both below.

 

Lack of Retention

Looking back, I realised that over this year I have had periods of very inconsistent hair care, sometimes because of my schedule, sometimes because I was ill, sometimes because I was lazy and sometimes because I just didn’t care enough.
Well I didn’t get away with it,  I have trimmed off at least 5 inches of hair this year.  So I am not retaining ANY length…I am just maintaining my current length.
Although this is okay for me  because I am no longer on a hair growth journey the fact is that if I don’t step up I may begin to lose more hair than I grow and then my hair will not look healthy and be shorter than I would like it to be.

 

 Experimenting With A New Sealant

I am trying to be consistent with moisturising and sealing my hair daily and I have switched from using olive oil to seal to using grapeseed oil.
I used to seal with coconut oil but decided it was too light and felt olive oil would work better for me and it does.  I happened to buy some grapeseed oil and randomly decided to seal with it.  It seals in moisture in my hair for longer than coconut oil seemed to but doesn’t leave my hair as greasy as olive oil does.
One thing I must say is that my moisturising and sealing daily make me feel like my hair is weighed down for most of the week but when I try to be light handed with products my hair feels dry.

update collage

I planned to take pictures on my wash day but as life would have it my camera broke and I took these grainy shots with my phone two days after my wash day when I was moisturising and sealing.

 

Now you know what has been happening with my hair I would like to know what’s happening with yours.  Lets all share our hair updates.
The next post will be an educative one about the best ways to incorporate colour to your hair on your hair journey.

Come back soon

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

 

Playing With Colour

Hello ladies,

I am sure I have mentioned a few times that if your hair is chemically straightened then you should avoid colouring you hair with a chemical dye.  Using a chemical hair dye on relaxed or texlaxed hair means your hair has been exposed to two types of strong chemicals and will be severely compromised.
If you are relaxed or texlaxed colouring your hair with either a temporary wash out colour like a rinse or a natural dye like henna is a much safer option.
Looking at my wigs recently and comparing it to my sister’s collection of wigs I realised that all her wigs are coloured whilst a vast majority of mine are a good old colour 1b.

coloured nazuri 1
She recently purchased the Nazuri curls straight hair that I have been rocking recently and had it ombre’d
I really loved how the colour looked on her wig and think I might get mine coloured too.  It’s a great way for me to play with colour without any damage to my hair.

Nazuri coloured 5
 

I might write a blog post however to share some tips about different types of colour for ladies who would rather colour their actual hair.

I am pre-pooing my hair as I type this up and should have a wash day post up pretty soon.

Happy hair journey

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

 

I Wish This Was My Hair

IMG_8807

You know on my texlax and wash days I try to take one or two pictures for Hairducation.  When I look at the pictures I often find myself thinking – I wish this was my hair.   Okay okay yes this is all my hair i.e. it grew out of my scalp.
what I mean is that I wish my hair was this fluffy and swingy every day but the fact is that its not.

There are four reasons why my hair isn’t like this everyday

  1. First of all I don’t walk up and down the street swinging my hair.  Even if L leave my hair down when there is a strong gust of wind my hair just looks messy… and not in a the good way.
  2. This air dried or blow dried fluffiness disappears when I start moisturising and sealing my hair during the week.  As the days of the week progresses my hair starts to look  oily, stringy and weighed down.  I don’t know how to be light handed with products.
  3. My hair shrinks as the days of the week roll on so it looks so much shorter.
  4. I only comb my hair on wash days so this smoothness you see is replaced with random kinks and bends from the buns I tend to wear during the week.

So even thought this is my hair, this isn’t my hair every day.  Looking at this picture i so wish it was.  I guess i just need to enjoy my wash day fluff more.

I’ve got my eyes on some jumbo rollers and think I may experiment more with more curly hair styles I can leave down as curly hair is so much more forgive and I’ll be able to rock wind blown messy hair.

That is the plan….but I see a lot of roller set epic fails before I get it right.  Eventually I know I’ll master it.

Is there a version of your hair that you like more than your everyday hair?

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

A BRIEF GUIDE FOR TRANSITIONING

Hello ladies

 

There are more and more of us going back to our natural hair texture.
Going natural is something I support and encourage whole heartedly even though I choose to remain texlaxed.  In my attempt to cater to black hair in all it forms I realised that I needed to pay ladies  who are transitioning some attention.

This blog post will not tell you all you need to know about transitioning…I’ll need a few thousand words to set that out.  This post will highlight  the changes you should expect in your hair as you embark on your transition and give tips that will help you manage your hair during your transition.
Although I am texlaxed and have no intention to transition to natural hair, I have stretched my relaxers for up to 6 months on several occasions so I do have  some experience of how hair changes in the early stages of a transition.

Hairducation 6 months stretch

My hair on one of my 6 month stretches

Three main areas  ladies who are transitioning need to be prepared for are:

1)      How your hair changes over the length of your transition

2)      Hair styling during your transition and

3)      Moisture and protein balancing for transitioning hair

 

Weeks 0 to 10 (Two and Half Months Post)

Hair Texture Changes
This stage of a transition is usually the easiest because you will be on familiar ground.  You hair is still predominantly relaxed or texlaxed.   Some new growth will begin to appear however the difference in texture will not be too difficult to manage.

Hair Style Options
You can wear the styles that you normally would, i.e., buns, roller sets and blending it with weaves will be easy , etc.

Moisture- Protein Balance
Relaxed hair needs protein strengthening more regularly than natural hair.  Many ladies will stick to using protein deep conditioner once or twice a month as this stage.

 

 

Weeks 10 to 16 (Four Months Post)

Hair Texture Changes
From 10 onwards your new growth will be quite apparent and managing the difference in textures ( natural new growth and relaxed length) should be your focus.  You have to alter your regimen and have a plan on how you will care for both textures.

The difference in textures can lead to a lot of tangling and your hair might begin to feel really dry especially at the roots.  You will need to detangle your hair more regularly working in smaller sections and increase how regularly you moisturise and seal your hair.

Trimming regularly from this point on your transition can be of great help because ends that are aligned or even tend to tangle less.  This will therefore make your transition more manageable.

 
Hair Style Options
What I always tell ladies who are transitioning or on a long stretch is that you cannot expect hair that has months of new growth to look, feel or behave freshly relaxed hair.

Wearing sleek styles will become more difficult to achieve using the same methods as you did when your hair has no new growth.    Daily combing should be avoided.  It is important at this stage to master finger detangling your hair regularly.  Combing your hair should only be done after thorough finger detangling
Also natural hair is best manipulated when it is damp. At this stage of transitioning, misting or moisturising your new growth before styling will help make your natural new growth more flexible and easier to style.

It is better that you embrace the natural new growth and begin to get used to how it feels and working with it.  Do not try to make the new growth look like relaxed hair by using straightening irons regularly.  The last thing you want to do is end up with heat damaged hair when you eventually big chop.

Styles which help many people get through transitioning are twists outs, braid outs, perm rod sets, straw sets and roller sets.  I call these camouflage styles because they disguise the difference in textures quite well.
Some ladies prefer to begin wearing long term protective styles at this stage such as weaves, braids and wigs as they cut out the need for daily manipulation.

 
Moisture and Protein Balance
Getting your moisture and protein balance right at this stage may become a little more complicated because your new growth needs something different from your relaxed ends.  Your new growth will need moisture deep conditioning regularly and protein deep conditioners occasionally.  Your relaxed length on the other hand will need protein more regularly than your new growth however it will still need moisture conditioning.

A way to achieve balance is to apply moisture deep conditioners to your new growth and to give your relaxed length what it needs at the time ( ie it could be protein one week and then moisture for the following two weeks for example)
Remember that the natural new growth will need protein deep conditioning occasionally, ie once every 4 to 8 weeks

 

.
Weeks 16 to 24 (six months post) and Beyond

Hair Texture Changes
At 6 months post your new growth will begin to dominate your relaxed length, It will look thicker and feel stronger than your relaxed length.  Your relaxed length may begin to “look” like it is badly damaged in comparison to your natural new growth especially when it is wet. The
The battle between the two textures will also have intensified and caring for your hair may require more time to minimise breakage at the line of demarcation (where the natural roots and relaxed length meet).
Working in section will become mandatory at this stage and many ladies transitioning find washing in braids may help reduce (not eliminate) tangling.
Remember that regular trimming will help reduce the degree of tangling you experience.

 

Hair Styling Options
Wigs, braids, twists, crotchet braids and a whole host of long term protective styles may be your best bet at this stage.  It is important that you continue to care for your hair and have a regimen for your hair when wearing extensions.

It is also important that you have breaks in between wearing extensions to give your scalp and hair a chance to recuperate and more importantly for you to familiarise yourself with your natural texture.
Although you will never really know how your natural texture will behave and look like until after your big chop, getting used to how it  feels and how to style it will hopefully prepare you for managing and styling your hair post big chop.

When wearing your own hair out this deep into your transition it is best to wear the camouflage styles that have been mentioned above.

 

Moisture- Protein Balance
By this stage in your transition you should continue deep condition each texture on your head separately, i.e. use moisture deep conditioners regularly on your new growth and give your relaxed length what it needs at the time ( protein or moisture)

Please note that this method should also be followed when applying your leave-in conditioning products.

 

Make no mistake transitioning can be quite challenging for ladies especially those who are new to hair care and are still trying to find a regimen that works well for them.  As the months of your transition go by try to have a plan or fixed date for when you plan to big chop.  Having a goal date can help to keep you motivated on your transition.

I hope this brief guide serves its purpose and is helpful to both ladies who are transitioning and those on a long stretch.  Is anyone transitioning or currently on a long stretch?  What do you find most challenging and what methods work well to help you manage your hair?

X

 

Lade

Learn| Change | Grow