Emergency Relaxer Update (WARNING: Long Post)

Hello, ladies.
By the time you actually read this post, I will actually be a week post relaxer. You read correctly: I relaxed my hair on April 17th at 6 weeks post! I know 6 weeks is very soon to be relaxing hair on a HHJ, but I was losing my mind. I thought I was listening to my hair. SIGHS....here is the story:

I have been taking Hairfinity since the middle of January. My NG has been very thick, but not growing as fast as I thought it would on the vitamins. In the midst of all that, I ended up getting stressed out with my courses, work and family life. I was tossing and turning at night. My bonnet would come off every single night. I would see long hairs on my pillow every morning. I took two grad school classes in January, I was stressing HARD. My hair was coming out in the handfuls. I tried putting my hair in buns for days at a time so that I wouldn't have to deal with my hair. That didn't help. On wash days, I would lose mucho hair and I wasn't being rough at all. To put icing on the cake, I had to take my grad school comp the last day of February. The stakes got high for me for a while. AND my brother got into an accident.

In the end, my brother made a great recovery. I passed my two hard classes from January. I even made two 100s on my two finals. I started off practically failing one of these classes, and I ended up with an A and a B. I PASSED MY COMP! So, I am graduating this year from grad school. My work load at work started to ease up some. So, with this break come sudden destruction, lol. I decided to concentrate on my hair again fully.

The truth of the matter is, I have been getting really bored with my hair. I have been focusing on protection and limited manipulation that I have yet to enjoy my hair. I haven't been this length for so long, and all that is on my mind is hiding my hair. That mind frame has gotten old and I am casting it aside. I wanted to start anew with my hair. So this is what I have decided to do (and did).

I took time and eliminated the intense shedding and breakage I have had. I suffered tremendous breakage with that sew in I received in February. After I got that under control, I decided to relax my hair.

RELAXER PREP and APPLICATION:
-I prepped my hair with conditioner, a leave in, coconut oil and mixed oils. This was placed onto my length to prevent run off. My hair is fine naturally. I do not need any run off to cause any more breakage that I do not need.
-I based my scalp with castor oil. I also mixed up my relaxer and applied mixed oils in to slow down the process because of the amount of NG I had.
-I relaxed my hair with my Normal ORS relaxer with mixed oils. The entire application and smoothing process took 25 minutes.
-I rinsed the relaxer out and used my Elasta QP Stop Action Neutralizing Shampoo 6 times.
-After rinsing the shampoo out, I color rinsed my hair Radiant Black by Dark and Lovely.
-After leaving the color rinse on for 25 minutes, I rinsed it and applied my DC.
-My DC consisted of moisturizing conditioners and castor oil. I left it on for about 30 minutes and rinsed.
-After tshirt drying my hair, I applied my two leave ins: Crème of Nature Argan Oil Leave In and Elasta QP Spray Leave in. I spray the CON on my entire hair, from root to tip. I spray the Elasta on my edges and my ends. I put on a plastic cap and sat under a warm dryer for 10 minutes.
-After I got done, I just wrapped my hair and went to bed.
-The next day, I lost my bonnet in my sleep. So my wrap was a fail. But I walked around with my hair out and allowed it to air dry. Instead, I used my heat protectant and flat ironed my hair.

RELAXER AFTER THOUGHTS:
-I really liked the way I prepped my hair. I believe that it was a great prep. It succeeded with what I wanted it to do. I did not experience any breakage or weakening of my hair.
-My hair feels quite strong. I am really excited about that, especially being very soon after my relaxer.
-I have experienced some growth that I will share in a picture below. With growth means that I have retained!!! Yay!

So, Why Did I Relax So Soon Into This Stretch:
I wanted to give my hair a fresh start. I suffered some lost with my bonnet kept falling off. I suffered breakage with my sew in. I am bored with styles. I didn't have any idea what to do to my hair at a specific week post. So, I decided to break down a schedule of what style to do at certain weeks post:

Weekly Style Plan:
-Week 1 thru 2 - - - Saran Wrap Roller Set
-Week 3 thru 4 - - - Flexi Rod Set
-Week 5 thru 6 - - - Pincurl Updo
-Week 7 thru 8 - - - Braid out
-Week 9 thru 10 - - - Two Strand Twist with Satin Covered Sponge Rollers
-Week 11 thru 12 - - - Braids/weave/wigs/style (anything that I feel like doing this week)
-Week 13 thru 14 - - - Faux Ponytail (weave ponytail bun)
-Week 15 thru 16 - - - Natural Bun (using only my real hair for the bun)

I believe that I am going to incorporate this style regimen into my next stretch. I will be doing these styles for two full weeks. I have done a lot of research for this Style Plan. I believe that these are the best styles to incorporate with the amount of weeks I will be post relaxer. I believe that this style schedule will keep me from being bored with my hair, most importantly. I want to finally enjoy my hair. 

Even though I will be manipulating my hair at least once a week, I have not introduced any heat passages in this stretch. I am trying to go through one entire stretch without using heat. I have never done so, and I would love to say that I have gone through at least one stretch with no heat. With every wash, I will introduce castor oil into all of my DCs this stretch. I will use leave ins with every wash with heat.

I will follow this schedule for my next stretch. I will review this schedule after my next relaxer. We will see if this schedule has helped my hair. This will determine if this is helpful or should cut this out and move onto a new method of helping my hair.

Not only am I trying to help my hair, but I am trying to enjoy my hair at the same time. I have APL hair, and I am tired of hiding it. I want to enjoy my hair. I have a new significant other in my life, lol. I want to feel pretty and look pretty and my hair makes me feel pretty. Thankfully, this new person is not a stickler against weave. He said he wouldn't mind if I wear my weave or braids or wigs. YES! That is nothing like I went through with my last boyfriend. Out with the old and in with the new. LOL! Anyways, enjoy the pictures from this relaxer update.

In addition, look out for the following reviews:
I will have a review about my sew in.
I will have a review about my leave ins with heat.
I will be updating you on my mother's hair.
April Favorites Post!

Fresh Face Friday

My pic looks a little weird, but here I am on another Friday with coverage on. All I am wearing is mascara and nude lipstick with balm. While I have been taking care of my skin and texture, I have noticed some small changes in my skin. I'm going to continue to work on my texture and skin tone. So be on the look out for even more improved skin next Friday!!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Alexis 

Hair Question .:All Comments are Welcomed:.

I love being on a HHJ. One of the hardest parts of my journey is hair retention. In addition, I have suffered with my failure to protective style. I can never commit to a protective style. It never last long. Sometimes, they do more harm than good.

So my question is:

Can a person have a successful HHJ without protective styling?
(When I say successful, I mean retain length and healthy hair???

Please help me with this, because I believe that I may abandon protective styling altogether.

Thanks,
Alexis

Fresh Face Friday

TGIF and Thanks for tuning into my very Fresh Face Friday. I have actually been actively participating in my FFF challenge. If you haven't tuned into my earlier blog posts, but I have decided to commit my Fridays with little to no make-up so that I won't be heavily relied on it. So here are some photos in natural light to show my facial flaws:

As you can see, I have lots of acne scars, but TRUST ME, they have gotten a lot better. So the only thing that I used was mascara and lip balm. 

Enjoy the weekend,

-Alexis 

MARCH FAVS (1st Fav Post)

DISCLAIMER: I was not contacted by any of the companies mentioned below. I was not asked to test these products. I was not asked to review these products. I purchased all of the products below myself, and I have listed these as my personal favorites for the month of March 2014. 

Now that we got that disclaimer out of the way:

Hello! As promised, I am posting my March Favorites! Is it just me or was March super long????????? I am so ready to see the end of March. I am thankful for the month of April. It is going to warm up alittle. I am tired of this cold weather.

In the month of March, a stumbled upon a few good deals. I decided not to pass these things up. I tried out new products, and the ones that I absolutely LOVED, I decided to post about them. They will be broke up here in HAIR, NAILS, FACE CARE and MAKE-UP.

HAIR:
The first hair product that I absolutely LOVE is my Creme of Nature with Argan Oil Strength and Shine Leave-In Conditioner. 

Image source: Google

This product promised strength and shine. It can be used on damp and dry hair. Unlike the other products I will write about, I have actually used one bottle of this product before. The way I was using it was shampooing my hair, condition wash then apply this leave-in spray then style. I was actually not going to purchase this product again, wanted to try a new spray leave-in. But I caught it on sale at a local BSS. When I saw it there on sale, something in my head told me to try it in a different way.
So now, whenever I shampoo my hair and DC, I spray my Creme and Nature Leave-In and put on a plastic cap and sit under the dryer with it for 10-15 minutes before I style or whatever. Let me tell you, girlfriend!!!!!! Since doing it like this, my hair is so soft!!! My hair is manageable. My hair feels like butter. My hair is shiny! My hair is strong! I believe that this Creme of Nature Leave-In has found a permanent place in my regimen!!!!! I will continue to buy this product. 5 stars!

My last hair for my March favs will be my GVP (Generic) to Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. 

Image source: Google

Where has the product been all my flatironned life?! This product promises to reduce drying time, smooths, shines and conditions. One positive about this product is that a very small amount goes a LOOOOONG way. One time, I poured a full dime size amount into my hand and was afraid that I was going to weigh down my hair. I literally use a drop, maybe two depending on how frizzy my hair is. This product has officially replaced my old heat protectant. I am only using my old heat protectant for roller sets for myself, and wraps for my mom. When I use this product on my wet hair, I am blow drying. It leaves my hair so shiny. When I am using this product on dry hair, I am flatironning. It leaves my hair flowing in the wind. It is amazing. This product is not going anywhere!!!!!! 5 stars!

FACE CARE:

The first facial care product I used was the Bio-Oil.


Image source: Google

I have not used this product before. It is this light weight oil that promises to improve scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone, aging skin dehydrated skin. I started using this product about two months ago. The product recommends that one apply the product twice daily for improvements visible in 3 months. The product was working wonderfully for the first couple of months. However, the product has began to slack in its progress. Another con about this product is that every though it is a light weight oil, this product leaves my face extremely shiny and greasy looking. I have a whole bottle of this product and I am not ready to toss it just yet. So, I am going to continue to use it, but I had to improvise.....

I was in desperate need of a great oil-free moisturizer. So I decided to purchase Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturizer.

Image source: Google

This was my first time purchasing this product. When I was shopping for a moisturizer, I read enough bottles to final settle on this particular one. It promises to moisturize dry skin, treat and help prevent pimples. I LOVE this moisturizer. It last all day. It is a wonderful moisturizer. It is light weight. It goes on wonderfully. It doesn't leave my skin super greasy looking, which is a great plus. So, I decided when applying my moisturizer that I would mix a drop on my Bio-Oil with my moisturizer. I am super happy with what is going on. I am using up a product; it is not sitting on my dresser or in my stash collecting dust; I am getting the light weight results like I want. It is a win-win here.

The final product purchased in March was my Ambi Skin Care Even and Clear Foaming Cleanser.

Image source: Google

I have used this product before and did not see any results with it before. It promises to help clear and prevent breakouts. In addition it is supposed to help improve visibly tone and texture. I have been only using this product for about 1 1//2 weeks. This product has helped my skin tone tremendously in this little amount of time. My acne scars are fading and fading fast. My skin is brightening and shining (without the greasy products). My face is soft, and I am happy I decided to give this product another try. So, I will be giving you a post later about the update on my Bio-Oil and my Ambi. I am trying to achieve clearer skin.

MAKEUP:

For a while, I have been using the Maybelline New York the Colossal Volume Express, Cat Eyes.

Image source: Google

But for the month of March, I have been really on my mascara. I LOVE this mascara. It gives me the volume that I desperately seek. My eyes look so dramatic. In addition to the mascara itself, I really love the mascara brush. The curve in the brush helps me get all of my upper and lower lashes. It makes applying mascara so easy for me. I purchased the Turbo Volume, but it has nothing on this Colosssal Volume. Big Time Favorite! This mascara is not going anywhere. I have seen where women have bought this brand of mascara but the brush is straight, not curved. I will continue to keep my curved brush. There is no way I can go back to the straight brush after I have been spoiled by the curved brush. 5 stars!!!

e.l.f. Tinted Moisturizer in the shade SAND

Image source: Google

I am NOT a fan of liquid foundation. It makes me look porcelain-like, super hard and super stiff. I look quite unnatural with it. Well, after watching a few YouTube videos, I saw where on some women's "down days", instead of using foundation, they will put on some tinted moisturizer. So, I told myself that I would look into some for myself, just to try it out. I decided to try the e.l.f. brand and move on up to other brands to see which one I prefer. Let me tell you: I am not looking any further!!! I purchased my first tube of this tinted moisturizer in the shade SAND from my local Walmart. I put it on and I received one of the most natural looking coverage I have ever laid eyes on. I mean, it was popping, but in a good way. My skin looked natural but covered. It was amazing. It was like I was performing magic. So, I applied it again and again and again for weeks and weeks. Nothing changed; it was still this most remarkable coverage. So, I caught a great sale on e.l.f. and now I have 9 containers of my new make-up staple. Sometimes, my face can look a little abnormally shiny with the moisturizer, so I will take facial powder of my choice and do a light once over. In my eyes, this product is where its at. Did I mentioned that it goes perfectly with my skin tone? I just matched my hand skin tone with the color strip outside of the container! BEST. DECISION. EVER.
5 stars!

Wet and Wild Lipstick, color Just Peachy

Image source: Google

I am not a big lipstick person either. But since I have been wearing the tinted moisturizer, I wanted to wear more color on my lips rather than the glossy lip I have rocked so religiously into the grave. I was picking some reds, pinks, purples and oranges. BUT I was on the hunt for the perfect nude-like color. In the midst of a junk food run at my local Dollar General, I passed by a lipstick stand for 1 dollar. I found this Wet and Wild, Just Peachy color and I was sold! When I first put it on, I fell in love. I will normally base my lip with a moisturizing balm and apply a small coat of my lipstick on. It is natural looking with being overbearing at all. I wear this color practically everyday. It is awesome!


NAILS:


Image source: Google

I was growing my nails out, but I have trimmed them low to start over on their growth because I am treating them so that they can grow in more stronger. Before I trimmed my nails, I purchased 3 polishes that I was absolutely crazy about. The first one is Essie Eternal Optimist. I saw a MUA on youtube using this color and I had to have it. I looked to good on her fingernails. Once I bought the polish and tried it out for myself, I didn't believe that I did the polish justice. But I didn't lose hope just yet. I tried it on my toes and I FELL IN LOVE!!!!!!! I cannot believe how beautiful (yes, I am talking about my feet) my feet looked! I believe that color paired with a careful DIY pedicure helped me achieve some awesome looking feet lol.


Image source: Google

The next polish I purchased was the ORLY Pink Nude. I know that this color is paired with french manicures, but I love the nudes of the french manicure polishes. SO, I purchased it for a full nail experience. In the end, I believe that this color was decent on both my fingers and toes, but I believe that a better base coat will really help bring out the true potential in this color. So, I will be posting an additional post about this polish on a later date.

My final product of March is my OPI Pinking of You fingernail polish.

Image source: Google

 I cannot tell you how much I love this color. How did I come across this color??? Well, I was getting a manicure, and a lady was getting this very same color on her nails and toes. I asked the manicurist what was the name of the color and she told me. So, I ordered it offline not seconds after she told me. It is a very beautiful color. For the sake of this post, I got my pedicure with this very same color. I believe that it goes very well with my skin tone, FINGERS AND TOES. It is one of my favorite pinks!!!!!!!

Well, there you have it! This has been my first monthly favorites blog. I hope you have enjoyed it. I am already on the hunt for my April's post. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

-Alexis