Overcoming Lazy

So I wasn't sure if I was going to wash my hair properly this week (I co-washed a couple of days ago). I've got stitches in one of my arms and I didn't know if getting water and potentially product on them was a good idea. Health before length, know what I mean?

But after seeing KLP post over at Saving Our Strands about her wash day despite feeling ill, I decided to go for it! This wash day for me was about being pro-active. My hair felt nice, pretty soft but not incredibly moisturised two days after my co-wash with my oil mix to seal. I haven't done L.O.C since then because I didn't feel it was necessary. But then I thought, why wait for my hair to feel dry before deep conditioning? Why not just keep it feeling good forever? It seemed kind of obvious but when you're trying to 'listen' to your hair, sometimes it's easier to wait until it's screaming for moisture as opposed to politely asking. Not today! However, I know that my hair doesn't need to be squeaky clean, so that informed what I did, product-wise. All steps were carried out section by section.

[1] I detangled in four sections with liberal amounts of my oil mix then left it as a pre-poo for three hours under a shower cap and towel turban. [2] I rinsed out the oil with warm water then washed my hair and scalp with a combination of Lee Stafford Argan Oil Nourishing Conditioner and Naked Shine Hydrating Shampoo, which I mixed enough of for one use in one of my empty deep conditioner tubs. [3] I squeezed out excess water then deep conditioned with John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Intensive Hair Masque on the length, Tresemmé Thermal Recovery Treatment Masque on the roots and ends and my oil mix on top for 45 minutes under a shower cap and towel turban. [4] I rinsed with cold water and then Apple Cider Vinegar (2 tbsp to 1 mug of cold water). [5] I tshirt dried for 15 minutes then used my oil mix and Dove Dry Ends Serum to seal in moisture before styling.

My hair feels soft like a baby's and I attribute a lot of this to the Nourishing Conditioner - which I will definitely be rebuying now that it's run out - mitigating some of the stripping effect of the Hydrating Shampoo (which can strip even though it's sulphate free). However, I still need to find a way to prevent tangling and breakage during washing because that's really starting to annoy me!

How did your wash day go? Link up!
Lam

When I think of what I considered moistured hair back when I started this blog, I actually laugh. Each thing that I've discovered is necessary for maintaining my hair health has become vital.

• Colour rinses maintain my slightly red hair colour without further damaging it and correct porosity issues so I can hold onto moisture
• Pre-pooing with oil stops any type of shampoo from stripping my hair of the good stuff
• Darcy's Botanicals Lemongrass Transitioning Creme (or a good quality moisturiser) cannot be substituted for a lower quality product. I may have to rebuy when mine runs out (although I'm rationing it quite well) despite the price
• Liquid.Oil.Cream (LOC) for me is better than LCO or moisturising+sealing as I'm less heavy-handed with product that way and my hair is never greasy even after a week without washing
• Deep conditioners are vital! Rinse-out conditioners are not a substitute because the concentration of product is not sufficient
• Multiple washes a week are not necessary when hair is properly conditioned
• Trésemme Keratin Smooth Deep Treatment Masque is the one, allowing me to hold onto all the moisture I impart to my hair
• Using multiple protein products every week works well for me and my fragile ends
• A serum to smooth ends helps with looks and feel and is like a double-sealing to prevent moisture loss
• Apple Cider Vinegar is looking like it's going to be a staple, because after my last wash day, my hair has never felt so enduringly soft

It's great to be able to work out what steps are my staples, not just products. I don't believe that there's any one ultimate product, just that you can elevate your moisture levels bit by bit until what you thought was moisturised a month ago is now the Sahara desert while you're on Cloud 9!

Smooches,
Lam

My washday for the past few weeks has been mostly following the regimen detailed in this post. As I said in my last post, I now wash in braids, which reduces the tangling I get during washing that negates my detangling during my oil pre-poo. Last week I clarified instead of using my no-sulphate Naked Shampoo because I wanted fresh and clean hair for my style of the week.

A lot of people at the moment seemed to have picked up on bantu knot-outs at the same time/are blogging about it. They're a beautiful way to style your hair and once you get the right method (e.g. level of hair dampness) down, are really easy. Why am I saying no to bantu knots? Because I had to cut two knots out of my hair during my mid-week hairstyle refresh and I also noticed that my hair was beginning to lock together in sections of twisted hair. That's a major no. I noticed that my hair felt well moisturised for the full week I had the hairstyle but I did have to redo the knots after 3 or so days so they'd be fresh for a birthday I had to go to. That's when I first realised what a pain they'd be to detangle. Also, after washing, I noticed broken hair after broken hair. That's likely half due to not moisturising/sealing every day and the manipulation required to detangle.

Maybe I haven't quite got it down and should wait until my ends are of a better quality to do this style again. Or perhaps I should just save it for special occasions and only have it for a couple of days. Either way, I'm sticking to low manipulation straight airdried styles for now.

This week, I used an apple cider vinegar rinse as my final rinse (15ml ACV to 1 mug warm water) after cold water. From what I've read, it restores the pH of your hair and allows the cuticle to shut more tightly, holding moisture in. As I have both relaxed and coloured hair, that sounded like something I should explore! After the rinse, I definitely noticed a certain fluffy softness to the top parts of my hair that I've never experienced before. However, my ends are in pretty bad condition from the knot-out and so I don't feel as though I'll see the full benefits for a few weeks. Thinking I might do a mid-week deep condition to put some oomph back into my ends.

'Til next time,
Lam