Overcoming Lazy

A few months ago I dyed my ends and they seem to be holding up okay although I've noticed some thinning. Hopefully being more gentle helps prevent any further breakage.

My routine is washing weekly and either doing twists or stretching with Curlformers and styling in a bun updo. If I do twists, I keep them in until I'm going out somewhere and then I'll moisturise and use the Curlformers. Then if that feels dry before I wash again I'll moisturise and Bantu knot (followed by another updo) I'm doing the least that still allows my hair to thrive and loving it. My products:

And that's it! Keeping my hair stretched prevents horrendous tangles. I love the way wash and gos look but the SSKs are a nightmare. At the moment I detangle in the shower as it's easy with my high slip DC and when my hair is long enough I will do this in twisted sections. It's getting there, bit by bit... 

By the end of the year my hair will be the same length as the bulk of my relaxed years but like... a decent thickness instead of the straggly mess it was. Believe me, I can't wait!

xx Lam

 

Yeah, so I grew all this hair since the last time you saw me...

Hi all! I've been learning and enjoying my hair for the past couple of months, finding out what my hair likes and what it hates. I was getting good length retention but just had to cut off around half an inch of frazzled ends after I mistakenly thought I could use a flat iron on this fine hair of mine. Spoiler alert: I can't. I'm now dealing with mega single strand knots, which weren't an issue until then. Ah well, lessons learnt!

 

8 months and exactly 3" of natural hair gives me a growth rate of 4.5" per year. I knew my growth rate was less than the average, but I'm happy with what I've got!

 Protective styling just in time for a summer challenge!

The year from hell has finally finished, although I still have to wait a week or so until results come out and I find out whether I've made it to the next year or have to repeat... Medical school is a marathon. The first thing I did upon finishing was another type of marathon! I twisted up my hair in a cute protective style I've been itching to try for a while. It took me a while to work out how to do these twists and to work with the kinky textured hair, but I love it. I also like the shorter look on me, which is something I've not tried before with braids. I'm going to try my best to not forget about my hair and keep it looked after, but the pre-style wash day was on point, thanks to the products below...

Rubbish quality, sorry. Dark and Lovely Coil Moisturising Soufflé, Dove Quench Absolute Intensive Restoration Mask and Supreme Creme Serum, Dove Intense Repair Leave-in conditioner, and Naked Shine Hydrating Shampoo/Conditioner. Also pictured is my oil mix: shea butter, hemp seed, olive, and coconut with sweet orange essential oil for smell.

I've also sorted through all my products and have stumbled onto the staples I believe I will now be using going forward, which is great (with some Aphogee thrown in every now and again for protein). Dove has never done me wrong and surprise surprise! They've come out with a line for curlies. I really liked this shampoo when I tried it so took a gamble on the conditioner and it's perfect for detangling. Lots of slip and silicone free so reduces build up (which was important recently as I relied on co-washing this past few months). My favourite surprise here was the Dark and Lovely Coil Moisturising Soufflé. It states that it is for tight coils and curls. It's amazing to see something actually marketed to my hair type for once!

I'm a firm believer in the manufacturer knowing what products suit each hair type. I am also veeery lazy (as you know) and I don't like to go to more than once place to get my hair supplies. So I'm glad to now be able to get a shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, leave in and moisturising cream all from Boots (who also do deliveries to your nearest shop, hurray!) and for reasonable prices.

Although I have my staples, I'm also still interested in experimenting with things such as bentonite clay, and I'll continue to do henna treatments on my hair. I like a bit of the natural every now and again! Very much hoping that the 30 day challenge stops me from neglecting my hair, as well as my shiny new products.

xx Lam

Me aged 13/14 most likely with my hair in all it's natural glory! I was repping the 4c wash and go hardcore style.