Overcoming Lazy

• Noticeable strengthening of hair from one application. I could feel that my strands had more resilience as soon as I started rinsing the henna out.
• Noticeable thickening/increased weight to hair. When I was squeezing water out of my hair, it was like... where did this extra volume come from?
• Beautiful colour (see above!) that shows up when light is shone through my hair. This was more than I was expecting, because my hair is dark. I expect this to become a little more apparent as I henna more.
• Glossy glossy glossy! Such a wonderful shine
• No dried out feeling to hair as many report. My hair loves protein (I've heard henna acts similarly), however - enough that I use Aphogee 2 step nearly every time I wash my hair. So I wasn't expecting it to have a negative effect on my fine fine hair.

• Really moisturising/conditioning - I loved the way it felt as I was rinsing it out (even if it is a bit grainy and requires quite a bit of conditioner to wash out)
• Pre-mixed so I don't have to faff around with getting all the various necessaries together
• For me, it's economical because I seem to only need 1 out of 6 squares for my application

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

I'm getting so lazy! I need to look at my blog title and realise that I'm supposed to be overcoming lazy, not becoming more so. So here's a wash day post at a bit more than 2 weeks post relaxer. I was so glad to wash my hair after the first week because my dead straight blowed out hair was snapping like nobody's business. It was because I'd got used to having natural roots and there was now no give - my hair was at full extension with little tolerance for pulling. After a wash, the natural waves from airdrying gave me a bit more leeway. I had to be extremely gentle when detangling. Onto detailing of my full weekly washing regimen.

[1] I pre-pooed overnight with a hot oil mix of grapeseed oil/coconut oil/rapeseed oil. Usually my mix has extra virgin olive oil in it instead of rapeseed oil but I'm a poor student no longer living at home and I can't afford that ish so I just use what we have as a flat for cooking.
[2] When I woke up, I rinsed my hair a little then washed with my sulphate-free shampoo, Naked Shine Honey and Mallow Hydrating Shampoo. I will likely clarify in a few weeks to remove silicone build-up. I love this shampoo now that I can use it properly. I lather it in my hands then massage it through my scalp. I then lather a little bit more and apply to the length of my hair and rinse out. If I don't lather before applying, I end up with way too much product on my head and it strips my hair.

[3] I then squeezed the water out of my hair and applied my deep conditioner, John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Intensive Masque (around £6). Before my relaxer, I had been using a normal conditioner mixed with oil for my deep condition because I didn't want to spend money on my expensive previous product, Lee Stafford Argan Oil Deep Nourishing Treatment (around £12) or use my trusty Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Treatment Masque every week. However, I didn't realise how badly my hair needed something with higher concentrations of product until I bought the John Frieda. Sorry, hair. There's a tiny bit of milk protein in this product but it's practically the last ingredient so I consider it solely moisturising. I used Keratin Smooth on my ends and massaged in some of my oil mix to top it all off. I left this in for just over an hour with my hair wrapped in a towel under two shower caps then rinsed thoroughly. I did a final rinse with cold water.

Whew! It's been a hectic couple of weeks but for the most part, although I haven't blogged, I've kept up with the hair stuff. To be honest, it's not the idea of long hair that's keeping me going through interminable wash days! It's the fact that when I don't do all the good stuff to my hair, the sight of it snapping off centimetre by centimetre just kills me... Guess that's one type of reinforcement. I also kept my hair in a protective style for most of this week after I had a bit of a protein mishap and that definitely helped with breakage.