DIY Scalp and Hair Growth Oil Week 2 Update Length Check

Length Check Archive Photo - June 2014

Happy Monday! :D


Just a quickie update on the progress of my scalp and hair growth oil....

It's been two weeks and I have been consistent with lightly applying and massaging the oil into my scalp daily.



Scalp Health

I put my shampoo and conditioner for dry and itchy scalp on the shelf this month so I can test the strength of this oil alone. So far my scalp itch is minimal to non existent. The overall appearance of my scalp reflects excellent health! Speaking as someone who has had severe dry and flaky skin for over twenty years, I am super ecstatic! I would much rather combat dandruff naturally.


Hair Growth

As far as growth is concerned I have retained almost an inch of hair growth in two weeks. This isn't inversion method results but still much better than my normal hair growth rate which seems to be less than 1/2 inch per month.

I made a mix of 2 ounces and in two weeks I've used 1.5 ounces. I'll be making another 2 ounces this week to get me through the month. On wash days before I pre poo my hair with coconut oil, I apply a more generous amount of my growth oil to my scalp.

Stay tuned to my YouTube channel for my 30 day update video!






Blessings and Happy Hair Journey!!!

~Candra

Just starting a healthy hair journey? Click here before you begin. - http://relaxedhairskincare.blogspot.com/2014/09/starting-healthy-hair-journey-seven.html

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P.O. Box 128787

Cincinnati, Ohio 45212

30 Day Hair Health Challenges Endings and Beginnings

I participated in yet another challenge... hosted by Just Grow Already and RelaxedThairapy!

30 Days of Moisture Challenge (September 2014)

Dry hair used to be a consistent problem for me. In the past it hindered my hair from growing beyond shoulder length. Behind dryness follows split ends and breakage. All hair grows but if it is splitting and breaking at the same time, you will barely see a difference in the length of your hair.

I used the following techniques to achieve ultimate moisture during the 30 moisture day challenge. One or two of them are a bit out of the ordinary and probably #teamtoomuch. Haha…

1. Bunning

I did more protective styling the last 30 days which allowed me to moisturize and seal my hair daily without worry of having weighed down hair. When my hair is in an updo, I can be liberal with product without compromising style. My moisturizers of choice were rosewater, Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter, and Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In.

2. Deep Conditioning with Coconut Oil

I implemented this into my regimen during Hairlista’s coconut oil challenge. Coconut oil added to my deep conditioners makes my hair incredibly soft and eliminated brittle hair.

3. Hydrating throughout the day with water

On the days I wore my hair down and straight, I frequently hydrated my hair with water. Every few hours I’d go to the sink (at home or work), place my hands under running water, rub the water in my hands (shaking off access H2O) and apply to my hair like a product. It was just enough hydration to soften up hair and keep my ends moisturized. #TeamTooMuch ;)

4. Moisturizing and Green House Effect Under My Hats

Last winter I did a video on how I moisturize, seal, and wrap my hair under hats. I leave a little bang out in the front, but the rest of my hair is hid away. We had a few cool days here in Ohio, so this worked perfect! 

This was a great way lock in moisture and even do the green house effect (GHE) during day while running errands. I GHE by sealing with either sunflower oil, almond oil, JBCO, or hemp seed oil to my hair. I then place a shower cap over my hair to trap in heat. You can do all of this under an amazingly cute hat and the world will never know! :) 

So what challenges am I beginning and continuing in October?

• 30 Days Without Direct Heat Challenge... Hosted by Just Grow Already, Relaxed Thairapy, and Grow It Girl.
• 30 Day Water Challenge... Hosted by hair vlogger, Kay Amoah
• Thickness Challenge... Hosted by Amanda on Hairlista (Ends in December)
• Healthy Ends Challenge... Hosted by Amanda on Hairlista (Ends in December)

Over all, I am beyond satisfied with all the challenges I have participated in thus far in 2014. My hair has grown like never before! 

Blessings and Happy Hair Journey!

~Candra

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Moisturizing Roller Wrap Setting Lotion And Leave In Mix

Some of you know that all summer I have been experimenting with various mixes to create the perfect roller setting lotion for my relaxed hair...that tends to get very dry. Traditional setting lotions make my hair a bit too hard and brittle.

One of my go-to styles is the roller wrap. To achieve this look, roller setting my relaxed hair is a great alternative to flat ironing. In a nut shell, I roller set my hair with large rollers, sit under a warm hooded dryer, remove the rollers, and wrap my hair.

The mix I feature in the video below is an affordable and perfect setting lotion for my hair. I call it a leave in as well because after washing (except for using the Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea Restructurizer) this is the only product I leave in my hair.

If I want to achieve tight curls with a lot of hold, I substitute the rosewater ingredient for some Lottabody setting lotion.

After removing my rollers, I wrap my hair and go to bed. The next morning when I comb my hair down, I have a straight wrapped style with a lot of body, softness, and moisture!

Watch this short video for my updated semi DIY roller setting lotion recipe!




If you have roller setting tips, questions or comments leave them down below!

Blessings and Happy Hair Journey Ladies! 

~Candra

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Moisturize & Seal Hair with Rosewater & Coconut Oil. Misto Olive Oil Sprayer.

This moisture and seal technique features the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer, rosewater and coconut oil. Moisturizing and sealing my relaxed hair often is a must. It shields my hair from dryness and breakage. Sealing with a natural carrier oil locks in the moisture.

This technique may not work for everyone depending on your hair and how you plan to style it. It works great for me when I am wearing my up in protective styles and not concerned about my hair being weighed down. Although, just a little bit of rosewater and coconut oil go a long way.

In the morning my hair is soft and ready for an up-do!

You can find the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer on Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond. I found it a bit cheaper at my local Marshalls' for $7.99. The Misto Olive Oil Sprayer is perfect for applying a light application of oil to your hair and it is less messy than applying oil with your hands.

This is a very quick process and my "go to" when I need to moisturize and seal my hair quickly. Most days I still moisturize my hair with the Elasta QP Olive Oil Mango Butter Moisturizer and alternate between almond oil, sunflower oil and hemp seed oil for sealing.

The Misto Olive Oil Sprayer is also great for applying coconut oil to your skin. Coconut oil softens the skin and has anti-aging properties! And keep in mind that coconut oil turns to a solid state when temperatures reach below 76 degrees farenheight. If storing coconut oil in your Misto Sprayer, keep in a warm place.

Watch this short video to see this technique and view the benefits of using rosewater and coconut oil! Thank you for watching!






Blessings and Happy Hair Journey!

~Candra

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Stretching My Relaxers Comes With Its Struggles

As of July 31^st I am eleven weeks post relaxer. My goal is to reach a relaxer stretch mile stone and stretch for sixteen weeks. 

Before my hair journey I went to the salon to get my hair relaxed every six weeks. Now that I am relaxing my hair every three months or beyond, my hair has thickened up beautifully. No more over processing!

While relaxer stretching has been great for my hair, it comes with its struggles.

1. Detangling two different textures

2. The delicacy of the line of demarcation

3. Creating desired hairstyles

Extending my stretch from three months to four months may not seem like a big deal, but I know I need to be proactive and have a plan. After all, I have found that not every relaxer stretch is the same.

For example, I am currently eleven weeks post relaxer, but because of a change in my regimen my hair is a lot thicker and therefore more difficult to manage than during my previous stretches. 

My Plan For... Detangling Two Textures

• Deep condition twice a week. – This strategy is actually a part of my ongoing coconut oil challenge, but keeping my hair moisturized and soft helps with detangling. I plan to use my conditioners with the most slip.

• Finger detangle often. – The last few weeks of this stretch, I’m going to reach for my comb less and finger detangle more. I'm less likely to cause breakage. This includes finger detangling after each step of my wash day to prevent knots. I have experienced a few knots this stretch already! 

• Work with my hair in sections. – I’m going to take my time and prepoo, wash, deep condition, rinse, and style my hair section by section. 

My Plan For... Line of Demarcation (Where my relaxed hair and natural hair meet.)

• Protein treatments – Every other week I deep condition with a light protein treatment. My go to product is the ORS Replenishing Conditioner. The week before my relaxer I will apply a medium to hard protein treatment, most likely, the Aphogee Two Step treatment.

• Finger detangling – I can be more gentle using my fingers, preventing breakage at the line of demarcation. 

• Minimal heat usage – I do have plans to flat iron my hair this weekend but will use a heat protectant and the lowest setting possible on my flat iron. The line of demarcation is the weakest point of a two textured hair shaft and too much heat can cause breakage…which defeats the whole purpose of relaxer stretching.

My Plan For... Desired Hairstyling

To be honest the jury is still out on this one. “Doing” hair, as far as styling is concerned is a struggle for me on any day. So, I’ll stick with what I can do best. These styles are not always what I feel like wearing, but at least my hair looks presentable and there’s little manipulation.

• Buns

• Medium to Large Bantu Knot Outs

• Roller Sets
  

My ultimate goal is to get to the point where I only relax my hair three times per year. If I have issues or get too frustrated I will relax earlier than planned... But never again will I do the 6 to 8 week thing. It works for some, but it wasn't the healthiest time frame for my hair.

Thank you for reading and HHJ! Blessings! 

~Candra

Add Some Rest To Your “Relax”ation

When I get my hair relaxed, the relaxer is adding stress to my strands in order to achieve a straighter texture that will last. So, two weeks before and two weeks after I get a relaxer I keep hair manipulation to a minimum and let my hair rest.

My R&R relaxer routine includes low manipulation styles and protective styles. Low manipulation styles are styles that require minimum handling.

Protective styles are styles that keep the oldest parts of our hair, the ends, tucked away and protected from clothing, wind, rain, sun and anything else that could be damaging.

Styling my hair in such a way that requires minimum day to day maintenance allows my hair to rest before the relaxer, and to recover well after the relaxer.

Rest for my hair also means no direct heat, no excessive re-twisting and re-braiding, very little combing, and keeping wash days simple yet effective. I have learned over time that I get the best relaxer results when I leave my hair alone for awhile and stray away from hair tools, accessories, and styles that could cause my hair to become too weak to take the relaxer process.

Before and after my relaxer treatments I incorporate protein treatments to strengthen my hair since the relaxer is breaking down the natural protein bonds of the hair shaft.  Rest and low manipulation allows the protein conditioning treatments to restore my hair freely without interference.

Adding rest to my “relax”ation process also gives my scalp a chance rest. You do not want to do a lot of combing, pulling, and brushing at the scalp right before getting a relaxer. This could cause scalp irritation during the relaxer process.

Over all I baby my hair and treat it very gently near relaxer time. It has paid off well to let it lay, breath, and truly relax.

Happy Hair Growing!

~Candra

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My Hair Feels Lush! #CoconutOilChallenge Week Two Update!

As I head into the third week of Hairlista's Coconut Oil Challenge, I can already see a change...Hallelujah! :D

I shouldn't be surprised to get such lush and rich results from using a product that is organic and God-given. Over the last week I have received so many compliments regarding the thickness, length, and softness of my hair. 

I give credit to the hair journey in general, but incorporating coconut oil to my regimen the way I have has been the icing on the cake. 

Even after running in 70 and 80 degree temperatures, my hair holds up wonderfully. It retains its moisture and softness. I let down my pony tail and it falls right back into its roller-wrapped style. This never happens!

The advanced level of the challenge calls for two deep conditions with coconut oil each week. This has probably been the most difficult part of the challenge. Usually I am either too busy, too tired, or both. Yet, the sacrifice of an extra deep condition is amazing.

On top of the basic requirements for the challenge, I have also been sealing my hair with coconut oil at least four days a week. I do it lightly, but it still holds in the moisture well.

Here is a quick review of my coconut oil challenge regimen and coconut oil benefits!

Coconut Oil Benefits

1. Coconut is easy to find and all natural (Use organic, unrefined coconut oil)

2. Conditions Hair

3. Decreases Shedding

4. Promotes Hair Growth

5. Fights Against Dandruff and Other Scalp Issues

6. Prevents Breakage

7. Prevents Split Ends

In order to comply with the advanced level of the challenge, I have put together the following regimen for this challenge.

My Summer Regimen With Coconut Oil

Tuesday & Saturday

• Apply coconut oil to hair and scalp for 1 hour or longer before washing hair...(include scalp massage)
• Add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil to my moisturizing deep conditioner...sit under heated dryer for 20 minutes

Monday & Wednesday & Friday

• Apply coconut oil lightly to scalp only and massage
• Moisturize hair and seal lightly with coconut oil

Do you incorporate coconut oil in your hair regimen? 

Happy Hair Growing, Love, and Blessings!

~ Candra

Roller Setting My Relaxed Hair

Here's a video I recorded a few months ago when I was on somewhat of a roller setting challenge. The main goal was to not use direct heat via a flat iron.

Since my hair is currently relaxed, I try to stay away from anything else that may cause damage (flat irons, blow outs, color treatments, etc.). Applying this new regimen has forced me to hone my roller setting skills. It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it.

I am constantly changing my roller setting technique, but this one seems to work best for me so far. Soon after I use up some products (because I am a recovering product junkie...), I will be purchasing the Carol's Daughter Macadamia Heat Setting Foam. I have heard great reviews on using this product for roller setting.

I hope you enjoy the video and if you any questions, comments, or roller setting tips... just leave them below!

Blessings!

"There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness." - Maria Mitchell