I’m Sick But Wash Day Is Still On

I have been sick as a dog with a summer cold. I felt so bad that I didn’t even get to do my mid week cowash. Sunday I just knew I had to do something to Lady Fro.

Saturday I got off work at 1 and once I got home I decided to prepoo with oil and let it sit over night. I’ve been reading up on amla oil and powder for hair growth. I love the idea of using natural products so I ordered both. The instructions on the oil says to apply to scalp and shampoo out after at least an hour. The amla oil has such a strong smell that isnt the most appealing. To combat that I added peppermint oil.

In my applicator bottle I added mostly alma oil but then I added some avocado/canola oil (review coming soon). The oil was a green color because of the amla. I first applied a generous amount to my scalp and then used my castor oil/olive oil mix from my spray bottle for the rest of my hair. I ended up letting the oil sit in my hair for 24 hours!

My mom came over after church to see about me. I got up enough strength to spray my hair with water and to apply my shampoo to my scalp. Thankfully my mom helped me to rinse it out. Afterwards I spray my hair with green tea until it was fully saturated. Afterwards I applied my Creme of Nature deep conditioner. I let the tea and the DC sit in for about an hour before my mom rinsed it out.

My hair felt super hydrated and I could still smell the amla oil. It wasn’t as strong so I didn’t mind it. I let my hair air dry and then I added twists. Normally I would moisturize and seal using the LOC method but I was way too tired. My hair felt super moisturized anyways thanks to the amla oil.

The next morning I undid my twists and styled my fro a little. My curls were SUPER defined and soft. I will definitelty used my amla oil again!

The Power of JBCO

So those who have followed my blog know that I have major issues with breakage during the cold winter months. I’ve had this problem since as early as middle school. The funny thing about my hairloss is that it always attack a different section of my head each time. 

When I went natural I thought that maybe I wouldn’t have this issue anymore but sadly I did. About 6 months ago I noticed major breakage at my crown area. I noticed it felt more thin. I decided to take a picture of the spot and was sad to discover that I was bald! 

After the discovery I turned to protective styling to try to stop the breakage. Luckily for me this option worked. In the meantime I wanted to grow that section of my hair back. Soooo I went back to old faithful…Jamaican Black Castor Oil. I reguarly massaged the oil in my scalp, particularly the bald area. Today during lunch I decided to snap another pic of my crown to check out the progress. I must say that I am well pleased.

My hair in that area is still shorter than the other sections of my head. Over the past 2 months I have been trimming the longer sections to even it out some. I predict that in another month or 2 my hair will be all one length. I have started a brand new hair regimen that is showing great results so far. I will share this regimen after a month. 

First Impressions: Shea Moisture African Black Soap Dandruff Control Hair Masque

About 3 weeks ago I was hanging out with my friend Catrea and we came across an awesome deal. Our favorite thing to do is shop Marshall’s hair products and we found this Shea Moisture Masque for $7.99!!! I love Shea Moisture but they can be a little pricey for my budget.

I have never used this Shea Moisture line but I figured I would like it since I love everything else SM does. Yesterday was wash day and I was excited to try this masque. I’ve always had dry, itchy scalp and have been searching for years for a great product to combat it.

The first thing i noticed was the smell. I loved the scent because it’s not too strong and smells “earthy.” The next thing i noticed was its thickness. This masque is very creamy and thick, which I love. 

After shampooing i applied the masque through my strands and was surprised that i didnt have to use a lot of product. After application I covered my hair with 4 plastic shower caps, a thermal cap, satin cap, and 2 crochet hats I made. Within minutes I could feel the product tingling.

I left the masque in my hair for about an hour and a half (i took a nice nap) and made sure to rinse all the product out. While i was rinsing with cool water i noticed how strong and moisturized my strands felt. It almost felt as good as when I use my SM superfruit masque. 

I let my hair air dry and then twisted Lady Fro. Lastly moisturized and sealed with the LOC method. This morning I took down my twists and my hair still felt strong and moisturized. So far I really love this SM masque. I will give it a few tries to see if it helps with my itchy scalp! 

1 Year and 2 months Natural!!!

I am so ashamed at the state of this blog. I have been extremely busy and have neglected my baby! I am proud to announce that on September 19th, I will be 1 year and 2 months natural!!! Whoop whoop!!!! This has been a long year full of ups and downs regarding hair. Here is what I have learned about Lady Fro this year:

1. My hair absolutely LOVES Jamaican Black Castor Oil! Many bloggers say that JBCO is too thick and heavy for their hair but my curls love it. I use it regularly and my hair has grown A LOT!
2. My hair doesn’t like shampoo very much. I now shampoo my hair once every 6 weeks or so. The only shampoo my hair loves is the Creme of Nature Moisturizing Argon Oil shampoo. That stuff is the bomb! It’s the only shampoo that doesn’t strip my hair.
3. I am in love with Aussie products! I use Aussie Moist conditioners and the Miracle one. Both products are so cheap and my hair comes alive when I use it. I cowash with the conditioners and follow it up with the 3 minute deep conditioner.
4. My favorite deep conditioner is the Shea Moisture superfruit complex 10-in-1 renewal system hair masque. This stuff smells amazing and makes my curls pop when I use it. 
5. My hair does not do well in cold winter months. Even when I was relaxed my hair would grow so nice and full during spring and summer. However, every winter my hair will come out in 1 section until I was near bald. I’ve tried everything but nothing works. Unfortunately the same thing happened as a natural. My hair came out in the crown area so bad until I could see my scalp! To help combat the issue I wore crochet braids as a protective style for nearly 5 months. This helped my hair to start growing again.
6. Shrinkage is real!!!! I get so frustrated because my hair shrinks so fast. I can leave for work in the morning with a big happy fro and by the end of the day it’s half the height. I have yet to find a product that prevents this from happening.

Now that I have made it through my first year I know what pitfalls to look out for. Fall is nearly approaching which means winter will be here before I know it. It is my plan to keep up with my protein treatments. If I start noticing intense shedding I will put in a protective style. That is my plan this time.

Now for the fun part, here is a picture showing my hair at day 1 compared to my 1 year and 1 month natural picture. My hair has grown out a lot but due to the massive hair loss, one side is slightly longer than the other. I will slowly trim the longer side down as the shorter side grows out:

So Close to a High Puff

I have been natural for nearly 4 months now and I want a high puff!!!!! Today I tied a knee high stocking around my head to see if my hair has grown enough. It’s getting there but Lady Fro needs to grow some more! Ugh!!! I’m so impatient.

Deep Condition and Shampoo Day 10/24/15

I know I am so late with this update but I have been really busy. This month I tried a little experiment with my hair. I wanted to see if I could get away with cowashing alone. For this month I just cowashed with conditioner and did not use any shampoo. I am a huge fan of my shampoo but I hear so many people talk about how moisturizing their hair feels from cowashing alone. They say shampooing dries their hair out. Soo…

This month I just used conditioner to cleanse my hair. I would start off by applying my DC to dry hair and then cowash it out. As the day progress my hair looked and felt dry & lifeless! I did not see any shine and it was just so dull looking. I lasted about 3 weeks doing this until I couldn’t take it anymore! Saturday after I participated in a breast cancer walk, I came home and applied my DC on dry hair as usual. After a few hours (or however long my nap was) I rinsed the DC out and proceeded to shampoo. After shampooing I applied my conditioner and rinsed. I then let my hair air dry until it was about 80% dry before moisturizing and sealing. I then twisted my hair for the night.

The next day I took out my twist and my hair felt sooooo much better! I think I will continue with my usual routine of shampooing once a week and cowashing during the week. I guess Lady Fro is an odd ball who happens to love shampoo!

Stage 2 is Approaching Fast!

Today I looked at my fro after I undid my twists and fluffed it out. I noticed my twa is changing shape and growing thicker! This is exciting because I’m ready for the journey ahead!

I Want To Try Something New

Hey guys! I am really embracing my TWA and have grown to love it. All my coworkers and friends think it matches my personality. I guess that’s a good thing lol. Like I said before, I am reaching that awkward stage where it’s a little too long for a cute TWA and not long enough to try other styles. My goal is to get a high puff! I can’t wait!!!!

I have been playing around with the idea of getting a tapered cut but then I don’t want to worry about growing the shorter hair out when I get tired of that. I know I just need to be patient and let my hair grow out. However, I really want to do things other than a chunky twist out. Any suggestions?!?!?!?!

This is day 3 of my twist out and it needs to be cowashed and retwisted tonight.

Awkward Stage :/

I must say that I’ve grown to love my TWA. However, I think she is growing into that awkward stage! I really want a puff but it’s not long enough and now my twistouts aren’t as cute. I kinda liked my shorter TWA

My Fro is in the local paper!

So yesterday was the day I wore my TWA to work and my coworker’s loved it. I went to a Women Entrepreneurs program with my supervisor and fellow coworker. My mom calls me this morning excited because my picture was in the paper. I rushed to work to see what she was talking about and I see this huge photo:

I think my TWA looked pretty good!