How I Styled My Hair: FLAT TWIST OUT

Hey cuties! I've been itching to do a flat twist out ever since i saw Tomes flat twist. I love the curls they give but i barely do them... since my hair journey i have done it just three times. so without much chit chat... here's how i made and styled my flat twist.

After washday i detangled in the evening. Sectioned my hair with my fingers and sprayed each dry section with Lusti Organics hair spray for hold and shine.
I made about 12 flat twists making sure i twisted tightly as i went along and ended each flat twist with  bantu knot.

I let it air dry overnight and took down the curls gently. used my hands to separate some curls and pushed them. My bangs made the hairstyle i achieved really cute:-). I was really happy with my hair!!!
The excitement lasted just for one day because i got caught in a little rain that caused my curls to stretch so i just kept my hair in a bun which i will be wearing till my next washday.

Here are pics of the flat twists and how they looked when i took them down. (I still had a problem with lighting so i adjusted the pics a bit to make the curls clearer).

      Just wondering....how did you            style your hair??

Wash day + Product review

Hello cuties! been a while... hope you're doing well?!

I really didn't plan to spend more than three days in between posts. I travelled to Port Harcourt for school and while i was there i did nothing to my hair...didn't wash moisturise or seal i just wore my wigs and forgot about my hair (which is sooo wrong...*covers face*). I decided to shop a little before coming back home. I stopped by saloons and stores around Choba area to see if i would run into something nice but majority of the products they had were relaxers...the others, protein deep conditioners. Seriously?? is relaxing the only thing that can be done to our hair?? Anyways.... i picked up some products and decided to try them for my washday immediately i got back home.

Wash day procedure (New products to be reviewed in bold)
(1) prepooed by applying Gentelle hair fruits coconut smooth conditioner to my twists and covered it with shower cap for an hour.
(2) rinsed out the conditioner with warm water and applied shampoo Roushun care products Lavender anti dandruff nutrition and moisture shampoo. Lathered twice with it and rinsed off with warm water.
(3)wrapped my head with towel for 30 mins and applied the conditioner from the same line Roushun care products Lavender thermal heat activity & nutrition hair conditioner thoroughly and covered my hair with a shower cap for about 3hours
(4) rinsed off with cool water... wrapped head with towel for 30mins then applied my moisturiser and sealed with serum (mega growth smooth and shine serum).

Get Fuller Edges and Nape!! How to save and maintain your nape and edges!

Hello cuties! hows the day going?
   This post is meant to address a common issue among women regarding haircare. That is the hair on edges and nape. Here i will analyse the possible culprits causing receeding hairlines at d edges and nape as well as the solutions.
  Possible culprits:
* EXTENSIONS
   Wearing extensions is a good way to give your hair a break from every day or week styling. If you braid your extensions too tight it will cause pulling and much tension will be placed on the strands of your hair forcing them to shed or break in a matter of days.

   SOLUTION
   If you must use extensions ensure that the braids at the edges and nape are not held tight... if possible start your braiding about 0.5" before your direct hair line and use a gel to wipe it neatly to help it blend and look nice.

* HATS & CAPS
  When you wear hats and caps that are lined with cotton or velvet materials what happens is that any slight movement of the cap or hat would cause friction between it and the hair strands around that area..
   
  SOLUTION
    If you must wear caps and hats ensure that they are lined with silk or satin materials because these materials have less friction with the hair strands (there is free gliding movement when you move the caps or hats)

How to keep your Ends healthy

Hi cuties! been a while.... hope you're doing wonderful?!
    If you are reading this post you must have seen the topic already. For benefit of those just starting out on their hair journey i would explain in my own words what i mean by 'ends'.
  Ends are the last lengths of your hair. Its the very tips and the oldest parts of your hair being that it was protruded upwards from the follicles before the other lengths of your hair (a pic of my ends is at the bottom of this post).
   So, i wore my twist out for 3days and detangled it on the evening of the last day. Finger detangling was easy because the twists stretched my hair (No i didn't detangle without an aid....i used my lovely lemon grass infused oil) at 6wks post relaxer i have only followed up my finger detangling with a comb once when i blow dried my hair. So there i was taking pictures of my hair and i decided to take a pic of my ends too....guess what i found out? My ends were healthy! I have been taking good care of them because their health play a big role in my length retention. I wouldn't want to leave room for a setback or my ends becoming too thin.

How I Styled My Hair....TWIST OUTS!

Hello cuties! hope you are all having a lovely day?
   This is my first 'how i styled my hair' post and its all about showing you what i do with my hair in between washdays. Things may get a little boring and i just wear my wigs throughout the week only letting my hair out when its time for a wash but i decided to switch things up this time.
   Its not the first time i have tried a twist out but its my first since i started blogging. I like twists because i like curls.... whenever i'm not wearing my wig i'm either on a twist, twist out, bantu knot out, flat twist out or a flexi rod set.

Here's how i achieve my twist outs without much products:
*After wash day (the last washday was when i did my beer deep conditioning/rinse) i finger detangle while its about 80% dry apply moisturiser and seal with Shea butter.
* put my hair in many twist of about 1.5" and leave it to air dry.
*i wear my hair in twists for about a week moisturising and sealing when needed.
*few days to my wash day i take down the twists gently and fluff it a little and then pull it into a loose ponytail and tuck it under at my nape to form a bun.

Growth Aids....what has worked for me?

Hey cuties! I'm back with an interesting post....growth aids!

What are growth aids???
These are things and methods consciously used to increase or boost our hair growth. There are different kinds of growth aids but you should take note that using any of them is totally up to you. Its not a must use because if you eat well, drink enough water and exercise regularly your hair will grow just as your nails grow. The only need for it is to increase your normal hair growth rate when used consistently.
What are these growth aids?

Ingested growth aids are growth aids in the form of pills or multivitamins. They work to boost hair growth from the inside out because they are packed full with most of the essential nutrients and vitamins that nourish the hair follicles and encourage the production of new hair cells. The most reviewed of these multivitamins are Biotin, MSM and Hairfinity.

DETANGLING... the right way!!

Hello cuties! This is a long post but if you want longer hair its a must read!

What is detangling?
Answer: combing!
Its simply the process of combing thereby separating the hair strands from curling onto each other. It also aids better distribution of products applied to the hair.

Hair can be detangled either by:
*using combs
*using your fingers (finger detangling)
  If you detangle using combs its best to use a wide tooth comb and not use a metal comb. Do not use fine tooth (rat tail) combs for detangling.

How do you detangle your hair the right way?
  This is a big question because how you detangle your hair can help your hair increase in length overtime or decrease in length in no time! so this is how:
(1) Apply a detangling aid. This means applying a product that provides slip for the hair (detangler, moisturiser, an oil, water and glycerine mix).

1 year healthy hair journey and progress picture plus first BEER rinse!

Hello cuties! I'm so happy today...why? because I'm 1yr into my healthy hair journey! well it clocked a year yesterday. Makes it officially a year since i began my healthy hair journey. It was infact my first wash day and just as adventurous as i was when i started i decided to celebrate my hair and try out a beer rinse (mine turned into beer deep conditioning...lol). I have seen beautiful reviews on it and it just happens that some one was drinking beer in my house (pls it wasn't me ooo). I asked that little be left in the can for me and i just transferred the beer to a small container.
As much as i would love to use just the beer i wouldn't want to smell like beer and so i mixed it up. When i came back it has mixed well and had a uniform consistency.

Procedure:
I started my washday by prepooing with my home made lemongrass oil and shampooed off with my NaturVital henna shampoo. I rinsed it off after 15mins (its a shampoo-dye made with henna for dyeing hair black so i left it on for more colour intensity).
After rinsing i wrapped my hair in a towel for 10mins and then applied my deep conditioning mix/rinse of about 10 spoonful of beer+a spoonful of rinse out conditioner+a quarter spoon of deep conditioner (i used these because i wanted to tame the smell of the beer). Wore my shower cap and left it on for 1hr before rinsing. I rinsed it off first with cool water and rinsed again with cooler water. Then wrapped my head with towel for 20mins.

Result:
AWESOME!
my hair felt sooooo soft and shiny! i couldn't stop putting my hands in it. My sis and mum also touched it and they were amazed.

You would probably think it was the conditioner and deep conditioner that made it soft....could be but the level of softness was way more than when i mixed the two alone and the shine in my hair! don't know if the picture shows it enough.
For doubting sake i would try it next time with just the rinse out conditioner (i want the effects but not the smell) and give another review on this treatment.

Happy 1yr blog-anniversary to Don't touch the hair blog! Her blog is one of my favourite. Cheers deer!!

Here's my 1st year hair progress picture (Oct 2013-Oct 2014) and my beer deep conditioning picture (picture taken without any added product or oil)
Have a blessed week...lots of love!

My home made oils carrot and lemongrass oils

Hi cuties, this is a requested post on my home made carrot oil.

I love making home made oils and i make them by oil infusions. I really don't like using plain olive oil for the length of my hair (apart from using it to stop dandruff it doesn't do much for me). So there, i use olive oil for my home made oil infusions.
Here's how i make my home made carrot and lemongrass oils;

All you need:
* a bottle of olive oil
* your preferred number of fresh carrots

how to:
1. wash and grate the carrots and transfer to a clean small container. 2. Pour in the olive oil till it fills the container (i use another empty olive oil can and add the grated carrots then pour in the olive oil till it fills the can).
3. cover and store under room temperature for a week.
4.  sieve off the carrots and you will be left with just the carrot infused oil.
      The oil will have a yellow-orange colour depending on the quantity of carrots used.

Lemongrass oil
*some lemongrass (i bought from the market so i just asked for the one of N50).
*olive oil or any carrier oil of your choice

how to:
*wash and cut the lemon grass into pieces about 3inches long.
*beat the lemongrass for about 10mins to properly release the liquid from the leaves
*put the lemongrass in a clean container and add in the oil. store in a cool dry place for a day (24hrs)
*next day sieve off the lemongrass by pouring it through a mesh sieve and store the plain oil in a better container.

. The lemongrass oil is not infused for up to a week because the lemongrass leaves will make the oil go sour and have a bad smell. Both the carrot and lemongrass oils have a nice scent and they are slightly thicker than the plain olive oil.

Benefits of carrot and lemongrass oils
*Carrot oil is good for sealing the hair especially the ends after moisturising
*It is filled with antioxidants and contains vitamin A and other nutrients that nourish the scalp.
*consistent scalp massage with carrot oil improves blood circulation thereby increasing hair growth.
*Carrot and lemongrass oils both helps to treat scalp conditions such as dandruff, eczema etc.)
*lemongrass oil helps to strengthen the hair strand.
* It stimulates hair growth
*lemongrass oil can penetrate the hair strand repairing and treating damaged parts.

I hope you find this post helpful in making home made carrot and lemongrass oils,  tell me how it turned out when you made yours:-)

My technique for maximum length retention

Hello cuties! hope you are having a lovely weekend?
  This weekend post is about my length retention technique and every lady on a hhj will agree to it that good length retention is key to having longer hair. My length retention was infact the first thing i worked on when i began my journey because i figured that if i get it right everything else will fall into place.
   Length retention as the name implies is simply retaining your current length while the new growth comes in. Always remember that your hair grows (at an average of 0.5" could be less or slightly higher per month) and when you get your length retention technique right, boom! you will begin to see improvements in your hair length in a matter of months.

My techniques for better length retention
* keeping my hair in a protective style of twists or braids (done with just my hair) and wearing a wig when i go out.
* moisturising and sealing my hair especially my ends regularly. I oil my ends with castor oil every time i oil my scalp that's every two days and it has helped to reduce dryness and split ends. I have always done this so i never had an issue with split ends.
* I practice exclusive finger detangling. Detangling is one of the main culprits that can drastically reduce your hair length retention if done wrong...could even lead to a set back so getting your detangling technique right is very important.
* deep conditioning also helps me balance moisture in my low porosity hair.
* leaving my hair alone especially deep into a stretch has helped me alot with length retention. I just slap on my wig and dash out of the door when i'm going out instead of combing...styling...and all of that.
* handling my hair like its my most expensive jewellery! (sounds funny right? lol). Handling your hair in an aggressive manner will cause it to tangle and snag when combing or trying to put your hair in a protective style.
* I made sure to totally get rid of my bad haircare practices and you should too. Remember little drops make a mighty ocean, you will love how your hair turns out after months of proper length retention techniques.
   I stress technique over products because i couldn't find the best products but i made sure to use the best techniques and they give me good result. There are also natural products that don't cost much but if u have a good technique of using them they will give you wonderful results. This is for someone starting out on a low budget like me but if you can afford the best products backed up by proper techniques then go for it!
      
What length retention technique is currently working for you?  share! share!! 

natural hair washday and blow dry post is coming up soon! Don't miss it:-)

Starting your Healthy hair journey

What is a Hair Regimen, why do i need one?
A hair regimen is simply an other of activities carried out consistently to improve the health and length of our hair. If you desire to have a healthy scalp and hair then you definitely need to start yourself on a regimen. Make it your hair time table if i should put it that way.

What results would having a hair regimen yield you?
*Healthy scalp and hair
*Hair that is not dry and brittle
*Hair that is free from dandruff and other scalp conditions
*Hair that visibly increases in length over a period of months.
     who wouldn't want that??

Yes i want that but how do i get started?
Simple.
First step is to set your mind on it and agree within yourself that you can do it...that you can get healthy hair. Great things happen when you believe so believe in yourself.

A basic hair regimen should consist of the following steps:
1. Pre-shampoo step
2. Shampoo
3. Deep Conditioning
4. Moisturise and sealing
5. Detangling (I will do a separate post on detangling soon)
As you keep on the journey and become more enlightened and conversant with some practices (like co washing, tea rinsing etc) you may like to add them to your regimen.

PRE-SHAMPOO (PREPOO)
A prepoo is a preshampoo treatment either an oil, conditioner or a hair cream applied to the hair prior to washing. This helps to reduce the stripping or harmful effects that shampoos may have on the hair. It can be done by simply applying the product on the entire length of your hair and then leaving it on for sometime before shampooing.

SHAMPOO
Shampoos are the main cleaning agents that is what you wash your hair with to get rid of dirt, dust and oils. There are so many types of shampoos; clarifying, moisturising, conditioning, voluminising and so on. I personally think you don't need to have all of them but which ever you choose is all up to you. However make sure to use a good quality shampoo that does not contain sulphates or you dilute it thoroughly because sulphates are bad for the hair.

DEEPCONDITIONING
This is a must for healthy hair and all haircare divas swear by it! It is a step that must not be skipped.
Hair should be deep conditioned to add back moisture or protein after shampooing. A deep conditioner is different from and cannot be replaced fully by a rinse out conditioner. There are deep conditioners either store bought or home made that provides moisture, protein or both.
Simply means you need a moisturising deep conditioner to add moisture and a protein deep conditioner to add protein. Protein and moisture are essential for healthy hair but should be balanced.
How often you deep condition is up to you but if you are starting out on a hairmegency then it should be once a week. you can adjust it when need be.

MOISTURISING AND SEALING
This is another essential of haircare that must not be over looked. Moisturising your hair with a water based moisturiser or leave in conditioner will help keep your hair soft and moisturises during the weekdays before washday. This will prevent dryness that can lead to breakage. Always remember to seal in the moisture with an oil or a butter (e.g shea butter) so that the hair strands will hold on to the moisture for a longer period of time.

DETANGLING
This is also a basic part of your regimen (except you have locs) because how you comb your hair and what you use to comb your hair will help you retain length or make you loose length. It has been my holy grail since i began my hair journey and it deserves a separate post.

GROWTH AIDS AND METHODS are up to you but i will still discuss it in another post.

Side gist:
Did i say use hair creams (i'm writing this because we are in Naija and don't want to name some products...lol) on your scalp? NO. Any hair cream that contains petroleum and mineral oil SHOULD NOT be put on your scalp or used to seal your hair. They just gunk up your hair and scalp...your hair doesn't really need that and if you keep using it its not going to be as healthy as it would be without it...trust me.

Our Relaxed and Natural Hair Regimen

My hair regimen has changed a lot. The first 3months i was on a strict weekly regimen (using mostly DIY home made product) but now i adjust it a bit sometimes. Here's my present regimen: 

Hair type: texlaxed, 4b, medium density, low porosity hair
Starting length: uneven shoulder length hair
Current length: Armpit length
Hair goal: waist length

Products or practices that have a line across them are discontinued 

Products or practices with a (***) in front of them were very recently added. 

I wash every 1 -2 weeks for the first 8 weeks of my relaxer stretch. For the rest weeks of my relaxer stretch (up to weeks 16-20 I wash every 2weeks)

First do a pre shampoo step by massaging warm oil into my scalp and down the length of my hair.

My current prepoo oils 

*shampoo
*rinse out and wrap head with towel for 15mins
*apply deep conditioner (either a moisturising or protein deep conditioner) cover with plastic cap for 30mins-1hr
*rinse out first with cool water then do a tea or coffee  rinse and leave on hair for 5-10mins then a final rinse with cool water and wrap again with towel till slightly damp.
*Apply leave in conditioner or moisturiser, seal with shea butter or serum for blow drying and finger detangle or
*put hair in small twists and allow to air dry.
next day i massage castor oil into my scalp for 2-5mins.
Moisturise my twist every two days and seal with oil.

I Just repeat this washday process every week.

Products i use.

Moisturiser: organics by Africa's best olive oil plus Shea Butter detangling moisturiser

                       ***Luster's S-Curl No drip moisturiser . I seal with olive oil.

Luster S-curl has been discontinued because it doesn't work well for my hair in the long run.

New Addition  (2016) moisturiser - Cantu creamy hair lotion
Leave in Conditioner - Cantu leave in Conditioner

*shampoos: Organic root stimulator creamy aloe shampoo, NaturVital henna shampoo for black hair colour. VO5 moisture milks strawberry and milk shampoo

*Deep conditioners
Protein Deep conditioner: Organics by Africa's best hair mayonnaise
Moisturizing Deep conditioner: organics by Africa's best olive oil deep conditioner plus glycerine mix 

                      *** Elasta Qp DPR 11 penetrating conditioner + ORS replenishing conditioner +Avocado oil (starting from September 2015)

For combined  protein and moisture: Organic Root Stimulator olive oil replenishing conditioner.

Rinse out conditioner: Hair fruits conditioner or VO5 conditioner.

oils i use:
Clear pharmacy castor oil
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Home made carrot oil  ***Home made Amla oil (starting from September 2015)

**palm kernel oil

Other products:

***Lotta body moisturize me curl and style milk  (starting from September 2015) 

Lusti organics holding spray

***Curl formers

Flexi rods

Jumbo rollers and  ***end wrap papers 

It is important to note that there are better products out there feel free to try other products. I also use natural home made products to wash and deep condition my hair just to be free from chemicals once in a while.

Last updated September 2015 

My Sisters Natural Hair Regimen
Hair type: 4c/a, high density, normal porosity hair.
Starting length: twa
current length: shoulder length
Hair goal: full bras trap/midback length

washdays are basically once a month but could be washed in two weeks depending on some factors.

*prepoo or hot oil treatment with coconut oil or a rinse out conditioner
*finger detangle to remove shed hairs
*shampoo with organic root stimulator creamy aloe Shampoo or any VO5 shampoo
*rinse out and wrap head with towel for 10mins

*deep condition with organic root stimulator replenishing conditioner (moisturizing deep conditioner) or Organics by Africa's best hair mayonnaise (for protein)  for 30mins-1hr
*rinse out and wrap head with towel for 15mins.

*spray some detangler and then apply moisturiser seal with shea butter and detangle with a wide tooth comb.
*blow dry or loosely thread in big sections to stretch the hair while it air dries.

Note: we no longer use the s-curl in the pic above because it doesn't work well for our hair.
New Addition  (here updated in June 2016) Cantu leave in Conditioner 

Other products for styling:

Beautiful textures curl defining pudding

Scalp oil:

Castor oil

Amla oil

NOTE: Her hair is always in a braided or threading hairstyle for two weeks then taken off, detangled, moisturise and seal then redone another style (so don't go thinking she leaves in a hairstyle for the whole month....lol).

Hi, i think you should… put off that attitude that your hair cannot grow long!

Hey cuties! this post is about changing our mindset regarding haircare.
   The title of this post is straight forward. I actually said that to someone (not as polite as i wrote it though…lol) who kept giving me reasons why her hair will not get longer than

shoulder length.
    Growing up as a girl, you are either in that category that has very scanty but long hair, very full but short hair or vice versa. No matter the category you will get noticed. People will give you the advice of wearing weaves or wigs just to make it look nice. When getting braids the braiders will pull the hair too tightly and complain of how stubborn our hair is. Some push us to relax our hair in less than 6 weeks or comb the hell out of our heads because we choose not to. Simply put… these are the things that keep your hair from growing.
   If you really care about growing your hair long and healthy then take responsibility for your hair and care for it. Pay attention to the way you handle and style your hair which includes washing, combing, protective styles that will help you retain length, growth aid and others. Want to give your hair a try to see if it will grow? here are some bad hair care practices you should avoid:
    * washing your hair too often and without a follow up conditioning or deep conditioning.
    * over combing your hair
    * combing your hair with small spaced rat tail combs.
    * packing your hair into tight ponytails or installing very tight braids.
    * using rubber bands
    * installing braids and hairstyles that pull on the edges and nape hair too tightly.
    * not using protective hairstyles (allowing your hair to brush your shoulders and clothes all day)
    * flat ironing your hair too often
    * not air drying at all (heat from hair dryers and blow dryers dry out moisture from the hair leading to breakage so try to air dry most of the time).
    * using petroleum based hair creams that actually adds shine but prevent your hair from being moisturised
   lastly… always comparing your hair to someone else’s leading to doing too much for your hair to grow and this will only lead to disappointments.

       have you changed your mindset about your hair growth? what bad haircare practices are you guilty of?
 

xo Juditherese

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hi there! thanks for viewing our blog. Long hair is something i fancied right from when i was a kid but growing up, the only long hair i could get was the one from a sewn in weave on. My hair soon became damaged and i knew i had to set things right. On october 2013 i set out on a journey to long hair and i have noticed so much healthy ness and gained so much length in this one year period. I have also learnt a couple of tips and tricks that i would love to share in other to help you grow your hair longer be it natural or relaxed. My sister is natural and i am relaxed but we are on the same quest for long and healthy hair.

It will also be a documentation of our hair journey to track our progress and also inspire you to start your own hair journey. 

 I hope you learn alot from this blog, be motivated and share your thoughts, questions and opinion.

    xo...juditherese