Harmattan and Hair: How I curb dryness

Hey loves! How are you enjoying the season? I'm having a fun time with my family. You dont know but i have a big family with 5 elder brothers and a younger sister and its only seasons like this that we all get to be in one place! You can imagine the fun :-) (our grand ma is tired of them because they are constantly making her dance lolz)

I'm currently in my home town in Anambra State and the only thing that isn't fun here is the harmattan. Its really angry and as it blows it dries up your wet clothes (it really doesn't like seeing your clothes wet, it gets harmattan really angry lolz) it dries up every thing that has moisture.....which includes my hair *sad face*

Though I've run out of most of my hair products i was prepared for it and i'm here to share what I've been doing to my hair and will continue doing during this season of harmattan.

3 year HHJ hairniversary, Blogiversary and Relaxer update

Complements of the season dearies! How have you been? I have recieved tons of messages from you asking if i wont come back to update the blog or i possibly quit my hhj (ok no one asked that, lol). Its been a long while but I'm back and will be sharing my good news with you all.

This lady has been on a healthy hair journey for 3years! 😁😁 Its also 2years Since is started this blog!

I'm so thankful to you my dearest readers and most especially to those who share my blog link to friends. 60k plus views in 2years may be small to you but its damn big to me and I'm as happy as you never imagined.

3 years of HHJ

Wash day: my new heat cap & loose waves style

The Eco styled gel and hair clamps are for a friend. All products pictured (processing caps and deep conditioning cap) we're purchased from Natural hair Products shop ng.

Hey ladies! I finally got to purchase a deep conditioning cap. Yes I haven't had one since the beginning of my hhj. I however have improvised using other means like; 

*Deep conditioning using body heat where I'll put on a shower cap or two shower caps and sometimes an extra head warmer just to create and trap the heat. I do  this for not less than an hour.

*Using my blow dryer. i just Put on a small plastic bag or a shower cap ...then a bigger plastic bag where I create a hole and insert the nozzle of my blow dryer. 

Thats it....the two ways I've been deep conditioning my hair. Now that I've got this steaming cap my wash days will be cut in half because all I need is 30 mins of Deep conditioning and I proceed to the next step. 

For this washday I,

How I style my hair: Bantu knots in....Soft curls out!

Left pic is loose waves later in the day...Right pic is soft curls just after take down

Everything about my recent relaxer touch up got me on cloud nine! Lol. The length of my hair is silky straight and smooth. The ends...oh well they just don't get as straight as the length and tend to revert quickly (I need not tell you that I did a thousand passes on the ends with my flat iron right?)

Relaxer Update after 11weeks stretch

Ponytail (after flat ironing)

My third Relaxer touch up for the year was days back at 11weeks post relaxer. I intended stretching till 12weeks but my hair refused to comply and the only thing I did to it was moisturise and seal...single braid and tuck. I wasn't feeling well and the thought of having another washday and loosing my ends due to matting while  detangling made me sicker than I was.

For this relaxer day, I still used Creme of Nature Argan oil No lye relaxer. I followed the same procedures in my previous relaxer days.

The washday Experience: Amla Gloss Treatment



Finito! Soft blow dried hair. 

Hi dearies! I had my washday yesterday and couldn't wait to share. This would be my last washday for this relaxer stretch so I decided to do a kind of Amla gloss strengthening treatment. This treatment is of Ayurvedic origin and I used it as I would use a protein treatment. Though I haven't  done this treatment in months I see every reason to get more of the powder and do this once a month. What it does to my hair is that it strengthens the hair as well as makes it soft and hence the hair is more resistant to breakage and can hold moisture better.

How I prepared the Amla gloss

Using the spoon in the pic as my measuring guide I added a spoonful of warm water to the Amla mud I had behind from making Amla oil months ago. Next I added 2 spoonfuls of VO5 blackberry and sage tea revitalising conditioner. I also added a spoonful of coconut oil. I planned on leaving  this mix for an hour before using it but I suddenly felt lazy to wash my hair and I left it for 3days *oops* lol

Hair talk series: Too much texture??

I'm sold to the Volume that texlaxed hair gives! 

I honestly think this texlaxed texture is so close to being natural. Which is my aim after all but where/when would the length come in?  Being texlaxed has its ups and downs especially choosing the texlaxed level you are fine with. Prior to being on a hair journey my hair never got straight relaxed after touch up so now I get it that I've always been a texlaxed head but I wanted more volume so I kept increasing the kinkyness left after touch up.

Natural Hair update: Chasing Bra Strap Length

Hey naturalistas! I was browsing through my old posts and found out that it's been a very long time since I gave an update on my sister's natural hair. The last time I posted an official length check pic here was in September 2015 so a recent length check  is overdue. Incase you were wondering if she went the relaxed route, no she's still strong in her natural hair game.

For length checks my sister doesn't really use a length check shirt.  We just pull the hair down to where ever it stops on her body and that's where she's at.  She is quite tall (a lot taller than me now) so reaching specific marks on her body will take quite some time.
Here's a comparison.

Product review: The Mane Choice Trio

Hey dearies! Hope all is well at your end!  I won The Mane Choice Trio which comprises of the easy on the curls detangling Shampoo and conditioner and the soft as can be 3 in 1 leave in from The Mane Choice Africa in an Instagram give away 3weeks ago and this post is more like a feedback and review of how these products worked on my mane.

The owner of the brand has an amazingly lush natural hair which she attributes to using products from her brand as well as her Manetabolism hair growth multivitamins. I follow both the owner (@courtneyadeleye) and the brand (@themanechoice and @themanechoiceafrica). The Mane Choice is quite a popular brand with so many reviews and testimonials of their products all over Instagram from their hair growth multivitamins to their crystal Orchid biotin infused styling gel... All great reviews. I have had my eyes on the Trio for sometime and when I saw the giveaway I was like... Finally, here's your chance! Lol

Natrol Biotin Review

Hey cuties :-) so this is post is a review on the first ever supplement I've had for my hair and nails. I got the Natrol biotin specifically for my nails but I'm not going to act like it doesn't also do good to the hair and skin as well.

I got the one of 5000 mcg and straw berry flavoured 

So I got the Natrol Biotin from olori online store and I got it in January before the prices of everything went up. I chose to start with the 5000 mcg and see how my body reacts to it before trying out the 10,000mcg. I started taking the supplement on the 28th of January and it lasted till the first week of April just some days after my Relaxer. It would have lasted the complete three months if I had not increased my dose to two tablets a day in the second month meaning I got to try out how 10,000mcg would react too and I tell you there was no pimples reaction whatsoever. I did make sure I drank up to 1.5litres of water a day though.
Here's my review...

How I style my hair: My most defined twist out!

Hi there! :-) So, I kept my hair in a top bun as seen in my previous  post for the entire week. I did take it down midweek to moisturise and seal then I put it back in the top bun.  For this week I decided to do a twist out. 

I started on a week old blowdried hair and I moisturised my hair lightly. The only setting product I used is Beautiful Textures Curl Control Defining pudding. 

My Styler for this Twist out. 

The Washday Experience: My bun is getting bigger! Plus CON VS ORS + Elasta Qp

Hey cuties :-)  I'm back with my washday posts. For this washday I followed my usual routine.  I did something I haven't done in a long time which is Prepoo in with Extra Virgin olive oil and I loved it. For some months I had used my Herbal Essences BYE bye breakage conditioner and I was lured into using it everywashday by the softness it gives my hair which allows easy finger detangling.  Nonetheless less I'll still have a bit of swaps so I use oil some wash days and conditioner some other washdays instead of a crazy product marathon lol. Here are the steps I followed for this washday:

Relaxer/Texlax Update and length check

Hey loves! This is actually a very late post a I am about 3 weeks post relaxer already and I apologise for that.

I resolved not to do long stretches this year  but I didn't know I would relax as early as 9weeks post. Actually the basis for relaxing this early is not the number of days I am post relaxer buy the amount of new growth I achieved within that time. I can tell u that I had not less than one and a half inches. Detangling my new growth was so starting to give me headaches.. Lol

The New Beginnings Hair growth challenge by Wuras Secret Hair!

Challenges are a great way to stay on track in your hair growth journey. Whether we win or loose, in the end we all have longer and healthier hair.  Tonkabelle of Wuras secret hair blog    is hosting a Haircare challenge and you bet I'd join in!

Here is my starting pic for the challenge

Rules (lifted from her blog)

Start the challenge with a trim, the amount of hair you choose to trim off depends on you. After that keep trimming at the barest minimum, avoid it if possible if you must trim then dusting of the hair is preferable. Dusting is where such a small amount of hair is trimmed that it falls through the air like dust. (I will be sure to do a future post on dusting and trimming) (If you have recently had a trim done no need to trim again for the challenge)

Product review: Herbal Essences and Doo Grow conditioners

HERBAL ESSENCES BYE - BYE BREAKAGE CONDITIONER
This is a Rivitalising rinse out conditioner.

Promises: Damaged ends can't keep you down  with this creamy conditioning formula that does on every strand, making it easy to get over the splits quick.

Ingredients: water, stearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulphate, zea mays (corn) silk extract, postelsia palmaeformis thallus extract, jasminium grandiflorum (jasmine flower extract), fragrance/parfum, cetyl alcohol, Bis-aminopropyl dimethicone, benzyl alcohol, dicetylidomium chloride, disodium EDTA, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, red 33, blue 1.

Hair update

Nothing much has been going on with my hair. I had my washday after almost 3weeks of not washing my hair and I got to try out Uyai Naturals shampoo and leave in (a detailed review will be up soon). I have been taking my Natrol biotin (the review will come after my Relaxer update) and have slacked in doing scalp massages. I never thought taking biotin would make me so lazy to do my regular scalp massages. I guess I've reformed my brain to think that I do not need to do both. Somebody tap me back into reality! Lol

The Wash Day Experience: An adventurous wash day and my big Bun!

This wash day had me in smiles from start to finish. Maybe it's because I got to try out a few new products (I have a couple of products that I've been using for a while now that I haven't reviewed I plan to do that in subsequent posts) or a tool which I tried out *big grin*

How I style my hair: Lovely Curly Bun

I told ya you wouldn't want to miss this right?! This is my favourite bun so far for two reasons

(1) I didn't get the inspiration from anywhere... At all it really feels so good to be able to manipulate my styles till I get that 'aha!'  style that gets people to stare at me as I walk by. 

(2) It has curls as the bun! Have I told you how much I love curls?!

My Flat Ironed hair Post Relaxer: Chasing BSL

Hey loves! Hope we had a great Valentine Celebration?!
So I got to straighten my hair 2 weeks after my last relaxer and the relaxer update post can be found HERE.  I straightened on freshly washed and deep conditioned hair. All my styles be it protective styles or flat ironing I always start on clean hair.

Early Relaxer/Texlax update

My hair 80% air dried after relaxer touch up

Hey dearies! Been a while, I started strong with washday themes for this month but fell off with posting the washday posts because I had occupied my time with school activities.  The past week has really been stressful for me. I was sure that this stress would affect the health of my hair because I wouldn't have the patience  (and energy) to work with my hair.  I'm 10 weeks and 5days post relaxer with 11 weeks worth of very under processed hair from my previous relaxer so parting my hair for moisturising and detangling in general became tedious to me.

First curls for the year!

Hello my loves! This year is starting off on a good note for me, I hope it's same for you too :-) so this is supposed to come as a washday post but I didn't wash my hair.

I got so tired of having my hair straight from the flat ironing. Like I prefer wearing and seeing my hair curly than straight (don't get me wrong I mean 'curly' not kinky so going natural is so far from happening lol). So I set my mind on doing a Bantu knot out and then I saw that Jeni of just grow already blog and KLP of saving our strands blog already drafted out the washday themes for the month of January and the first week is in my favour! Yaaaay!

Welcome to 2016!.... My Goals for the new year!

It was almost midnight and we were about to begin a new year... 2016. So I laid on my couch and watched the clock as it ticked until it hit the mark (this is what I do every new year day)  Wow, I'm no longer in 2015?! It's now 2016... Obviously the dates have changed too. I was still there when I closed my eyes to pray. To Thank God for the months, days, hours and the past minute that I now call last year. I took time to reminiscence on all that had happened. The good, bad and fairly OK times. After concluding my prayer I tried to picture with my minds eyes how 2016 would be, but, I went blank.