I know a lot of women who want their hair longer and/or healthier but they do not know where to start. First, you should start with a plan. Figure out what is wrong with your hair. Is it dry? Is it weak? Is it over-processed? Do the ends look bad or tangle easily? Does it look “ok” but you just want it to get longer? Then, you need to figure out what your goal is. If your goal is a huge difference from where you are now, perhaps having a short term goal too would be helpful. Setting a short term goal will make your long term goal seem more achievable and you can celebrate along the way. Once you have a goal and know what your problem areas are you have to focus on finding the right products that will address your needs. For instance if your hair is dry, you need a good deep conditioner and a good WATER-BASED MOISTURIZER (not oil, OIL DOES NOT MOISTURIZE). If your ends tangle easily, it may be time for a trim. You also may need to determine new techniques. For instance, if your hair is over-processed you need to determine how often you should use chemicals. Try to stretch your relaxer out an extra 2 weeks at a time. You may also need to increase your protein usage to rebuild your hair.
Having a plan keeps you from doing everything at one time or doing nothing at all. Both of these will lead you no where. Even if you start small saying your hair is dry so you want to wash and deep condition every two weeks, you will still be a step ahead. The good thing about plans is that they can always change. If you start out with one plan you don’t have to be married to it and can adjust accordingly. I would just suggest that you stick to your plan for at least 3 to 6 months in order to see any progress.
I took my braids out the Friday before Easter and I really did not like the way my hair looked. It could be that I got used to the look of the braids, but I thought that my hair looked really thin and dry on the ends… so I cut it… again. I cut it back to shoulder length and I devised a plan.
So here is my plan. I am back to wearing buns. I will wash my hair twice a week. Once with my sulfate-free shampoo (KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo) and once with my clarifying shampoo (Pantene Pro V Aqua light Clean Rinse Shampoo). I will deep condition with each wash with my moisturizing conditioner (Aussie Moist 3 minute miracle). I try to steam with my conditioner at least once a week. When preparing my bun, I will use the LOC method using S Curl for the liquid moisturizer, EVOO and grapeseed oil mix for the oil, and Shea Butter whipped with Jamaican Black Castor Oil as the cream. I use Olive Oil Ecostyler gel to set my buns. I only detangle with my seemless Magic Rake comb, not a fine tooth comb. Every night I will take down my bun and moisturize and seal my hair with S Curl and my whipped shea butter, and then put my hair in one plait and tie it for bed. Every morning I will moisturize again before putting my hair back into a bun. I will not use any heat on my hair until June 19th in preparation for my friends wedding and at that time I will decide if I will straighten it again in July. I am taking Hairfinity Vitamins as directed on the bottle and trying to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day.
My goal is to have thicker ends and to be back to BSL by the end of the summer. My short term goal is full APL by July. Normally, I would not advise anyone to clarify once a week, but since I am bunning daily, I use a ton of gel and product in my hair and I want to make sure that I do not have build up. I think that this is one place where I messed up last time. Since I am deep conditioning twice a week and moisturizing twice a day, I do not think that my hair will dry out from the clarifying shampoo. I will re-evaluate my plan in July which will be 3 months from when I started. What is your plan for your hair journey?
Mane and Tell 