NATURAL HAIR: I'VE GOTTEN LAZY, DIY HAIR MASK & HAIR LENGTH GOALS?!?

During my transition year, I did a lot of research on natural hair! I was pumped to create the many different looks with my natural hair, and wear my afro as much as I could. Fast forward to today, I've become super lazy with my hair. It's in that sort of awkward stage in my hair, and I recently trimmed my hair a bit too much, so I'm waiting for it to grow back out. I rarely wear my hair out these days, especially going to class. All I do these days is throw my scarf on top of my bonnet and leave the house. 

I have paid more attention to moisturizing, deep conditioning and massaging my hair. I wish I had pictures to show my hair growth, but it's usually shrunken because I keep it in twist. I have noticed that my coils are a lot looser than they were when I dig my "big chop" in April. I think that's bound to happen with more hair growth though. I'm not a curl chaser, but I have noticed my hair is very curly, which is nice I guess. 

I did a DIY hair mask using honey, mayo, olive oil, coconut oil, JBCO and conditioner. I found this on Pinterest, but there's a ton of other ones for different hair needs as well. For a second I was thinking about wearing my hair out, but with the weather being cold and dry lately I don't wanna wear my hair out. I do plan on making some wigs for the Winter time, so I'll probably make a blog post about it. I've made them a couple years ago and a lot of people thought they were sew-ins! Youtube, guys, Youtube! 

I'm gonna take a break from trimming my hair until I need to. I don't know why I started to trim it every 4 months because I don't do much to it. During my transitioning period, I was able to get my hair to my armpit, so I'm gonna try to do that again. I probably have another 3-4 1/2 inches of hair until I get to that point, but I'm looking forward to just seeing how much hair growth I can get with my hair. I usually keep my hair shoulder length, so this will be different for me. I do want a big afro though. 

I think when I hit my 1 year being back to natural, I'll color my hair. I haven't in a while, but I'm nervous about it. If I do plan on doing this, I'm going to go to a professional definitely. I've seen people do it at home, but I don't wanna mess up my curl pattern. 

NEW PRODUCT/EMPTIES ALERT!! WOULD I REPURCHASE??

Top (l-r): ALL MISS JESSIE PRODUCTS- CURL PUDDING, LEAVE-IN CONDISH, CREME DE LE CREME CONDITIONER

Below (l-r):Eco Styler Gels (Green lid and Clear Lid), Oyin Handmade Hair Dew, JBCO from Tropic Isle, Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in Detangler, Oyin Handmade Honey Hemp

LET'S START WITH THE TOP ROW: I had a sample of the Creme de le Creme Conditioner my cousin gave me. I liked it, so I wanted to try some more products. I love that the hair store I visited carried the "sample" products, so I grabbed three. The Curl Pudding was my least favorite. The scent was nice, but I didn't really get much out of it. The Leave-in Condish is a really nice product. It gave my hair a lot of slip. I'd repurchase this again, and probably the full size of the product. 

NOW THE BOTTOM ROW: Eco Styler Gel- The top (Aloe) gel is my favorite. It didn't leave my hair flaky, nor was it a strong hold though it is on level 10 (strong hold). I use it for twist outs mostly, and it just defines my coils a lot more. The white one left my hair flaky. I may try it again..alone. I used other products with it. That may be the reason my hair flaked. Oyin Handmade 'Hair Dew' is a repurchase. I talk about this product here: detailed review. It's a light moisturizer. Good for the LOC method. JBCO is a repurchase! Over time, this product will help regrow edges and thicken your hair. Kinky Curly 'Knot Today' is a regrettable purchase. I bought it because of the hype. I like that I have slip with this product, but the cost and amount you get isn't work it. You can use coconut oil if you want to detangle your hair. Oyin Handmade 'Honey Hemp' is my favorite conditioner to detangle my hair. I don't have much trouble these days detangling, but when I do I reach for this product. 

**YOU CAN FIND THESE PRODUCTS AT YOUR LOCAL HAIR STORE, WALGREENS, CVS, RITEAID, WALMART, TARGET AND SALLY.

NATURAL HAIR: HOW I MOISTURIZE MY HAIR AND SCALP: PRODUCTS I USE ON CLEAN AND 4-5 DAY OLD HAIR!

(L-R): Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Spray Bottle with Water, Some of Marguerite's Magic, Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave in Conditioner, Viva Labs Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Wide Tooth Comb (Curl Kit box)


When I feel like my hair is dry and could use some love, these are the products I use to moisturize my hair and scalp.

Clean Hair: I usually use 'Some of Marguerite's Magic and Coconut Oil after I've washed my hair. With my hair in sections, I finger detangle first. Then I take a dime size amount of coconut oil, work that into the section and comb my hair. After that I use SMM, which has shea butter in it to further moisturize my hair and scalp. Once that is done, I create a two strand twist and continue with the other sections.

4-5 Day Old Hair: Starting with one two strand twist, I unravel it and spray a bit of water on my hair. This helps me detangle it better, and makes moisturizing my hair easier. I then finger detangle, followed by using the wide tooth comb. After that I take a little bit of Shea Moisture's JBCO Leave-In Conditioner, and I work that into that section. Using the JBCO, I take the tiniest amount and massage that onto my scalp. I re-twist and continue with the same process until every section is complete. 

How do you moisturize your hair?

Natural Hair: Tension Method

Hey beauty enthusiasts! It's been a while, but I'm back with a new post. Today I will be discussing the tension method. For my natural peeps or anyone curious about natural hair, this is for you!!! The tension method is when you hold your hair taut, and use a blow dryer to dry your hair. I've seen this method on tons of YT videos, and I really like it. I've been natural for 4 months now, so it was time for me to trim my hair. It was also a way of seeing how much growth I have thus far. I vowed to never use the hair dryer again last year; however, it was the easiest/fastest way for me to stretch my hair.

HOW TO USE THE TENSION METHOD:

You will need:

• Wide-tooth comb
• Heat protecting spray
• Leave-in Conditioner/Moisturizer/Shea Butter for your hair
• Jojoba Oil or any oil of your choice
• Clean damp hair
• Hair dryer
• PATIENCE!!! (The thicker or length of your hair will determine how long of a process this will take.)

Step 1: Make sure you're working on clean damp hair. Section your hair in four quadrants. (This will make the process go a lot smoother.) 

Step 2: Within each quadrant, begin using small sections and moisturizing them with your leave-in conditioner or whatever you use to keep your hair moisturized. Work the product from root to tip. Spray some heat protectant in your hands and smooth onto your hair. Comb your hair to evenly distribute it. 

Step 3: Hold the section of hair taught and down. Turn the hair dryer on the 'Cool' setting. Begin to move the hair dryer up and the hair about 1 inch away. Continue to hold your hair down, and let the dryer continue on both sides of your hair for 30 seconds. Put the hair dryer on the 'Low' setting for 10 seconds. 

Step 4: The hair dryer may leave your hair feeling a bit dry, so you can add a bit more product to your hair. Apply the oil to your hair, make a two-strand twist and continue until your entire head is complete.

You can tweak the products and the way you use the tension method. This is what works for me. I hope you found this informative, and you try it. 

*BELOW ARE TWO VIDEOS OF ME EXPLAINING THE TENSION METHOD AND THE RESULTS I GOT USING IT.*