Braid Out!

This will be a short post. My hair didn't hold up the way I wanted it to. After I co-washed my hair got frizzy and so today I decided to just take them out and I am pleasantly pleased. I got compliments today and I haven't gotten any of those in a while. It felt really good. :) So here's the pics.

Co-Washing

If you notice in the last picture the braids started coming loose.

Braid Out

Braids

So I decided to put braids in my hair last night. I finished at 2 AM and was so tired! I wasn't even sure I wanted to do them yesterday but I decided why not, I didn't want to do my fro again. I sometimes miss my curls when I do twists or braids, it's weird lol. But braids and twists are fun.

So I co-washed with HEHH and spritzed with my AVJ mix and then applies Shea Moisture smoothie and jojoba oil. Here's the end results:

Miconazole Nitrate: The New Hair Growth Treatment *My Opinion*

Before I begin, you are free to try it, and free to use it, but I am also free to discuss how I feel about it. This topic has actually intrigued me because it's so experimental, and it's interesting to see the increase in growth women show. But I also wonder, why? Is it for the growth, just to try it?

I came across people discussing Miconazole Nitrate online and never heard of it before, thought it was some fancy chemical or pill (as you can see I'm not prone to yeast infections lol), and found out that people actually use Monistat on their scalp for increased growth. If you are completely oblivious to this, you can go HERE to read more about it.

So let's get on to some opinion based reasons. I guess if you want ultimate and immediate satisfaction of long hair then this is not a problem. I'm all for experiments, but not with things like MN. I've obviously caved into using EVOO, and may attempt other things. I won't at all dispute that I can have some violent allergic reaction to a natural product, but I'd rather that then use something not as intended. I guess I just don't understand the hype of having long hair and quick, and this is coming from an impatient and impulsive person. I do want long hair one day but I am happy to just have hair, and won't want to risk losing it because I wanted it to be longer right now.

I also don't believe this because genetically the way our hair grows, how fast it grows, and ultimately how long it will be is determined genetically. In the article above it mentioned that Miconazole Nitrates increase blood flow so that is the only thing that I can fathom could be the cause, but pepper and even peppermint will do the same thing, and peppermint oil has a very pleasing smell. Peppermint oil would be something I wouldn't mind experimenting with. But, how many things do we need to take of our hair?

I guess this is just a case of differing opinions. I spent about 4 hours watching a show called Taboo, and we all do different things that other cultures may find strange. Some cultures actually find the way Americans bury the dead to be strange. And within our own cultures we find what individuals do may be not be considered okay to some of us, it's just how life is. So with that said, this is just one woman's opinion, who is not trying to change that of others, I just usually don't have anyone else who wants to hear me rant about it lol.

College Woes

This is not hair related, but I have finally come to a decision that I feel is best for me and since I can't stop thinking about it, I felt I should blog it.

I was recently getting a portfolio together to go into Early Childhood Education. My current degree is Child & Family Development so I would have been a double major. I am already a semester behind because of a terrible first semester at school. I've decided that I just want to graduate with my one degree. I feel that this would be better for me, I no longer feel like i have YEARS of school looming ahead of me. The reason I wanted the other degree was so that I could make more money when I graduate. Child Development degrees do not have good outcomes financially, you have to really love your job. Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't, because I don't know, but I want to school, to not only be happy in my job, but also to make money! I am technically in debt because of student loans and I have to have money to pay them off! Lol. I would also like a family of my own and my own house and I can't do that without...MONEY. :P

But I felt like, if I were to be in school for an extra 4 (maybe less) years then I might as well get a Master's in my degree and I will have more opportunities, plus I can work while getting this degree, instead of being in school and racking up the debt. I will be seeing my advisor on Monday so hopefully she will have encouraging words as far as future job outlooks. Well, I feel a little better now, and if anyone wants to speak on this, you are free to do so. :)

Wash Day #2

So today is another wash day for me. I actually sat here for about an hour and typed up a section I'd like to start called IMHO or In My Humble Opinion. Then I figured that it may not be a good idea. So, there goes an idea out the window lol. Maybe if another topic strikes my fancy I will start that section up, but for now, I'll just do what I do. :P

So today is Wash Day for me, I missed it on Saturday thinking I was getting my car fixed, but I was not! Plus, I had my hair in twists and was not sure how a DC would work. Next time though, I will at least wash my hair, I'll just be super gentle to not rip out the twists!

I will be shampooing and conditioning with Aussie Moist, and DC with ORS Hair Mayo, I will not be adding Olive Oil. I am writing this before I actually go wash my hair lol. But I assume everything will go according to plan. If not, I will definitely update this. :P Hopefully I won't end up with brittle hair. :-/ 

Have a good day everyone!

My Hair Types (Yes, All 4 of them) Edited: Dec.5th

So, I've come to post what I believe to be my hair types, based SOLELY on Curl Pattern. I'm no expert on hair types, just going off what various websites have listed (which quite frankly, are not much help lol), and adjusting to what I believe my hair type is. I guess you have to guesstimate with this stuff because all hair is different. But regardless, there's 4 different types in my head lol. I've also come to accept that the "frizz" in my head is probably just type 4b hair, but it's not like it would neatly place itself in it's own little section, no no no, it wants to sit all over my head. *mumbles*. But at the same time I like it, it diversifies my hair, and also cooperates with braidouts, unlike my 4a hair lol. There are some parts of my head that truly refuse to partner up with the curls, but the others I believe to be type 4b. So, on to the Hair Types! Oh, and as a side note, I don't use 4c.

Type 4b

Undefined, z-shaped strands.

Type 4a

Stretched. Notice the S shape.

Several tightly coiled strands.

More Tight coils.

And more, notice that they have a small circumference, and are very tight.

More Type 4a.

Type 3c/4a
Some people may still classify this as 4a, with a larger curl. It's up to you.

Slightly looser and larger than the 4a strands.

Circular, spiral.

Type 3b

And these are the loose curls that are over the front of my hair.

And that is the end of my Hair Typing session, lol. Hope it helps someone out there. Again, I believe that hair typing is subjective, and you also shouldn't sweat it too much, though some people find it helpful as a guide to buying products. But when you have hair like mines (which many do), it doesn't matter to me! Happy growing everyone!

Wash Day

Yesterday was wash day, but I didn't start until like 10PM. I did a lot of shopping yesterday, got a food chopper to mix together some shea butter mixes. I order my shea butter today from Shea Essentials and so when I get my package I'll make an update about how it is! One last thing before I get into my wash day is that this post will be number 13. I am going to combat my superstitiousness and say that this is okay. I mean, I did B/C at 13 1/2 months. Now, onto the important stuff.

I purchased, from Sally's, Ion's Hard Water Shampoo and conditioner because I haven't clarified in a long time and felt like before I D/C I should start with a clean slate, plus I was too lazy to pick up my Joico from my mother's house. So, I shampoo'd twice since I didn't get a good lather the first time especially in the front where I applied EcoStyler. It left my hair squeaky clean, which I like. Plus just about all the shampoo's I use do that. Then I applied EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and I felt like it was a big waste to have just used a clarifier, but anywho, oil rinses are supposed to make hair easier to detangle, and i figured, why not try it? So I put it in and rinsed out with warm water, then applied the Ion conditioner and left it in for a few minutes, and within that time, combed through my hair with my wide toothed shower comb. I suppose it felt slightly easier to comb, but I won't  say it works until I use it a few more times in different conditions.

So after this, I rinsed the conditioner out with cool water and began to prepare my DC. I mixed Aussie Moist 3 min Deeep Conditioner with EVOO, and parted my hair, applying it all over, placed a plastic cap on and did nothing of importance for 1 1/2 hours.  After that I rinsed it out and my hair felt very soft. I feel I should get a new DC though because I'm sure Aussie formulated it to do whatever it could within 3 minutes. I do like it though.

This is where I faulted. After I rinsed the DC out I went to apply Aussie MOist conditioner as my leave in, and as I slapped it on the front It got real foamy very easily. I wondered why it won't like that, and ran to look at which bottle I picked up...the shampoo. I felt stupid for not even reading the bottle or notice the different colored tops. So I hopped back in the shower, rinsed it off, and applied the conditioner there.

So that was my wonderful day, a DC pretty much gone to waste, but nonetheless, got to try new products. That's it for now, have a good day everyone!