Hair Journey Feature | How she achieved waist length in less than two years.

Every so often I will be delighted by an email from a reader who shares the progress of their journey with me.  Not so long ago, Rachie did just that.  Her email proclaiming the achievement of waist length hair made my freakin' day!  I had no choice to but invite her to come to the stage to share the lessons from her journey with the rest of us.  

Ladies, meet Rachie.

Tell us about your hair (relaxed, texlaxed, natural, hair type)?

Texlaxed 4abc hair :-)

Congrats on reaching waistlength! How does it feel?

Pretty cool actually, I sometimes don't fully believe it because for sooo long I never thought it was actually possible for me :-)

How long have you been on your hair journey? What was your starting length?

I started my hair care research about October 2012, and then after I gathered enough information to make a “Hair-Plan” for myself, I officially started my hair care journey in January 2013.

Early on in her Journey

How do you care for your hair daily?

• I try my best to keep my hands out of my hair as much as possible during the week. Most times of late I've had my hair in braids/plaits on a weekly basis. I redo the braids or plaits once a week.
• I Moisturize and seal my hair daily with mainly Profectiv Mega Growth Daily leave-in Strengthener and a Grapeseed Oil + Castor Oil Mix. Of late, I've been using Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus KIDS Extra-Moisturizing Detangler as a spray-on moisturizer for my braids which is quick and easy to apply in the mornings before work, and I seal with a tiny bit of Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk.
• I do the GHE/Baggying method on alternate nights
• I always tie my hair with a scarf (satin) at nights. I'm looking into getting silk pillow cases so I don't always have to wear a scarf, I'll see.

What is your weekly regimen?

• I wash with shampoo once a month (Design Essentials Moisture Retention Shampoo), and Co wash once-twice weekly with any Moisturizing Conditioner I have in my stash: Mane and Tail Deep Moisturizing Conditioner is what I'm using at the moment (A big bottle was on sale, LOL).
• I wash with my braids in tact to reduce tangling and breakage.
• I air dry my hair with braids intact also. If my hair is loose (ie not in braids – usually the first 3-4weeks post Texlax) I'll air dry using the Scarf-method.
• I Deep Condition once to twice a week depending on how my hair feels, Mainly with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner.
• I tend to Oil Rinse also: When I'm about to rinse out my deep conditioner I'll apply a handful of coconut oil to the length of my hair over the conditioner, then rinse it out with warm water. I found that adding coconut oil prior to the rinse helve A LOT with detangling. It also leave my hair feeling very soft after the rinse out while keeping some of the moisture locked into my strands.
• I do ACV rinses after each wash.
• I use a Denman brush to detangle my hair, finger detangling hasn't worked of late since my hair has gotten Longer.
• Once every week or 2, I'll apply an essential oil + grapeseed oil mix to my scalp, very tingly and smells lovely :-)

How often do you trim?

I trim whenever my hair needs it, I may trim soon actually, but in general I trim once every 6-7months.

Do you do anything to care for your hair from the inside?

I was VERY big on juicing (carrots, beets, bananas, strawberries, aloe vera juice) especially in the beginning. I fell off the bandwagon of late with work being so busy/stressful. But my hair skin and body on a whole loved it! So I'm definitley trying to get back in the juicing game! I try to exercise for an hour every other day at least, I drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day and I take Vitamin Worlds Hair skin and Nails Vitamins daily (again of late I haven't been the most consistent). I also used to take fish oil, horsetail capsules, zinc, vitamin C and cod liver oil tablets. I have not been the most consistent with these of late either. But as I said my hair loves them.

Did you have any setbacks along the way? How did you deal with them?

YESS!!! I did a Cassia treatment in late November/ early December last year which I may have done wrong; It left my hair in LARGE DRY CLUMPS, I cried and cried and cried. Lol. I lost half a dust bin of hair, my fiance' had to help me cut out large clumps of hair. It was devastating. In fact that was when I started to put my hair in plaits/braids to reduce manipulation and keep what hair was left on my head ON MY HEAD, lol.

And that was when I started co-washing very often too, to put moisture back in my hair. It felt dry for months. The braids and co-washing really saved what was left of my hair.

If you had to start your journey all over again, what would you do differently?

Nope! I've made mistakes, I've learned from them and I've enjoyed doing so. It's a journey, it can feel like a race in the beginning but after you start to see your hair health improve and you get confidence in what you are doing, that in itself was a major reward for me.

If you're stuck on desert island and can only bring 3 hair related items or products, what would you take?

Hmmm... tough one. I think I'd take my satin scarf, HEHH Conditioner, and Grapeseed oil. Awww man, can I take my Denman brush and my Profectiv daily strengthener leave-in conditioner too? Pretty pleez? Lol.

You meet a stranger on the street who begs you to share with her the tips & tricks so she can too have waistlength hair, what tips do you share with her?

I'd strongly emphasize BEING VERY GENTLE and Reducing Manipulation as much as possible to avoid breakage; a satin or silk scarf at nights to avoid breakage, and keep the hair well moisturized again to avoid breakage! :-) Length retention is key! Everyone's hair grows, its just to figure out how to keep it on your head. My hair strands being very fine are prone to tangling and breakage, so low manipulation is a must!

Moisturizing and sealing is a must too, to reduce split ends and thus reduce the number of trims that you have to do. :-)

Nadege, thank you soooooooo much for featuring me! You have been such an INSPIRATION! Seriously, your blog helped me immensely, especially in the beginning when I was just starting out and wasn't fully sure what a hair-care regimen was exactly. I feel like I've come full circle, to think I'd be featured on the very same blog that helped to inspire me to start my hair journey in the first place! Thanks so much again,

Xoxo,

Rachie :-)

After studying Rachie's regimen, I was reminded of the power of low manipulation.  I love how she was able to turn a devastating set back into a method that enabled her to achieve her length goals.  I also like her idea of applying coconut oil over conditioned hair for additional deep conditioning benefits.  Will definitely have to try this. 

You want more of Rachie's hair journey and regimen details? Be sure to check out her blog as she makes her way to hip length. 

 www.rachietowaistlength.blogspot.com

Feature: How she got 2 inches of growth in a month & created the perfect moisture/protein balance.

I'm really excited to share this latest feature with you all.  This young lady is no stranger to us here.  We got familiar with her as she schooled us on the details of Japanese straightening.  Yahya had such great information that I asked her to come back and tell us more about what she did to create her gorgeous hair. This has to be one of my favorite features. It's chock full of valuable information that will help a lot of people.  Please sit back and enjoy.

How long have you been on your hair journey?

I started my hair journey the year entering high school, so that was approximately six years ago.

Before Japanese Straightening which relaxer did you use?  How often?

When I first started my hair journey a family friend would use Luster's Pink relaxer kit on my hair. As my journey progressed, I started to use ORS olive oil. Unfortunately, this was about the same time our family friend stopped doing my relaxers and I was having trouble on relaxer days due to being unable to find a stylists with improper technique. I would stretch for at least 12 weeks, and did it gladly as I was beginning to hate relaxer days. It seemed like every time I went to a stylist, they would either under process or over process my hair. My hair was finally saved by Hair's Talent. I think she had used Mizani.

Share a little about your daily regimen?

Sometimes everyday, sometimes every other day, sometimes every two days (it really depends on how my hair is feeling) I'll spritz my hair with my kimmaytube inspired leave-in. I use it as a moisturizer and leave-in. The ingredients I use in it changes, but the conditioner I've used include V05 conditioners, Trader Joe's nourish spa, Hello Hydration, Aubrey Organic's honeysuckle and white camellia. Oils include Trader Joe's jojoba oil, Hairveda cococasta, olive oil, and grape seed oil. After moistening my hair, I comb it with a seamless wide tooth comb. If I'm freshening up my hair from a low manipulation style, I'll only comb the straightened hair and finger detangle my new growth. About every other time I moisturize I'll seal with grape seed oil or vatika coconut oil.

What is your nightly regimen?

Hmmm... I don't really have much of a consistent night time regimen. I just tie my hair up, in a bun or braid, and go to sleep on a silk pillow. If I have a lot of new growth, sometimes I'll spritz it and sleep with a scarf so it flattens in the morning. Currently, I've been doing a personal challenge of testing all my growth aids in different ways and have been doing the *GHE (green house effect) method nightly. This has helped me in managing with my blooming new growth.

Tell us about your weekly wash routine?

This varies a lot, too!

I wash once a week, sometimes once every two weeks when new growth starts really blooming and I flat iron my roots.

I apply moisture deep conditioner, protein deep conditioner, or prepoo oil, on dry hair depending on how hair feels. I apply my deep conditioner on dry hair for better penetration as applying on wet hair blocks deep penetration due to the water. If doing a deep conditioner I'll put on a cap, wet my turban towel with hot water, and go under the dryer for 15-30 minutes. if doing a protein deep conditioner, I'll do a moisture one after washing. If a prepoo, I'll put on a cap and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Unless I'm clarifying or there's build-up, shampoo is only directly applied on the scalp and roots and rinsed into the length of the hair

After cleannsing my hair, half the time I'll squeeze the excess water and follow up with Roux ph corrector.

I will follow up with a normal conditioner or moisture deep condition (if I did a protein one before washing or am clarifying). If it's a normal conditioner, I'll squeeze excess water, apply in shower, and let sit for 2-10 minutes. If I'm deep conditioning I'll squeeze excess water and gently towel or t-shirt dry hair, apply, and steam for 15-30 minutes.

Half the time, I'll rinse out half of the final conditioner and do a acv rinse. If I plan to keep my hair tied up all week, I'll do an oil rinse right after the acv rinse.

I'll rinse my hair thoroughly or un-thoroughly depending on how my hair is feeling, t-shirt dry hair, and apply my luv natural leave-in usually after it's at least 50 percent dry.

If I don't have much new growth I'll let my hair airdry 70-80 percent, apply coconut oil and/ or grape seed oil, and then comb. If I'm starting to get new growth I'll strart the scarf method before my hair is 50 percent dry.

Sometimes to manage my new growth, especially if I'm leaving my hair out, I'll do bantu knots while my hair is damp and go under the dryer. When if really starts blooming up their I'll flat-iron after the bantu knots, every two weeks.

How often do you wear your hair out versus protective styling?

My hair is always tied up at home, usually in a bun. That might change to a braided ponytail/ pigtails. So about half the time my hair tied up. During this relaxer stretch, however, I've been keeping my hair in a low manipulation style 23/7. I say 23/7 because I only really take out my braided pigtails to detangle and on wash day, maybe for a specal ocassion. This is because my current goal is to thicken my ends, and this will prevent me from loosing extra hairs due to my line of demarcation.

Do you use heat? If so, how often?

I only use direct heat throughout my hair on Japanese Straighteningday, as the process requires it. When my new growth starts to bloom, sometimes after washing I'll go under a hooded dryer with damp bantu knots to semi-straighten the curl. Further in my stretch, when my new growth really starts coming in, I'll do a caramelization treatment of my new growth and flat iron my roots solely. I might not do that this stretch as I'm doing 23/7 low manipulation styles.

Please tell us the secret to your retention?

I honestly think that low manipulation styles have an advantage to protective styles. Protective styles hide your ends in order to keep them from rubbing off different surfaces, to prevent split ends. Hair rubbing on different surfaces is just one factor out of several that causes split ends. The main cause of split ends in girls with naturally dry hair is, well, dryness. Before tying my hair in a bun, I'll usually moisturize my ends exclusively before tucking them away. This kind of acts like wet bunning.

It's important to baby your ends when trying to retain length, and curing the major factors you'll see the most improvement. So when trying to prevent split ends, it's more important to keep your ends' moisture and protein balance stable. Keeping them from rubbing against surfaces is good, but it's more important to fix the biggest problem. Another thing I do to my ends is treat it with more protein compared to the rest of my hair. Our ends are the oldest parts of our hair, is has the least amount of protein while the top has the most. Therefore, the ends should get the most protein and our roots should get the least.

I said before that low manipulation styles are better, this is because I feel breakage occurs more with combing and low manipulation styles keep hair from tangling. This cuts the amount of combing and cuts the amount of breakage.

How do you maintain moisture & manage breakage?

I think it's important for chemically treated heads, especially relaxed heads, to use ph correcting supplies to correct their hair's increased porosity. This helps us keep moisture in our strands longer. I do this through roux ph corrector, apple cider vinegar rinses, aloe vera, and oil rinsing.

My regimen is mostly moisture based, as my hair's scale is about a 70 percent moisture and 30 percent protein balance. As a result, when my hair starts experiencing a little extra breakage I usually do a protein treatment. When applying protein, like stated before, I tend to do it in layers. My ends get the most, my hair up until the line of demarcation gets a normal amount, and my new growth gets the least. I find when strengthening the line of demarcation during stretching, my hair's strength becomes more even by only treating my chemically straightened hair. The most important was of knocking breakage, for me, is to do an elasticity and porosity test. This way I know I'm going in the right direction or I find out I have to temporarily change something,

Do you do anything internally to promote healthy hair?

I take a multivitamin, omega fish oil, and garlic supplements on a regular basis. That's pretty much it. Currently, I'm testing bamboo tea.

Have you experienced setbacks in your journey? If so, how did you bounce back?

My first, worst, and only major setback was about a year ago when I went through a protein overload. At first I did not sure what was going on, and so I probably was making the problem worst by not completely cutting off protein. After overcoming this episode, this lead me to make a post that labels hair symptoms in detail here. I also wrote about the regimen that finally got me out of protein overload here.

Has your regimen change before Japanese straightening vs. after?

My regimen changed quite a lot. I didn't start applying protein in layers until after Japanese straightening. I also became more casual with my hair, taking care of it more by feel than a schedule. Before, I would deep condition every wash and wash every week. And I would hardly ever deep condition before washing, it always came after. Some of these changes were due to my protein overload experience. As soon as I had gotten over my protein overload, I Japanese straightened my roots for the first time. But as most of my hair is still relaxed, the major change due to Japanese straighteing is just that the Japanese straightened section of my hair requires less product. I still treat my hair as if it's relaxed as most of it is.

You're stranded on a desert island and can only have 3 hair related items with you, what do you choose and why?

A good moisture conditioner like Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil. I picked these because I can mostly do everything I need with them. I can combine the conditioner and coconut oil to make a deep conditioner, and dilute it to make a leave-in. I can use the coconut oil as a sealant and to retain my hair's protein. Coconut oil rinsing and apple cider vinegar would keep my hair's ph in check. Acv would also keep my scalp clean. If I have a lot of new growth when I'm stranded I could also do the loc method using the diluted leave-in, the coconut oil, ad than the conditioner.

If someone who wants to reach your length as a goal, what advice would you give that person?

Don't trim your hair to get rid of split ends, trim to keep your ends even. Trimming because of split ends is kinda pointless because your not getting the splits throughout your hair, only the ones on your very ends. It makes much more sense to dust or *search and destroy.

Health should also come before length. There's no point in trying to grow your hair if your getting a considerable amount of breakage. When your hair is healthy, growth aids are a great way to gain length. I've seen some healthy hair care girls say that people see a difference with growth aids because they are taking more care of their hair, but this isn't true. I couldn't see my growth rate triple just from taking better care of my hair. Recently, I had done the GHE method for a month and got 2 inches of growth. Even more recently I did the GHE and *inversion method for a week and got another 2 inches. Everyone's head is different and what grows my hair might not grow another's, but with all the growth aids out there, there's most likely one that will increase your growth rate. Growth aids aren't mandatory for growth, you can get better growth just by keeping your hair healthy, but they sure speed up the process.
......................................................................
*{GHE Method}-The process of using a plastic cap to generate heat on the scalp. This will promote blood flow to the scalp and can help boost moisture levels. You can put the plastic cap on for hours at a time or go to bed with it. 

*{Inversion Method}- The process of allowing blood flow to increase to the scalp by hanging the head in a low position.  (See link for more info). 

*{Search & Destroy}-The process of eliminating split ends by trimming in very small sections or trimming individual split ends as they are visually identified. 

Short Hair Don't Care! Creating the path to success at the start of your Hair Journey

I'm so exited to bring this feature!  Most often I share inspiration stories of ladies with mid back,  low-mid back, waist length and even hip length hair.  But, along the way, I've received email messages from those who are starting their journey. They too would like to reach waist length but before then, the biggest question is how to maintain a healthy hair journey with shorter lengths.

Today we're featuring a young lady who we will call "Tam."  Our correspondence began when she emailed me a year ago at the start of her journey.  After testing various products and techniques she finally crafted a regimen that worked.  Now she's ready to take her journey to bra-strap length and beyond!  But before we go there, I was extremely interested to find out about what got her here.    Let's find out shall we?

How long have you been on your journey? I've been on my journey for one year and 1 month.

Tell us about your starting length and current length. My starting length was ear length, I am currently at neck length.

What was your regimen at the beginning of your journey? Pre-shampoo, shampoo deep condition, moisture and seal and occasionally co-wash.  I was a little all over the place in terms of products which is why I have an entire cupboard for my hair products as opposed to a shelf.

Has it changed? If so how? Over the year, my regimen has definitely changed, firstly it's more consistently and I'm more committed. I washed my hair once a week-prepoo, shampoo, deep condition with my steamer and I air dry more often then not.  I have re-introduced co-washing (co-wash Wednesday), I now baggy my ends, do regular scalp massages and ensure my new growth is kept moisturized. If I do anything different, I make a note of what I did and the effect it had on my hair.

How long do you stretch between relaxers? I have just started to stretch to 10 weeks. Previously, I relaxed every 8 weeks.

Do you use heat to maintain your short style? When my hair was shorter, I straightened on wash days only which was once a week.  I would maintain my style by wrapping at night.

Are you cutting/trimming often to maintain your look? If so how often? My hairdresser and I have a good understanding, as I'm growing out my hair we no longer cut it, we trim!  So my hair is trimmed when necessary, usually every other relaxer which works out every 5 months.

How do you wear your hair on a daily basis? Nowadays, my hair is always in a protective style. At the moment my ends rarely see the light of day.  Normally, the first week after my relaxer, I will wear my hair down for a few days after that, those ends are tucked away.  I'm loving non-bun styles and, as my hair continues to grow and I'm becoming more creating with my styling.

When my hair was shorter, I wore it out.  It was too short to wear in a bun or tie it up in any way. So for 5 months I wore my hair out.  After that time, I just wore it in a clip and used hair grips to secure stray pieces, not very exciting.   Recently though, I have experimenting with non bun styles. This includes the pompadour in the front of my hair with a french braid, braid or twist the crown and roll the back of my hair.

Have there been any struggles or set backs?  How did you overcome?  My set backs have been finding the right products, retaining moisture and being consistent and toward the end of last year, I had some breakage in the back/nape of area of my hair.  It was then I decided it was time to get serious.  I went through my cupboard and decided what my staples should be.  I made a vow to be consistent for 3 months and keep a diary.  Providing my hair reacted positively to my regimen, I would not change it until after the 3 month period.


What advice do you have for women with shorter lengths on a hair journey? Keep a record of the products you use and how they make your hair feel. It makes it easier to determine which products are working and which are not. Try to keep your regimen simple and suited to you to make it easier to maintain consistency.  Begin with the end in mind (one of my favorite quotes).  Think about what you will do to get there.  For instance, what length you want, growth aids alone won't be the answer.  You will need to ensure that you are retaining length.  Healthy hair is also about your health inside out.  Having a healthy lifestyle will be a contributor to creating healthy hair.  Research, research, research!  Read blogs, books, magazines, watch YouTube, join forums and ask questions. There is always at least one person that can offer some advice.


My thanks to Tam for sharing her journey with us.  I'm so proud of her progress and I look forward to featuring her once again in the future as she continues to reach her goals.  Even while writing this feature, I was reminded of how important a role consistency plays in our regimens.

Chemically Straightened Healthy Hair. Is it even possible?

While at The Make Up Show this weekend, I got a chance to view and sample some of the most amazing makeup brands around, but all of it paled in comparison to the random encounter I had with a young lady and her exceptionally fabulous head of hair.   My eye caught a glimpse of her tresses as I moved in and out of the crowd.  As I was speaking with a friend I literally stopped mid-sentence when my eyes laid on the back of her head.  Even before she turned around I knew that I wasn't a looking at a weave (although it looked flawless) and I knew that she was someone who had naturally textured hair.

Feeling a bit awkward for taking shots of this random stranger's hair, I decided it would be rude of me if I didn't pay her a glowing compliment (while taking the opportunity to snap some additional pics).    We chatted for a minute and during that time I learned that she has naturally curly hair which she has chemically straightened using a Japanese Straightening system called Liscio.

I asked this beautifully haired stranger if she'd ever experienced a relaxer so I could get her point of view on what she felt were the differences.  She kindly told me that she relaxed when she was much younger but preferred this method because it better preserved the integrity of her hair.  Just like a relaxer, she needs to touch up her roots every few months with this Liscio system.

These pictures of the back of her head do her no justice.  I took them impromptu as she was walking away so you aren't seeing the full beauty and health of her strands as I saw them.  The first picture is a more accurate representation of what her hair looks like with the naked eye.    Before she turned away to enjoy the rest of the makeup show, she shared that she just removed 3-4 inches during a recent trim.

As she disappeared into the crowd, I told my friend that I would live happily ever after if my hair were as healthy as hers.

Then I got to thinking about modern day relaxers and how slow they have been to evolve into something that could provide great straightening while keeping the hair in a desired healthy state.

 I became really curious about this straightening system and from my preliminary research I learned that the Liscio system was created by the same company (Inphenom) that I featured in my Currently Craving post. The hair products were developed to work in conjunction with the chemical straightening process.  What attracted me about the brand is that they offer a wide variety of products catered towards bringing health to the strand.  They've got products like "Cuticle Coat," "Cortex CMC (for internal repair),"  and a sealing product meant to lock the yummy ingredients inside the strand.  "Sigh", I wish our relaxer systems came with products that worked as much to rebuild the hair as they do to destroy it.   Two weeks ago, I write a post claiming my desire to try these products and then suddenly, I come face to face with this amazing head of hair linked to the brand.  I wonder if meeting this stranger was some sort of coincidence or a sign brought down from the heavens meant to help me expand my horizons.

To be continued.....

(p.s.) I'm pinning her on my Pinterest boards...

Feature: The regimen that created Hip Length Relaxed Hair

I heard it said many times that in order to get where we want to be, we should learn from those who have gotten there.  Well today, I'm really excited to share with you someone who has taken her hair journey beyond brastrap, mid-back and now is making her way to hip length.  Miss "HairRoots" has been so gracious in sharing her regimen, her successes and what she learned along the way with us.  Let's pay close attention so we can gather up the glimpses of wisdom that contributed to her beautiful head of hair.

Tell us a little about your hair? 
My hair tyepe is 3C (from what I'm told), I'm not really sure.  I am relaxed and I recently started stretching between my relaxers because my ends were getting very thin.  My last stretch was from March 10, 2012 to August 26, 2012 (24 weeks). I did this to regain the thickness I lost from relaxing too often (every 8 weeks). I still have a long way to go, my hair is not as thick as I want it to be, especially my ends. So I started a new stretch this time my goal is 28 weeks.  Another thing I started doing is texlaxing by adding oils.  Both of these techniques have helped improve the health of my hair.

What is your current length?  How long did it take to get there?
I am currently hip length. I can't exactly pinpoint how long it took me to get here because I have been growing it out for what seems like forever and I didn't know it was considered a journey.  Thinking back to bra strap length, I would say it was about 10 years ago and that includes a lot of trims along the way.

How often do you touch up, which relaxer do you use?
I use design essentials (time release). I have been using this relaxer for over 20 years. I love it because the time release allows me to apply the product into my hair longer without the worry of over processing. I recently started adding oil to my perm in order to texlax my hair. I'm doing this to promote length and thickness.

(26 weeks post ready for her touch-up)

Share a little of your daily and nightly regimen.
I start off my regimen at night, planning for the upcoming day.  
Night Regimen: I moisturize and seal my hair. I part my hair into 4 sections and apply my moisture cream and sealing oil.  Then I braid each section and cover with a satin scarf and bonnet.  
Morning Regimen: I take off my scarf and put a small amount of oil on my fingertips while I unbraid to prevent frizz as I finger comb my braid out.
Weekly Regimen: Deep condition/co-wash once a week with a steamer or heating cap. I use a clarifying shampoo at the beginning of each month to get rid of any build-up.  I keep it as simple as possible.

(sectioned into 4 parts similar to her nightly routine before moisturizing, sealing and braiding)

Tell us more about your weekly wash day routine?
Weekly, I wash my hair with a moisturizing conditioner. Next I use ORS replenishing, Giovanni deep moisture, or Macadamia natural oil masque as a deep conditioner and I sit under either a hooded drier or steamer for an hour.  Once a month I clarify and follow with a deep conditioning treatment.

How often do you wear your hair out versus protective styling?
I wear a braidout 100% of the time until I reach 18 weeks post and the remaining 6 weeks I wear protective styles. Mainly buns.

Do you use heat? If so, how often?
I never use heat. The only source of heat I use is a steamer or hooded drier. The last time I used heat was about 10 years ago, I have not used a blow drier or flat iron since.

What is your secret to retention, How do you maintain moisture and manage breakage?
I noticed that since I stopped using heat, there was much less breakage, it seemed [that heat usage] put an extra strain on my hair. I also keep my hairstyling to a bare minimum (low manipulation) and I only detangle my hair 1-2 times a week. As far as moisture, I moisturize, seal and wrap my hair (with scarf) every night no matter how tired I may be.

Do you do anything internally to promote healthy hair?
I take vitamins daily, these include "hair, skin and nails" vitamins and garlic supplements to reduce shedding.


Have you experienced setbacks along the way?
Before the birth of my second child I had issues with flimsy ends and constant breakage because I was relaxing and applying dyes and excess amounts of heat.  With my second pregnancy, I did a year long stretch continuously braiding my hair hair into 2 french braids. After getting a relaxer, I began monitoring my growth and doing braidouts with a leave in conditioner and olive oil, my regimen was much simpler, however I began relaxing again every 8-10 weeks.  As my hair began to grow longer, I wanted to focus on the thickness. Now I stretch no less than 24 weeks and this process has shown major improvement to my thickness.

A wealthy stranger offers you $1 million dollars to help her create healthy hair like yours, how do you do it?
Most importantly, I would need to eliminate all flat irons, curlers, and blow dryers.  Health is also very important, they would need to instill daily vitamins and water.  Protective styles would be ideal to minimize breakage, so don't try to be extra cute during the retention of length phase.  I would also need to make sure they deep condition weekly, moisturize and seal daily. Not to mention trimming dead ends after relaxing.

You're stranded on a desert island and can only have 3 hair related items with you, what do you choose and why? 
My three staples that I could not go without are clean water, argan moisturizing conditioner and Jamaican castor oil all to combine for daily/nightly moisturizing concontion. I also use these for co-washing and sealing my hair.

 Looking at your entire regimen, your products, ect, what do you think are the most powerful contributors to your results and why?
No one product has been a sole contributor to my growth because I am somewhat of a product junkie.  Plus I believe the most important factor was the reduction of heat.  However I do have to give a major props to my relaxer Design Essentials.  I must say as well that I use and do not abuse my relaxer.  I have learned how to take advantage of it's function.  I think the major issue I had was my abuse of the product. I now give my hair breaks between relaxers so it can breathe.

What advice do you have for women on their journey who what to create results like you?
Be patient, set your goals and stick to them. Don't give up.

**Nadege's notes:**

Relaxer Stretching
I'm so freaking excited to have a nearly hip length relaxed head on the blog.  I've taken some notes on her reggie that I'd like to share with you all.  First off, did you notice how long she stretches?  Right now I go about 4 months and I know that if I were able to get to six months, my thickness and length retention would be on a whole 'notha level!  I've gotta try to see if I can extend my stretch to five months at least.  Maybe one day, I can enter the big leagues and successfully stretch for six months at a time.

Low Manipulation
Do you remember my post on hair lessons we can learn from naturals?  One practice that I think is super beneficial is the daily twistout.  HairRoots' daily braidouts are very similar to the twistout.  It's very low manipulation and low maintenance.  No combs are involved when we braid(twist) out.  We pretty much leave our hair alone.  Low manipulation is a critical component of retention and HairRoots knows this.

 Nutrition
In my last post on daily habits that promote healthy hair, I mentioned taking vitamins as one of the actions.   "Why would someone with nearly hip length hair need to take a hair, skin and nails supplement?"  The better question to ask is "if a woman with hip length hair thinks it's important to supplement her diet, why don't I?"

Deep Conditioning
One thing that captured me was how long HairRoots sat under the dryer to deep condition.  I thought to myself, "I sit under the dryer for at least an hour when I rollerset, why would I invest at least the same amount of time under the dryer when I deep condition?" So I'm making the commitment to allow for more deep conditioning time whenever I use heat.



From Natural to Relaxed and lessons learned along the way

In recent past, I've received emails from ladies who are newly relaxed after years of rocking their natural hair.  Many of them are filled with confidence from the fact that they learned so much about their hair during their natural journey. All of the wonderful ladies I've spoken to were highly optimistic about being able to maintain the health levels of newly their relaxed tresses.

For a while now, I've wanted to write a post on making the big change from natural to relaxed.  It seems like transitioning from relaxed to natural receives lots of attention nowadays but little is shared about how to maintain a healthy journey after a virgin relaxer.  Needless to say, I will still dedicate a post on this topic. But in the mean time, I'd like to introduce you all to a special guest I have sitting in the Relaxed Hair Health lounge with me this evening.

Why don't you all join me in giving a warm welcome to miss "Lucie!"

Just one glance and you'll see that this woman's hair is simply stunning.  I've secretly stalked her hair journey from beautiful relaxed hair to gorgeous natural curls and back again.  I decided to reach out to her to see if we can gain a little wisdom from her multiple hair journeys.  Ladies, let me tell you. This woman was so proactive that she pulled questions from the blog's past features and answered them for me without me having to ask.  How cool is that!?!

So without further adieu, let's get to know Lucie and her fabulous hair.

1. What is your hair type? 
I would classify it as a 4a. I love my hair natural/relaxed. I have always had thick hair and it gives me many styling options. Now that I am relaxed again, I get a kick out of people thinking my hair is still natural but straightened.

2. How often do you touch up/relax?
Once a season, give or take a week or two.

2. What is your current length?

I am APL and getting close to BSL.

2. Please share your regimen.
What do you do daily, and weekly, to care for your hair? Daily: I usually have my hair in a high bun or high ponytail. At night time I will comb it and put it in yet another bun with a pin at the end to keep it from unraveling. Weekly: I deep condition every week when I am relaxed. I use Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Nexxus Humectress condition. I alternate with Alter Ego condition about once/twice a month. How often do you wear your hair out vs. protective styling? I do not wear my hair down often because I've gotten it caught on my clothes, in car doors (LOL) and whatever else it can get itself into. I usually wear a bun. I try to alternate the location to protect my hairline. I wear my hair down for special occasions or if I am wearing delicate clothing that does not create snags.

4. You've made some huge progress with your hair journey.What do you attribute most to your success? I would say keeping things simple. I do not stress about hair. I know it will do what it should and I just make sure to keep myself healthy. Good hair health comes from the inside. So I work out, take my vitamins, drink water, eat good foods, et cetera. Also, I do not do too much to my hair. I condition when it needs it. My hair loves water and I make sure I condition-wash frequently.

5 How often do you co-wash?  

Now that it is summer time, I condition wash daily. When I am relaxed in the winter or fall, I condition wash once/twice a week. 

6.  Tell us more about your air drying process.I just condition wash and go. I rinse with a cheapie Suave conditioner and when I am done, I apply some Herbal Essence mousse to keep my hair less frizzy.

7. Have you had any setbacks/trouble along the way? I noticed that the right side of my hair was a little thinner than the left.

8. How did you overcome your setbacks?
I stopped wrapping my hair in a way that stressed the right side. And I also massaged that side with castor oil to fill it back in.

9. How are you able to maintain such thickness overall?
 I do not use a lot of heat. I do not even own a curling iron/flat iron. I pin curl to achieve a curly look and I wrap my hair if I want it sleeker.

 10. Looking back at your journey so far, is there anything you would do differently?Or wish you would have done sooner? I am content with my journey. I try not to focus on the things I cannot change and only focus on what I can currently do. I apply my mantra to my hair as well, LOL!

11. What was the difference in regimen between when you were natural and when you were relaxed? The only difference is that shampooed more relaxed than when I was natural. When I was natural, I shampooed sometimes every other MONTH. My natural hair did not like shampoo.

13. Will you do anything differently to avoid any possible damage from having relaxed hair?

 I will be more mindful of when my hair is out not to have it brush on fabrics. When I was natural my hair was so big I did not really have to worry about it brushing on my clothes.

Lucie attributes her "transition" to relaxed hair as a decision she made just "to switch up her look."  She also mentioned the fact that her hair was beginning to block the visibility in her rear view mirror.  In the future, she may transition again to natural.  I just love the carefree and easy attitude she has towards her hair.  That way of thinking makes it easy for her to see loads of progress whether curly or straight.

I asked Lucie to take a look at the post I did about hair lessons we can learn from naturals to see if there was anything I missed that's worth mentioning. She felt that I pretty much had it covered.  One thing about her regimen that really sticks with me is her daily wash routine.  I always thought that naturals were the ones who's hair thrived from daily co-washes.  Anyhow, I'm glad that Miss Lucie was generous enough to share her story with us.

Protective Styling = Powerful Progress! A Relaxed Hair Health Feature

I'm really excited about sharing this post today.  From the moment LHCF member, "pre_medicalrulz," shared pics of her progress in our email communications, I just knew she had to be featured on the blog.  Not too long ago, I wrote a post about caring for the hair while protective styling under weaves/wigs.  That entry was inspired by several emails I'd received from readers who struggled to retain length with protective styling with extensions.  I'm happy to say that miss "pre_med" was doing just fine with her length retaining strategy.  Her only concern was regarding her ends which seemed to struggle more than the rest of her hair.  We talked about doing a blunt cut trim before her next install as a possible solution to her concern.  By the time she shared her next update with me I was elated!  Then she contacted me to share her most recent update and I knew for sure that I had to share her story with the world. 

  

1.  What is your hair type? I am a 4 something, possibly a B.

 How would you describe your hair? When I was young I use to think my hair was coarse because that's what people told me but as I learned to handle it, it's simply thick, lush and strong. 

2. How often do you touch up/relax? I make it a point to touch up every 16 weeks. No less than 14 weeks at the minimum. 

3.  What is your current length? Somewhere between MBL and WL air dried. I haven't straighten since Dec so I don't know the true length. Only air dried.

Tell us more about your air drying process.  If successful air drying is trying to get a straight look then I'm not the one to ask. LOL. I simply air dry. No scarf method or any other tricks that other ladies do, just simply let it hang out. It doesn't bother me much only because it's about to be put under a wig or in a bun once it's dry. 

4.  Please share your regimen. What do you do daily, and weekly, to care for your hair?

Daily: Moisturize with Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter. Seal with any oils. I recently started using Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum as a sealant. Nightly: it's under a bonnet in a loose bun or several plaits. I'm either under wigs or a lose bun throughout the day. 

Weekly: I deep condition every week. Sometimes I use shampoo weekly as well but mostly wash with conditioner only. I deep condition no less than an hour and a half. My wash/conditioner/protein products are all Nexxus products. I also do weekly protein treatments. My hair can stand it. 

How often do you wear your hair out vs. protective styling?    I rarely, rarely wear my hair out. I will wear it out all day on the day I wash or all day on a fresh relaxer but that's about it. Even on special occasions it's in a high bun

5. You've made some huge progress with your hair journey. What do you attribute most to your success? 

Protective styles has given me great length retention. If I never protective styled I believe my hair would not have shown fast progress in 4 month spans as it did. But I can only speak for myself. I also believe protein and moisture balance was 2nd in command. Without this balance, I would have had so many set backs. 

6.  Have you had any setbacks/trouble along the way?

 I use to have set backs with the front of my hair and end up needing to take off 2 inches or so.

7.  How did you overcome your setbacks?

I stopped wearing stocking caps solely under my wigs and started using satin durags as a base. I also laid off the half wigs and started wearing full coverage wigs. That way all my hair is tucked away safely. 

8.  How are you able to maintain such thickness overall? 

Honestly, I haven't been doing anything special on purpose for the thickness. However I have noticed if you lay off the heat (curling irons, flat irons), air dry all the time, and stretch your relaxers at LEAST longer than 12 weeks; thickness happen on its own. For some people at least. 

9.  Looking back at your journey so far, is there anything you would do differently? or wish you would have done sooner? 

Absolutely. I started my journey a little over a year ago and I wish when I first started that I was confident enough to start off with a fresh cut. I tried to start my progress on weak ends and 8 months within my journey I showed no signs of retention until I chopped 2 inches of the weak ends off. After that, it was retention after retention after retention. 

(March 2012)

10.  Someone is reading this right now who's about to start her hair journey. What advice would you give her? 

You have to try things out for yourself and then stick to what works. Simply pay attention to the way your hair responds to certain products. It will tell you what works and does not work. In the beginning keep it simple and basic; daily moisturizer, moisture shampoo, moisture deep conditioner, protein conditioner/treatment and oils. And please do as much research before you start your journey. You want progress not set backs. Ask questions and reach out to people who are also on a hair journey for support and advice. 

11. Do you do anything additionally to support your hair? (nutrition, vitamins, exercise)?

 I do not take hair vitamins nor exercise excessively. However, I still believe for many people these things play an important part in overall hair growth and health. I recommend people use what they need. If hair vitamins give a person a boost in overall health, then I think that person should continue to consume hair vitamins. 

12. Is there anything else would you like to share that I haven't asked you about?

 Don't quit. In the beginning you'll expect fast results but just be patient. Just don't quit. It's so worth it. 

I just love looking at pics of  Pre-med's hair and, the way she's going, she'll be waist length in no time at all.  Here are the takeaways I got from her sharing that I'm reminded of:

• Deep Condition, Deep Condition, Deep Condition!
• If you are serious about retention, protective styling and low manipulation is the answer.
• One of the first steps to a healthy hair journey may just be a proper trimming.  Lately, I've been paying close attention to the women I see, when I'm out at about, who have thick hair. One commonality that I can tell, is that they have blunt, or will trimmed ends, 98% of the time.  That is too much of a coincidence for me to ignore.  

(latest update: Waist Length "Yay!")

I love sharing features and I hope to share many more inspirational hair journeys with you all.  If anyone would like to share their journey and progress on the blog, be sure to contact me so we can make it happen!