Wash Day - 23 Weeks Post

I managed to keep my hair straight for about 2.5 weeks. So, by the time I was ready to wash my hair again, I was 23 weeks post relaxer. I am so glad I gave myself the ease of straight hair for awhile, too. It allowed me to just enjoy my hair and think about when (or if) I am going to relax my hair without even worrying about how much new growth I have or how problematic it could become. I'm pretty positive I'm going to relax my hair soon, and I have the explanation of why I decided that coming down the pike. 

Back to my wash day... it went so well! Despite the fact that I have a terrible habit of waiting til late at night to go through with it. My hair was so well behaved, with minimal tangles and little hair lost. Here's how it went down:

{1} Separated my hair into 4 sections. Pre-poo with my DIY garlic oil on my scalp and Aubrey Organics GVP conditioner & safflower oil on the length of my hair with a plastic cap for about 45 minutes. 

{2} Shampooed with CON Argan Oil Moisturizing and Shea Moisture African Black Soap shampoos, watered down in an applicator bottle, lathering twice.

{3} Tried oil rinsing for the first time! I used a little less than a nickel size amount of olive oil for each section, distributed it thru my hair and put my plastic cap back on for about 5 mins before rinsing with warm water. My hair felt... different, not bad at all, but still unusual. I was unsure about what I had just done at this point. 

{4} I put my "turbie twist" towel on to soak up the excess water before applying my deep conditioner, Silk Dreams Vanilla Moisture Dream, put back on my plastic cap and put on my bonnet dryer for about 30 minutes. It was easily another 30 minutes before I actually went to rinse. 

{5} Rinsed with cool water, section by section. Sprayed my diluted ACV rinse on my hair and let it sit for a couple minutes before final rinsing with cooler water. 

{6} T-shirt dried for 30 mins and *boom* Here's where I felt the difference of the oil rinse. My hair felt GREAT! I've used that conditioner many times so I know it doesn't deserve all the credit. Yet, I still wondered hmm... did it really help like that?!

{7} I applied my leave-ins: Elasta QP Silk H2 & Aphogee Green Tea & Keratin Restructurizer, grapeseed oil, and Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner, in that order. Might seem like a lot, but I really didn't use too much of each. Layers are what I need in this mean old moisture stealing winter weather. Detangling was a breeze!!! I almost couldn't believe the small amount of hair that I lost throughout this whole process. 

{8} At this point my hair was almost completely dry. I applied a little Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum & eco-styler gel and began flat twisting my hair. I put 5 twists in the front half going straight back, and 4 in the back half, also straight back. I ended each twist with a bantu knot and went to sleep. 

Taking down my hair in the morning went well and I liked the way it turned out. My hair still felt so very moisturized and soft. I really hope the oil rinsing is going to help my hair retain more moisture because the winter is robbing me here. We shall see whether the effect is long lasting or not. I think my shedding season may be coming to an end, or the garlic oil is working wonders. Maybe some of both. And I'm so excited about the way I am doing with all this new growth. I never would have thought I'd be able to manage this length of a stretch and, so far, do pretty well with it. Yay for getting to know my hair!

10 comments 23 weeks post, acv, apple cider vinegar rinse, Aubrey Organics, Creme of Nature, oil rinsing, Shea Moisture, wash day

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