I opted to replace my normal wash day with just deep conditioning (or co-washing). I really haven't decided what to call it because I'm not truly using a conditioner to cleanse my hair as most ladies do when co-washing. One thing I am sure of is that adding these days of doing nothing but deep conditioning my hair really seems to be helping it retain moisture in this winter weather. Could it be because I'm using less shampoo or because I'm using more conditioner? Not sure yet.
{1} I sectioned my hair into 4: down the middle in the front & ear to ear in the back. I've stopped parting my hair down the middle of my nape during wash days in an effort to continue its improvement.
{2} Applied Aubrey Organics Replenishing Island Naturals and grapeseed oil to my hair, covered with a plastic cap and scarf for a few hours.
{3} Rinsed with cool water, sprayed ACV mix, and rinsed with cold water after a few minutes.
{4} T-shirt dried for an hour.
{5} Applied leave-ins, Elasta QP H2 and Aphogee Green Tea & Keratin Restructurizer, and detangled my hair (still in sections).
{6} I re-wet my hair, added a little Eco-styler gel and flexi-rod set my hair using blue, orange, gray and a few purple rods. I ended up using about 35 once I was done.
{7} Let my hair air-dry overnight. When I went to remove one the next morning, it still felt a little damp at the root so I put on my bonnet dryer on low for about 15 minutes or so. I didn't want a repeat of the last time.
{8} Removed the rollers and separated my curls using some Organix Anti-Breakage Coconut Milk on my fingers.
Loved the results! So happy I decided to try to get better at these rollersets. I couldn't believe how much my results improved just with the second attempt. Also, this was my first time using the Aubrey Organics Island Naturals on its own and my first impressions of it are pretty swell. Aubrey has not let my hair down yet. My hair felt great, my curls were so bouncy and soft... it was a good hair day for me :)
I'm terrible at rollersetting my hair. I'll just get that statement out of the way now. I know it comes down to a lot of practice which I haven't had. However, when I'm tired and I realize I'm doing an awful job attempting to rollerset, I fall back on the ponytail rollerset! It works well for the most part. I only dislike having no choice but to flat iron out the creases from the ponytails.
It was a pretty simple wash day overall. Before I shampooed, I sprayed my hair with a little water and put it in three sections (2 front, 1 back). I added some Herbal Essences Hello Hydration. I don't saturate my hair with the water or conditioner, I just put enough for it to feel kinda damp. I did a hot oil treatment using Hairveda Vatika Frosting coconut oil and grapeseed oil. Saturated my hair with the oils and put a plastic cap on for about an hour.
The Vatika oil smells SO good!! If my hair held that smell I would probably either never be able to stop playing in it or always be hungry for cake. Not sure which one.
In the shower, I rinsed my hair then shampooed with my two staple sulfate-free shampoos - Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo and Creme of Nature Argan Oil Moisture and Shine Shampoo. I lather once with each in that order. I tried another new conditioner today - Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream (who names this stuff?!). The vanilla scent to this stuff is extremely strong. I initially planned on using only it to deep condition, but ended up mixing it with some Elasta QP Ultra Hydration to calm the smell down some. I sat under the bonnet dryer for an hour then with only the plastic cap for another 30 minutes.
Detangled and rinsed in the shower, finishing with a final rinse of apple cider vinegar. The Silk Dreams conditioner and my hair fell in love. Not only was my hair quite soft, but it also had virtually no tangles! The comb glided right through it. I applied my leave-ins Elasta QP H2 Feels Like Silk and Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Restructurizer. Here's where I made my failed attempt at rollersetting with magnetic rollers. I put my hair in 10 ponytails then rolled and secured each one. I sat under the dryer until I fell asleep and ended up sleeping in the rollers.
My curls were really soft and bouncy the next morning. Loved it. I flat ironed away the creases from the ponytails and finger combed the curls. Here's the results!
