Wash Day | 21 Weeks Post

Day 9 Flexi-rod set

It's my second time stretching to almost 6 months post relaxer, both times being unintentional. When I'm doing long-term protective styles, I don't like to relax my hair in the midst because it's best to give your hair a break both before and after relaxer. I usually don't feel like breaking from styling, so I continue to stretch. At this point, I miss my hair! My new growth is serious and I've been itching to play with some of my new rollers. I already picked up my relaxer kit :) 

After I took my faux locs and box braids down, my hair was definitely in need of some pampering. I knew that my next wash day was going to be relaxer day so I wanted to do some protein treating as well. Here's how my wash day went down:

{1} Divided my hair into 4 sections and saturated it with oil. Covered with a plastic cap and scarf until the next morning. 

{2} Divided each section in half then began detangling: 1st with my fingers with a wide tooth comb. applied PM Tea Tree Moisturizing conditioner and braided each section. Put Aubrey Organics GPB on ends (protein layering). 

{3} Shampooed with a mix of ORS Creamy Aloe and CON Moisturizing Argan Oil

{4} Towel wrapped to soak up excess water.

{5} Deep conditioned with Umberto Beverly Hills Repair Treatment Masque and TRESemme naturals with a plastic cap for about an hour. 

{6} Apple cider vinegar and aloe vera juice rinse. I did not rinse this out.

{7} Towel wrapped to soak up excess water.

{8} I let my hair air dry a little then I applied my leave-ins (Elasta QP H2 and Organix Coconut Milk Serum) section by section to get ready to flexi-rod set my hair.

{9} I applied Shea Moisture Frizz-Free Curl Mousse (Coconut & Hibiscus line) to each piece of my hair before rolling it on the flex-rod. 

{10} Sat under my bonnet dryer for about an hour. Let it air dry the rest.

My roots were puffier that what I would have liked, but the curls were great. I wasn't too surprised because I'm def not the best at wrestling my new growth taut with flexi-rods. That automatically equals an updo for me (pictured below). So I pinned it up and to one side. These curls were so soft and lasted for so long! About 10 days to be exact. I give all the credit to the awesome Shea Moisture mousse. By the end, I was just wearing it big, fluffy with allll the frizz and loving it. I've become a sucker for big hair. 

8 comments 21 weeks post, flexi-rod set, wash day

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Wash Day x2

I pretty much repeated the exact same steps this week that I did last week for my wash days - hence my wash day times two. I went on a road trip vacay last week, and obviously, didn't blog. I flexi-rod set my hair both times and about the only thing I changed was the way went about setting it. I used bigger sections this week in an attempt to create bigger curls, which didn't happen, but I still had a head full of curls nonetheless!

{1} Divided my hair into 3 sections. I can enjoy not having too many sections when I don't have a lot of new growth.

{2} Pre-poo: My mix has been pretty consistent for awhile now. Mainly because I am trying to use up the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Moisturizing conditioner does a great job in this stage. So I use it with grape seed and coconut oils. Put on a plastic cap & scarf overnight.

{3} Shampooed with Creme of Nature Argan Oil Moisturizing diluted in my applicator bottle.

{4} Towel wrapped my hair for about 15 mins to soak up the excess water.

{5} Deep conditioned with Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing and Tresemme Naturals conditioners. I put on a plastic cap and sat under my bonnet dryer for about 30 minutes then it was awhile before I actually went to go rinse it out.

{6} Rinsed with cool water followed by an ACV rinse, which I did not rinse out.

{7} Towel wrapped my hair again for about 20 minutes to soak up excess water

{8} Applied my leave-ins (Elasta QP Feels Like Silk H2 & Organix Anti-Breakage Coconut Milk) and detangled section by section.

week 1 results

{9} I put the flexi-rods in vertically, section by section also. Before rolling my hair on each rod, I applied Shea Moisture Frizz-Free Curl Mousse to my hair. I used about 25 rods last week and 19 this week. Not a big difference, I know.

{10} Last week, I let my hair air dry on the road trip. It was probably about 12 hours before it was completely dry. Yea... if I wasn't in a car or sleep that whole time I never would have been okay waiting that long for my hair to dry. So this week, I sat under my bonnet dryer for about an hour. What a difference! Granted, my hair wasn't as wet this time, but still, that's pretty significant. 

My failed attempt to get bigger curls made me decide I need to just buy some bigger flexi-rods or try with my magnetic rollers next time. My roots ended up somewhat puffy since I couldn't get the bigger sections as tight as I normally do. I put on a hat yesterday to cover up flatten them down some. I was pretty pleased with my wash day results both times. I totally planned to start protective styling again in July, but I am really enjoying my roller sets so I'm not sure when I'll be ready to put my hair away again at this point. 

Week 2 results

6 comments 3 weeks post, 4 weeks post, flexi-rod set, wash day

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Wash Day | Quick Flexi-Rod Set

Birthday Style! :-)

This was a relaxer prep kind of wash day. At 16 weeks post relaxer, I decided to flexi-rod set my hair. And, with a solid 2 inches of new growth, I tried setting the rods a different way than I have previously. I like my hair to be set or straightened in some way before I relax it because I find it is easier to work with that way. This fact combined with Divachyk's (of Relaxed Thairapy) awesomely inspiring roller sets lately got me to go for it. This probably could've went very bad, but my theory was if naturals can get amazing roller sets, I should be able to, too. Should is the key word in that sentence :) 

{1} Divided hair into 8 sections and detangled.

{2} Pre-poo - applied PM Tea Tree Moisturizing conditioner and coconut oil to each section and braided. Put on a plastic cap & scarf for a few hours.

{3} Shampooed with ORS Creamy Aloe. Since my next wash day would be a relaxer day, I wanted to make sure I got my hair really clean. (I'm still out of my Shea Moisture Deep Cleansing shampoo unfortunately).

{4} Deep conditioned with L'Oreal Damage Erasing Balm and Aubrey Organics GPB conditioners. Protein centered conditioners in prepping for relaxing. My hair is not at all protein sensitive either. It eats it right up. I kept this in overnight, too. 

{5} Rinsed with cool water follow by my Apple Cider Vinegar & Aloe Vera Juice rinse. I let this sit for a few minutes before I squeezed out the excess and towel wrapped my hair.

{6} After about 20 minutes in the towel, I let my hair air dry for awhile. Not completely, just because I don't like to comb my wet hair. 

{left} moment when I realized I had SO much hair left & a small area to roll it in; {right} finished

{7} Section by section, I started applying my leave-ins (Elasta QP H2, Aussie Curl Definition + Soft Feel Serum), added some more water and put in the flexi-rods.  

{8} I put the rods in horizontally, instead of vertically like I did the last time. I've seen a number of ladies use a lot less rods with great success this way. I wanted to try it since it would take less time, but my inevitable problem was securing them tight enough to set & smooth my new growth. I also added some Eco-styler gel before putting each flexi-rod in. 

{9} Put on my bonnet dryer for awhile. Not sure how long because, of course, I fell asleep under it. 

{10} Took out the rods in the morning and separated the curls some. 

My curls were kind of fuzzy and my new growth was quite fluffy, but guess what? I loved this set anyway! My solutions for the fluffy new growth was just to pin my hair up different ways, use a banana clip, head scarves, and headbands. The curls were so soft and they lasted so long! The picture below is of my curls after 4 days and the one at the top of this post is of my curls after 7 days. In the past, I probably would have considered this a fuzzy fail; I had a hard time keeping my new growth taut and wasn't consistent in smoothing alllll my hair on the rods. But I embraced it and I will just have to keep practicing this method until I get it right. It was so ironic to me, too, for two a couple reasons. One is because someone who is natural (and really wants me to go natural) told me my hair gave her hair envy. I took that as a pretty big compliment. Perhaps that wouldn't have happened if I didn't choose to rock my big, frizzy curls confidently. Also I have always made sure I have a fresh relaxer and some kinda straightened style in time for my birthday. I haven't done much celebrating yet, but this year on the day of - I was rocking 7 day old curls lol! Talk about how things have changed! For the better, might I add. 

How was your wash day this week? Be sure to check out other Wash Day Experiences at SavingOurStrands and JustGrowAlready!

23 comments 16 weeks post, flexi-rod set, relaxer prep, wash day

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(Co)-Wash Day: Flexi-rod Set

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 :) 

16 comments 1 week post, co-washing, deep conditioning, flexi-rod set

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Relaxer Update!

My 25 weeks of new growth stretched

I relaxed my hair after a 25-week stretch!! New personal record for me! It was never a goal for me to go six months without relaxing, it just kind of happened. I didn't want to relax at the usual 12 weeks post because of my plan to install box braids. Once they were out, I wanted to wait awhile before relaxing then things were going well and it took me a little while to decide what to do next. And there you have it... an unintentional six month stretch was completed. 

I have been having a really hard time finding my beloved Elasta QP Soy Oyl Ultra-Hydration Relaxer Kit in stores. For some reason, I didn't even think to search for it online until all was said and done. Probably because the thought of going from easily grabbing one for $6 at my beauty supply to doubling that price for shipping is annoying to me. My goal was to just use a kit that has worked well for me in the past, but I somehow failed at that. I guess that's what happens when your tired and last minute shopping. I ended up getting Dark & Lovely Healthy Gloss 5 Shea Moisture Relaxer Kit. I have used this on my cousin's hair in the past and liked the way it processed, but never on my own. 

One of the main reasons I did not want to try a brand new relaxer was because I knew that I would have no real way of knowing how quickly it would (or wouldn't) process. After pairing that with the fact that I had just henna-ed my hair and was unsure of how the two would work out together, I realized I was getting into some risky behavior this relaxer day. 

{1} I sectioned into 4 & detangled my hair, applying my triple threat layer of protection to the length of my hair along the way. I used Aubrey Organics GPB conditioner, grapeseed oil, followed by good ole Vaseline. 

{2} Based my scalp, edges and ears with Vaseline. 

{3} Mixed the activator and relaxer cream thoroughly, then added about 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil. (This is my normal routine and I figured I'd rather end up with very under-processed hair than hair that processed more than I wanted.) 

{4} Applied the relaxer to my inches of new growth only. It took 15 minutes start-to-finish, no smoothing. 

{5} Rinsed the relaxer out and applied my protein treatment. This kit actually comes with a mid-step protein treatment called Silk Keratin Serum, which is one thing I liked about it in the past. I applied that first and then added my Umberto Repair Treatment Masque. I let this sit for about 10 minutes under a plastic cap. 

{6} Rinsed and neutralized using the shampoo that came in the kit. I lathered three times and let it sit a little bit, just to be safe. The pictures below are my hair when I rinsed it out. Quite under-processed. I think this is the most under-processed my hair has been before, but I like it. 

{7} Deep conditioned using Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose and Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing conditioners (first use) under a plastic cap for about an hour. I picked this up intending to re-up on Honeysuckle Rose, the two bottles look almost identical. After looking at the ingredients, I decided I'd still try it even though it wasn't what I wanted to buy originally. 

{8} Rinsed and sprayed my ACV rinse all over my hair and scalp. Let it sit for a couple minutes then rinsed with cold water. 

{9} Soaked up the excess water with a towel. I let my hair air dry somewhat even though I was planning to rollerset. I just don't like to detangle my hair when it's too wet. I applied my leave-ins: Elasta QP H2 and Aphogee Green Tea & Keratin Restructurizer. 

{10} Wet my hair again and flexi-rod set it, using purple and grey. I also added a little Organix Macademia Oil in this step. I love flexi-rods, yet this was my first time using them on wet hair. Had some issues getting them tight at my roots, but went for it anyway. 

{11} Sat under my bonnet dryer for... not long enough! My hair felt dry, but once I started taking them out, I realized my roots weren't. Oh well! Another learning experience. My little sister helped me save the style even with those thick roots :) I thought the curls were so pretty. I'll be attempting another set so I can try to get better. 

Overall, I was very pleased with the way this relaxer day went and happy with my decision to relax. So funny I got a fresh relaxer and people were complimenting my "natural" hair style. I cannot decide if I want to continue using the same relaxer kit this way to get the same results. I also am not sure if my very underprocessed hair is due to the relaxer being weaker than my previous kit, the fresh henna treatment in my hair, or a combination of both. I'm sure I have plenty of months to decide how I'll go about this next time. 

6 comments acv, apple cider vinegar rinse, flexi-rod set, relaxer, relaxer update, self relaxing, texlax

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