Day 62: Holiday Season

This will be my last post until after the holidays. I have the day off and will spend the next week traveling to see and spend time with family.

I slept in and got ready late, needless to say it has been a good day so far. I did a co-rinse with my lavender conditioner this morning, blot dried with a t-shirt, and a light gel plop. My hair was not really wanting to curl this morning so I plopped, and plopped, and plopped in hopes of bringing out and forcing it to curl. I think I over worked it because the frizz is definitely there. I left it down even though I really wanted to pin it back some how. Despite the frizz the curl turned out nice and I'm happy with my overworked result. :)

Curl: 8
Frizz: 6
Weather: 39F, Sunny
Stress: low

Day 61: One Day Work Week

I work one day this week and that means very little motivation to do much of anything; including my hair. lol.

I knew there were going to be very few people in the office and that there was a small chance I would see the Executive Board so I took the opportunity to sleep late and pulled my hair back in to a pony tail.

Curl: 5
Frizz: 5
Weather: Cold
Stress: low

Day 60: 2 Months

It has been 2 months since I used shampoo in my hair and I consider that a great accomplishment. The "culture shock" of not using shampoo has worn off and it has officially become an accepted mindset. Granted, people still look at me oddly when I explain that I don't use shampoo but it doesn't happen as often any more and I don't even think about it anymore. My hair is strong, healthy, soft, and curly! I've learned to listen to what my curls need and follow suit accordingly. I still hope to try a few more recipes but for now I'm pretty set and a firm believer in the no poo method. :)

This morning I did a cold water rinse, a gel plop directly after rinsing, and then I let it sit on the T-shirt on my shoulders until completely dry. I didn't really touch it or blot it dry at all this time. If the ends got drippy I would lightly dab them with my t-shirt, but that was all. I pinned my bangs back when it was dry, plopped again, and left it alone. I did all of this because I knew the frizz was going to be high. I could have done a co-wash but that would have stretched out the curl so I gave it one more day and dealt with the frizz.

Curl: 7
Frizz: 5
Weather: 39F, light snow
Stress: low

Day 59: Routine

I've noticed that I generally have 3-4 hair styles: Up-do, bangs pinned back, front barretted back, ponytail, or letting it be completely free... what else is there to do?!
Anyone have any ideas?

Despite my lavender mist this morning my curls were just not having it. They had been pulled back for 2 days, in some shape or fashion, and didn't want to lay right on their own. I grew frustrated because I really didn't want to do anymore more than spray them down and let them go but it looked like I had just rolled out of bed. They were kinky, frizzy, and having a wild day. Defeated I brought out the barrettes and pinned the front back letting it hang loose at the back. I pinned it looser than normal which caused it to "bump" a little. With a few stray curls at the front and the slight bump it looked really nice and I was happy, so I let it be for the rest of the day.

Curl: 5
Frizz: 4
Weather: SNOWING :)
Stress: moderate

Day 58: FRIDAY!!!

Fridays are great days. They are the day before a 2 day break from work, normally are fairly laid back, I usually get lots done or nothing done with no guilty feelings since I'll have 2 days where I won't think about it, but best of all it comes with the thought I will get to sleep in the following morning! Man, did I ever want to sleep in this morning. I rolled out of bed, literally, and found it was snowing; that fact alone brightened my mood and I ended up getting ready for work with a bounce in my step.

I did a cold water rinse, blot dried, and a light gel plop. I debated a spotting of Aloe but decided against it for fear of the itch just being in my head. I pinned the "bangs" portion back with some cute sparkly bobby pins and left the rest to hang down. It's soft and curly and I like it!

Curl: 8
Frizz: 3
Weather: 31F and snowing
Stress: low

Day 57: Groovin...

When I woke up I finally felt normal again so I actually did something with my hair. A simple co-wash, blot dry, and gel plop started off my morning. I loosely secured the front of my hair back with barrettes and let a few curls fall out. I used the mirror to make sure the barrettes were even threw on some blush and mascara and walked out the door.

Yet again, I can't get over how long it's getting. Every time I leave it down I can't help but stare at it in the mirror; it hits the middle of my back and is right around my bra line. Despite it's length it hasn't been getting on my nerves as much today; I hope it stays that way.

Curl: 6
Frizz: 1
Weather: COLD, 71% humidity (we're suppose to get snow this weekend!!!)
Stress: moderate

Day 56: Whatever

Still cramping= don't care= ponytail :)

Day 55: When Life Interferes

Today life interfered with the care of my hair. I woke up with severe cramps and debated whether or not I wanted to get up and go to work. In the end my stubborn hard working attitude won out and I slowly crawled out of bed and into a hot shower. I stood and let the water pound on me for at least 10 minutes before washing up and doing a cold water rinse on my hair.

I blot dried with a t-shirt, a little too much this morning, gel plopped and let it dry on the way to work. Once it was dry enough, I pulled it back into a low loose pony tail and let the front fall out around my face.

I'm in jeans and hoodie at work, I'm sore, tired, and don't care what I look like today. Medicine has taken the edge off of the pain and my heating pad is helping with the rest. (Yes, I brought my heating pad to work with me. I'm pluggin in and warming up!)

Curl: don't care
Frizz: definitally there from over blotting; it is recommended that you blot only as needed for drips and that your hair should squish when you gel plop... not the case for me today
Weather: cold and cloudy
Stress: high

Day 54: Bouncing Back

I really would have thought that blow drying my hair would do more damage than it did. Granted it was a first in over a month and I barely touched my hair with the straightening iron but I was sure it would look drab for at least 2 days... I was so wrong!

The curl is still nice and intact and having blow dried it seemed to do little damage. Here's what I'm thinking: The moisturizing treatment I did just prior to blow drying it kept the heat from doing too much damage. OR it could be that my hair is the healthiest it's been in a while and the curls were able to with stand the heat a little more; I don't know and I don't care. This has given me hope that every now and again if I want to straighten it I don't have to worry about days of repercussion. I understand that Lorraine talks about loving your curls and not being afraid of them; however, it is a nice change in look once in a while.

This morning I did a cold rinse, blot dried, and gel plopped. I had plans to tie it back in a loose low pony tail; however, the curl is so nice I've left it alone. The frizz is back but the curls are still soft and shiny. :)

Curl: 7
Frizz: 3
Weather: 57F, cloudy, 72% humidity
Stress: low

Day 53: Laziness

I know that after straightening my hair it will take a few days to recover so I let it be today and tried not to touch it a whole lot. I did a good co-wash this morning with a cold rinse. I blotted dry with a t-shirt and did a very light gel plop. Despite straightening the curl is better than I thought it would be; however, that could be due to the light rain we currently are getting. I pulled the front back and out of my face for church but once we get home I'll let it down and leave it alone for the rest of the day.

It still feels super soft and the frizz is minimal so I'm happy with the moisturizing treatment I did. I have plans to use it again with a modified formula by cutting the oil amount in 1/2 and will wash it with pure lemon juice separate from the conditioner. I hope that the change will cut back and remove the film sooner giving me less of the dread lock look I had going.

Curl: 6
Frizz: 0
Weather: 48F, Light rain
Stress: low

Day 52: Straighten It Out

My hair was straight all day yesterday and I loved it. I got many compliments and my husband fully enjoyed running his fingers through it. This morning I got up and left it straight. I didn't do anything to it other than run a brush through it. For this small amount of time I will unashamedly admit that I am enjoying having my hair straight. :)

Curl: 0
Frizz: 0
Weather: 39F, cloudy, 39% humidity
Stress: low

Day 51: Change in Formula

So when I got home last night my hair was gross. It ended up in my up do and when I let it all down it was oily and had a dread lock look and feel to it. Frustrated I got BACK in the shower in an attempt to wash it AGAIN! As I was rinsing it and preparing to wash it again I noticed that it was coated in the mixture I had put on it. I could scratch it off my hair like it was a film. Annoyed I grabbed the lemon juice bottle and poured it on my hair. I made sure to evenly coat the pure lemon juice over every strand and massaged it into my scalp. I took a dime size amount of conditioner and gently covered the ends of my hair and rinsed REALLY REALLY well. I did a cold water rinse and blot dried.

It may be considered breaking the rules; however, I've had an itching to straighten my hair for about a week. With my hair finally clean and soft I blow dried it straight. I let it cool before going to bed and touched up any weird curlings this morning with the straightening iron. As it turns out I barley had to touch it with the iron. I didn't need to there was no frizz, it was super soft and nice, and only the very ends wanted to do a funky curl that I had to straighten.

I'm happy with it. It was shiny from the lemon juice and it also took care of the film with out drying it out.

Curl: 0
Frizz: 0
Weather: 28F, Sunny
Stress: Low

Day 50: Not So Sure

I woke up this morning to what looked like some NASTY GREASY hair. Thinking I was just going to do a cold water rinse I was disappointed to actually have to put some work into it. I did another co-wash with vinegar and lemon juice. Although my hair is curly it still feels oily and has a constant "wet" look to it. It doesn't look oily just like it's been gelled. I blot dried and plopped with no gel. The frizz is none existent so I can't complain I'm just not sure how to get it to look and feel less greasy. Later tonight I think I'll look in Curly Girl for a cleansing treatment and see if anything looks promising.

I'm sure by the end of the day my hair will end up in some sort of fashion; I'm taking my bobby pins to work just in case. :)

Curl: 4
Frizz: 0
Weather: 23 F, cloudy
Stress: low

Day 49: All You Need Is Love

Last night I was able to put together a moisturizing treatment and this time my hair did not smell of soured milk and baby puke. I tried Curly Girl's Love is in the Hair treatment. Mix 4 tablespoons of olive or almond oil, 4 tablespoons of your favorite conditioner, and 2-3 drops of your favorite musk perfume or essential oil. Mix well and apply to wet hair. Leave on for several hours or overnight and rinse and condition with conditioner mixed with lemon juice and vinegar.

I used almond oil, Suave Naturals conditioner, and lavender essential oil. I took a nice hot shower to relax myself and open the pores on my scalp and applied the mixture when I got out. I did not blot dry or touch my hair before applying; I simply tipped my head over the tub, scooped out a small amount and evenly spread it through out my hair. I massaged it into my scalp a little then carefully ran it through my ends. Once my hair was completely coated with the entire amount (Reminder: I have long hair and required the full amount, shorter hair uses 1/2 the mixture) I placed a towel on my shoulders and let it sit over night.

Keep in mind that this mixture is greasy, due to the oil, so your hair will be slimy ALL night. While awake I let my hair sit on a towel and made sure not to lay back on anything. When I went to bed I wrapped my pillow in t-shirts and gently wrapped my head in a towel. I wrapped my hair because I didn't want it all over my face all night; the last thing I need is more oil on my face causing a breakout.

When I got up this morning I had dreadlocks of oiled hair; however, it didn't smell so I didn't complain. I rinsed really well with water and then did a co-wash that consisted of 1/4 cup of conditioner, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Again, I rinsed really well and then did a cold water rinse. I blot dried with a t-shirt, did a light gel plop, and left it alone to see the result. It still looks semi dready but it feels super soft. I think the weight of the mixture stretched my curls; although, over the next couple days they will probably spring back.

If you touch it you can still feel the oil but it doesn't look greasy or nasty and it smells great! I can feel it weighing on my head so I've pulled the front back and out of my face for today. Tomorrow and Friday I will probably do nothing more than a cold water spritz and rinse so it should lighten up and I'll be able to leave all of it down; I hope.

I can't say for certain how I like this treatment quite yet. Since I don't smell, it already beats the last. In the future I might play with the ingredient amounts until I find a mixture that works best with my hair. The initial result is nice and gave me the moisture I wanted and added a little shine.

Curl: 3
Frizz: 0
Weather: 48F, windy, 71% humidity
Stress: Low

DAY 48: New Treatment

Tonight I have plans to try a new moisturizing treatment and since I wasn't sure which one I didn't do much of anything to my hair today in preparation for it. I rinsed it with cold water, barely blot dried it, and added only a hint of gel to tone done the frizz; I didn't even plop since the curls where already nicely formed. I then pulled the front back and let the rest hang loose. A few stray hairs wouldn't pull back so I let gently twirled them on my finger and let them hang loose around my face in soft curls.

I get a briefing on my new treatment experience tomorrow. :)

Curl: 6
Frizz: 3
Weather: 39F, rainy, 87% humidity
Stress: low

Day 47: First Snow

Today is the first snow of the Christmas season. As excited as I was when I first got up and saw the snow on the ground it was quickly squelched as I saw the traffic report on the news. With only 2/10 inch of snow there were back ups on EVERY route I could take to get to work. Every interstate was packed bumper to bumper with traffic and even the back roads were filled with people trying to take detours and reroute off the interstates, how ridiculous!

This morning I did a lavender mist, gel plopped, and didn't touch my hair again. The curls are still soft but getting dry. I sprayed a little extra on the ends to help with the frizz and to provide a little more moisture and I was also extra easy on my gel plop so that I didn't hurt or break any of the curls. I've learned that as my hair dries out I need to take extra care when touching and working with my hair. It's strong and healthy but the coming need for moisture causes me to be careful until I can provide a co-wash or moisturizing treatement. I won't have time for a moisture treatment tonight; however, I'm hoping tomorrow will work.

Curl: 7
Frizz: 2
Weather: 36F, cloudy/ snowy, 92% humidity
Stress: Low

DAY 46: Cold and Dry

Today was the first really cold day we've had so far this Christmas season, I think they are even predicting snow tomorrow morning. Cold weather means dry hair and lots of static. I hope to have time to try another moisturizing treatment this week; I think I'll need it.

This morning I did a co-wash, taking extra time to make sure my scalp was well coated. I plopped the conditioner into my hair and made sure that it was more evenly spread than last time. I rinsed quickly not completely rinsing it all out of my hair and did a cold water rinse. Any conditioner that was left after my normal rinse was rinse by the cold water. It made a major difference in the softness and frizz of my curls. After blot drying and gel plopping I pulled the front off my face and left it alone. It curled like crazy and was super soft.

I won't say that my curls are breakable; however, they are sensitive. Over working them causes more frizz and the constant act of putting my coat on and taking it off does a number on the ends. The friction of the fabric in combination with the dryness in the air makes for frizzy ends. To remedy this I lick my finger or run it under cold water and lightly twist the curl around my finger. The moisture will lay the frizz back down into the curl with out breaking it and revitalize the gel that I had put on it earlier that morning. I only do this to the ends and only one curl at at time. If I feel any breakage while twisting I stop and leave the curl alone.

Curls: 7
Frizz: 5
Weather: 48F, Sunny
Stress: low

Day 45: Weekend Wear

With no where to go and and nothing to do this weekend I took joy in lounging around the house watching an America's Next Top Model Season 1 marathon. It's funny to see the difference in the production from season 1 and the most recent season 13. Lounging around meant doing NOTHING with my hair or my makeup. Despite being dressed by 10: AM I didn't leave the house until after 3: PM and when I did I just pulled my hair back into a pony tail and went.

Later this evening I ran a hot bath filled with bubbles and took some time to relax; once the water cooled to warm I slowly slid down into the water and let it cover my hair. For about 15 minutes I let my hair soak in the warm, bubbly water. I have NO IDEA what ingredients are in my bubble bath but I know they can't be too harsh since I have very sensitive skin. Either way, I didn't care, letting the water run over my hair and open and relax the pores on my scalp felt heavenly. I blot dried my hair enough to keep it from dripping on me and then left it alone for the rest of the evening. It will probably be slightly damp when I go to bed and I'll do a co-wash in the morning.

Curl: no idea
Frizz: 6
Weather: 55F, Sunny
Stress: High

Day 44: Leave it Alone

Yet again, I can't stress enough that you really do need to listen to what your hair is saying and follow accordingly. If your hair is weighed down give it a day off of products to recover, if it's dry be sure to moisturize in some way; you can do that through a co-wash or a moisturizing treatment. This morning my hair said leave me alone!

I was hoping to have it down all day but nothing I did to make my curls look better helped. They just didn't want to be messed with today. After attempting a lavender mist, a gel plop, and a little light twisting on my finger they weren't working for me and I finally gave in to their plea to be left alone and pulled them back in an up do. Even in the up do they were rebelling; today they must have a mind of their own and are going every which way. I didn't let this frustrate me; surprisingly, I took it in stride and remembered that even curls need a day off every now and again. The up do did pull the curly mess off my neck and out of my face; instead of the curly halo I wanted it was more of a tangled mess. It worked and I didn't have to mess with it all day. :)

I have a woman's Christmas Tea with my church tonight so the up do will work; however, it has caused my stress level to sky rocket this week and very well may be the cause of the curly mess I have today!

Curl: 3
Frizz: 5
Weather: 48F, Sunny
Stress: High

Day 43: In need of a Cleansing

Yesterday I used aloe for my flaking problem and LOVED the outcome; however, I will warn you that by the end of the day it did get to look and feel a bit greasy. I didn't get too discouraged since I was home for the night but I was glad to realize that this is not a treatment I can leave on for a long period of time. This morning I made sure to do a good co-wash to get the excess aloe out of my hair and rinsed with cold water. My scalp doesn't itch and my curls are soft. I think that I will try the aloe once a week or once every couple weeks. My scalp seemed to respond to it really well and I can see an improvement after only one treatment. It gives me great hope that I won't be itching constantly. The bottle I have is small so it fits in my purse and I have plans to use it as a spot treatment through out the week for the heavy itchy spots. A dab on my finger to massage on the spot that is dry and itchy and the flake and itch is gone. :)

After my co-wash in the shower I blot dried with a t-shirt, gel plopped, and left it alone.

Curl: 5
Frizz: 3
Weather: 54F, Cloudy, 63% humidity
Stress: high

Day 42: Aloe Anyone?

Before I wet my hair this morning I took notice how much certain parts of my scalp itched. Over the last month the front part section always seems to have an itch and despite rinsing it well, conditioning it well nothing seems to help. Even when I did the Chakra treatment it itched. When I did a light scratch this morning it began to flake horribly; something I never noticed before. Since I didn't have time for a heavy cream treatment for the flakes I moisturized with the next best thing, 100% pure Aloe Vera. I put in on my skin when it's burnt and dried why not on my scalp when it's itchy and flaking; Curly Girl even recommends it as a moisturizing treatment.

The Curly Girl method is 1 tablespoon of pure edible aloe vera (that you can find at a health food store and have to refrigerate after opening) into your scalp of freshly rinsed or conditioned hair. You can rinse it out and do a co-wash or leave it in as an alternative to hair gel. I did a cold water rinse, massaged in some aloe; making sure to massage a little more on the hot itchy spots, and VERY lightly gel plopped. When I gel plopped I made sure not to coat or touch my scalp with gel but just coated the very ends to hold the curl in place and maintain the frizz.

Granted I have only had it in my hair for a couple hours but the itch has stopped and when I have scratched it hasn't flaked so I'm calling this an AWESOME and quick remedy for an itchy and flaky scalp. It may not have effected the curl; however, I'm sure that if I keep my scalp moisturized and healthy my hair will turn out healthier as well.

Curl: 6
Frizz: 3
Weather: 42F, Cloudy and Rainy, 76% humidity
Stress: Low

DAY 41: Shower Plop

It's the first day of December and for it the Christmas holiday has officially begun. Luckily for me I have already completed my Christmas shopping and don't have to brave the cold or fight the crowds. The less time my curls spend in the cold frigid air, the better.

This morning I did a spot clean with a light coat on the ends of my hair. Instead of running my fingers through my hair, which I find stretches out my curls, I added the conditioner like I would gel. I "conditioner plopped" my hair in the shower. I left it in while I washed my face and body, rinsed it out lightly with out touching my hair, and then completed the shower with my normal cold water rinse. I blot dried, gel plopped, and let it be. I think the plopping with conditioner helped shape the curls and kept them from being stretched out or weighed down. The curl was very nice in the areas I had coated well and only OK in the areas I'm sure I missed. It is harder to evenly coat your hair when your plopping in the shower. I'll keep that in mind for next time and make a better effort to evenly coat the curls.

Keep in mind that plopping in the shower doesn't remove as many of the strays hairs as running your fingers through does. This causes a double in the hair shedding through out the day and if your hair is as long as mine, it can get annoying and look horrible. Nothing says professional like hair ALL over your back, shoulders, pants, and chair... yea.

Curl: 5/7
Frizz:4
Weather: 54F, Sunny, 71% humidity
Stress: Low