First 8 months of the hair journey

Before February 2009, I used to believe the myth that you had to be of mixed heritage in order to retain any long length of hair. I constantly suffered from major hair breakage and dryness. I went years thinking that it was something normal, until I ran across something amazing that opened up my eyes and my mind.

I was searching through youtube.com, for tutorials on how to cut your own bangs LOL! well i started looking through many hair tutorials and by the grace of God, i ran accross Sunshyne's channel, Hairlicious Inc. I was amazed by her progress and joined her website.. Hairlista.com. That same day I started my hair care journey. I began at a mid shoulder length, and with a lot of care and patience, achieved APL (arm pit length). Key steps that helped me retain my length:

• Moisturizing and Sealing
• Deep conditioning
  
• Protein treatments
• Protective styling
• Use of silk/satin scarves/bonnets for bed
• Cowashing

Moisturizing & Sealing
Applying a moisturizing lotion and sealing the hair with an oil, in that order and in sections, making sure that it gets to the entire hair.

Deep conditioning
Conditioning your hair for an extended amount of time, with a mix of cholesterol/moisturizing conditioner, natural oils, and/or honey. Underneath a plastic cap or conditioning cap. It can be done with or without heat. For either 45 min to 1hr, overnight, or all day if preferred.

Protein treatments
using a light protein every week/month depending on the condition of your hair. Everyone's hair is different. Some people can use protein often, and others not so much. Being on a hair journey requires for you to experiment and see what your hair agrees with or not. Some people use light protein treatments every week to once a month. Others may use moderate to heavier protein treatments every 2 weeks or once a month, depending on the condition of their hair.

Protective styling
Wearing styles that allow your ends to be protected from rubbing up against clothing. An example would be, buns.

Cowashing
Washing the hair ONLY with a moisturizing conditioner. This infuses the hair with tons of moisture and softness. This method also helps with detangling. A conditioner with good slip, will be helpful.

tip for detangling- massaging conditioner into the hair, then standing underneath the running water, while detangling from tip to root. Make sure to be gentle as the hair is more fragile in a wet state.


I will be blogging on my regimen soon. I will also be making a blog about the products that I use.