(I'm not crazy, I'm just excited)

The shortest layers of my hair are at the nape, which means that is where the most natural hair is. I washed my hair today and was excited to see how much natural hair I had at the back. It was really soft and it gives me a good idea of what the rest of my hair could be like. Just wanted to share my excitement!

Wet hair

Parted slightly higher - my two textures blend well

In my previous post, I was complaining about the hair breakage in my crown. I said it was time for another hair cut, and today I went and got one!

My most recent hair cut - 24 July 2014

It's embarrassing but let's be honest (straightened hair)

How will I recover from this breakage?

I've been dealing with this problem for a few months and I'm making progress. If you think the above picture is bad, I wish you could have seen it at the beginning. While the breakage is not visible wearing my hair out normally, I'll be going to get another hair cut in the next few days. I'm going to be more generous with the moisturising in this area, and seal with a heavier oil. I already apply conditioners with an applicator brush to ensure full coverage.

I will be doing an update post in September to see how this area is progressing.

How did you overcome your breakage? How do you prevent it? Let me know!

See: 8 week update

Congratulations to me for reaching the six months mark into my transition. Honestly, I don't miss relaxers at all and I'm enjoying the new thicker hair that is growing in. In this post, I'm going to share with you my thoughts at this point in my journey along with what I've learned so far:

My thoughts:

• I'm slightly worried about how I'm going to wear my hair when its fully natural. I know I want to do things like twist - outs but that's all very good in theory. I'm asking myself questions like 'how much will my hair shrink when I wear it natural?' and 'how often will I have to restyle it?'

• My wash  process takes much longer now, especially detangling and straightening afterwards. It used to take me half an hour to straighten my hair. It now takes me an hour minimum.

• I've been so intrigued by my shed hairs because of the amount of curl they have at the roots. Originally, I was alarmed because I thought I was losing more hair. However, I now realise it simply appears that way because more of the hair is textured. 

I can't be the only one to have accumulated a whole bunch of hair products? I've read so many reviews and jumped on so many bandwagons only to find that the product did nothing for my hair. Today, I took a look in my cabinet and picked out all the products - conditioners, moisturisers and oils - that didn't, or no longer meet my expectations.

Yes, there are some popular brands here (Cantu, Mizani, Aphogee etc), but price and status doesn't mean the product will work for you. I had tried the coconut oil many times and found that it left my hair feeling dry. I liked the Cantu Shea Butter at first but have recently been experiencing the same problem, and the Mizani conditioner provided me with no slip or moisture! Since I've found my beloved staple moisturiser, I feel like I don't need a lot of other stuff. I'm going to be giving away my unwanted products to friends and family  to clear up space for more stuff.

I'm coming to realise that a bunch of products are not needed. I simply need to find my staples and stick with them.

What are your favourite products? Have you tried any of the products in my picture? How did they work for you?

If you read my previous post, you may know I've struggled with dry hair that won't stay moisturised for long enough. In this post I talked about using a conditioner mixed with oil, but I have since found a product which I believe to be much, much better.

I've been using African Pride Olive Miracle Moisturizer Lotion at night to moisturise my hair. It is a product that leaves my hair feeling silky and blinging with shine, but without that greasy feeling (unless I use too much!) I've tried loads of moisturisers that I am excited to say this one is my favourite - plus it's fruity scented and the smell lasts all day.

Below I've listed what the product claims and whether I agree:

• Perfect for blow drying, maintaining short hair styles, and moisturizing curly styles: Today I used it to blow dry and my mum mentioned four times how "lovely and soft" my hair feels. I can't lie, I was shocked at how soft and smooth my hair is after blowdrying as I'm usually left with hard, brittle and dry hair.

• Moisturises to help repair dry, damaged hair: I cannot comment on whether my hair is 'repaired' but it breaks less and definitely stays moisturised all day

• Provides a healthy looking sheen: As I wear my hair straight, it's more like a shine

• Protects against the effects of chemical processes and styling tools: Not sure about chemical processes but I do feel like as it makes my hair so silky, the comb glides through my hair and thus combing is less harsh

• Stops breakage, split ends, dryness: Breakage hasn't stopped but it has decreased. Dryness is a thing of the past for now but I haven't been monitoring my split ends

• Non-greasy, light formula: I agree that the formula is light. It's quite watery, however, I don't use a lot and thus don't have any reversion on my flat ironed hair. I've definitely found this to be non greasy.

I'm so happy to have finally found the right product for me. I'm aware that the needs of my hair may change over time, but right now I'll be sticking with this.

Have you tried this product? What's your favourite moisturiser?

Deep conditioning is an essential part of a healthy hair regime. It helps us to restore the much-needed moisture and protein back into our parched or weakened strands, improving softness, elasticity, shine and strength.

Here are 5 easy steps that you can take to ensure you get the most out of your deep conditioning sessions:

Use heat

Using heat while deep conditioning opens up the cuticle, allowing the conditioner to penetrate further into the hair strand and offer maximum benefits. Simply cover your hair with a shower cap, plastic bag or cling film (saran wrap) while you treat your hair to lock in the heat and moisture.

For your heat source, you can use:

This post is an update to my previous post in which I vented my frustration with experiencing tangled and dry hair after washing it. I had concluded that I would:

1. Wash my hair in the shower as opposed to leaning over the bath to avoid tangles

The last few times I've washed my hair, whether I air dry or blow dry, my roots become matted, and my hair is dry and extremely tangled. With a matted mini afro underneath and straight hair on top, I end up looking like a troll doll. I know this is partly because I'm transitioning and the relaxed hair tangles up with the natural hair, but it's causing a lot of breakage and frustration.

After some thinking, I believe my roots get matted and hard to comb simply because they're dry! I am still 'learning' my hair and guess my natural hair needs more moisture than the relaxed hair. This brings me on to my next point:

My leave in conditioners no longer seem to leave my hair soft and moisturised. I've always been using Creme of Nature Argan Oil Strength & Shine Leave-in. It's a liquid conditioner, and I suspect my transitioning hair needs something a bit thicker.

In response to these problems, I'm going to make the following changes:

• For dry hair (especially roots): switch from a liquid to a heavier leave-in conditioner. Going to try using TRESemmé Moisture Rich Conditioner as a leave in.

• For tangles when washing: no longer wash my hair with my head leaning over the bath; this causes tangles. Instead, always wash hair in the shower with my head tilted back so that my hair lies in its natural direction

So you know I wear my hair straight. I've experienced two problems with moisturising my hair in its flat ironed state:

1. Waking up the next day with it having reverted! Whether I use a watery moisturiser or a creme based one, my roots never keep straight or frizz free.

2. My hair feels moisturised but is weighed down and stringy

Normally, I apply my moisturiser and then seal, but today I tried a new but very simple technique:

I rubbed my moisturiser and oil together in my hands first - then applied to my hair.

I used enough oil that the conditioner appeared transparent on my hands. As my moisturiser, I used TRESemmé Moisture Rich Conditioner with a drop of olive oil for each section of hair. Using a rinse-out conditioner as a leave-in or moisturiser is a technique that many use, and it works great for me. Just be sure not to use too much too often as you'll be at risk of product build up.

You may have to play around with ratios of moisturiser to oil to get the best outcome. Too much oil could leave your hair greasy and the overzealous use of moisturiser could cause reversion. It's also better to use a creme based moisturiser over a liquid based one as they're not as watery.

It's a simple tweak but my hair feels moisturised and bouncy, and there is no sign of reversion. Just remember that a little can go a long way - you don't want your hair to feel wet after you do this.

Try this and see if it works for you.

Do you have any tips on moisturising flat ironed hair? Let me know!

Next day update: My roots are still straight, and my hair is shiny and soft. So happy!

Whether you're transitioning or simply on a journey to achieve healthier, thicker or longer hair, we all know that the journey takes time. I'm 23 weeks (5+ months) into my transition and am starting to feel fed up with my hair. It's been breaking a lot recently and is feeling really dry...

So how can we keep motivated while on the road to our goals? Below, I've compiled a list of 9 suggestions that hopefully will keep you motivated when you're feeling discouraged:

  1. Keep a blog or journal: 
Document the products and techniques that did and did not work for you, and how they made your hair feel. Keep a record of your last trim / cut, protein treatment etc. Documenting this information will help you keep on track and it can also be fun!

2. Take hair photos every 3 months: A watched pot never boils. If you're constantly checking your hair for signs of improvement - you may feel as if you're not making progress. Every three months is a good time to take photos of your hair, as by then, you should see some noticeable progress (length, health, thickness)

3. Write a list of hair goals: Make note of your short term, mini goals (eg. better moisture retention) and your long term goals (eg. fully natural by 2015). It's much more rewarding to check off mini goals as you progress in your journey as you will continuously feel like you're achieving something.

4. Talk to others: Surround yourself with supportive people and dismiss the one's who doubt you. Share experiences, techniques and recommendations with others who are on a hair journey. Hairlista is a great forum to give and receive support.

5. Make note of compliments: When someone gives you a compliment on your hair, write it down! It will make you smile when you re-read all the nice things people have said.

6.  Collect inspirational photos: Start collecting pictures of your dream hair. Surround yourself with inspiration; use the pictures as your phone wallpaper or stick one by your mirror so you're constantly reminded of your goal. If you're technology savvy, you can even photoshop your goal hair onto a current picture of you!

7.Don't jump on every bandwagon: Know that there is no miracle product that will grow your hair overnight. There has been a plethora of products advertised to make such miracles and they will simply leave you feeling disappointed. Consistency and patience, consistency and patience...

8. Hide your hair: If you really can't stand your hair right now, hide it! Put it in a protective style for a few weeks so that you don't have to constantly be worrying about it. Just don't neglect it.

9. Work with what you've already got: We all imagine what kind of styles we would do when we get our dream head of hair. However, we must not ignore what we have now. Embrace your current hair and make the best out of it. While we would all love to reach the destination, we should enjoy the journey too.

How have you been keeping motivated on your journey?