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2015 - Bonjour Natural | Healthy Hair Journey Blog

Hey everyone! Hope you've been having a lovely time these last couple of days. I just thought I'd check in to show you how I...

Hey everyone! Hope you've been having a lovely time these last couple of days. I just thought I'd check in to show you how I wore my hair for Christmas. It definitely wasn't a planned style but I thought it came out surprisingly cute. I decided I wanted big hair for Christmas day, so I planned on wearing it out and curly. I thought about pincurling but I decided on using heat to create the curls because I wanted the style to last. There's less than a week before my 60 day bunning challenge begins and it's my...

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I'm welcoming 2016 with open arms and I'm fully geared up to make this year the year for growing my hair longer than ever! I...

I'm welcoming 2016 with open arms and I'm fully geared up to make this year the year for growing my hair longer than ever! I invite you to join me on a 60-day bunning challenge, with the aim to protect our ends and retain all of our length. I've created a page to document this particular challenge, and to encourage any one else lurking to join me too. Let this be a supportive space for anyone interested to post their pictures and motivate others. Who's with me? If you would like to take part, even if it's not...

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Bonjour everyone! I'm back with a fresh Brazilian keratin treatment (nicknamed the 'hair fertiliser' by my stylist) and ...

Bonjour everyone! I'm back with a fresh Brazilian keratin treatment (nicknamed the 'hair fertiliser' by my stylist) and I've finally got a trim! This is just a quick post to keep you updated on what's been going on with my hair. For the last few months I've cut down to using heat once a week, but in the last few weeks I've cut out heat completely, damp bunning everyday in a bid to retain length and moisture. It's definitely working! My hairdresser commented straight away on how my hair has grown and picked up in thickness - I...

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Yesterday I had a mini hair emergency when my airdried pin-curl style failed me . I immediately reached for my secret 'bottl...

Yesterday I had a mini hair emergency when my airdried pin-curl style failed me. I immediately reached for my secret 'bottle of amazingness' to tame my hair into a sleek bun. It was fun teasing you guys about what my new favourite product is, but Andrea from Lengthening Locks guessed it right - Luster's S Curl "No Drip"! Yes, I know it's been around for a while and there's a whole lotta hype about it online already, but this moisturiser has saved my hair for the last couple of weeks. It provides maximum moisture, helps with detangling and...

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The bun - my new 'go-to' style? Hey all! In my last post I talked about going completely cold turkey on my heat tools . I wa...

The bun - my new 'go-to' style? Hey all! In my last post I talked about going completely cold turkey on my heat tools. I washed and deep conditioned my hair as normal, air dried and skipped the straighteners. When my hair was dry, I prepared it for bed by moisturising and pin-curling as usual. I was eager to see how my hair would turn out as I usually pin-curl after flat ironing my hair. So the next morning I whipped off my scarf and excitedly undid my pin-curls one by one. And as I unrolled each curl...

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We've all had them, right? Those days where your hair doesn't do what you want it to do, or you excitedly prepare it for a style ...

We've all had them, right? Those days where your hair doesn't do what you want it to do, or you excitedly prepare it for a style overnight and in the morning it's a disappointing mess. I'm talking bad hair days - and I've had loads since I've been on my journey. But as I get deeper into my journey, my mentality continues to change and my confidence continues to grow, even when I don't feel I'm looking my best. Let me digress. Before I began properly taking care of my hair, I would straighten it pretty much daily....

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Am I the only one that could spend all day browsing the web for hair care tips and motivational videos, inspirational progress pictures an...

Am I the only one that could spend all day browsing the web for hair care tips and motivational videos, inspirational progress pictures and product reviews? There's such a massive community online with thousands of women willing to help each other achieve the hair they've always wanted. My interest in hair has only strengthened over the last years and I wanted to share some of the wonderful books, blogs and videos that have enriched my knowledge and kept me inspired for all this time. 1. Book: The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy This was the first and only...

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The end of the year is nigh and I've already set my hair goals for 2016. But now is also a good time to start evaluating my product...

The end of the year is nigh and I've already set my hair goals for 2016. But now is also a good time to start evaluating my product regime and decide which ones I'll be banishing and which I'll be bringing into next year. While I love to try new products, I still tend to return to my good ol' faves. For anyone else on a hair journey, I'd really encourage you to document which products are working for you. If for some reason you stray away, you'll always have a note of what your hair liked. Please...

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Reunited with moisturised hair! I recently wrote about my sudden bout of parched hair. My strands had become so dry, rough and unresp...

Reunited with moisturised hair! I recently wrote about my sudden bout of parched hair. My strands had become so dry, rough and unresponsive to my moisturising attempts and it was really frustrating me. I suspected that my problem was due to porous hair or product buildup, but my consequential clarifying and apple cider rinses were in vain. What I didn't mention in my last post was that I've also been experiencing major tangles after washing. So I had a long think about how I might be able to return to the soft, moisturised and well-behaved hair I had...

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To infinity (or armpit length - whichever comes first) and beyond! ( Image source ) 2016 is fast approaching which means my first ...

To infinity (or armpit length - whichever comes first) and beyond! (Image source) 2016 is fast approaching which means my first year of hair growing is coming to an end! I've successfully achieved shoulder length hair - a milestone I haven't seen for a few years due to maintaining my bob style. But now is where the real challenge begins. I'm hoping to enter a territory I've never experienced before: armpit length (APL) hair. I've booked in for a BKT and much-needed trim on 12 December. I'm hoping I don't have to have too much snipped off, but I also know...

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For the last few months I've been happily rocking my pincurl-outs - that's putting my hair in pin curls at night and removing the...

For the last few months I've been happily rocking my pincurl-outs - that's putting my hair in pin curls at night and removing them in the morning to achieve curly or wavy hair. Having finally worked out how to get the best results, the heatless style has allowed me to stay away from the straighteners and retain more moisture. But all of a sudden my hair seems to be rejecting all my moisturising efforts. My hair feels good straight after applying a product, but by the next morning, it's so dry I could probably light a match on...

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It's tempting to hang on to dead, splitting ends for the sake of length, but trimming your bad ends will do wonders for the overal...

It's tempting to hang on to dead, splitting ends for the sake of length, but trimming your bad ends will do wonders for the overall look and feel of your hair. It's been six months since my strands last saw the scissors, and my hair is definitely screaming out for a trim. But it's not always easy to tell if your hair needs a snip. For example, an uneven hemline doesn't always mean you're experiencing breakage - sometimes it just means different sections of your hair are growing at different rates. There are many types of split ends,...

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As time goes on, it's becoming more and more apparent that I'll never be able to reach my length goals if I don't file for ...

As time goes on, it's becoming more and more apparent that I'll never be able to reach my length goals if I don't file for divorce from my flat iron. So for the last few months I've been experimenting with pincurls as my go-to heatless style. While it's been a lot of trial and error, I feel like I've finally mastered the style. In the hope that I might be able to help someone else, I've gathered together the top 5 tips that have helped me to create the perfect pincurls. 1. Hair should be moisturised but not wet...

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It's been a year since I decided to start actively growing my hair. In that time, I've had three hair cuts but I'm still pretty ...

It's been a year since I decided to start actively growing my hair. In that time, I've had three hair cuts but I'm still pretty happy with the length progress I've made! Now that I'm weaning myself off the heat tools, I think next year will reap even better results for my length progress. 2016 here we come! Sept 2014 Sept 2015 - Hemline is only uneven in pic, although I do need a trim! ...

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Heat is the enemy for many when they're on a quest for healthy, longer or thicker hair. The excess use of heat tools depletes moist...

Heat is the enemy for many when they're on a quest for healthy, longer or thicker hair. The excess use of heat tools depletes moisture, damages and ultimately thins or breaks your hair. Knowing this, I still regularly flat iron my hair. It's a bad habit I haven't yet busted. However, lately I've been experimenting with pin curls, bantu knot-outs and braid-outs. I do the styles at night after moisturising and in the morning when I take them out, I look a mess, consequently turning to my straighteners. So in my attempts to get away from heat tools,...

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It's been such a long time since I last posted. I've been so busy with my last year of university, going on holiday and then startin...

It's been such a long time since I last posted. I've been so busy with my last year of university, going on holiday and then starting a new job. But now I'm back to blogging, so I thought I'd start with a post about the Brazilian Keratin Treatment (BKT) I received today. I blogged about my first BKT here, but I didn't document the second one which I had on 22nd April. I wanted more of a blunt style at the time so my stylist cut off quite a bit, leaving me back at square one in terms...

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I transitioned the unorthodox way (by using heat regularly), so I think my transition may have been a lot easier than usual. Nevertheless, I...

I transitioned the unorthodox way (by using heat regularly), so I think my transition may have been a lot easier than usual. Nevertheless, I share with you the top 5 things that helped me transition: 1. Getting my hair cut regularly.  Getting regular trims kept my transition feeling exciting as I knew I was getting closer to my goal with each chop. The less relaxed hair there was on my head, the less tangles I encountered - so regular cutting helped a lot with manageability The mug shots for hair:I've had quite a few hair cuts over the year...

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As of 7th February 2015, my hair is now keratin treated! My hairdresser uses the K Fusion Smoothing Treatment, which is formaldehyde-fre...

As of 7th February 2015, my hair is now keratin treated! My hairdresser uses the K Fusion Smoothing Treatment, which is formaldehyde-free. What is a keratin treatment? Hair is made up of a protein called keratin. Heat, harsh chemicals and daily manipulation breaks down the protein bonds in the hair, weakening the strand and making it prone to breakage. A keratin treatment works to infuse the protein back into the hair, temporarily filling in weak spots and working to condition, strengthen and smooth the strands. With this particular treatment, the results last 3-4 months and wash out over time. How to...

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I remember viewing other transitioners' pictures and blogs on Hairlista and feeling envious that they were so many months ahead of ...

I remember viewing other transitioners' pictures and blogs on Hairlista and feeling envious that they were so many months ahead of me in their transition. I couldn't comprehend going without a relaxer for a year but I knew that's what I wanted to do. The hair bloggers used to write about 'how time flies' and I used to think 'yeh, right. It's going to drag on for me'. Honestly though, time has really flown by and as you can probably see from my recent lack of blogging activity, my hair has not been on my mind the whole...

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! In three weeks I'll be one year post. I can't believe it! As I'll be posting a full update in about three week...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! In three weeks I'll be one year post. I can't believe it! As I'll be posting a full update in about three weeks, I'll keep this one short. It's been longer than usual (1 week short of 4 months) since I got my last hair cut. I'm hoping to get another cut before my 1 year date on 22 Jan. That way, I can do the big reveal as to whether all the relaxed hair has been chopped off. I'm changing stylists so it's about whether I can get hold of my hairdresser in time...

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