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 aim to use no heat at all, so I thought I would take this opportunity to be bad. After all, Santa's already visited my house (and bought me a hair steamer... say what?! The blog post is coming soon!) so I can start being good again in 2016.

So Christmas morning, I used the straightners to curl my hair, and I must say I was rather disappointed with the outcome. My hair was so soft and silky that the curls were dropping out before my eyes. I had random straight bits in the back and I became worried about the amount of heat I was using re-doing each curl. My family was due to arrive any minute so I decided to switch the straighteners off and throw my hair into a bun, leaving the front out to create a curly fringe (bangs).

I've never worn my hair like this so I was a bit self-conscious but I actually liked it!

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 for the full 60 days, please leave a comment on the official challenge page.

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 couldn't help but do the cabbage patch dance in the chair.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a photo of my hair before I had it trimmed, but I could feel it touching a lower part of my back which I was happy about. Because of the trim, I'm at roughly the same length as my last BKT, but I don't mind simply because I know I have fresh ends that will retain length better than before. With my no-heat regime, I'm even more hopeful for good results. In fact, I'm seriously considering a 3 month bunning challenge in the New Year (details coming soon). Will you join me?

Overall, I'm happy with my hair and feel confident that I'll be able to see even more progress in the coming months. I've enjoyed my hair for two days and now it's going straight back into a protective/low manipulation style. Oh, the sacrifices...

BKT an a trim - 12 Dec 2015

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 softens like no other.

The moisturiser itself is of a watery consistency which comes out via a spray pump. It's highly perfumed which may bother some but the smell doesn't tend to bother me once my hair is dry.

I've been using this product as a leave-in conditioner and also as a daily moisturiser. I've also been experimenting with pouring a bit of S Curl into my deep conditioner mix. For the first time on my hair journey, I'm beginning to understand what a moisture overload feels like. Originally formulated for people with jheri curls, the moisturiser is designed to thoroughly hydrate textured hair to create 'juicy' curls or waves. Since using this, I've never experienced hair with so much pliability - I can literally feel the increased elasticity when I'm combing my hair out.

I know a lot of transitioning ladies use S Curl on their new growth to keep the line of demarcation strong. I've found it great for detangling and keeping my roots soft, especially now that I've pledged to seriously cut down on blowdrying and straightening.

The second ingredient of this product is glycerine, which acts as a humectant by drawing moisture from the air into the hair strand. When there is sufficient moisture in the air - such as in a humid climate - this product works great. However, a very dry atmosphere will cause moisture to be drawn out of the hair, producing counteractive results.

Providing it's used in the correct climate, S Curl is great for moisturising but it works best on hair that is tied back. I've used this on my signature pin-curl style and after ten minutes of being outside in rainy London, my hair is frizzy and limp - even if it's no longer raining. That's because the glycerine sucks up the moisture from the atmosphere, raising the hair cuticle and causing poofy hair. To avoid this situation, I'd suggest using this product for styles like buns where the hair is pulled back and the ends are tucked away.

So if you're looking for a product that provides maximum moisture, softness and shine, I strongly suggest S Curl. If you're looking for something to define your braid-outs and twist-outs, I'd opt for something without glycerine.

The only major criticism I have is that if you're heavy handed or use this every day, it tends to leave a residue on the hair. It's not sticky or greasy as such, but more of a waxy feeling. If you're big on co-washing frequently, this shouldn't be a problem.

For leave-out styles and pin-curls, I definitely still prefer my African Pride Olive Oil Moisturizer Lotion simply because there's no glycerine. However, for certain other hair styles this is definitely a winner!

Pros

• It's cheap (between £3-£4 in my local hair store, although a tad more expensive on Amazon)
• It provides extreme moisture
• Helps soften new growth and helps with detangling

Ingredients: Deionized Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Argan Oil, Olive Oil, Acetamide MEA, Ceteth-20, Oleakonium Chloride, Stearalkonium Chloride, Panthenol, Simethicone, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Coumarin, Alpha-Isomethyl lonone. 

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 I realised how matted and shrunken my roots were, and how stiff my hair felt. After separating each curl, I ended up with hair sticking up in all directions and a jungle of matted undergrowth. This was not the look I was going for.

Pin-curls on flat ironed hair - yay!

Pin-curls on air-dried hair - nay.

I immediately reached for my bottle of amazingness (yes, it's a secret! It's an old product, a new purchase and I'll be reviewing it soon). This product slayed my hard new growth, softened my strands and provided maximum moisture in six sprays.

With the help of my new product, I brushed my curls out and pulled my hair back into a simple, sleek bun. It's been years since I wore my hair in a bun outside of the house as I always wear my hair out. However, I'm already starting to like it!

After returning home and taking down my hair, I was surprised at how moisturised my ends had stayed. Could the bun be my new go-to style? Could this heatless style be the key to me achieving APL hair? 

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. Yes, daily! And if I was going out in the evening, I'd often run the flat iron over it again. I couldn't imagine leaving the house without straightening my hair or being seen in public with hair that didn't look sleek and perfectly in place.

Since I've been on my journey I've slowly been cutting out the heat. I've cut down to flat ironing once a week on washdays, and I've pledged to ban blowdrying in my quest to achieve armpit length by December 2016. But that's not good enough if I want maximum length retention, so I've been experimenting with heatless styles on air-dried hair - cutting out heat completely (I'll be writing a post about that soon).

Looking back on my previous heat habits, I cringe in horror at my daily flat ironing and weekly blowdrying.  But my straighteners were my armour - they protected me from 'bad hair days'.

For the last few months I've been wearing my heatless pin-curl out style. Because I install the pin-curls at night, I can never be sure how they will turn out until I take them out in the morning. Sometimes they come out great, other times they don't. In the beginning, that was a scary thought but as time goes by, I've learned to just work with what I've got and accept it in the name of healthy hair!

I live in London and it's notorious for its bad weather. As soon as I step outside, my curls become limp and lifeless because of the rain or wind, or my straight hair becomes frizzy. A few years ago I would have wanted to run and hide because a bad hair day meant a bad day.

But the more I just get on with things and the less precious I am about my hair, the more confident I become - even on days when my hair isn't behaving. I've realised that the only person my misbehaving hair bothers is me. Most people don't even know I'm having an off day!

I've always known that hair should not define how we feel about ourselves. But only now am I really believing it for myself. Hair should not be the make or break of my confidence. I've started to embrace the 'bad hair days'. I've learned that there is no excuse to let my hair bring me down, and the more I face the world while not feeling my best, the more confident I become.

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 book I ever bought on hair care. It has absolutely everything in it, from moisture/protein balance to sample regimes, correct techniques and even children's hair. This is a perfect book for those just starting out as it covers all the basics and then some.

2. Video: My Hair Growth Journey by HealthyAfroHair 
Watch Julie's inspirational photo journey as she grows from damaged neck-length hair to healthy mid-back length. She also shares hair techniques and advice on her channel. This is my 'go-to' video for when I need a dose of motivation!

3. Website: Blackhairinformation.com
You might want to put aside a couple of hours for to peruse this site. It contains tons of info for both natural and relaxed ladies, including ingredients info, hair stories and hair trends.

4. Blog: Just Grow Already! 
Documenting her journey to waist-length relaxed hair, blogger Jen has now transitioned to natural. A personal website, she blogs about her washday routines, favourite products and style experiments. Collaborating with lots of other bloggers and hair enthusiasts, Just Grow Already! is a great source of information.

5. Forum: Hairlista
This fantastic forum has thousands of supportive members who love to talk about... hair! It's a lot like a social networking site as you can add friends (add me!), write your own blog posts, share pictures, and join groups and challenges. The forums are great for asking questions and getting very helpful answers.

6. Blog: The Natural Haven
Written by an actual scientist, The Natural Haven puts a different spin on hair care. Debating topics such as whether castor oil actually makes hair thicker, this fascinating blogger publishes her own lab experiments on hair, helping to answer the popular questions and de-bunk the common myths.

There are so many more links I could share with you, but I thought I'd start with a few first.

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.

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 recently been enjoying. Ideas flooded into my mind, from following a complicated regime to buying new, expensive products that had been ineffective in the past.

Then I remembered something so simple - a technique I used very early on in my hair journey that I had forgotten about.

Deep conditioning on dry hair!

For some reason it seems to allow the conditioner to absorb into the strands better. The results were soft, moisturised and tangle-free hair. I applied my favourite Organic Root Stimulator conditioner in sections using an applicator brush to ensure full coverage, slapped on a plastic bag with my Look Great Heat Wrap, and rinsed after an hour. 

But why does DC'ing on dry hair yield better results? The main theory is that when the hair is wet, it absorbs water which leaves less room to accept the conditioner. By applying the product to dry hair, the hair is able to absorb more conditioner than it usually would.

It's important to note that this method of deep conditioning probably works best on hair that has been recently washed. Applying conditioner when you have product buildup may not produce the best results since the conditioner won't penetrate as much. 

I definitely feel like DC'ing on dry hair gives better results! It's amazing that such a simple tweak has bought my hair back to its proper moisture levels. Mission complete!

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 that starting the New Year with fresh ends will put me in the best position to retain length. Considering how much my hair grows in one year, I would expect to reach APL by the end of the 2016. Many of the ladies on Long Hair Care Forum state that it took them about nine months to get from shoulder length to APL. With my giraffe neck and long back, I'd add a few months onto that. I'm fully aware that getting passed shoulder length is one of the most challenging milestones, so I've devised a regime that I'm going to follow in the hope that it helps me reach my goal. My length retention regime for the next year: Continue to wear heatless styles in the week, keeping the use of the flat iron to a minimum Air dry or blow dry on cool only  - I blow dry my hair weekly so this rule will eradicate the extra heat from my regime  Start taking biotin pills daily - I have achieved faster growth with biotin in the past Deep condition with hair in six sections - switching from four to six sections has made a big difference! Moisturise nightly and maintain hair porosity levels with apple cider vinegar rinses Continue to have hair keratin treated every 12 weeks or so

Below is my current length. I'll be updating my  length progress pictures every few months so stay tuned!



How long did it take you to go from shoulder length to armpit length? I would love to hear your tips.

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 it (not recommended). Even after deep conditioning, my strands are still screaming out for moisture.

So why is my hair behaving so badly? Why does the moisture seem to evaporate from my strands? I have two theories:

Theory one: my hair is porous

It's been said so many times, but the excess use of heat tools can dry out the hair, damaging the cuticle and causing the strands to become porous. Porous hair means moisture can easily be injected into the strand (hence why my hair feels great straight after applying product), but this moisture escapes the strand just as quickly. I believe that my hair is simply showing the ill effects of my previous heat obsession. The damage caused by my straighteners has resulted in holes along the hair shaft - preventing the hair from holding onto moisture and resulting in dry locks.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a great way to bring the hair down to normal porosity levels. Because of its slightly acidic pH level, ACV can help close cuticles, which reduces porosity and encourages a healthy shine. I'm going to dilute a small amount of AVC in a big jug of cool water. Once I've finished rinsing out my deep conditioner, I'll pour the solution over my entire head, wring, and towel dry.

Note: If you decide to try this too, be prepared to smell like a fish and chip shop. But also be assured that the smell does not linger once your hair is dry!

Theory two: my hair needs clarifying 

Layering on the products every night will eventually result in product buildup, meaning anything you put on the hair will sit on top and not be absorbed. While I wash my hair weekly, I use a sulfate-free shampoo which isn't enough to thoroughly cleanse the hair. It's recommended that once in a while, the hair should get a deep cleanse with a clarifying shampoo. Essentially, this type of shampoo removes all oils, product and dirt from deep within the strand. It will leave the hair squeaky clean and ready to accept the conditioning effects of products.

My action plan overview:

• Pre-shampoo with Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer to protect the hair prior to washing (and as a last attempt to inject some moisture)
• Shampoo with a clarfiying shampoo
• Deep condition with my Look Great Heat Wrap 
• Rinse out, and finish with an ACV rinse
• Apply leave-in and air dry 

Will I correct my hair's moisture balance? Be sure to stay tuned for my results!

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, some more obvious than others. The chart below shows the many varieties, but unless you're in bright light or have long hair where you can see your ends, it's not always that simple.

There are many types of split ends

So how else do you know if it's time for a trim? I've gathered together my top three tips to watch out for:

1. You suddenly start seeing little hairs on the floor, on your shirt or in the sink.
   Finding short hairs all over the place means your ends are breaking off. The ends of your hair are the oldest and weakest parts, and therefore are more prone to breakage. Get rid of those dead ends by getting a trim. It will improve the look of your hair and leave you with healthier, stronger ends.
   
   
2. You begin to dread wash day because of the dreaded tangles. Has your hair started tangling at the ends? When ends become old and tapered (as opposed to fresh and blunt), they're more prone to knotting with each other. Instead of spending hours untangling and risking further breakage, let's reach for those scissors!
   
   
3. You've been at the same length for a while. Hair is always growing, but while we're longing for length, it may not feel like it's growing fast enough. Sometimes though, we really do get stuck at the same length for an extended period of time. It's not that the hair isn't growing, it's that the ends are breaking at the same rate of growth, thus creating an illusion of plateau. If this sounds familiar, set yourself up for length retention by starting with fresh ends. To track your hair's length progress, be sure to snap a photo ever few months.

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

I find it better to apply my moisturiser to the entire head as opposed to applying to each small pincurl section. I've realised that my hair doesn't need a lot to be sufficiently moisturised, so less product creates smoother, looser and more defined waves. Damp hair or too much product creates frizzy curls with super shrinkage - not necessarily a bad thing, but not what I'm aiming for.

2. Use oil to take down the curls

When removing the pins from the hair, I've learned that applying a thin layer of oil to my fingers helps to protect against frizzing. It also gives the hair a nice shine.

3. Keep the pincurls in overnight

My hair needs time to set, so leaving the pincurls in overnight gives my style a better chance of lasting all day. Of course, the curls will drop as time progresses, but by the end of the day, I still have a nice wave in my hair. I once tried keeping the pincurls in for just a couple of hours, and results were not good - most of the hair lost its curl immediately!

4. Don't comb or brush the hair

Instead, I gently separate the curls with my fingers. Brushing will cause the curls to frizz and lose definition.

5. Pay attention to the back of your head  

When I first began pincurling, I'd section my hair into four (one parting down the middle and one across) and work on one section at a time. As one of my partings was down the middle, this technique resulted in me pulling sections of hair to each side. This resulted in curly sides and straighter hair at the back. I've since adapted my technique, working in rows by starting at the nape and working my way upwards. This way, every section of my hair gets equal attention.

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!

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, I end up straightening my hair - a paradox I'd rather avoid.

Time consuming and frustrating, mastering a new style is not always easy. For those in a similar predicament, I've decided to share my inauspicious attempts to perfect these heatless styles. I'll document the good, bad and the ugly outcomes of my trials. If you're feeling anywhere as frustrated as I am, hopefully seeing someone else go through trial and error will keep you motivated.

I'm not giving up until I can master a style that works for me!


ABOVE: My first attempt at pincurls. Clearly, I hadn't quite mastered the technique of creating the curl! The result was just as disappointing - some areas turned out wavy while I had other random straight sections. In the end, I used the straighteners to curl the rest of my hair. Pretty contradictory considering I'm trying to stay away from heat!

ABOVE: Another attempt - not too bad this time, although it seems like only the ends curled.

ABOVE: My best outcome yet - I had soft curls / waves that lasted the entire day. It's taken me a good few weeks to perfect the technique of rolling the hair and pinning it down. I'd say the first two weeks were hit and miss, but I persevered and now I no longer wake up with the dread of wondering how my hair is going to look.

Update: A guide on how I achieve my perfect pincurl style!

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 of length progress:

22 April 2015

My hair has been doing well since and I can now feel it touching the bottom of my neck - a welcomed indicator that it's gaining length! I don't plan on cutting my hair again unless it's absolutely necessary.

11 July 2015

3rd Keratin Treatment - 11 July 2015

As usual after every treatment, my hair was swinging, shiny and smooth. Now, I'm sure we've been here before (I recognise that tree*), but I'm definitely going to focus on retaining my length. Every three months I'll be taking length pictures to compare my progress.

*For all you Gilmore Girls fans, here's a reference for ya

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 to maintain my short bob!  (Not chronologically ordered)

2. Deep conditioning 1-2 times a week.

Up until my 6th month of transitioning, my new growth felt really rough, matted or dry. Deep conditioning regularly using an applicator brush enabled my roots to get full conditioner coverage. I was (and still am) using heat often, and so deep conditioning injected some much needed moisture into my regime. I experienced some bad crown breakage at the line of demarcation due to a different, much dryer texture in the middle of my head. For some reason, transitioning shocked my hair's moisture levels into chaos but all seems well now.

See my other relevant posts: Matted New Growth and Line of Demarcation Breakage

3. Working in sections with patience

Long gone were the days I could jump out of the shower, slap on some product and go. The more new growth, the more tangled the hair will become. At around my 6 month-post mark, I started doing everything in sections (conditioning, washing, detangling, moisturising, straightening). I probably should have stated doing this earlier, but I was still learning my hair. Hair can be infuriating whether you're transitioning or not - so if you get too frustrated, just take a break. Divide and conquer, people! Divide. And. Conquer.

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 do a keratin treatment:

1. My hair was washed and blowdried 90% dry. 
2. The keratin treatment was applied in small sections and left to air dry for about 45 minutes
3. The treatment was rinsed out (no shampoo used) and blowdried again. 
4. Hair was straightened with the flat iron to seal in the treatment 
5. Avoid getting hair wet, tying it up or using clips for 48 hours
6. Wash treatment out and style as usual

Does the keratin treatment damage hair? That's a lot of heat!

I had this conversation with my stylist. She explained that the product acts as a protector against heat providing it is applied correctly. You may have also heard the horror stories about using up to 10 passes with the straighteners to seal in the treatment. My hair dresser uses two passes on my hair - she's very concerned with the health of a client's hair and does not use more heat than necessary.

Keratin treatment results

• My hair was swinging and blinging, it was so shiny and had movement that I've never experienced before
• It felt really soft and smooth. 
• It also (temporarily) loosened my curl pattern - noticeable when wet
• Straightening my hair doesn't take as long 
• My hair doesn't revert if I get caught in the rain or humid weather.

First day of getting the treatment

Last words:

I'm very happy with this treatment. I'm currently experimenting with wash & gos as my texture is much looser now. Talking with my hairdresser's other clients, many of them raved about their hair never being as long as it is now due to regular keratin treatments. I think I'm going to stick with getting it done every 3 - 4 months. I'm ready to attempt to grow my hair longer as I've been wearing this bob for a couple of years now.

Towel dried hair before the treatment

Towel dried hair after treatment

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 time. At the start, I was constantly checking my progress or researching how much 'X' amount of new growth should look like etc. Now I realise that a watched pot never boils and I should just enjoy the journey. I'm only a year post. My natural journey is only just beginning.

I haven't felt a craving to go back to getting a relaxer - probably because I transitioned the naughty way and used the straighteners to help me. Nevertheless, I am proud of myself for getting this far. Click here to read my milestone blog posts so far.

I had my hair cut on 14th January. It was beginning to look like a mullet as the layers on top were much shorter than the bottom. My (new) hairdresser cut about an inch off the bottom hemline and explained that she wouldn't cut so much from the top. This would mean I've now got more of a blunt bob which will avoid the awkward mullet stage as it grows out.

Before and after my hair cut

So, did I make my goal of being fully natural by Jan 2015?
Well, apart from a tiny section in the front, yes. I'm counting myself as natural either way!

Sectioning my hair after washing

Some things I have learned about my hair:

Avoiding heat damage: Hair is best protected from heat when it is freshly washed and conditioned. Applying heat to unwashed hair bakes in the product and dirt already in there, causing damage that could have been avoided. For my hair, I get the best protection and results when I use a serum heat protectant on damp hair, followed by a non-water based spray heat protectant just before straightening.

Satin scarf vs satin pillow:  Recently, I've been experimenting with different ways to preserve my hair overnight. I've realised that the moisture is much better retained when I wrap my hair in a silky scarf as opposed to just lying on a silky pillowcase.

I have three different textures on my head: The bottom half of my hair is silky with a loser curl pattern. The top part is much tighter in curl pattern or has no pattern at all. The crown of my head is dry, wiry and brittle. If I treat each area of my hair the same, some part will be lacking in care. Thus, I have to pay extra attention to my crown, giving it more moisture than anywhere else.

I've had problems with breakage in the crown of my head.  I check regularly for signs of breakage but it seems to be doing well for now. Click to see my crown breakage post

Single strand knots AKA fairy knots: These have appeared all of a sudden at the ends of my hair. They're tiny little knots that form (usually near the end) of a single strand. I had loads of them and I thought it might be to do with the fact I use so much heat and needed a hair cut. Apparently they come with natural territory but I'm not sure if it has anything to do with damage - or if any healthy head of hair can get them.

What are my next steps? 

I'm going to focus on growing my hair longer now. For this, I will need to:

• Find a better way to wrap my hair. I use heat frequently to bump the ends of my bob inwards. I think the secret to putting down the straighteners is in how I wrap my hair at night. It's too short to cross wrap (a successful method when my hair was longer), so I'm trying other techniques.

• Try heatless styles like braidouts. Braidouts are something I really want to do and feel comfortable with. I guess when I've worn my hair straight like this for such a long time, it can be daunting to change up my style. 

• Get trims less often. It was recommended that to maintain my bob, I get trims every 6-8 weeks, but to grow it, I should get them every 10-12 weeks. If I want to go longer without getting cuts, I need to take better care of my ends.

How is your journey going? What is your next milestone? Let me know! 

View my transitioning pictures
Feeling nostalgic? Click here to see my first ever post 

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 or not.

Anyway, here's a picture of my hair now:

Jan 2015

I washed my hair today and wanted to share a few texture shots of my wet hair with you:

Crazy mix of coils and frizz

You can still see some relaxed hair at the front of my head... We'll see how much is left after my next cut