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?