June 2018 - Bonjour Natural | Healthy Hair Journey Blog

14:13

3 Month Length Progress

14:13

Just a quick post to document my length progress over the last three and a half months. I straightened my hair for my work sum...

Just a quick post to document my length progress over the last three and a half months.
I straightened my hair for my work summer party and it looks like my hair has gotten longer! It's now covering the whole of my neck.

I would like to be full collarbone length (CBL) by Christmas - do you think this is a reasonable goal?
I'll upload another length photo in September to mark another three months.
In the meantime, I'll continue with my bunning and S-curl regime.
What are you doing to achieve your goals?
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19:27

Max Length Retention: S-Curl No Drip Activator & Bunning?

19:27

Hello again! I come excitedly to tell you about my experience over the last few months. Since the end of Marc...

Hello again!
I come excitedly to tell you about my experience over the last few months.
Since the end of March 2018 I've been wearing my hair in a faux bun as a protective style in a bid to retain all my length. Aside from a couple of heat passes due to special occasions, this has pretty much been my hairstyle for the last 11 weeks.
After almost three months, I can honestly say my hair has not felt this good in my entire adult life! Plus, I've noticed my hair has grown and thickened at a rate I did not expect!
It didn't take me long to learn that my hair thrives on moisture. I've bunned my hair before but this time I'm really going in with quenching my strands, and my hair is thanking me.
It's caused me to question whether my regime of cowashing, curl activator and bunning is the key to growing to lengths I've never achieved before.

My bunning regime

It's pretty simple. I moisturise my hair mornings and evenings using S-Curl, sometimes adding a creamy leave-in or oil on top.
In the mornings I add some Eco-Styler Gel and slick my hair down with a boar bristle brush before tying into a bun.
To 'set' the style I tie a silk scarf around my head for a few minutes
Remove the scarf and wrap some Marley Twist hair around my natural bun for extra oomph.
I co-wash midweek or whenever my hair is feeling coated (I'm heavy handed with my products!)
Over the weekend I wash and deep condition, air dry, moisturise and bun again.

To free my hair of any tension I take my bun down at the end of each day.
So, what wonderful things have been happening to my hair?

Week 1: I noticed softer, supple hair & no dry scalp

If I thought my hair was hydrated before, I was wrong. My hair actually clumps up when I add moisture to it now, which is a sign that it's well watered. In addition, I noticed softness and shine.
My dry scalp pretty much disappeared straight away, too. It was probably caused by the flat iron, hot air from the blowdryer and only feeling water on it once a week. I realise now my hair and scalp loves the extra water.

Week 6: I noticed thicker hair and less breakage

My strands are rejoicing at this combination of moisture, protective styling and avoiding heat. I started noticing thicker hair at around six weeks of this regime, and in the few times I've blowdried my hair recently, I've been amazed at its ever-increasing volume.
You must remember that I was previously flat ironing my hair several times a week, so my poor strands were probably gasping for hydration.
I'm really only seeing shed hairs now. It's rare I see a broken hair, but when I start to see them I know it's time for a stronger protein treatment.

Week 9: I noticed length retention

I re-do my bun everyday so I was shocked to suddenly realise that the length of my ponytail had increased. About two weeks ago I noticed my ends were no longer tucking into my bun as easily they used to, and I had some extra length to manoeuvre. This was a pleasant surprise.
I will be flat ironing for my work summer party next week, so will be posting progress pics soon! This is the first time I've noticed such impressive results and because of this, it's the first time I truly believe I can grow to new lengths.
I've raved about S-Curl before, and while I understand healthy hair is a result of both good technique and the right products, this moisturiser has done wonders for my hair so far. It simply moisturises like no other!
What's your hair staple and what's helping you retain your length?
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