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!