Hair Idol Flo Jo

I don't know about you, but being an 80's baby there was sheer magic associated with our US Olympic teams growing up. Florence Griffith- Joyner or Flo Jo as we called her stood out from everybody! She has impeccable style, speed and beauty that no one could touch in my eyes.  The A-symetric running outfits, the nails, the flawless makeup, and who could forget the HAIR...so beautiful. Though she is now an angel flying high, she will always be a beauty and hair Icon.

The Quidad Double Detangler

Purchasing this comb was best $28.00 I could have ever spent! I know what you are saying..." you paid that much for a comb??" BELIEVE me when I say it was worth every penny.  I originally purchased this comb as a Christmas gift for my lil sis ( she has mounds of natural thick hair).  I decided to test it out on my texlaxed/ relaxed hair at 3 months post and I was amazed at how much faster it was to detangle my mane with less snags, tears and hair in the comb.  My detangling time is cut down in half. I HIGHLY recommend this comb for those with curly hair, natural hair, and those relaxed sistas with new growth that is a struggle to get through. Its going to be invaluable to you when you are stretching in between relaxers... and the comb is so sturdy it should literally last forever.  I have no idea how adding and extra side of wide tooth combs aid so much in the detangling process, but I am so grateful someone came up with the technology to produce this comb. I purchased my Quidad comb at my local Sephora store, but you can also purchase online through their website Sehpora.com or thorough Amazon.com

The Science of Black Hair - Book Wish list

The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy

This Book is on my Christmas wish list. I am a long time reader of Audrey's Yahoo articles on hair health. Needless to say I am so excited her manuscript is finally out.  This book cover everything form exploring our scalp to the challenges we all face as black women in growing our hair, to the hair and total body/ health connection.  I never want to stop soaking up knowledge when it comes to understanding our hair, so this book for me is a must read.  I would also enourage my readers to check out her awesome website at http://blackhairscience.com/index.html  Look for a full review of this book after the holidays and Happy Growing!

Update: Loving My Hair!!!

I am almost a year and a half into my HJ and I officially have my dream hair! Its not at my ultimate goal of Waist length, but a full BSL and I just love the length, texture, and fullness! I NEVER thought this hair would be attainable for me. It crazy that I was able to acquire it in what feels like no time flat.  Knowledge really is the key to anything you want in life.

I did my Phyto Relaxer yesterday...DC and styled with all Phyto products and these are the results : ) I hope to be at MBL by my next birthday of June 2012...so cross your fingers! All my readers and followers send me pics of your progress so that I may share them with the world. You can help to inspire just as I have.

Dry Hair

For the past 2 weeks I have been training hard for my half marathon coming up this weekend, and I feel  like my hair has suffered some neglect. I did not even have time to deep condition this week : ( Which is the first time I have skipped a DC since the start of my journey. The workouts leave my hair riddled with drying salt, and with doing only the quick hair regimen steps, I have hair that is dryer than normal. I also think their may be some porosity issues there too.

Porosity is the term used in the science of hair care to describe how easily water and other matter can diffuse back and forth through the cuticle layer and into or out of the cortex. Hair is much like a sponge, capable of absorbing water and other substances from the environment, and also susceptible to losing precious moisture and lipids to the environment. Maintaining an optimal balance of moisture in your hair preserves its suppleness, strength, and shine. This is especially important for those of us with curly hair, as it greatly influences the health and beauty of our tresses.

The Fix : On my way to the Beauty supply store right now to pick up some Roux Porosity Conditioner
Just a $2.00 sample pack is all I will need. This with some clarifying and much needed deep conditioning should fix the dryness for sure. I will also stick to Co-washing only, no shampoo ( after this 1 clarifying wash) for the next 2 weeks.

Hair Steaming Update

I am sad to say that I actually had to return my Huetiful hair steamer because I could not get it to operate consistently.  I also had major concerns regarding the safety of the design with my 2 year old running around. The water heats in an exposed plastic container and I would hate for her to run by and spill boiling water on herself! I actually opted for a salon quality stand up steamer and I LOVE it! So far I feel like the deep conditioner does penetrate my hair better overall. As far as long term results...we will have to wait and see : ) I purchased my steamer form the Sam Club website and saved a ton. I called around to Sally's and some other salon suppliers and they charge from $400 to $600 for the SAME exact model! I paid $200 for mine and I am pleased with the product so far.  Hairlicious founder Sunshyne actaully has the same steamer and she did a video review which I found to be very helpful in deciding if making such a pricy purchase is even worth it. Check it out here!

HAIR JOURNEY 1 YEAR IN

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!

MAY 2010 - BEFORE THE JOURNEY

JUNE 2011 - 1 YEAR INTO MY HAIR JOURNEY 

Night Time Protection

Just a Tip: Protecting your hair at night is very important when growing your hair long. Use a silk scarf or silk bonnet to protect your strands every single night. Pillow cases, and the head movement can cause hair to tangle, loose moisture and the friction can cause the hair to break. If you should use a scarf be sure it's not tied too tightly or it can cause tension and breakage at the nape or front hair line. Stay away from cotton scarves and bonnets as they will leach moisture and oil from the hair. Hope this helps you along the way ; ) Happy Growing!

Product Review: Carol's Daughter Monoi Line

I wanted to take this opportunity to do a product review on the Carol's Daughter Monoi Line. I ordered all three newly introduced products : The Monoi shampoo, conditioner and repairing hair mask. I used it consistently for three months as my only poo, condish and DC to really see if it would live up to its promise. Well the verdict is in!

WHAT THEY SAY
What it does:
This moisture and protein-rich formula deeply reconstructs distressed hair helping to fortify it against damage with hydrolyzed silk and hibiscus extract. Antioxidants and UV protectors help combat the drying and damaging effects of UV rays as it softens and smoothes hair, leaving it deliciously fragrant, detangled, and more manageable.

What else you need to know:
For thousands of years, Polynesians have used Monoi Oil for its natural reparative properties. To make Monoi, freshly picked Tiare flower blossoms are steeped in coconut oil to produce fragrant oil that helps repair hair, improving its condition, softness, and shine. The Monoi Collection was created especially for those concerned with hair breakage. This product does not contain petrolatum, mineral oil, or artificial colors.

Research results:
Based on independent studies conducted on natural and relaxed hair textures of Latina, African-American, and Caucasian participants:
- 84% experienced an improvement in conditioning, detangling, and combing ability
- 92% experienced a reduction in hair breakage and shedding during detangling and styling
- 12% experienced an increase in hair strength
- Participants experienced five times the increase in the life of relaxed hair

See my Carol's Daughter Mionoi Challenge post for a full list of product ingredients

WHAT I SAY

The entire line is AWESOME! The shampoo left my hair feeling clean but not stripped of any oils, and it lathers wonderfully. It made my hair feel softer than my usual CD Tui Shampoo, so I think I will swap these out all together. I used the conditioner for three different uses: co-wash, leave in and as a rinse out conditioner after my poo. I love how soft and buttery my hair feels after use! I made my hair very easy to detangle because it provides some serious slip. I even found it so easy to detangle three months post, and i saw very little hair in my comb after detangling. The repairing mask was my favorite, as it made my hair fell so strong, I actually passed on my normal protein treatments and just used a protein leave in spray every two weeks. My hair felt so well and conditioned overall, and I am highly pleased with the product line. I personally noticed fewer break and splits on the ends when I did my dusting, which makes me think this line actually does improve the strength and moisture content of the hair as claimed. I think this line would be great for those who are protein sensitive or scared to incorporate protein into their hair care regimen. The use of the bamboo water to strengthen hair structure is gentler on hair and has great results. The price tag on this line is one of the only cons. The deep repairing mask retails at about $29.00 for a 7oz. jar. And with deep conditioning twice a week on longer hair, you may fly through this stuff pretty quickly. The good new is, with purchasing a CD memeber's card, you can save big time on these products. I actually bought my membership at a sale price of $15.00. I was able to save about $13.00 off retail with purchasing all three Monoi products, so my membership just about paid for itself in use!!! 

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a line that takes the guest work out of what to use for proper moisture/ protein balance, or a quality list of ingredients that will help rather than harm you hair, tis line is it! It is truly suitable for all hair types and textures.  

Visit the CD website for more info and to purchase products at a discount with membership card

http://www.carolsdaughter.com/

Hair Steaming

Now that I have been on my journey for a full year, I am really interested increasing my hair health in new ways. I love to deep condition my hair and credit it as a very key component in my healthy hair regimen. Now I am so excited to be adding a hair steamer to my hair care regimen. Hair steaming is a method of deep conditioning that uses a hair steamer (there are both salon and at home versions for sale) to swell and open the hair shaft for deeper penetration of moisture and conditioners into the hair structure. It is said that hair steaming will deliver greater levels of moisture into the hair cuticle because it uses steam or wet heat, rather than the dry heat from a normal hooded dryer method.  Incorporating this level of moisture into the hair helps to stop dryness and breakage. Steaming is great if you are experiencing drying & falling hair due to chemical abuse. It will also open up the hair follicles to promote faster hair growth.

After researching different hair steaming units, I decided on the Huetiful Hair and Facial Steamer. I made the decision to purchase this one because it was smaller than the large salon versions and more affordable. It actually had really great user reviews and youtube reviews. I can't wait to try it out! I plan to steam once a week for about 20- 30 minutes with a deep conditioner and oils.