Doing Hair - Kids Edition

Last week we were on the beach, enjoying the clearwater and white sand.

This week, we're battling the tangles.

Tangled left side. One big matted ponytail

It's my fault. I wanted to enjoy my vacay and not fight a toddler who didn't want to get her hair done. So for one whole week, I didn't touch her hair. Through the salt water and sand, through bedtime with no bonnet and baths where every single strand of hair got soaked. I knew I was going to have a disaster on my hands at the end of our vacation, but I figured I'd worry about it later.

Well, later was today when I had a marathon session with my baby girl. It took me about an hour and a half to dentangle her hair. I worked in small sections, drenching her hair with a mixture of conditioner and water. I used my fingers to detangle because the mattes were so bad. I'm ashamed of myself. After her hair was detangled, I saturated her hair with a deep conditioner and covered with a cap. 

I used this to deep condition with. It's my first time using this so after I use it for awhile longer, I'll post about how I like it (or don't like it).

I washed her hair with Hello Hydration Shampoo, which is my go to. The slip on that stuff is amazing. Ahh, freshly washed hair. 

It's almost impossible to get a good picture of a moving toddler

After too many breaks to count, I finished her hair. It's not my best work but both of us were happy to be done.

Gotta unpack that suitcase...

I learned a valuable lesson this past week. I can't ignore my girl's hair. With my relaxed hair, it's easy to go a few days without doing anything major to it, but natural hair is a whole other story. I'm still learning.

I wanted to relax and enjoy my vacation, but my baby girl's hair suffered for it. I put twists in my older girls hair so they could enjoy swimming and playing without getting their hair done every day. Maybe it's time to give baby girl some twists. 

How do you handle your kids hair on vacation?

The Pony

This week I have been rocking the pony. It's easy, low manipulation and did I mention easy? I've decided to stretch the flat iron as long as I possibly can to limit the amount of heat I use. Wash and deep condition will be this weekend.

Wash Day and Deep Condition

9:41a

So after a week of dealing with itchies in my scalp, I washed on Sunday. Since my scalp was itching so bad, I did want to do a prepoo. Something that focused on my scalp so I did a mixture of olive oil, peppermint oil and tea tree oil. I parted my hair into small sections and applied the oil to my scalp. I used my new bonnett dryer for about 20 minutes on low heat.

The peppermint oil tingled nicely and my scalp really felt moisturized. After I washed out all the oil, I used Mane and Tail Moisturizing Shampoo to really cleanse my scalp. It was pretty bad. But after the wash, it was nice and clean.

For my deep conditioner I used Elasta QP DPR 11 mixed with coconut oil and Lustrasilk Cholesterol. I left it on for about 30 minutes with heat.

After washing out the dc, my hair felt extremely strong but also very moisturized. I think it was the coconut oil! I love that stuff.

I blow dried and pincurled. My hair turned out fabulous and I was thrilled that I could achieve a decent hairstyle without using my flat iron.

Deep Condition Mix

4:24p

On Saturday night I washed my hair {finally} and deep conditioned. I used a mix that will most likely probably be my deep conditioner mix from now on. It worked so wonderfully that I had to make sure to document what I used.

One spoonful of Elasta QP DPR-11
One spoonful of Africa's Best Mayo
Two spoonfuls of Queen Helene Cholestorol
A squeeze of Aussie Moist conditioner
A bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I left the mix on for about 4 hours, using heat for about 15 minutes {that's when I got hot!}. That was one of the best deep conditioning sessions I've had in awhile.

My experience flat ironing after the deep condition was life changing. Seriosuly. I have pictures that I will post tomorrow.

REVIEW: Aussie Moist Conditioner

8:45a

What it claims: Moist Conditioner, with splashes of Australian Aloe, Jojoba Oil and Sea Kelp, helps seal in natural moisture and takes thirsty tresses from hapless to hydrated

How it did: I have to say that I really like Aussie. This conditioner really gave my hair great moisture. For my first time using this conditioner, I used it as a cowash with nothing added so that I could give it a honest try.

It detangled great, no need to comb, any tangles fell out with the force of the water. It left my hair feeling really silky and soft. I applied it in the shower and turned the water in my shower to super hot {I <3>

I air dried my hair down since I was tired of the braid outs, twist outs and such. My hair felt so moisturized as it was drying. I didn't add and leave ins or moisturizers as it dried as I didn't want my hair to dry too heavy. At about 75% dry is when I added my leave ins and sealed. My hair was really light and fluffy. It was like air. I did one bantu knot in a ponytail and wrapped it up and went to sleep.

The next morning, my hair was very soft, moisturized and silky.

My final verdict: I really like Aussie Moist. It's definitely a keeper. For my next use, I will probably add EVOO, just because Aussie doesn't seem heavy enough for my moisture needs as a cowash.

Other uses: I used Aussie Moist as a deep conditioner base, adding in Elasta QP DPR 11 and Organics Cholesterol Tea Tree Conditioner and a shot of salt. This deep conditioner mix was one of my better ones and I will use it again.

Well Hi There...Hello Hydration

8:16a

So. I left the Hello Hydration sitting for awhile in the cabinet. It had disappointed me terribly and I couldn't bear to look at it, let alone pick up the bottle. Until last night.

I deep conditioned with a mix of Aussie 3 min, EVOO and honey. I also added in some V05 moisture milk and some Garnier Fructis I'm trying to get rid of. I let that mixture sit on my head for about 3 hours as I cooked dinner, fed the girls, gave baths, etc.

After I rinsed, it was so soft and silky. I was in heaven. I shampooed with Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo and it was still silky. But I couldn't shampoo without following up with a conditioner. Here's where the Hello Hydration conditioner comes in.

Can I just say, like butter! My hair was so thirsty and I had just given it the best drink of it's life. A nice tall glass of ice water.

Needless to say, my hair is extremely happy today.

Hello Hydration is back on my radar, for it's originally intended purpose. Though I can't lie, I snuck in some as a moisturizer last night. So far so good.

Deep Conditioning - My Mix

8:04a

There are so many ways to deep condition your hair. So many products to use. So many extras to mix in to "boost" the deep conditioner even more. I'm ever grateful that I have discovered great products that moisturize my hair well. Before I began to properly take care of my hair, I couldn't even tell you what deep condition meant.

Over the past few months, I've found a few staple products that work well for me.

The Aussie 3 minute Deeeep is great. However, it is not great alone. It does a good job by itself, but it's not heavy enough for my hair. My Elasta QP DPR 11 works great in and of itself, but I've discovered with the addition of a few other products, it works even better. Which is why I add the Organics Cholesterol Tea Tree Conditioner. It's a protein and I don't need too much of it. A teaspoon added to the mix works well for me. And lastly, good ol' EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil adds one last layer of moisture that really takes my mix to the next level.

My mix is:

• Two spoonfuls of Elasta QP DPR 11 {this is my base}
• One spoonful of the Organics Cholesterol
• One spoonful of Aussie Deeeep
• One spoonful of EVOO
  

I usually apply it as if I'm applying a relaxer, especially when I'm anywhere past 4 weeks with my relaxer. This helps add moisture to my roots, making them easier to manipulate and comb. After one of these deep conditions, I'm able to comb through my roots with absolutely no problem.

Once I have applied it to my roots, I make sure to saturate the rest of my hair with it. I especially baby my ends and my edges. These are my most vulnerable areas. The length of time that I leave it on varies. It pretty much depends on how tired I am {since I usually apply my deep conditioner when my girls are taking their bath and rinse it out after they are in bed}. If I use heat, I decrease the amount of time. Typically, I don't use heat, as it's easier for me to leave it on for an hour versus spending 30 minutes sitting in one place.

Afterwards, my hair is luscious and silky. I cant shout the praises and benefits of deep conditioning any louder than I already have. I upped my deep conditioning to twice a week and it really has made a world of difference.

Try it. You'll like it.

Right on Schedule

11:30a

So I washed and deep conditioned yesterday. I used a new mix, that was pure luxury for my hair.

I used 2 parts Elasta QP DPR-11, 2 parts EVOO, and 1 part ORS Replenishing Pack. So far, this was the best mix I have ever used. I'm 8 weeks post my last texlax and it felt like a brand new relaxer when I washed it out!

I mixed it up in my bowl and brought it with me into the shower. First, I clarified and let that sit for a few minutes to make sure all the old product was broken down. Then after rinsing, I applied my deep condition mix. I parted my hair down the middle and parted the halves into four sections, making sure to saturate the new growth. I made sure to get the ends really well. I made a good amount of the mix so I had some leftover after I coated all my hair. At the end, I just added all the rest to my ends. More couldn't hurt right?

I pinned my hair up and put on my plastic cap and turned the water as hot as I could stand it to get the steam really going. I rinsed after about 15 minutes and it was so soft, silky and moisturized. I wonder what it would have been like if I had left it on for 30-45 minutes, had I not been being lazy.

I let my hair dry {t-shirt method} until it was about 75% dry, added my leave in and moisturized and sealed, then put one roller on the ends and wrapped my scarf around, then off to bed.

It was exactly what I needed. And when I woke up this morning, my hair was happy and smiling.

Rookie Mistake

9:32a

So I made a huge rookie mistake. And I probably would have never figured it out were it not for my best friend stepping in and knocking some sense into my head.

I overloaded on protein. Yes, protein is a permed woman's friend, but only in moderation. Protein is like one of those friends who you love when you haven't seen in ages. But if they are around constantly, they get on your nerves! I know I'm not the only one with a friend like that.

Anyway, my hair was brittle. So fragile. If the wind blew too hard my hair was breaking off. I've probably done a lot of damage and it will take some time to correct, but I'm glad I realized my error early enough.


What was my error, you ask? I was co-washing with several cheapy conditioners, all of which were light protein conditioners. Me, being oblivious to this fact, notices my breaking hair and assumes that breakage means my hair is weak so it must need strength. Intro my deep protein conditioner. So I've been doing that all week, only doing daily moisturizing and sealing, thinking I would do the deep conditioner on the weekend as I normally do.


My hair was really bad. So yesterday, I had to stop by the beauty supply store and grab me something to fix my problem. I grabbed this:



Elasta DPR-11. It cost about $7, but the way my hair was, it was more than worth it to find something that would breathe some life back into my hair. I'd previously heard very good things about this product and wanted to give it a try. I had been previously using Dr. Miracles Tingling Scalp deep conditioner. That worked great, but I knew I needed something heavy duty to combat my thirsty strands. Most reviews that I read, people added EVOO, honey, or other things to up the power of this deep conditioner. I would have added EVOO but we were out and I didn't add honey because I was in a rush to get it on my hair. So I used it by itself.

The consistency is thick and has a mild fragrance that I found very pleasant. I needed something thick so this worked perfectly. I sectioned my hair into four areas and applied pretty liberally from root to tip, really focusing on my ends and the middle of my strands. I covered with a plastic cap and then wrapped it in a scarf to keep the heat in since I don't have a hooded dryer. I let it sit on for about 2 1/2 hours while I bathed the girls and read a book.


I showered and rinsed and I could immediately feel a difference. My hair felt moisturized and soft and immediately nourished. As I finger combed my hair, I did notice a lot of breakage, but I'm attributing it to the damage that was already done.


This morning, my hair is very moisturized and it looks a lot healthier than it did yesterday. I know the process will be a little longer for me to get my hair into shape but I'm in it for the long haul. My little set back had me thinking of quitting, but again my best friend stepped in and told me to keep going.


So my plan of action as is follows:

• Deep condition 2x a week with Elasta QP DPR-11
• Absolutely no ponytails
• Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
• Low manipulation hair styles {I'm still working on a non pony low manip style}

So this morning, with those rules in mind, I threw my pony tail holder to the side and did a style that required no tight pulling of my hair and also protects my ends at the same time. I forget where I saw this style, but basically you moisturize your ends very well, fold your pony {without the holder} over, tucking the ends inside and pull the two sides over your ends and then clip. I'm pretty sure that explanation was confusing, I'll search for the inspiration to this style. I'm loving it as my hair is off my shoulders and my ends are protected. Even better, no pony tail holder breaking my hair!