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?

Postpartum Shedding

This is the dirty little secret I wish someone would have told me about when having a baby.

Postpartum shedding.

It's real and it's not fun.

Here's my story:

When I was pregnant, I did not lose one strand of hair. My hair was thick, luscious, shiny. All the things you want your hair to be. All the time.

I knew that during pregnancy, hair goes through a major growth stage. What I didn't know was that I'd lose so much hair that I thought I was going to be bald.

This was my third pregnancy, so I thought I knew everything there was to know about having a baby. Diet, weight gain, random gross things that happen to your body? No problem, I knew all about it.

But I had no idea that postpartum shedding was a real thing. I cried and then I cried some more. I scoured the internet trying to find some information that might ease my mind but there was nothing helpful, nothing useful.

What helped in the end was realizing that this was my body's reaction to the fluctuation in hormones and that it wouldn't last forever. Eventually my hormones would level out and the crazy hair loss would stop.

My baby is 21 months now and the shedding has slowed immensely. I think the biggest advice that I could give if you experience postpartum shedding is to not freak out. It's part of the process and it will end.

The best thing you can do in the mean time is take great care of your hair. Here are some things that can keep your healthy while your body transitions:

1. Keep hair moisturized.

Deep condition your hair for at least 30 minutes every time you wash. Moisturize daily with a creamy based product and then seal with an oil based product.

2. Wear protective styles.

Buns and updos are great. Try not to manipulate your hair too much but be sure to comb through regularly to remove all the shed hair. If this isn't done you could see tangles.

3. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Don't discount taking care of the inside and how if affects the outside, even your hair. I began taking a hair, skin and nails vitamin during my shedding and I did see a difference in the health of my hair. Be sure to drink plenty of water.

Postpartum shedding can be a scary thing but remember to stay calm and do what you can to take care of your hair while your body is changing. Take your mind off of the shedding by enjoying your new, bundle of joy.

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.

Heat Damage

2:22p

I wanted to blame the Ecostyler gel for my damage, but quite honestly, I thought back and realized that it couldnt have been the gel that damaged my hair.

The culprit is the blow dryer and the flat iron. I have been doing both weekly and my hair is suffering greatly for it. I have been wanting to wear my hair straight and haven't done any airdry or protective styles for the last month.

I have used heat protectant, but at a certain point, even a heat protectant won't fully protect hair from heat. It was simple over use.

I bought ORS Hair Mayo, which is a mild protein, which should help with the weakness of my strands. I plan to use that with heat after a clarifying wash and then I will do a moisturizing deep condition overnight.

I know that there are some strands that are still going to suffer from this, but I figure the best things for me to do is to try to stop the damage now that I know what was causing it.

I'm banishing the flat iron and the blow dryer and now will only be doing twistouts, braid outs, bantu knots and anything that doesn't require heat.

I'm sad and feel a bit defeated but just like I had to tell myself when I got my hair cut: It's just hair. It will grow back.

Unhappy Hair

4:37p

This is pretty much how I feel about my hair right now. My hair is uphappy. I am unhappy.

I realized something earlier today. I have really let myself go. Hair wise, that is {don't get me started on the rest of me}.

I have been rocking a pony everyday. I've been so uninspired. I'm too tired {i.e. lazy} to really flat iron my hair so my hair has been in a pony tail everyday this week.

I keep saying that I'm going to try twist outs and braidouts, but the truth is I just want someone else to do my hair so that I don't have to deal with it. But I know that's not the answer.

I am realizing that being lazy with my hair is only hurting my hair. My ends aren't looking to hot and my edges could use some attention too.

I wish I could say that I was turning over a new leaf for this upcoming week, but that would be a lie.

I am going to wash this weekend and attempt to do a twist out or a braid out. I'm not going to make any promises to myself though. I always end up disappointed.

Hair Washing Disaster

11:25a

I had a hair washing disaster. I take that back. The hair washing part was fine. It was what ensued afterwards that was the disaster.

I just have to face the facts. I cannot style short hair. It's impossible. I don't have the right tools nor the patience to deal with it. I want to throw it back into a bun and forget I even have hair. Except for one small fact.

I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HAIR TO BUN.

So instead of a bun, I threw it back into a fuzzy, epically failed twist out ponytail.

Evidence is below:

I want to cry

Trembling...

10:18a

Is it natural to get bored with the healthy hair care journey? Or am I just bored because I cut my hair?

I haven't been up for much experimentation because my hair is short and the type of styles I can do have been severely limited. Also, if it ends up looking a HAM {hot a** mess}, I can't just throw it back in a bun.

I haven't even washed my hair since Thursday, September 17, 2009! That was ELEVEN days ago! It's so past due but I have to admit that I am scared.

Yes, I said it. This former washing addict is afraid to wash her hair! It seems like such a huge undertaking now that I have decided to wear my hair straight. Wash, blow dry, flat iron. I'm wondering if I can sustain that regimen. We all know I'm lazy afterall. And roller setting. Hmmm...so much work that it literally makes me tremble when I open the drawer and see those rollers!

This morning in the shower I got the brilliant idea to go to Empire beauty school to get a roller set for $12 bucks. I can do that price. And is it possible to screw up a rollerset?

 Don't answer that.

So that's my plan for now. I'm to chicken to wash my hair at this length.

Cutter's Remorse

8:40a

I've been regretting cutting my hair. Regretting that I have a itty bitty teeny weeny little pony tail. Regretting that I allowed her to "layer" my hair in the front. The pieces stick up if I'm not vigilant about keeping them slicked down. The cut just isn't condusive to my lifestyle. And what I mean by that is this: I NEED EASY HAIR. Hair that I don't have to flat iron every day. Hair that doesn't require much maintenace at all. I want to unwrap, fluff and go. This cut doesn't allow me to do that. And it's not like I haven't had my hair this short before:

This picture shows my haircut from about a year and a half ago and I loved the cut because it was EASY. The layers were perfect and fell very nicely.

I told myself I was going to stop pouting and embrace my hair. And I will. Probably just not today.

Damage

8:40a

Last night, I washed, conditioned, blow dried and flat ironed my hair.

I know, I know...just yesterday I was on a no heat diet. Well, I got the itch and I had to scratch. But that's not my point.

Last night, as I was parting my hair to put rollers in for the night, I noticed how severely damaged the left side of my hair is from years of wrapping in the same direction. The hair on that side goes to my chin. The hair on my right side reaches my collar bone. That's a huge difference.

I'm deciding whether or not I want to cut my hair or just wait until the left catches up to the right. But at this point, I'm wondering if that will ever happen.

I am trying not to get discouraged, but this one is really bothering me.

Trim?

8:15a

I've never been one who was big on trims. When I went to the salon and the hairstylist began to mention trims, I would start shaking, trying my best to crane my neck towards the mirror just to get a glimpse of how much she was actually taking off.

I've been incredibly lucky though. I've heard some horror stories from women who have had their hair hacked away behind one of these "trims." My stylists have always respected what I've asked and I've always walked away happy with my trims.

This is probably the main thing that contributes to my lack of fear about getting trims. Since my major goal is over all health and not length, I've been debating whether or not I will get a trim. Now I have recently had my ends dusted, so they are still a little shabbier than I would like. The main reason, I suppose, for my wanting a trim is to have a even, consistent look.

With the knowledge I have gained the past few months, I now know that babying our ends is soooo important. A lot of ladies trim their own ends. That may not be one of the things I try to do myself since my ends aren't completely horrible. No split ends or single strand knots. Just a little unevenness.

Should I bother?

Hair Rut

1:53p

My hair is mocking me. Laughing at me. I am attempting to beat it into submission and it's laughing hard! I deep conditioned last night. My hair was hard and tangly. It hasn't been hard and tangly since I started on my hair care journey.

Why is it hard and tangly? The only thing I can think of is that egg treatment I did about a week ago. Since then, my hair hasn't been right. I've deep conditioned twice since then, but my hair is still hard and tangly.

I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board on this one.

Any suggestions?

Bun Today, Gone Tomorrow

8:12a

Buns are boring

Utterly, boring. So boring, that I abandoned my no heat decision, and I blow dried AND flat ironed. I missed my wrap horribly. It was calling my name, begging to be brought back to life. So I did it. And it didn't look as great as I remembered it. In fact, only a few hours after I straightened it, it found it's way back into a haphazard bun.


I liked wearing my hair down. I life feeling it on my shoulders and back. But at the end of the blow drying session, I looked down and saw the broken hairs littering the bathroom floor. I decided that it wasn't worth it.

So I'm back on air drying and protective styles. Hair health is more important to me than that wrap calling me softly from the corner I've banished it to.

Frustrated

4:24p

I'm frustrated.

My hair is acting up. It's shriveled. It's breaking off. It's tangling. It's knoting up. It's dead. And I have no idea how to revive it.

I'm going to cut my hair, probably to shoulder length and start over.

Maybe I'm in over my head with caring for my own hair. Maybe my knowledge base isn't deep enough yet.

I haven't figured out what I'm doing to make my hair hate me this way, but hopefully I can fix whatever the issue is.

My hair is super finickey right now.