5 Things to Combat Thinning Hair

I have thin hair.

I am just on the other side of some really bad post partum shedding.

But there are a few things I have learned along the way to help combat shedding and thinning hair.

1. Biotin

I have been taking Biotin off and on for a few years. I do notice a big difference in the condition of my hair, nails and skin when I'm taking them consistently.

2. Monistat

When I first heard this, I thought it was crazy. And like a crazy person, I tried it. It worked. I used it to regrow my edges, because when I wear ponytails, they thin significantly.

3. Castor Oil

Used on a regular basis, castor oil can really thicken up hair. It's thick, but it does the trick.

4. Protective Styling

One thing you can do is really protect your hair. Instead of wearing it out everyday or in some other high manipulation style, braid it up, put it under a wig, bun it. Give your hair a rest. It will thank you later.

5. Texlaxing

This by far, really helped to thicken my hair. I relax for the manageability factor, but I always hated how thin my hair looked freshly relaxed. Texlaxing is simply not processing your hair fully. In essence, under processing. This leaves quite a bit of texture and much thicker, fuller hair.

Date Night Hair

I'm  a simple kind of person. I rarely curl my hair or do anything fancy to it. And honestly, my hair loves me for it. My hair thrives off low manipulation. Sometimes I forget to comb it...don't judge me. 

But I had to do something special for date night with the hubs. So I dusted off my curling iron and got to curling. I loved the change and how it really dressed me up. I usually wear my hair down and straight or in a twist out so this was a nice change from the norm. 

I watched this video tutorial and though mine didn't turn out exactly like that, I still loved it. 

I need some ideas for my next date night. What style do you wear for date night? 

Evolution of a Ponytail

After wearing my hair in a ponytail yesterday for the first time in many moons, it got me to thinking about the evolution of my ponytail.

In 2009, I started my hair journey and a few months into it, I cut my hair so short, I couldn't even put it into a ponytail.

Sometimes it's hard to really see the growth my hair has obtained over the years. But that cut in 2009 is my reference point and proof that my hair does grow! 

Hair Today

Today was spent by the pool with the littles so I took it low maintenance. I tend to not wear many ponytails because my hair breaks pretty easily when it's pulled up like this. But honestly, there's nothing like a ponytail. 

What style you rockin' today? 

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.

Hair Today

I've been rocking a bun for the better part of two weeks. 

Finally let it down to breathe before washing. 

Wash regimen to follow.

Back and Relaxed

It's been awhile since I've occupied this space. 

One baby, two moves (from Philadelphia to Tampa to Houston), I'm back and ready to talk hair with a little bit of beauty thrown in. 

I've moved from texlaxed (partially relaxed) to fully relaxed and I've learned a lot about hair care. 

I have three daughters , all with different natural textures. To say that it's been a learning experience is an understatement. 

I'll be discussing tried and true methods that I've learned along the way and discovering new techniques and products too. 

I can't wait to get started! 

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.

Texlax Update - May 30, 2010

2:47p

This texlax did not go as well as I planned. In fact, it was kind of a disaster. My time management was horrible and I used double protein on accident and didn't have adequate time to deep condition my hair after the double dose of protein.

I did have some breakage after the deep condition and I was horrified, but my hair seems to be recovering fine now, with no additional breakage.

The main disaster was that I left the relaxer on for too long on the front of my hair and it came out a lot more straight than I would have liked it to be. It still has some texture, but it is not uniform with the rest of my texlax.

I have done some research and I've decided that I have not been relaxing my hair enough to get the texture I want. My hair has more texture than I would like and that leads to tangles and lots of frustration for me. Since I mainly would like to wear my hair straight, I have decided that while I won't relax bone straight, I'll relax my hair somewhere in between my previous texlaxes and bone straight.

It doesn't make sense to underprocess to a point where it causes frustration for me and thus hair loss when I can texlax to a point that is managable but also doesn't compromise my texture too much.

This texlax has been a learning experience for me, as I'm understanding what my hair needs and what I need in order to manage it. I believe that I can have healthy hair if I do process it a tad more than I have been doing and still gain the benefits of thickened, manageable hair.

Flat no more

11:07a

Every time I see this blog post and this picture of my flat ponytail, I cringe. The whole reason that I decided to texlax in the first place was to thicken my hair so that flat hair would no longer be an issue for me.

Having bone straight relaxed hair, I always struggled with having body and always had an issue of thin hair right after a relaxer.

Finally being almost fully texlaxed, I have that problem no more. Evidence below.

My airdried pony tail that is full of body and life!

Both pony tails were airdried, but this one has so much more body and girth. I love it. Any doubts I had about continuing to texlax are gone. It does take more effort than bone straight hair, but the results are so worth it.

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.

9 Weeks Post Update

Happy with my Hair!

4:05p

Today I am 9 weeks post my last texlax and so far so good. Stretching seems to be getting easier for me. I have been either washing every week or two, depending on the condition of my scalp. I've had some flakes and some itchies which make me want to wash sooner. I am seeing a bigger difference inbetween my textures now that the majority of my hair is texlaxed. I will need to up both the moisture and the protein to stave off any breakage. I do think that my hair is thriving and I'm really enjoying it.

Still not so great on the styling end. I need to experiment more, which I have been doing. I tried a twist out that fell flat...literally. It just didn't take. And I tried pin curling, but they didn't come out great either. I need to revisit my technique. I have been wanting to rock curly styles lately so I need to invest in some new rollers {as my girls had a fun day with my rods and destroyed them!}

I tried a new conditioner that was INCREDIBLE which I'll post about later this week. What I've learned about my hair is that it loves organic!

I also tried a new flat ironing product {low budget CHI Silk Infusion} and I used it on my daughter when I blow dried her hair and it turned out incredibly!

So I made two great purchases this week. I'm satisfied!

It's been a long time...

9:10a

It's funny how life can come in and take you away sometimes. I must say that 2009 was a rough one and I am so glad it's over. The end of last year didn't allow me much time to focus on my hair as I was focusing on the loss of a pregnancy and the gallbladder surgery. I did mention that it was rough.

But it's 2010. The start of a brand new year. I don't know that this year will be any better, but I do know that I have a positive attitude about it.

I'm looking forward to getting back to talking about hair and putting into practice all the things I learned in 2009 {the start of my HHJ} and looking for new things that will take my hair care to the next level.

Far From My Mind

10:08a

Hair has been the furthest thing from my mind. I have been doing my hair though, and it looks freakin amazing this week, but hair has been overshadowed by life.

Seriously overshadowed. Like expecting my third child overshadowed. My mind is no longer focused on this product and split ends and shedding.

I'm keeping that in mind. I haven't been neglecting my hair by any means though. I have tried the Lacio Lacio and one word A-MAZING!!!! It's def going to be a staple for me. Nothing has made my hair shine and look as healthy as this product. And it also claims to repair hair over time. So this one is great.

Still haven't tried the CHI Silk Infusion. But that is to come.

This weekend I plan to deep condition and then blow dry and flat iron...again. I'm using a heat protectant so Im not worried about damage.

But overal my hair is in great condition. I'm 7 weeks post and things are going smoothly.

Slacker

12:54p

I have to admit it. I have been slacking majorly in the hair care realm of my life. I am glad that the manipulation of my hair is down to almost none, but I have been worse than worse. I have been skipping mositurizing and sealing. Well, I almost always moisturize, but I slack on the sealing. I'm not sure why that extra step has been feeling like it's too much for me to handle.

But this weekend, I do plan to make amends with my hair. I'm going to pamper it with an extended deep conditioner and make sure I really wine and dine it. This will be a blow dry {maybe air dry depending on my time} and flat iron week, so I will be sure to protect and really pamper it.

I will do better!

Itching

2:19p

Not literally. My head isn't itching. Much.

I just am itching to wash it and to try my new products that I know will make all the difference in my blow out and flat iron.

Yes, the elusive CHI Silk Infusion and Star Lacio Lacio leave in are still stuck at my post office, held hostage by tyrant postal workers who wouldn't release the package to my husband because it has my name on it. Even though he has proof that he resides at the same address. Ah, what's not to love about great old Philadelphia? United Postal Service. That's what.

But I have convinced myself that not being able to get the packages until Saturday (only time we have time to go to the post office during their hours), isn't really a bad thing. After all, I dont want to put too much heat in my hair. I did just flat iron last week. Plus, wasn't I on this whole thing about low manipulation by going longer in between washes? I sure was.

So, as of now, that's my plan. Wash this weekend. Keep on my schedule of every two weeks. It looks like it's going to be, one week hair out. Second week, hair back in a clip.

Works for me. I hope.

Look No Further

8:19a

I had to look no further than my own medicine cabinet to find a moisturizer that works for what I needed. I had really been sleeping on the Elasta QP H Two leave-in for some reason. I bought it about a month ago, used it once and decided I didn't care for it.

In dry, ashy hair desperation, I decided to try it. It is in a spray bottle, which I knew wouldn't work for my hair, so I sprayed 3 squirts in my hands, rubbed my hands together and distributed the product evenly throughout my hair.

Voila! Perfecto. It worked. I sealed with castor oil and all was right in the world.

I've been moisturizing with the H Two for the past two days and my hair still has movement, but it is visibly moisturized. That was exactly what I needed and I didn't even have to buy anything new...though I did...

UPDATE - 5 Weeks Post

2:13p

As of October 20, I am 5 weeks post. I can't believe that in the past, next week would be when I'd be getting a touch up. Actually, I generally went longer than 6 weeks, but I never kept track of how long I went. Usually two months because my hair is so fine.

5 weeks is great. I'm not struggling to control my new growth. My new growth is extremely managable and I'm noticing that my hair is actually getting some length since my cut. My goal was to stretch to 10 weeks this time and I think I am right on track for that.

This time around, I'm not washing my hair every few days as I am trying to maintain a straight style. This seems to be working very well for me as it is lower manipulation than me washing every 2-3 days and I also think that wearing my hair straight reduces tangling.

Deep conditioning with heat has been crucial for me. Weekly deep conditioning treatments will be crucial in my stretch. I'm also thinking of switching week to week between flat ironing and wearing a roller set. I'm not too concerned about heat damage as I have been using a heat protectant and only flat iron once a week.

I have also been using a mild protein MIXED IN with my moisturizing deep conditioner and that has been positive for my hair. I have realized that heavy proteins don't work for me, but I know that my hair needs some type of protein. This solution is working very well for me.

One thing I am lacking in my regimen is a good moisturizer that's light weight and doesn't weigh my hair down when I'm wearing straight styles. The Dove works great as a light moisturizer, but I have been experiencing reversion when using it on my flat ironed hair. I just purchased CHI Silk Infusion and Star Lacio Lacio High Shine Leave-In, so once they arrive, hopefully one of them will work as my light weight moisturizer.

Alls well with my hair for once. I'm very happy with my cut and the overall condition of my hair.

Flat Iron Results

2:04p

After I deep conditioned my hair, I rinsed and shampooed with a small bit of ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo then followed up with HE HH. My hair felt great and I proceeded to try to attempt a version of the roller wrap. I grabbed a section from the middle and put them on rollers, then I blow dried the hair left all around the middle section. I realized soon enough that it wasnt going to work so I took out the rollers and blow dried all of my hair. I did use a heat protectant, Elasta QP H Two leave in and LTR leave in, with a bit of castor oil to seal it all in.

I flat ironed using my ceramic flat iron and the results were AMAZING. See for yourself:

Ok maybe you are unable to tell from these pictures, but trust my hair is great. I have never achieved these results at home. A few weeks ago, when my cut was brand new, I was frantic because I didn't know how to style my hair. I think my problem is solved.

It Did Get Better

10:49a

So my hair did get better. I took out my pony tail last night and decided to flat iron. I used Tresseme Heat Protectant and went to town. It took Forever. But it was all done and it looked pretty good. I even wrapped it up and did my own bootleg version of a silk wrap, which came out surprisingly well.

I was even brave enough to wear my hair down today. Well, that is until I looked outside and it was raining. I pulled it back into a clip, but I have to say, I did a pretty good job of flat ironing.

I'm really loving my new ceramic flat iron too. It makes flat ironing a breeze.