Freedom!
Following
my decision to embark on a hair journey, it wasn't long before my
hair's demands were more than I could supply. The weekly washing,
co-washing, deep conditioning, moisturising, sealing etc., became a
burden I could no longer bear. I needed a break.
I'm
not usually one for weaves or wigs, but the recent human hair craze
piqued my interest and I gave in. This isn't a review of the hair, I may
choose to do that later, but I managed with the protective style for 5
and a half weeks. I know they're some of you out there who go months
with your protective styling (PS), but in Barbados where the
temperatures are almost always above 80, coupled with me going to the
gym four days a week, it's not that easy.
I removed the hair last night and felt all of the mixed emotions of joy, frustration and terror when I was able to touch my hair again. I undid the cornrows to of course find some shedding and matting. I had to keep reminding myself that I hadn't combed my hair for weeks so it's only natural that there would be some shedding. Well, there was a lot of shedding. I am just about 9 and a half weeks post relaxer, so my hair is a little weak and I had to remember to be extremely careful while battling the knots.
Anyway,
I just want to share with you guys what I did and the results because I
myself had difficulty finding posts online about hair care post PS. First, here is the army of products I used:
♥ I carefully removed the hair, making sure not to cut my own hair. You can achieve this if you don't have someone to cut the weave thread for you, you just have to be patient. TIP: If you have been wearing your PS for a while and haven't gone to get the tracks tightened, then you should be able to tug on the thread easily and when it's far enough from your own hair, snip away.
♥ I undid the cornrows. My new growth was slightly matted because I am 9 weeks or so post, and out of paranoia of not wanting dry hair under my PS, I may have applied way too much S-curl. I undid as many of the knots as I could with my wide tooth comb. TIP: Brace yourself for the smell. Even if you have been washing your hair under the PS, sweat and product will still accumulate leaving you with a not-so-pleasant smell.
♥ Time for shampooing. I had to clarify. There were no two ways about it. I used my favourite, ORS Uplifting Shampoo for two rinses as directed. Then, I followed up with my favourite detangling and moisturising shampoo, CON Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo for one rinse. At this stage my hair was feeling soft and hydrated and clean, and the smell was definitely gone.
♥ I read online that it's a good idea to do a protein treatment (PT) after a long-term PS. This was perfect because I also like to do a PT before relaxing. I did the egg and conditioner method, mixing one egg with enough conditioner to cover it in a small bowl. I used a VO5 Moisture Milks moisturising conditioner. I left the mixture on with a plastic cap for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. When I washed it out my hair felt significantly stronger. TIP: If you live in a hot climate, chances are that the egg will cook a little even if you don't use heat. Don't freak, the egg will come out with the next step.
♥ As all good HHJers know, you always follow a PT with a good deep conditioner. I used my favourite, Elasta QP DPR-11 because that thing is serious. I added lots of pure coconut and castor oil to it before sectioning my hair and applying it to every single strand. I covered it with a plastic cap and left it on for three hours. When I went to comb my hair with my wide tooth comb, I still had some knots, so the detangling process definitely was more than I had anticipated. Nonetheless, I conquered, only losing a little more hair. I then washed it out thoroughly.
♥ After rinsing, I towel dried the excess water and applied my leave-in. I used CON Lemongrass and Rosemary. I then let my hair air dry. TIP: The coconut oil from the DC will smell horrible. I had to pack on a generous amount of leave-in and it still didn't get rid of the smell.
♥ When my hair was about 3/4 dry, I moisturised and sealed with ORS Olive Oil conditioner and Hollywood Beauty coconut oil. This step got rid of ALL of the foul pure coconut oil scent. (Half way through I ran out of ORS and had to finish with Elasta QP Mango Butter)
♥ Afterwards, my hair was shiny, looked moisturised and felt strong. I had initially planned to do a braid out, but my hair came out so straight and strong that I opted to just cross wrap and wear my satin cap for bed.
♥ In the morning I woke up with lovely, healthy hair. I did a French braid at the front and pulled the rest into a bun. I was happy with it, but I think that I may do braid outs for the rest of the week until I'm ready for my next relaxer.
♥ I carefully removed the hair, making sure not to cut my own hair. You can achieve this if you don't have someone to cut the weave thread for you, you just have to be patient. TIP: If you have been wearing your PS for a while and haven't gone to get the tracks tightened, then you should be able to tug on the thread easily and when it's far enough from your own hair, snip away.
♥ I undid the cornrows. My new growth was slightly matted because I am 9 weeks or so post, and out of paranoia of not wanting dry hair under my PS, I may have applied way too much S-curl. I undid as many of the knots as I could with my wide tooth comb. TIP: Brace yourself for the smell. Even if you have been washing your hair under the PS, sweat and product will still accumulate leaving you with a not-so-pleasant smell.
♥ Time for shampooing. I had to clarify. There were no two ways about it. I used my favourite, ORS Uplifting Shampoo for two rinses as directed. Then, I followed up with my favourite detangling and moisturising shampoo, CON Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo for one rinse. At this stage my hair was feeling soft and hydrated and clean, and the smell was definitely gone.
♥ I read online that it's a good idea to do a protein treatment (PT) after a long-term PS. This was perfect because I also like to do a PT before relaxing. I did the egg and conditioner method, mixing one egg with enough conditioner to cover it in a small bowl. I used a VO5 Moisture Milks moisturising conditioner. I left the mixture on with a plastic cap for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. When I washed it out my hair felt significantly stronger. TIP: If you live in a hot climate, chances are that the egg will cook a little even if you don't use heat. Don't freak, the egg will come out with the next step.
♥ As all good HHJers know, you always follow a PT with a good deep conditioner. I used my favourite, Elasta QP DPR-11 because that thing is serious. I added lots of pure coconut and castor oil to it before sectioning my hair and applying it to every single strand. I covered it with a plastic cap and left it on for three hours. When I went to comb my hair with my wide tooth comb, I still had some knots, so the detangling process definitely was more than I had anticipated. Nonetheless, I conquered, only losing a little more hair. I then washed it out thoroughly.
♥ After rinsing, I towel dried the excess water and applied my leave-in. I used CON Lemongrass and Rosemary. I then let my hair air dry. TIP: The coconut oil from the DC will smell horrible. I had to pack on a generous amount of leave-in and it still didn't get rid of the smell.
♥ When my hair was about 3/4 dry, I moisturised and sealed with ORS Olive Oil conditioner and Hollywood Beauty coconut oil. This step got rid of ALL of the foul pure coconut oil scent. (Half way through I ran out of ORS and had to finish with Elasta QP Mango Butter)
♥ Afterwards, my hair was shiny, looked moisturised and felt strong. I had initially planned to do a braid out, but my hair came out so straight and strong that I opted to just cross wrap and wear my satin cap for bed.
♥ In the morning I woke up with lovely, healthy hair. I did a French braid at the front and pulled the rest into a bun. I was happy with it, but I think that I may do braid outs for the rest of the week until I'm ready for my next relaxer.
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