Out with the old and in with the...natural?

Hello.  My name is Elisa and I am/was hooked on weaves! 

For my wedding, I really wanted to have long beautiful curls. I should have known I would get hooked and keep weaving it up for months. Well last night I was finally sick of it and took it out *snip snip* (well actually my mom did). 

Messy poof.  Post weave removal.  Pre wash.

My hair is in pretty good shape. It's not dry at all. My ends look great because I just got a trim before my last install. But I freaked when I got all the weave was out. Why, you ask?  You know the saying "out of sight, out of mind"? Well this saying truly applies to my alopecia situation. I stopped taking my medicine back in September (that is another blog post in itself) and figured that letting my hair rest would hopefully keep my hair loss to a minimum. I don't know if my alopecia has worsened or if I am in shock because I haven't really seen my hair since June, but I am definitely feeling some kind of way. I do have some edge breakage but I am pretty confident that I can get them back on track. 

All in all, I really missed my natural hair and I am so happy to see it. I have been lusting after beautiful 'fros, twists, and poofs and now I can have all of that again.

Cleanser: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner
Deep Conditioner: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Re Moist Intensive Hair Treatment
Detangler: Kinky Curly Knot Today
Twisting Agent: Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel

Follow me on Instagram: @kabobbell

ORS Lock & Twist Gel for Two-Strand Twists

Every so often, I like to switch up my products and routine.  I have been craving a product that would leave my twists defined but not crunchy and this has been my quest for the summer!  I remembered that I had a container of ORS (Organic Root Stimulator Lock) and Twist Gel, that I had used only once before and blogged about it.  When I used it, my hair was a lot shorter, so wet sets weren't my friend at the time.  But 2 weeks ago, I decided to revisit it.  Before I shared the results with you all, I had to make sure they weren't a fluke and I used it again this weekend.  Let me tell you....

 +  = defined, soft, moisturized twists

These two products may have become my go to for my wet twist outs (at least for a little while).  My curls are defined but not crunchy, soft, and moisturized.  Here's the kicker... my hair looked great for an entire week.  Simply retwisting and refreshing with some Moroccan Oil resulted in some beautiful styles throughout the week!

 

So the million dollar question is, what are the ingredients in the ORS Lock & Twist Gel?  Well let me tell you, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised: Water, Coconut Milk, Soybean Oil, PVP, Polyquarternium 37, Propyl Paraben, Methyl Paraben, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Sucrose.  For more info on some of the ingredients, I went to my new favorite website.

• PVP - You many want to stay away from this ingredient IF in shampoos and conditioners as it may cause build-up.  But in gels, it is okay.
• Polyquarternium-37 - You many want to stay away from this ingredient IF in shampoos and conditioners as it may cause build-up.  But in gels, it is okay.
• Propyl & Methyl Paraben - Some studies (in animals) show that parabens can lead to breast cancer.  Some feel very strongly about parabens, so please make sure you are fully educated before making a decision about this product or any other product containing parabens.

I have also figured out a way to combat the shrinkage I experience from wet twisting.  After I finish twisting my hair and before I sit under the dryer for a few minutes (I sit under the dryer just long enough to take the wetness out of my twists and I let my twists air dry the rest of the way), I pull my twists taunt, and pin them.  This way, they dry while they are stretched out.

My hair hasn't stayed this soft, for this long... maybe ever!

Lovelies, I have a new discovery!  What's my secret weapon, you ask?  Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair conditioner.  For months, I have been wondering about Dove hair care products, but already had way too many shampoos and conditioners to justify a new purchase.  Finally I gave in an purchased the Intensive Repair conditioner anyways.  


One Friday I worked from home and decided to try the conditioner as a pre-poo and I left it in for hours.  The smell isn't overwhelming and is pleasant, the conditioner feels thick and substaintial (too often non-salon conditioners feel thin and like water), and the ingredients are okay.  Here are some of the ingredients and info courtesy of Tightly Curly.  I didn't list all of the ingredients, so be sure to research them and make the call for yourself.  The ingredients are listed right on the Dove website as well.


The Good
Dimethicone - a silicone that conditions by preventing water loss.
Behentrimonium chloride   - Used for detangling and as an anti-static ingredient and emulsifier.
Lactid Acid - Adjusts the pH and acts as a humectant, helping to attract moisture to your hair.
Dipropylene Glycol - Humectant


The Bad
Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine - This is used to keep the product from separating and can be slightly corrosive to hair if not properly neutralized.  
Potassium Chloride - Is a cheap thickener.

So after a lengthy pre-poo, I continued on with my normal routine for the most part.  But for my deep conditioner, I mixed my go-to Redken Butter Treat with Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Daily Treatment.  I followed with the Knot Today leave-in and two-strand twisted with Jane Carter's Twist & Lock cream.  Perfection is what I got!!!!  My hair has been super soft and moisturized for almost a week.  I haven't experienced this in a very long time, if ever.


So think about it, learn about it, and perhaps you will give it a try.  I have no complaints and I am sitting here right now pre-pooing with my new staple product!

To Leave-In or Not to Leave-In...

As you all know, I have an absolute love affair with Redken's Butter Treat.  Over the past 4 years of experimenting with every product out there, Butter Treat is by far the best deep conditioner I have found.  The instructions state that the conditioner doesn't have to be rinsed out and can be left in as a treatment.  I have never done this before, because I wasn't completely convinced that this was the case.  So last week I decided to leave it in, instead of rinsing it out.  With that said, I didn't use Knot Today, like I normally do.  I added a little Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue to each twist because I wanted my twists to maintain definition.  I used very little because I didn't want my hair to have the crunchy feeling that I have had before from using the Curly Meringue.

So all was well until I untwisted my hair the next norning.  My hair had this "dusty film" to it (sounds gross, doesn't it).  I think I used way too much Butter Treat and the excess product dried and created a "dusty film" on my hair.  It wasn't a huge deal and wasn't really noticeable, but it was gross at first because I didn't know what was going on.  I'm doing my hair again today and I'm going to try using the Butter Treat as a leave-in, but I will definitely use less.

I have also been experimenting with updos, now that my hair is longer.  I LOVE wearing my hair up, but it takes so many pins to keep the style secure.  I bought a cute, pink flower from a craft fair last weekend in Jersey City and now I am on the hunt for more cute hair accessories.  I think updos + hair accessories are my new summer go tos!

Weekly Shampoo, Condition, & Twist Routine

I thought that I would post a video of my current weekly routine.  Right now, this seems to be working for me, but I will keep everyone updated if I start to do something a bit different.

YouTube Chanel: HappyAndNappyElisa

So I decided to start a YouTube channel.  Sometimes I'm in the mood to chat rather than write an actual post.  As some of you may know, this isn't my first YouTube appearance (google my name and my videos some come up in the search).  Enjoy!

Post Weave Routine

So first off let me say that my hair was sooooo tangled and I don't think that I managed to get all of the tangles out -- such a nightmare.  I think my Alopecia is under control for the most part.  I'm still taking my antibiotics.  As far as I can tell, no hair is growing back.  So below is what I did yesterday after I took my weave out.

1. Washed with Suave Rosemary + Mint shampoo (shout out to my summer employer).
2. Quick conditioned with Suave Rosemary + Mint conditioner and started to detangle.  I tried to divide my hair into sections and comb out all of the dead hair.  It was hard and like I said above, I don't think that I got all of the tangles out.
3. Mixed my favorite deep conditioner, Redken Butter Treat conditioner, with extra-virgin coconut oil.  I let this marinate on my hair for about 5 minutes.  I probably should have sat under the dryer, but I didn't have time.
4. While my hair was still damp, I put a few drops of Moroccan Oil through my hair.  This stuff smells AMAZING.  Moroccan Oil has been on my wish list for a while now, so I purchased the very small bottle at my local beauty supply store for about $12 and I am not disappointed at all!
5. I used what little bit that I had left of the Kinky Curly Knot Today to try to finish detangling my hair.  
6. Using no additional product, I did very big 2-strand twists, sealed the ends with more Moroccan Oil, and let my hair air dry.

I'm just amazed at how long my hair is now.  I'm sure that I need a good trim.  I'm thinking of attempting to do this myself, little by little, as I continue to do my hair each week.  It shouldn't be too hard to clip my ends when my hair is twisted.  More to come!