My Decision To Transition To Natural Hair

I never thought that one day I'd go natural,  it's never crossed my mind but I found myself toying with the idea in the past weeks.

A couple of things made me come to that decision;

• Firstly, I have just one hairdresser who relaxes my hair (about 6 miles from me) and I haven't been able to get her on the phone for sometime,  she might be on holiday out of the country. In the past when this happens I'd always go for a plan B till I'm able to book an appointment.
• I've got two daughters, my first is now 2 years and 9 months old,  I've always styled her hair and since I started my hair journey,  I also have been researching about natural hair care for her. Got me thinking how much I want her to grow up loving her hair especially if there aren't many with her type of hair around her. If she sees mummy loving and embracing her own natural hair,  what better example would there be? Mummy and daughters same regimen,  same products, same hair. ..Hmmm I do have a dream!
• And then of course no more harsh chemicals,  no more havinf to deal with two textures. 

My last relaxer was on the 29th of May 2015. I've watched a lot of transitioning youtube videos and would like to transition for a year or even two but I don't think I'll be patient enough. The more I look at my hair in these mini braids the more I want to do a 'small chop' :-D, but I'm thinking of having a weave installed next month to see me through the harsh winter months, that will keep my hands and eyes off my hair for a while.

I'm really excited about going natural especially now I've discovered the world of healthy hair.

Heat Conditioning Cap vs Bonnet Hood Dryer

My regimen calls for deep conditioning twice a week and with heat. I currently use a silver bonnet hood dryer attachment which does the job except that I have to be stationary, which typically means the best time for my kids to need me. 

They also are attracted to the dryer's noise and love to poke at the inflated hood when in use ..I'm lucky to get a full 15mins lol.

So I ordered this microwaveable heat conditioning cap which arrived today. 

Features

• Heat-Treat... The revolutionary Hair Conditioning Heat Cap. Simply pop in the Microwave for 2 minutes for the most deepest conditioning your hair would ever have had
• One size cap to fit all (black) - Easily slips on and off whether you have short/medium/long hair
• Comes with 3x Jenoris treatment sachet's so you can use Heat-Treat instantly
• Keep cap on while working, cooking, getting ready for a night out, so easily to use when you are just around the house!
• The heat from Heat Treat opens up your hair cuticles allowing conditioning treatments to nourish and replace moisture to the inner hair shaft

DIRECTIONS FOR USE: 
1.Dampen hair and then pat dry 
2.Comb through your selected hair treatment (you get 3 with this Heat-Treat offer) 
3.Warm Heat Treat in microwave for 2 minutes 
4.Place warmed Heat-Treat cap on your condition covered hair for a minimum of 3 minutes (for deep healing, you can keep the cap on for upto 20 minutes) 
5.Remove Heat-Treat Cap when suitable - and Voila... Rinse your hair and reveal your lovely treated hair 

This ticks all the boxes for me and I can't wait to use this for my next wash. 

Updated 18/11/2015

I used the heat cap on my shampoo wash day. After I applied my protein prepoo , I microwaved the heat cap for 2 mins on high,  and placed it on my head. The heat cap is a bit heavy and not as light as a shower cap. 

Being used to the continous heat produced by my bonnet hood dryer , I didn't feel the heat from the heat cap at all. I found myself lifting the cap up to feel the inside of the cap as I couldnt tell if it was hot or not. It took about 20 mins to cook off completely. For the deep conditioning after shampooing,  I microwaved it for 2.5 mins and that was perfect, I felt the heat all over my head. By 20 mins, it still has some heat left in it.

I love the fact that I could move about , go about my business whist my hair was being pampered  (without blazing heat :-D) and my kids didn't even notice!

I thought the heat cap would be a replacement for my bonnet hood dryer but no, I shall be using the heating cap for its ease and the bonnet dryer when I really need an intense deep conditioning treatment. 

New Product Update

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 I told myself I wouldn't buy any more hair products but because my hair easily gets dry, I decided to add another moisturising conditioner and a moisturising leave-in conditioner (discovered that the Cantu shea butter leave in conditioner is protein based) to my collection. 

Already in love with the Elasta QP brand, the Elasta QP DPR-11+ Deep Penetrating Remoisturizing Conditioner was one that came out on top as a cheap and very good moisturising deep conditioner both for relaxed and natural hair.

Luster's S-Curl " No Drip " Activator Moisturizer also has good reviews and can be used as a daily moisturiser and as a leave-in conditioner.

I have come to realise that my hair needs more moisture and so I can't wait to try these products out.

Clarifying Wash Day And My Mini Braids

I finally had mini braids installed, my thoughts are low manipulation style, easy access to scalp for cleansing and massaging, and more impressively no changes to my regimen. I'll be keeping it this way for maximum 6 weeks (with my regimen of weekly washes I'm not sure it will last that long).

In preparation for my mini braids, I started off  (the day before ) with a coconut oil prepoo, covered in a plastic cap with heat for 15mins then left it for about an hour before rinsing and then shampooing with my clarifying shampoo - Kera Care 1st lather sulfate free shampoo,  followed by Creme of nature argan oil sulfate free moisture and shine shampoo.

The clarifying shampoo gave my hair a different kind of "clean" feeling, to previous shampoo washes using a moisturising shampoo. It was obvious that all the build-up of products had been removed.

I then proceeded to deep condition using my Elasta QP intense fortifying conditioning treatment mixed with jamaican black castor oil covered in a plastic cap with heat for 15mins . I had a couple of things to do in town so I placed a scarf and black hat over the plastic cap and went about my business.

 Washed it off hours later in the evening, t shirt dried, applied Cantu shea butter leave-in,  air dried, moisturised with ORS Olive oil moisturizing hair lotion, sealed with coconut oil and massaged my scalp with jamaican black castor oil. Important note to self: Never be in a rush to detangle when hair is wet, always wait for hair to be at least 80% dry!

The next day was a non- nursery day for my 4 year old son and my (almost) 3 year old daughter, so I had mini braids done at home by a stylist and it took about 4.5 hours in between settling sibling squabbles and attending to my 5 month old baby phew!

I've got the scantiest hair you've ever seen but hey let's see how it would look after a couple of months into my journey :-D . I am very hopeful :-D

2 Week Update

I have been following my healthy hair regimen for 2 weeks now and can say my hair is definitely healthier than it was prior to starting the hair journey. I'm still learning a lot about my hair and how it reacts to the various products and techniques.

So far my favourite product is the Elasta QP Intense Fortifying Hair Conditioning Treatment which I use as a moisturising deep conditioner. (Directions After shampooing, apply intense by massaging in from roots to ends. Gently comb evenly to distribute. Rinse. For dry hair leave-on for 10 minutes using plastic cap. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.)

This was one of the first products I bought when I started my hair journey and as it was mid week already, I decided to quickly create my current regimen , used it on its own on dry hair and covered in a plastic cap for about an hour, without heat . I immediately noticed whilst rinsing my hair that it felt stronger and there was no hair being washed out. I then proceeded to co-wash with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner. I like the fact that this product is infused with olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil amongst other good ingredients.

My hair is left feeling soft and moisturised afterwards, whether used on its own or mixed with some of my oils, with or without heat ( I now use always with heat and add at least one oil e.g olive oil, castor oil). I wish it comes in a size bigger than 354ml because I use it twice a week but I will definitely be buying it again. 

Some things I have learnt;

• Moisturising and sealing my hair in 4 sections leaves the inner regions of my hair still dry, 8 sections work best for me.
• I usually leave deep conditioner in my hair for as long as possible (hours), and I get itchy scalp when rinsed out. So now I make sure not to apply the conditioner to my scalp but to roots and ends only.
• My hair can not take a generous amount of the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in conditioner. I had to wash it off my hair the first time I used it.