Nail Your Regimen Challenge 2016

[faithVA]

I tried to use Suave Clarifying Shampoo... Nope. Sticking to professional/salon shampoos. I felt the difference... My hair felt a bit stiffer and didn't have the same movement as if I used a higher end brand.

I have the clarifying conditioner. I have been afraid to try it. Hmm. I don't know if that's suave or V05. Never mind

 

[CodeRed]

I have the clarifying conditioner. I have been afraid to try it. Hmm. I don't know if that's suave or V05. Never mind

It may work for some people. Honestly, if I didn't have my Nairobi to compare it to then I would've probably thought differently because it seemed to clean better than other shampoos I used.

I used to think all shampoos were the same because a lot of them have the same basic ingredients but if you haven't tried a salon/professional shampoo, especially a clarifying/chelating one, then I'd definitely look into it. It's worth it.

 

[snoop]

The mini twists are still in. They're getting frizz but I was hoping to keep them in until the end of this month so that it would be closer to 6 weeks. Ideally, if I can wash them without them frizzing I would keep them in for 8 weeks at a time.

I totally forgot that I could have been flat twisting them into various styles and that would have maintained then a bit better.

I will try to do a clay wash today or tomorrow since I missed yesterday's wash day.

 

[gemruby41]

I'm going to see how my hair responds to cutting out steaming for the month of February. I'm going to use my products exactly how they say they're supposed to be used, both regular conditioners and deep conditioners (almost all my deep treatments say leave on for 5 minutes or less without heat) and see how that goes.

How is this going using your products as the directions state?

 

[CodeRed]

How is this going using your products as the directions state?

It's going great I haven't used any of my deep conditioners though. I decided I might end up steaming once a month still... The rinse out conditioners I have are working really well though. I'm able to do everything in the shower and it's made everything very quick and easy.

 

[gemruby41]

It's going great I haven't used any of my deep conditioners though. I decided I might end up steaming once a month still... The rinse out conditioners I have are working really well though. I'm able to do everything in the shower and it's made everything very quick and easy.

What does your typical wash day routine look like? I'm thinking of going by the time on the directions because my hair can get over moisturized easily.

 

[CodeRed]

What does your typical wash day routine look like? I'm thinking of going by the time on the directions because my hair can get over moisturized easily.

I wash, condition, leave in after the shower and blow dry. It's been really simple I remember seeing older posts from ladies on here and they described how they stopped doing long wash days with a whole bunch of steps and now they either wash/condition their hair or co-wash it with a couple of shampoo days a month. Their hair was full, thick and in a lot of cases longer. I didn't think I could do that but a couple of years ago @faithVA started a Nail Your Regimen Challenge and that caused me to simplify my regimen and products. Last year I started really, really paying attention to how my hair/scalp responds and I think this year I got it down.

Another thing those ladies with simple regimens did was get almost (if not all) their products on the ground. I've done the same with great results.

 

[gemruby41]

I wash, condition, leave in after the shower and blow dry. It's been really simple I remember seeing older posts from ladies on here and they described how they stopped doing long wash days with a whole bunch of steps and now they either wash/condition their hair or co-wash it with a couple of shampoo days a month. Their hair was full, thick and in a lot of cases longer. I didn't think I could do that but a couple of years ago @faithVA started a Nail Your Regimen Challenge and that caused me to simplify my regimen and products. Last year I started really, really paying attention to how my hair/scalp responds and I think this year I got it down.

Another thing those ladies with simple regimens did was get almost (if not all) their products on the ground. I've done the same with great results.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Evolving78]

ell us About You

Natural -
Current Length: twa
Current Products: varies
Current Techniques: wash n go, finger coils, two strand twists
What in your regimen are trying to nail: to stay natural and not get bored
What's your starting strategy:
Anything else you want to-share: to learn proper straightening and styling techniques. To keep it simple with minimum products. I have no issues with growing my natural hair, but once it gets longer, I go back to relaxing. I don't want to rely on relaxers anymore.

 

[Evolving78]

Hopefully I can stay straight until next Monday. I will use ORS mayo and deep condition. I will do some two strand twists and leave those in for two weeks

 

[CodeRed]

I forgot to add that I lightly oil my scalp before shampooing and I've introduced serums. They've both been a blessing.

 

[snoop]

I've got a dumb question: what is the consistency of a serum? I don't think I've ever used one. Is it oily? Something like oil but not greasy?

 

[snoop]

I finished taking out the mini twists last night. I think it went fast because I paid more attention to the way I was twisting in the first place. Even though they were frizzy they weren't really tangled.

I'll give them a good wash today or tomorrow then put them into large twists for the week.

 

[CodeRed]

I've got a dumb question: what is the consistency of a serum? I don't think I've ever used one. Is it oily? Something like oil but not greasy?

Not a dumb question. It's like a light corn-syrup/light fruit syrup consistency, at least the ones I've tried. Not really oily/greasy... but I apply mine with wet hands so others may feel it differently.

 

[faithVA]

Not a dumb question. It's like a light corn-syrup/light fruit syrup consistency, at least the ones I've tried. Not really oily/greasy... but I apply mine with wet hands so others may feel it differently.

I actually love the way serums feel and live how they go on my hair even better. I like them better than any oil, grease or butter I've used. I love the way my hair feels after I put them on.

 

[CodeRed]

I actually love the way serums feel and live how they go on my hair even better. I like them better than any oil, grease or butter I've used. I love the way my hair feels after I put them on.

I agree. I was always so scared they were going to weigh my hair down, make it greasy/sticky, etc but this Chi Silk Infusion has been a Godsend. It's light, makes my hair feel smooth and my hair is just as bouncy as if I never hadn't put anything on it. It does a good job at protecting my ends.

I'm going to try some others but Chi will probably always be my favorite.

 

[snoop]

I wore a braid out on Sunday then put my hair in two plaits when I came home. Unfortunately, I didn't moisturize all week because every day I thought I would end up washing it. Thankfully, my hair didn't really suffer. I got a chance to wash today and I decided to do a DC with mayo, oils, and cocoa powder. My hair felt clean but soft. I moisturized tonight then put in some big twists. I need to buckle down and get back on track -- no more slacking.

My scalp also feels a bit tender? (Not sure if that's the right word.) Usually, I feel that around my temples/front edges where my hair has thinned, but now it's in my crown. Hope that doesn't mean that my hair is thinning. Going to try and wash on Sunday again for my usual wash day. I just got Komaza's Pona scalp exfoliator in the mail so I'm hoping that that will help overall.

 

[snoop]

I decided to do my comb detangling today. SOOO much shed hair it was nuts. While I do appreciate finger detangling, it seems I can never get as much out as I do when I use a comb. Next comb detangling session in 3-4 months.

I think tomorrow morning I will dust. Not sure how beneficial it will be since my hair is in 6 Celie braids, but it will have to do for now. I'll try installing mini twists either next week or the week after.

 

[snoop]

I need to have a really good detangling session soon. I thought I did a good job the other day in the shower but when I tried to (gently) comb out my hair yesterday I still had matting and knots at the roots.

Might try to detangle with the comb again next wash.

 

[Janet']

This is an awesome thread! I have almost reached my maximum amount of challenges that I told myself I could join ...But, I will definitely be watching you ladies because I, too, am on a quest to nail my regimen!

 

[KinksAndInk]

Natural/Relaxed /Texturized/Texlaxed/Transitioning: Natural
Current Length: About 2 inches from waist length (stretched)
Current Products: *long list, will update later*
Current Techniques: Perm rod sets, magnetic roller sets and twist and curls
What in your regimen are trying to nail: Perefecting magnetic roller and perm rod sets. Faster growth and more retention.
What's your starting strategy: Setting my hair once a week to keep it stretched and being more consistent with my vitamins and drinking more water. Will also try to workout 4-5 times a week.
Anything else you want to share: I'm hoping to be at or close to hip length by the end of the year.

 

[faithVA]

I'm still trying to nail my hair color regimen. I have to work all my other regimens around that. I'm getting closer. I got a good color application this past weekend. But now I need it to be repeatable. So far I'm hit and miss.

 

[CodeRed]

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to continue to do steam deep conditioning or if I'm just going to use the deep conditioners in the shower (most of the ones I have/want say leave on 5 - 10 minutes). I think because I'm so used to sitting under a dryer/steamer for deep conditioning my psyche won't allow me to do anything else for a short amount of time

 

[snoop]

So I decided to try an experiment with my routine. Over the next 4 weeks I want to water wash/rinse my hair every 2-3 days for a two week period. On day 14 clay wash. Then back to water washing, then on day 28 shampoo + protein.

I put my hair in medium sized twists on Sunday then stretched them across my head and pinned them in place so that they can dry stretched. (Like wrapping relaxed hair at night....) Because of the snow on the weekend and the low temps this week, I've been back to wearing my winter cap when I go out. I'm mostly in the house during the day so I haven't had any real need to style. Today I went out and had to take out the pins and my hair was way less frizzy! I think I might be on to something....

 

[faithVA]

So I decided to try an experiment with my routine. Over the next 4 weeks I want to water wash/rinse my hair every 2-3 days for a two week period. On day 14 clay wash. Then back to water washing, then on day 28 shampoo + protein.

I put my hair in medium sized twists on Sunday then stretched them across my head and pinned them in place so that they can dry stretched. (Like wrapping relaxed hair at night....) Because of the snow on the weekend and the low temps this week, I've been back to wearing my winter cap when I go out. I'm mostly in the house during the day so I haven't had any real need to style. Today I went out and had to take out the pins and my hair was way less frizzy! I think I might be on to something....

What are you trying to figure out with your experiment?

You said today your hair was less frizzy and you might be onto something. What do you think kept the frizz down?

 

[snoop]

What are you trying to figure out with your experiment?

You said today your hair was less frizzy and you might be onto something. What do you think kept the frizz down?

I've been testing out WoW on and off for the last 6 months -- using little to no product and various washing frequencies. I've often suspected that my hair has been able to thrive since I started this journey because I wouldn't wash it squeeky clean and that the slight "film" that was left behind somehow benefited my hair. So now I'm trying to see, if by leaving some film back (i.e. sebum) and essentially coating my hair with it fully, if my hair would further benefit from it.

I've noticed that my hair really likes the frequent wetting and that it is retaining more moisture. Not sure if it is directly related to the frequent wetting, handling my products better, or what. This winter I also dropped oils from my LCO routine and my hair still managed to remain moist -- but we've also had a relatively mild winter.

As for the frizz...I washed again last night and pinned it up. For you, I will take them down and check on the frizz level...it seems to be working. I think the fact that my hair isn't rubbing against each other and that I'm not doing the extra moisturizing each morning which adds extra friction. (I'm a SAHM now and it's still not warm so I can afford to hibernate -- therefore, there are very few times where I need to take off my hat when I go out.) I just put on my bonnet when I'm home and forget about it. If I have time, I'll try to install mini twists this weekend and test the theory out.

 

[faithVA]

I have started working on my twist regimen. I had a good week last week but I'm trying it again this week to see if I need some adjustments and to see if I can repeat. Last week I used As I Am So Much Moisture before my gel. This week I did not. I want to see if the So Much Moisture really helped. My current regimen is

Shampoo/Cowash
Baggy and let hair airdry until damp
Apply leave-in
Baggy for 10 to 15 minutes
[Apply So Much Moisture] - Testing
Apply diluted gel
Twist

I'm not sure apply the leave-in on damp hair is working any better than applying it on wet hair. I may test that out next week. Baggying after applying my leave-in does work and leaves my hair feeling very soft. Diluting my gel works very well and gives me super definition.

I'm also playing around with applying leave-in to my twist mid-week. This seems to be working but I'm still testing it out.

I haven't nailed it down yet but I am making progress and having some good hair days.

 

[snoop]

So I think this is week 2 since I installed the mini twists and started my stretching experiment. The stretching is great for keeping my twists long but I find that the top of my hair is still getting fuzzy. I don't use a comb to install the twists so they're a bit fuzzy to begin with...so maybe it's just hard to tell.

I'm getting bored with this style but the weather's gotten cold again so I don't want to wear looser styles yet.

I was late in doing my wash and protein treatment this week so I did it this morning.

 

[faithVA]

@snoop, How is your regimen coming?

 

[faithVA]

I am all over the place with my regimen. Last week I wrote some things out so I can get back on track. I have 3 regimens. One regimen is for the days I color. The 2nd regimen covers my protein day. The 3rd regimen is just a regular wash. I don't know them by heart yet so I'm still all over the place. I need to print out copies so I can review the steps before I get started on wash day.