Sl 2016 Challenge

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
Did you have heat damage? I have completely given up on moisturizing my hair when it's straight. I haven't figured out how to do that and still keep it light. It stays straight but not where I can still wear it out.
No heat damage. Just bad hair care practices and my hair is bleached. More bleached in the front. All of those wash n gos, letting my hair shrink and mat, not tying it up, wash it, DC, then don't rinse, bad Detangling, etc... Yeah I have been very bad! Lol
Now I'm out here trying to find a moisturizing conditioner that doesn't have stuff in it to strengthen my hair. I don't need that. I need moisture and slip!
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
I got some 3 min miracle. I haven't used this since the last time I was natural. I forgot if I liked it. I will ball out on products once school starts.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
I got some 3 min miracle. I haven't used this since the last time I was natural. I forgot if I liked it. I will ball out on products once school starts.
Yes! I was going to reply to your post about looking for moisture with this suggestion but decided to finish reading the rest. it's such an old school cheapie basic. Like pure moisture. It's the only thing I use for 100% moisture because almost everything else has a least a tiny bit of protein. I have 4 tubes in my stash right now. Lol
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
I'll be straightening in 3 weeks so I'm already prepping. Just did some twists and snipped off some raggedy ends then bantu knotted them. I was going to wait until the week before I straightened to do a hard protein treatment but I think I'll do it next week so I can make sure my hair is protected and moisture levels are back up by the time I bring the flat iron out.
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
Yes! I was going to reply to your post about looking for moisture with this suggestion but decided to finish reading the rest. it's such an old school cheapie basic. Like pure moisture. It's the only thing I use for 100% moisture because almost everything else has a least a tiny bit of protein. I have 4 tubes in my stash right now. Lol
Girl I was walking all over Sally's trying to figure out what to buy! So after I went grocery shopping, I went to walgreen's and grabbed a tube for my daughter and I! Thanks for reminding me how moisturizing it is! I felt lost and like I had to drop some serious change to get what I was looking for. I exchanged the silk elements for design essentials. I got the shampoo, leave-in, and the moisturizer. One of these days, I will try the stretch cream.
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
I'll be straightening in 3 weeks so I'm already prepping. Just did some twists and snipped off some raggedy ends then bantu knotted them. I was going to wait until the week before I straightened to do a hard protein treatment but I think I'll do it next week so I can make sure my hair is protected and moisture levels are back up by the time I bring the flat iron out.
Yes! That sounds like a plan! I should have waited to get moisture back in my hair!
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
Thats a lot. I hope you are good with it.
It had to go. It was chewed up. At first I was like, just cut a little and let it grow out some more, but I'm like for what? I don't like to work around damage. If it's causing me problems, I let it go! You know I will cut my hair in a heartbeat! Lol

I feel better though and my twists (bangs) look and feel better. Just keep encouraging me to not get lazy! Lol and I'm glad I didn't wash my hair today! I would have been mad! Grabbed two leave-ins instead of a shampoo! Now I gotta go back up there today!
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
So my hair came out so nice today. The snipped ends made a world of difference. The front of my hair is completely straight up to the new growth. The hair doesn't curl at all but I have always had that problem even without heat. The rest of my hair curled right up on the ends after I snipped and I really cut maybe 1/4 - half inch so nothing major. Still don't feel like I'll be making SL.

Anyway, how does everyone else feel about the upcoming length check? We're a little past the half way point now. @jennifer30 where you at? How's your hair doing?
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I started researching flat irons today. I'm not going to go all out on my first one. I need to make sure I'm going g to use it more than once or twice a year. I will try to catch one of sale. I won't need it until October.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
^^ I feel like my hair hasn't grown since my lSt length check but who knows. I think I may do a curlformer set versus blow drying. But I may change my mind by then.
Me either. I'm sure my hair will look exactly the same as last time.

For your post after. You can get a cheap but good flat iron from Conair. I bought a small one to catch my edges and I love it even more than my Chi. I'll find a link and post.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
Oh another thing. What kind of conditioner should I focus on after flat ironing. I always thought moisture moisture moisture because my hair has been dried out from the heat right? But then again you need to put some protein back in your hair to repair it right? I know protein before is advised but it weighs the hair down which is why I do a hard protein a few weeks before and then focus on moisture so I can have flowy hair. So I guess my question is which is better? Moisture or protein for the first wash after flat ironing?
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Oh another thing. What kind of conditioner should I focus on after flat ironing. I always thought moisture moisture moisture because my hair has been dried out from the heat right? But then again you need to put some protein back in your hair to repair it right? I know protein before is advised but it weighs the hair down which is why I do a hard protein a few weeks before and then focus on moisture so I can have flowy hair. So I guess my question is which is better? Moisture or protein for the first wash after flat ironing?
I have no idea. I always do moisture after a hard protein. And I do protein before and after using heat.
 

gvin89

Active Member
I feel like my hair is finally growing now after all the damage/breakage. My stylist says it's growing nicely since the trim and Olaplex. I don't think I'll get synthetic hair again any time soon...I think that played a part in my hair's current state.

I vowed not to flat iron my hair until December....protective styles only. Hoping I can get it back to a healthy head of long hair.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I was wondering if I needed to do protein a little more often than 6 weeks. So today I cowashed using a jar of Quinoa protein conditioner I had. I just let it sit on long enough to detangle and shower. My hair felt pretty good afterwards. I used kknt on wet hair and let my hair air dry for about an hour. After it felt more dry I used KBB butter and sealed with Curl Magic.

My hair is now up in large bantu knots. They are too large to give me curls but hopefully it will stretch my hair a bit. Really just wanted to try out a new product combination to see how it works. I will take them down in an hour or two and let my hair dry completely. Not sure how I will wear my hair.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
My shrinkage is crazy. When I took out my bantu knots my hair looked exactly the same as it did in January. It looks about 2 inches long.

I ended up putting my hair into two strand twist. They are hNging a bit more. Hopefully by December the twist at my crown will hang at least to the middle of my ear. It will make my twist look better.

The layering seems to be working. My hair is soft today and my twist have some movement. Will need to see how they hold up during the week.

My nape is struggling. I think it's only 1" longer than it was in March. The hair above it may reach SL before my nape at this rate. I may need to do more protein in my nape area.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
My shrinkage is crazy. When I took out my bantu knots my hair looked exactly the same as it did in January. It looks about 2 inches long.

I ended up putting my hair into two strand twist. They are hNging a bit more. Hopefully by December the twist at my crown will hang at least to the middle of my ear. It will make my twist look better.

The layering seems to be working. My hair is soft today and my twist have some movement. Will need to see how they hold up during the week.

My nape is struggling. I think it's only 1" longer than it was in March. The hair above it may reach SL before my nape at this rate. I may need to do more protein in my nape area.
Bantu knots do the same to my hair depending on how tight I do them. Sometimes I have to pick my hair out so much because the curl makes me look like I just big chopped. And then people always ask me if I cut my hair. Lol

Here's the flat iron I mentioned earlier. Cheap, slim to catch the harder parts for shorter hair like ours and straightens really well even on lower heat settings.
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...ahUKEwi_7JzokbDOAhWIyoMKHROhA2oQwg8IHQ&adurl=
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Bantu knots do the same to my hair depending on how tight I do them. Sometimes I have to pick my hair out so much because the curl makes me look like I just big chopped. And then people always ask me if I cut my hair. Lol

Here's the flat iron I mentioned earlier. Cheap, slim to catch the harder parts for shorter hair like ours and straightens really well even on lower heat settings.
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...ahUKEwi_7JzokbDOAhWIyoMKHROhA2oQwg8IHQ&adurl=

Thanks I will check it out.

It wasn't the bantu knots that gave me the shrinkage, it was already shrunken :lol: My hair was still wet so it just continued shrinking when I took the bantu knots out. I haven't tried letting the bantu knots dry because I would need to sit under the dryer to have them dry in time. I may try it when my hair gets longer.
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
Wash day for my daughter and I. It's an all day thing... I got stuff to do, so I will work on Detangling our hair first. I will be blowing my hair out and twisting it. I will wear it like that for several days, rock a Twistout, then wash.
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
I'm so excited about straightening my hair. I don't know why. Not like it's gotten any longer. I just like that I finally have the technique down to straighten my hair and have it come out bouncy instead of stiff as a board.
When I flat ironed my hair last time, I was swinging it! Lol then the heat and humidity got to me!
 
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