Wash Day Recap | Last Wash Day of 2014 + Goals for 2015

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

I can't believe this will be my last wash day recap for 2014! Shout out to KLP (SavingOurStrands) and Jen (Just Grow Already) for fostering a positive community focused on healthy hair! I've learned so much reading about other wash day experiences and techniques. Many of the products I included in my regimen come from reading other people's experiences. So without further ado, here is my wash day recap:

I should start off my saying that I actually didn't want to wash my hair today. Not that I was being lazy or anything, it was because my hair still felt amazing from my last wash day. Usually by day three, my scalp to be cleansed. But that was not the case this time. Lisa's Healthy Hair Elixir-Scalp & Hair Health Collection has made me rethink washing my hair twice a week. Yes, it is that good! This is the best that my scalp has EVER felt. And that's even after doing my usual fitness regimen (Zumba, pole and hiking with the dogs) in the days after my wash day. The only reason why I'm washing my hair is so I don't miss out on the last #WashDayExperience for 2014. Lol.

[1] Pre-pooed with my mixture of Hair Trigger Growth Elixir and  JBCO. I massaged it into my hair and scalp for about 5-10 minutes. I let it set for 30 minutes before rinsing it out.
[2]  Sectioned my hair into four sections and Co-Washed each section using Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner.

These are not the best clips for my hair. I need to replace these soon.

[3] Applied Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner to the four sections. I let it sit for about 5 minutes.
[4] Detangled with a wide tooth comb. I left the conditioner in while I detangled my hair
[5] Rinsed out the conditioner.

[6]  ACV + Water Rinse-I massaged the mixture for a few minutes and left it in.

[7] T-shirt dried my hair for about 30 minute. My hair is actually still drying as I type. After my hair is dry (not completely) I will:

           I apply my leave-in conditioners:  ApHogee Keratin Green Team  Restructurizer, Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, Marguerite's Magic Restorative Cream, Shea Moisture's Curling Custard and JBCO.

           Pin my hair back in a frohawk for the rest of the evening. Before bed I will apply scrunchies to multi-pineapple my hair and then put on my bonnet.

* Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I will either do a three strand twist or wear my frohawk on stretched hair.

Goals for 2015

Usually I review my goals for the month and talk about my goals for the next month. But, since this is the last day of the year, I'll share my goals for the new year instead.

1. Continue building a regimen that focuses on healthy natural hair- One way I plan to do this is to continue doing research about the best practices for natural hair. Christina from The Mane Objective is launching a 9 week series- Curl Care 101: The Basics of Healthy Natural Hair, which I plan to follow. Be sure to check it out as well!

2. Build the content on the blog- and hopefully have it redesigned (according to the vision I have) by the end of 2015.

3. Attend at least 1-2 natural hair meet ups- I've enjoyed meeting other naturals (virtually) but I look forward to attending hair meet ups and demos in the new year.

4.  Work towards retaining more length this year- Like everyone else,  I would love to see my hair at a certain length by this time next year. However, I'm not going to stress myself out about it. I will continue to look for ways to retain length and have healthy hair.

To read more about my non-hair related resolutions for the new year, check out this post on Strong Is Our Sexy. 

Wishing you all a safe New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!!

See you in the new year!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Best of 2014: Hits & Misses

2014 was a year of change for me and my hair.  I transitioned from relaxed hair, big chop and watched my natural hair grow. It's been a fun journey and I have learned A LOT.  Here's a recap of the great and not so great hair moments of 2014.

Hit: Big Chopping 

This was probably the best decision I made for my hair in 2014. I applaud anyone that transitions but it wasn't for me. I just wanted the relaxed hair gone and I was anxious to see what my natural hair was like. 

Hit: Tea Rinses

I discovered tea rinses early on in my natural hair (shout out to Jen from Just Grow Already for all of her tips on tea rinses). I started with green teas but eventually incorporated black, burdock and peppermint from time to time. I noticed a significant difference in the amount of shedding I experienced when using tea rinses. This is something that will remain a staple in my regimen.

Hit: Starting a blog to document my hair journey

When I first started this blog, I had no idea where it would take me. I've met some other great naturals and feel great about my hair journey. I can't wait to see what 2015 brings!

Hit: Bantu Knots

This was one of my favorite hairstyles from 2014. At first I felt soft conscience about wearing them out but I was over it in no time. It was an easy hairstyle to achieve and once I took them out, I had curl definition and stretched hair.

     

Hit: Three Strand Twists (and Twist Out)

I was late to the game on this one. Thanks to a tutorial from Natural Sistas, I was able to create my twists and have the best curl definition EVER. I can't wait to do this style again.

              

Hit: Experimenting with different hairstyles

As part of my natural hair journey, I've been experimenting with different styles for my twa. It has a been a way to learn more about my hair.

             

   

             

Product Hits: Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, Hair Trigger, Shea Moisture Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner, ApHogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer, Maguerite's Magic Restorative Cream, Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner  and Lisa's Healthy Hair & Scalp Collection.

Miss: Chunky Twists       

I really wanted this hairstyle to work for me, but it just didn't.  I don't know if I'll try this one again anytime soon.

Miss: Not stretching my hair at night

Up until recently my nightly my routine consisted of doing the LCO method and putting on my bonnet or scarf. In the morning my hair was a matted mess. In the beginning, it wasn't a big deal. But, now that I have longer hair, I can't let my fro be free at night.  

                                   What were your hits and misses for 2014? 

                                         

Whale Watching, Big Sur and another trip to San Fran

The last week of 2014 is officially here! The last few weeks have been filled with new adventures that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy :)!

Whale Watching

As I mentioned in my last adventure post, my father-in-law came to visit us for a week. One of the last adventures we took with him was a whale watching tour. Since this was my first time on a boat, my father-in-law opted for a private rubber raft. Before our tour, I took a Dramamine (the less drowsy formula) about 2 hours or so before and I also picked up some anti-nausea ginger gum. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry and sick on the boat.

The tour was great! Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales at least not up close. We did see some otters, sea lions and some amazing swells (waves).

* Side note: After the tour the Dramamine really kicked in and I was out of commission the rest of the day. I slept a total of 10 hours and I was still groggy in the morning. I can't imagine what the regular formula is like.

Big Sur

Big Sur has been on my to-do list since we moved out here. But because of the rain we got recently, many of the parks were closed. Instead of letting the trip go to waste, we explored the area around Big Sur. Hopefully, the hubby and I will get a chance to go back in the future. 

San Francisco

To celebrate the end of the hubby's first semester of grad school and to get some much needed alone time, we headed up to San Francisco the weekend before Christmas. We did a lot of the touristy things during our first visit to the city two years ago, so this time was all about relaxing. If you're looking for a great hotel, I highly recommend Hotel Kabuki in Japantown. I loved the decor and the on site restaurant is excellent.

If you go to San Francisco, stop by the Chancellor Hotel for breakfast. Try the sourdough pancakes and the chilaquiles. Chilaquiles is basically a breakfast nacho and it is awesome! Check out some other pictures from our weekend trip below.

My dinner choice at O Izakaya Lounge (in Hotel Kabuki)

The hubby's dinner choice = Ramen

Next door to our hotel

Chilaquiles

Enjoying a flight at 21st Amendment Brewery

Hanging out in Union Square

Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Wash Day Recap | Trying Out New Products

Hey everyone!

Yesterday's wash day was all about trying new products. I purchased Lisa's Hair Elixir Healthy Scalp & Hair Collection from Carol's Daughter a couple of weeks ago and wanted to try it out. I'll post a complete review at some point. But for now, let's take a look at my wash day.

[1] Exfoliated my scalp with Lisa's Hair Elixir Fortifying Spray. Holding the bottle about 4 inches away, I sprayed my scalp until it was wet. I did this to my whole head and then massaged my scalp. I left it in for 5 minutes and then rinsed with warm water.
[2] Hot Oil Treatment with Lisa's Hair Elixir Restoring Oil. Using the pointed tip I applied the oil to my scalp. I massaged the oil into my hair and scalp. I placed my hair under a plastic cap for 10 minutes and then rinsed. I love the pointed tip on this bottle because it only allows a little oil to come out. I tend to be a little heavy handed with products at times, so I really appreciated that the tip prevented me from applying to much.

                     

[3] Shampooed with Monoi Repairing Shampoo- It has been awhile since my last shampoo, so I opted for this gem from Carol's Daughter. This a great non-sulfate shampoo that leaves my hair feeling clean. This lathers really well so you don't need to use a lot.
[4]  Protein Treatment- I applied ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstrutor and let it sit on my hair for 2 minutes before rinsing it out. 

[3] Deep conditioned- I deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque earlier in the week but forgot to do a protein treatment. This time around I used Monoi Repairing Conditioer. I got a free packet of this conditioner when I purchased my Black Friday items from Carol's Daughter. 

[4]  ACV + Water Rinse- Since I exfoliated my scalp and shampooed, I felt it wasn't necessary this time.

[7] T-shirt dried my hair for about 40 minutes

[8] I applied ApHogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer. I let it set and dry in my hair for about 20 minutes.

[9]  Detangled- I was a little lazy and opted out of detangling. 

[10] Parted my air in sections and applied Marguerite's Magic Restorative Cream  and Alikay's Naturals Moisture Rich Hair Parfait.
[11] I styled my hair in chunky twists. My inspiration for this came from a tutorial on Natural Sistas's YouTube channel. Overall it took me about an hour to twist my hair. Once I was done, I put my bonnet on and went to bed

I know it's only my first time using Lisa's Hair Elixir Healthy Scalp and Hair Collection but so far I love it! I suffer from a dry and itchy scalp so I'm always looking for ways to combat it. This collection left my scalp feel amazing and it still feels great today!

*Disclosure = My chunky twists were not on point but I'm rocking them anyway. Twisting my hair last night, it was obvious that my hair is uneven. So there are some twists that stick out a little. I used bobby pins to pin some of the twists down before running errands today. Next time around, I'll bobby pin the unruly twists at night to help lay them down.

I plan on wearing the twists again tomorrow and then wearing a twist out for a day or two.

I swear it looks better in person. Lol. 

                                 

Back of my hair-Not the best pic

How was your wash day? Join the #WashDayExperience linkup to share your experience.

Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Natural Hair Journey: 8 Months Natural

Happy Day After Christmas everyone!

I don't know about you but it was hard coming into work today. It was only for a half day but still, the struggle was real this morning. Lol.  Hopefully you all had a great holiday with your family.

Today marks 8 months since my big chop! That means I'm only four months until my 1 year anniversary! As you can tell, I'm super excited :)



Me being my usual goofy self while rocking my afro :).

Current Length:
I think my hair is probably around the same length it was last month. I'll post a length check (basically stretching my hair) on my wash day post tomorrow.

My Go-to Styles this month:
This month I had fun experimenting with flat twists, 3 strand twists and two strand twists. Although I love wearing my hair out, I want to retain length and prevent tangles/knots. My plan is to only wear my hair out once or twice a week.

 

3 strand twists

 

3 strand twist out- I ove the curl definition!

 

Playing around with my 3 strand twist out

 

 

I decided to add a few accessories

View of my first attempt at flat twists

Two strand twist out I wore for Christmas dinner

 

 

 

Quick pic before work today

 

 

 

Hair Regimen:  I contemplated using Hairfinity, but ultimately decided against using it.  I bought a few new products to try and will post about those soon. I also finally bought scrunchies for the multi-pineapple method  I'm going to use when I want to stretch my hair.

Plans for next month:  I plan on experimenting with more hairstyles and I want to pick up a few more hair accessories. My birthday is next month so I want to think of a cute hairdo for the occasion.


Until next time!

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica