OK....ACCEPTANCE HAS ARRIVED!!!

Alright, so I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to go with the Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo....good to go!! They changed the fragrance and I LOVE it AND it happens to be quite gentle. So, SCORE on that one. As for the B&B, when will I LEARN that I DON'T like hair grease and just GET OVER IT???!!! I got some Kemi Oyl. That stiff makes my hair SO SOFT and it smells GREAT and is EASY to rinse out. My fro is thriving. It takes SO little effeort to manage it AND the Kemi Oyl is SUPER detangling. LOVE IT!!!!!

New pic...SOMEDAY!!

I think I'll update my pic since I have a little something going on in the hair department now. I don't have much to show in terms of style. I just do a zigzag part in my hair in the front (semi-middle) and smoth it back with a couple of clippies. I can't go too far back because my hair isn't very long in the front, but it's cute nonetheless. I think my length retention will be better now that I have changed the handling of my hair a bit. So maybe I'll make it to 35 with a head full of hair! I have a pitcture on my desk with a stretched fro that was pretty massive. I KNOw I can get there again. Thing is, I'd like to get that size fro on my SHRUNKEN hair. I wonder if I'm dreaming to think that I can get a two inch SHRUNKEN fro?

My dd's hair is doing well. I cut it pretty even and will keep it at that length until the top areas that are broken off grow out. Her hair will basically be in a bob by the time that I get through with it. I am going to go back to the Suave Daily Clarifying, but I think that not using the rubber bands has been a GREAT thing for her hair. The little broken off patches are filling in. They are surrounded by longer hair, so I have cut the longer hair down to a reasonable length so that the VERY short hair can get even with it. I NEED to get some sharper scissors so that the ends are blunt. I also have to stop clipping it EVERY time I touch it. Her cornrows end pretty evenly at the bottom of her neck, so it's all good.

LEAVING CONDITIONER IN....

Not the move! Even with the oils! So....I dumped that out. My scalp has been REALY flaky these days and I think it is due to buildup. I bought some Suave Daily clarifying and gave it a good scrub. I also bought some B&B Extra Lite Super Gro (an old standby) and my hair is very soft. Needless to say, I am very happy. Hopefully, this will be the end of my hair woes in terms of hair products.

I bought some Goody Ouchless combs a while ago and they work really well at lifting my hair. I am careful not to pull through, though, because that will cause unneccessary pulling of the hair.

I THINK I DID IT!!

I think I did it!! I THINK I made a REALLY great detangler. All I did was use some VO5 Free Me Freesia and apricot kernal oil, mix it in a bottle and add water. It detangles my hair like a dream!!! It is also ver inexpensive to make. I buy Aura Acacia Oils and they have the vent-type hole in the top of the bottle that keeps the product from wasting out. You actually have to squirt the bottle in order to get the product out. I use about 8 squirts and possibly 1/4 cup of conditioner. I also used the Free Me Freesia as my conditioner in the shower and I kept rinsing because I didn't think it was really going to make my hair that soft! I was VERY happy with the outcome! One thing, though, if I DON'T add the oil, I have COPIOUS FLAKES!!!

That spot....

I think the spot on my scalp MIGHT begin to heal for good now. It's quite possible that I can use the B&B Castor Oil lotion. I'm not 100% sure on it, but I figured it might be good to try ONE thing for an extended period and NOT give up on it. The Oyin Whipped pudding works OKAY on my hair. One thing about shea butter based products is that the FIRST day my hair will feel awesome, but in the subsequent days, my hair begins to feel somewhat hard. I MIGHT be resigned to it if my latest experiment doesn't work for me. My son asked me yeterday if I LIKE buying hair products. For the first time, I could actually anser a confident NO! I just REALLY want to get my SCALP to a manageable point. I don't want to ACCEPT that I might be stuck with the Oyin whipped pudding. It takes FOREVER to get here!!

Shrunken fro...

Well, if you've been coming on here, you probably know by now that I have about two inches of hair. Well, I twisted it out to make it fuller...and it was....until....WORKOUT TIME!! So, needless to say, I simply shampooed my hair and then went ahead and let it shrink after fingercombing. My hair WANTS to be shrunken. I am tired of that look, but even when it grows out, I have to FIGHT with it so much to get the desired look because I SWEAT in my head! I am tring to accept it, but it's not my favorite look. I parted it in the front and put clippies on it to make it look less masculine.

I NEED to QUIT!!

Caution...RANT ahead!!!
Okay, so when I wrote the LAST post,, I had an order of coca hemp buttercream on order from Donna Marie. WHHHHYYYYYYY?????? Why do I keep trying to hold out hope that I will actually be able to use something OTHER THAN olive oil??? I just need to give up and go on. I think that going on hair boards is not conducive to me right now. I have learned a LOT, but MAN, allI do is TRY different products hoping that each one will be the next best thing. My SCALP is telling me to STOP!! I give in. My hair is thriving, but I gotta let go! I am going to try a twistout on my little two inches of hair tonight. I can't wait to get past this length.

STILL no measurements..

I don't even know if I'm going to. I have a goal of healthy, manageble, moist hair and I think I'll focus on that . I tried a sample ( getting smart in my old age) of Komaza Callaffia moisturizing spray and the little sore that I had on my scalp has flared up, so I'll use my samples (only have two) on my daughter till they run out and I won't be purchasing anything after that. I'll have to stick with olive oil and just be happy with my results. Everything else either makes my scalp flake, itch, or develope sores. I guess that's the end of the rope for me. The Nature's Gate shampoo and condish work well. My scalp was actually healing from it. I DO have one more item on the way and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to use it, but I'll gicve it a try. The hair butter that I got from Komaza was okay, but nothing that I'd rush out and buy again. The products are also fragrant and I need to limit my exposure to fragrance. Oh well, I live and FINALLY learn. It has taken me LONG enough!!

Didn't get to measure, but.....

I DID get a chance to think about how I want to go about my growth journey. I'm going to call it "Phases"
After reading SEVERAL hair care books, I decided to go ahead and pen my own method. So, allI'm doing is a cut and paste of what I wrote before coupled with other things that I am learning.

What I'm working with....

I now have about 2 1/2 inches of hair. I cut off about 1/2 inch. My hair is not TOTALLY even all over, but I'd say that's the average lenght. With that said, I have a goal in mind that I THINK is doable. It is now March and hubby comes home in July. So...I should be able to grow 2 1/2 more inches of hair by that time for a total of 5 inches of hair. that's going to look like a LOT on my head, so WATCH OUT! What I am doing is taking vitamins, being gentle (which means avoiding combs/picks like the PLAGUE. I will have a goal section to make life easier and I will use the SHORTEST and SLOWEST growing section of hair for my documentary. In fact, I 'm not sure that section is even 3 1/2 inches long. It is my VERY FRONT section that never seems to get past my eyebrows, so I'll have to treat it with EXTRA SPECIAL CARE. Off to get a ruler.....

I KNOW it's hard....

To come on here and read me ranting and raving and NOT want to help. I think I just have to remember what I did the first year to get my hair so healthy. There was quite a bit of hair at my disposal BEFORE I started listening to the critics. I mean, face it, I had NO ONE around me who had a natural and I had NO IDEA what to do with my hair as it began to grow out. I went on my favorite hair board and saw all these people who could do so many styles and I really wanted that half up/half down style that I saw a few others wear. Granted, my hair needs to be handled with care, but because of all of the negative feedback that I was getting, I began to try to pick my hair out in the perfect little TWA and that was when everything went downhill. These days, I don't pick my hair at all. I DID cut almost a half an inch off (the colored ends had to go) so in a sense I am starting over. My regimen consists of the same three step process that worked so well in the past even with me switching it up and trying everything under the sun. I used to shampoo and condition with my Suave products of choice and then moisturize with whatever beckoned for me at the time. I have some Suave stuff but I plan to use up my Nature's Gate stuff first. Suave is really cheap and readily available. I think it's cool to use their shampoo as long as I follow it up with the condish. I've seen a few people post about castor oil. I really wish I liked it. I might go ahead and use it after all of my fifty leven other products run out. I don't remeber any itchies with it, but who knows....

As for my DD's hair, it is coming in nicely and I'm not doing anything special other than the fact that I DID add conditioner back into the regimen and it's just cheapie Suave. Nothing special there, but I think it allows me to comb easier. Also, I try no to handle her hair unless it is COATED in moisturizer. The breakage factor is a part of the type of hair that we have, so I just have to be gentle with both.

Thanks to all who have offered their support and patience. I'll keep you posted.