(In a movie trailer voice) It was a wash day that didn't go as planned. It was a wash day where things weren't as they seemed. What was the outcome?
This was my last wash day before
my relaxer touch-up. Outside of some minor breakage and dry ends I haven't run into major issues. Naive me I thought this would be an uneventful and good wash like my previous ones. I was wrong.
It all started with me postponing my wash by a day because I was tired on the day I planned to do it. I knew if I washed my hair when I was tired I wouldn't want to be bothered any more than halfway through, I'd take some shortcuts and would regret it. This turned out to be the best decision ever.
Coconut oil has been the "it" oil for a few years now. As it's gained popularity in North America it's popped up in multiple hair care products - shampoos, conditioners, you name it. Not only that but it's also gained popularity in its pure form, which is the best way to use it.
I started using coconut oil last year and have made it a staple in my relaxed hair regimen. I use it in hot oil treatments, to seal my ends and massage my scalp. When I use it consistently I see improvements in my hair including increased shine and manageability.
First I want to say thank you to everyone for your encouragement on my
last wash day post. I had mentioned that my ends were looking kind of raggedy and a few readers commented that my ends may be weighed down by product. I think this assessment was correct as later in the week my ends looked better and I hadn't applied any moisturizer or oil to my ends in several days.
I have a touch-up scheduled for the 28th which will be 16 weeks post my last relaxer touch up and I plan to get a trim then.
This wash day was a co-wash day. Additionally, I decided to flat iron my hair because I wanted to wear it down a day or two this week.
I love avocados. I add them to my salads, my salsa, and eat them on their own as a chip dip. I know that avocados can be good for you when you eat them so imagine my surprise when I found out that avocados are also good for your hair. And not just in their solid form but also as an oil.
Yes, there is such a thing as avocado oil. Once I found that out I had to do some investigation. What I found is avocado oil is made from, pressing the fleshy fruit pulp and not the avocado pit. It is a lightweight oil that helps it to more easily penetrate the hair shaft which is great but what can it do to help our hair?
I'm now 13 weeks post my last relaxer touch up and I can't tell other than seeing and feeling how long my new growth is and the breakage I'm experiencing. It's not a lot of breakage, but it's more than I've experienced in the past.
I've been trying to pinpoint the issue and am thinking it might be a moisture imbalance, so we'll see what happens. I have a hair appointment with a stylist in Tampa later this month. Maybe a relaxer touch-up will help stop or at least lessen the breakage.
It's hard to believe it, but January is over and we're starting the second month of 2015. A co-worker and I were talking about it the other day. It seems that the older you get, the quicker time moves. Well, with the end of January comes my monthly hair update where I share where I stand with my hair goals and the overall state of my hair.
To level-set, I set some
goals for 2015 which are to maintain the health of my hair, minimize the number of products I try, protect my ends at least five days a week and find a new stylist. On these, I give myself 60% as I really only achieved about two of the goals this month.
Another wash day has come and gone. While I'm 12 weeks post relaxer, there's nothing new or exciting to report outside of getting to use one of my new oils,
grapeseed oil, in my hot oil treatment.
I have been battling with dryness, especially on my ends, so I was happy this was a co-wash day. The co-wash that I use usually gives me a boost of moisture. Keep reading to get the details of my wash day.