I can do it!

Oh hey! So guess what I discovered? My hair is long enough to wrap!!! Yay! YES, I may be a tad bit over excited but oh well. I always used to wrap my hair at night instead of putting it in a ponytail. I feel like my ends are better protected this way. Since cutting my hair, I’ve just been throwing my silk scarf on it. And yes, I will admit that I did some major slacking when it comes to moisturizing and sealing. Which is why I’m getting back on track.

Let’s rewind a little. This is how long my hair was the day I got it cut…  Am I crazy for chopping off all my hard work? I’d say so. Maybe even insane. But I got it there before and I can get it there again. How did I do it? Moisturizing and sealing, wapping my hair every night, and getting trims as needed. Anyway, being able to wrap my hair again is a huge milestone for me. I will say it is a little weird combing down such short hair because the back section doesnt really lay down. It kind of goes whichever way I wrapped it. Ah well, it’s a start :).

SO, enough about length. Let’s talk about health! In all honesty, my hair is in a decent state. Not damaged but certainly not as good as before. The front is fine but the back is VERY dry. This is all thanks to me neglecting to moisturize. I really don’t see how the front is doing so well (not complaining though). In my mind, I barely had any ends, so I didnt need to moisturize right? WRONG! Had I been moisturizing and sealing every night my hair may have been a little longer than it is now. And it would definitely have been much healthier. I need to get it together!

Relaxer update!

I know I’m a couple of days late BUT here is how my relaxer came out. It came out great if I do say so myself. If you’ve seen my last post,  you will notice that my hair is surely growing back. Its been almost four months and I can now curl the hair at my nape ( it was cut all the way down). Also, the hair on the sides was cut to the top of my ear and now it comes past the ear when straight or curled.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. I used my favorite relaxer ORS, deep conditioned with the replenishing pack, and moisturized with Olive Oil moisturizer. I usually use Elasta QP but I don’t have any on hand. Either way, it got the job done. I literally JUST finished flat ironing so hopefully I wont have to for a few days.

Moving forward, I want to go back to flat ironing once a week. I highly doubt that, but hey, a girl can dream right? Please don’t kill my vibe lol. I will definitely be washing and deep conditioning once a week. Instead of using Tresseme shampoo and V05 conditioner, ill be using a combination of Hello Hydration and Suave Almond and Shea butter shampoos / conditioners. Hello hydration is my all time favorite conditioner, and I used Suave when my hair was natural. So both are at the top of my list. All I’m missing is my hooded dryer which is at my mom’s house. Hi Mom :). Anyway, ill be making a trip to the beauty supply store this weekend. I’m in DESPERATE need of Elasta Qp moisturizer, coconut oil, castor oil, and whatever else I can find. Until next time!!

Im Back!!!

It has been FOREVER!!! But I’ve decided to make a comeback and give a brief update. Sooo after working so hard to keep my hair long and healthy, I chopped it all off. Yes, I went for a pixie cut on 07/04/2013. I had a lot going on at the time and just really needed a change. I love my short cut, don’t get me wrong. But it is tooo high maintenance for me! Especially being one who used to use a flat iron MAYBE once a week. This much heat usage is torture! Bottom line, I miss my hair. So it’s back to the healthy hair journey for me. I will be relaxing my hair tomorrow using ORS. It’s been about five weeks, short I know, but my hear is too thick to have all this new growth with short hair. Anyway, just wanted to update real quick. I’ll be back tomorrow with pics before and after relaxer!

L4LPSC Check in #2

Well that’s two months down! I will admit that this month I wore a bun literally EVERY day, except for the day after I got my relaxer. After 13 weeks I was loving my hair way too much to put it up. Anyway, I corrected my under processed hair and I have seen a HUGE decrease in shedding. Thank God!

This challenge has been a miracle for my hair. After the whole fiasco with the salon ending my natural hair journey and having to cut some damage off, I went into tlc overdrive. I’ve been moisturizing and sealing daily, washing and conditioning weekly, and finally started using a leave-in that I like.

I also got a hooded dryer a couple of weeks ago and I love it. The first time I used it was on February 23rd after my relaxer and my hair had so much body. It practically fried the tips of my ears off but it was worth it.

Today is wash day and I’ll be wearing a flexi rod set this week. Yesterday I bought Organics Hair Mayonnaise to use as a deep conditioner so I’ll be trying that out today.

Over all I am SO happy with my hair. I am retaining a lot of length and it is just healthier in general. One more month to go!

Relaxer results

After a 13 week stretch it was time for a relaxer. I used ORS Olive Oil and I had my new hooded dryer. It came out great!! I corrected the previously under processed hair and my ends are still in great condition. I loved how the roller set came out! If I had been going out I would have worn it curled. So here are some pictures.

And here’s a comparison from my initial relaxer in November.

The protective styling challenge is working for me because I’ve definitely retained some length! Go me!

Relaxer day and new dryer

Well, today makes 13 weeks since I relaxed my hair and today its time for a touch up. I mentioned before that my hair was under processed in the front so hopefully it comes out right this time. I will be using the ORS Olive Oil relaxer AND I’ll be roller setting my own hair for the first time!! I went and got the Red by Kiss hooded dryer today and I can’t wait to use it. I also got three packs of rollers, an 80 pack of clips, and a hair net to hold it all in place.

This will also be my first time using heat in several weeks. But its not direct heat so I’m okay with that. Wish me luck!

New business venture!

Soooo I am officially a consultant for Pure Romance!!! Feels pretty damn good to say I own and operate Pure Romance by Shaniqua :). For those who don’t know, Pure Romance is a company devoted to empowering, educating, and entertaining women. I will be doing in home parties where I’ll do a demo of several different lubricants, bath and body products, and other bedroom accessories. Of course I’ll be shari.g some sexual health information along with the fun stuff. Needless to say I am VERY excited and can’t wait to take control of my financial future! I will be doing product reviews and keeping everyone updated on a different blog (18+). Anyway, if you would like to host a party (I’ll be serving Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in NY), place an order, or become a consultant feel free to check out my website and contact me by phone or email.

PRbyShaniqua@gmail.com
(347)876-5563
Shaniquamcbride.pureromance.com

Its been two weeks…

Since I washed my hair! My head feels like a dirty mess! Its been buns all week for me. Have no fear though, I am washing it today. Just have to take care of some business first. Today, I wanted to take my bun a step further so I changed it up a bit. I took a pack of kanekalon hair and twisted each half while still in its original rubber band. Then I my hair in a side ponytail and twisted it into a bun. I slid the rubber band over my hair, wrapped each half around and pinned it in place. It came out pretty good if you ask me :).

The only thing I noticed is that there’s some new growth peeking through in the back. I’m twelve weeks post so I made it to my original goal! Yay! I was planning to go a couple more weeks but I’m not so sure. I’m starting to have some breakage from me combing through the two textures. This is the exact reason I just did a big chop when I went natural. I don’t have the patience to deal with both. For me it has to be one or the other. Anyway, I have some big news to share… in the next post!

Challenge Update!

So we’re about a month into the challenge and i’d say its going pretty well. I was planning to do a different style every week but that was an epic fail lol. I had no issues finding styles, finding time to do them is the problem. So I have been doing buns almost every day, making sure to put it in a different spot each time. I’m ten weeks post now and I haven’t used any heat in about seven weeks or so. I also haven’t had my hair down at all during the challenge. This week, I took an old flexi rod set, combed it out and pinned it up. I love it! This set came out way better than my first one, but I fell asleep on it so it only lasted the day I did it lol. So this is what it originally looked like…

And this is what it looks like now…

One of my new favorite styles =)

Made it past my collarbone again!

I am SO excited!! The last time I was at this length was when I went to the salon in October and ruined my natural hair. And as we all know, I had to cut a couple of inches off. Welll they’re back!! I was moisturizing and sealing when I noticed it and I just had to take a picture. Anyway, all I did aftewards was put it in two braids and I’m off to sleep. Good night!