STARTING OVER!

I got it cut today! I meant to take a before picture but forgot, lol! But it is short. Actually it is just long enough to curl, but it is the tiny tiny curls that are next to my head. YEAHHHHHHHHHH! EXCITEMENTTT!

I SO FEEL LIKE ME AGAIN, LIKETHIS IS MY STYLE. IT IS FUN AND FREE AND SIMPLE AND CLASSY!!!!! 

PICTURES LATER!

After I got it cut, I washed it with the CON and conditioned with BIOLAGE. Then I put in the leave in and let it dry and put in the Olive Oil Lotion. Feels great looks great! 

HERE'S TO NEW BEGINNINGS!

LOL, I lied

Okay, so I am trying to find a barber and had to ask around. Of course ppl ask why.....I don't get why ppl make big deals out of stuff. I change my mind a lot...oh well, it usually works out better in the end.  Don't feel like getting highly into it. I just don't wanna talk much about what I am doing because when i chnge my mind ppl seem to think i just am randomly doing stuff and it gets really irritating to answer questions. So I just whether DO stuff so after awhile you see what I am doing. One of the reasons I like having a blog...I know i am mainly the only person who will read it but it is nice to talk like I am talking to other ppl so when I read it it is more interesting? IDK lol! I just like holding myself accountable and having a record.

 So i decided to get it cut tomorrow at Great clips so I have more time to pick a barber. I want to go to one close to me. I know some that are cheaper and still good but further....Might as well stick with one near by and save gas. So the one I am thinking of going to is like 15 minutes down the road i think. 

Also, i need to make a new routine comment! My hair will be too short to really prepoo for about a month or 2. So I will concentrated more on keeping my scalp/hair/head lol moisturized. Once it starts to get thicker, I will start prepooing. That is like 1 to 2 months for real. Once I can prepoo, I will start steaming. What I used to do was put a warm towel on my head sometimes. It felt nice, so I will do that until I start prepooing again. Feels good on your face and head! Also, i think once my CON shampoo runs out, I will by tea tree shampoo that i mentioned. I have read alot that paul mitchell is best yet pricey. At Sallys they have that GVP brand stuff that I found out really is comparable to it, some products being better. So I will be buyng that one which is the same price as the CON one! I don't know how much is left in the bottle, will have to check. 

As far as deep conditioning......I may just do the directions for the normal version until it gets longer. Those say put it on for like 3 minutes and rinse. When I wash my hair I usually wash first then put the conditioner in and actually wash my body while it sits on then rinse since most conditioners say 1-3 minutes. So I will just do that...and maybe just put the hot towel on my head too. It's not scorching hot, just like warm. My warm enough is if it fogs my glasses just a little, it is hot enough but not too hot....pretty good system. 

Then with it really short, it dries in 2 seconds, so I will put on the Leave-in and Olive Oil Lotion and be done!!!!!

Once it starts getting longer, I will of course add steps. Like towel blotting, then leave in, then olive oil. And I will go back to the dryer prepooing and deep conditioning and then add in detangling. For the next 2 months though, it will be pretty carefree even with prepooing being added. It will get more complicated with detangling as it gets longer. But still the whole process is much easier and less time consuming. I am happy about it and should have done this before. Granted you cant do something you dont know, lol!

Knowing me i will think of something else....so yea

Steaming

Something I am gonna try incorporating is steaming....i finally found enough info on it!

So remember I used to do my prepoo by using a plastic cap with a hot wet towel with another cap on top. So if you don't have an steamer (which i dont and cannot afford, lol), you can do that and sit under the dryer for around 30minutes to an hour. Basically it softens your hair and helps it in other ways. Helps it grow...it opens up the follicles.....oh oops, I forgot! LOL! You do this with your deep conditioner (well i saw some do it with the prepoo too). So it opens the follicles and helps the deep conditioner REALLY REALLY get in there! i am still cutting it because i need the stress-relieve but it will be cool to try. Also, I want to get peppermint and tea tree oil. Well really just pepperment, tea tree is kind of iffy to my nose. But like mint oils help your hair grow and get rid of dry scalp. i know i said i didnt want to use growth aids but these are not just growth aids, the do other stuff. Also, after this scarf is done (2 months), I will get the bonnet one of it, that way i dont always smash my hair and don't mess up my edges anymore.

And i saw a cool video on detangling.....too bad i had already figured that out! LOL! But at least I know that i was doing it right. My whole thing is ugh, those tiny tight curls I have. I want the big loose pretty curls. I am happy it is not just like a big mass of ugh but those little curls get more frizzy and tangled. Then again I would get lazy and not detangle always. So maybe if I do more often it will do something? lol! Not sure what. Luckily I have no reason to worry right this minute. It will be too short to even tangle for a little bit. That is highly comforting.

So for real this time, the next entry will be the official begin, lol!

Best Idea all around

Scroll down for explanation of these pictures.....

Okay, so clearly my hair is a source of major stress right now. When I am crazy stressed, I usually cut my hair off or color it....cutting works better, lol!

So I am cutting my hair and starting over....so after today, the next entry will be STARTING OVER. I am gonna cut it low, I am about to supply a picture of that...well the range of where it will be. 

The plan is to cut it now (Octoberish), and let it grow until July natural. But still doing all the things I have learned like prepooing and deep conditioning. And Moisurizing with different stuff that i find works better, lol!

No coloring (hardest for me).

Regular trimmings.

Doing everything RIGHT.

October to July will be 9 months, and at the end of that time, maybe I wont actually get a relaxer, maybe i will find out some other way to straighten it. We shall see. 

PICTURES! Okay, I wanted to show the difference so this makes more sense. There is another picture a couple years ago where i was taking GREAT care of my hair because i thought i was growing it out (as opposed to the lack of care this year when i thought i would cut it off anyway)....but that picture is missing.  It had actually gotten way way longer than in the middle one but hey, it is a goal to top!

First picture is from November 10, 2007. My hair is extra low...actually my fav style. It is very me and I rock it well. But I want long hair and that is too extremes lol! The good thing is, it is now like old reliable. When something goes wrong with my hair I cut it all away an have that!

Second picture is like midJune 2008. My hair had grown and had color. Could have been way longer and healthier but like I said I thought I was gonna cut it to the above picture length.

Third picture is like June 29, 2008....it was actually about a week after the second photo was taken. I did this one because you can see the length in the back as well. November to June is the amount of hair you have their.....well a little shorter....this is after my first trip to Great Clips before I went the second and third time.

New things are good....I am gonna be optimistic about this!

Great Clips

Okay, so that comment that i can't get up here is what i think....

Basically 1/2" off the whole back....1/4" on the crazy bad side. 

I don't get what these ppl's problem is with CUTTING HAIR! I understand there are tons of idiots who dont understand the thoughts behind getting trims but I do. If i tell you to cut ALL the damaged ends, why can't they just do it! They are so stupid. And the girl said yes I cut it all off....no you did not! Ugh...so stupid! I think they worry more about keeping the length than just cutting it off. I would whether my hair LOOK AND FEEL AND BE healthy than long. I have had long hair before, thanks! I can handle waiting. I really do prefer health over look....I have had like not even 1 cm of hair on my head....i look fly with no hair. Yes it is harder to style but i am figuring it out. And actually, I bet if i get it cut, then i may be able to actually do wash and gos.

Just wanted to vent really quick. The only reason i never got it recut was because i did it before, and i didnt want to them to think i was always doing it to get over on ppl.

New thoughts....probably the smart thing!

I personally really like my hair tucked back. And I know I talk talk talk about grow grow grow. But like if you look at the pictures you see the scraggly ends. And I mentioned before just getting it all cut. I am thinking about just getting all that cut away. I moisturize and moisturize and it is softened but not enough for me lol. That stupid sew-in! Oh well....so I am gonna keep up this routine for now, since i just started the new routine I will keep it going until my next relaxer.

But depending on what it is like by the end of October it may ACTUALLY be this length. That will set me back but i am sure it will be more helpful in the long run. I am willing to do anything to make it healthier...I.E strong and soft.

I will decide by then....just uploaded these to show. See how short it can look from yesterday! LOL! But I like it....it looks better in person i think. But those high megapixel cameras sure do catch the flaws, ugh!

Day 2...I finished my hair

Okay, these pictures are the styling process for my hair! Yesterday I let it air dry...well yesterday/all night. Excuse the wildness....but you will be able to see what the TOO MUCH VOLUME post was talking about.
The above picture...and the next are when i combed my hair out before parting it and sectioning it out. Ugh, look at my edges :(

That is too, it looks rough.....I don't like that
So these are my hair in sections....I like to do about 5-6 sections. I do the sides, the top and the bck into 2. It makes it seem like it goes faster.

I put on the olive oil lotion on each section. If i do it all over at once it will mostly be in one area.
First section to curl

I curled it....near my ear is a little awkward. That is one of the still rough areas...actually this whole side is...but it feel good/better now!
Whole side done!
See how you still see all the "great texture".....

Both sides done


Top done


Top done, trying to comb to tone it down
See how that side looks! the right on the picture.....it looks just "textured" But you saw it was also curled.....
All done



Trying a saran wrap treatment. It helps flatten out your hair and give it sheen. So That is 2 pieces, one around and another on top


As you can see my head sweated a little....i sat under the dryer about 15 minutes.
It is much flatter and this side looks slightly better :)


LOL! not my best picture....or a good angle. Anywho, so the next test is how will it look once it is wrapped tonight and then combed down. I know i tie my scarf too tight and pull it too hard on my edges. So I am gonna try to do it looser. Also, i dont know if i will actually wrap it or just tie it in place. Wrapping usually keeps the curls but last time did not. But if i dont, i will have to put the sides back sooner. So we shall see.

Too much volume....

The point of a "texlax" and underprocessing is to have more texture so it is more healthy and has more volume. Well to me there is such thing as too much. I like height on hair but goodness. I can have a sleek style and a curled style but not a sleek curled style? Well the top can be. Ugh! So i did the front already and the sides. I am going to finish the top/black later. I have no where to be so i am relaxing.

The top/front and sides are kind of high. You can still see the damage on the left side (my left) but it feels much better. the right is a tad damaged still, but it looks much better. I am tempted to have all the left cut off, lol! but then it would look funny because the puffiness would not allow for a fly look. Oh well :PSo next I will do the top back. The top is gonna have crazy volume, lol! Last time it was so high. On the other hand, I tried to see if i could roll my hair and i have a couple old foam rollers, it held!...in the front anyway. But I don't have enough. But the only place that needs to be curled is the bottom near my ears. It tends to flatten out after a day or so. Not sure why. The black actually makes me look bookish! LOL! I thought the deep dark black would keep it kind of unique but i look quiet. Hmmmm, take note for me, no black without another color. 

Also, I have been reading up on the pink. I know how to do it. So i am excited about that for when it gets long enough. I am being patient. Lord please let it be to my chin or close by by then. Oh the other reason for so much volume. It is "layered". That is why I say Lord please. Like the bottom layer will be but I would like a thicker amount to be that long. Sooooo, it may be close to that. I hope. Unfortunately from the temples of my head, it wont be....i doubt it will be anyway. It will be like where it is now by then maybe. (where the lower layer is). And the back will still have a "short cut" look to it...it is not long enough to be like a bob yet. It is getting there. 

I am getting discouraged just because I am sick of the puffy but i know it will be fine when it gets longer. It being so close to my head (lol being short) I think is why it is just so irritating to me. I remember my hair was not bone straight and was puffy when long. Actually would be high like it is now, but when I wrapped it and took it back down, it would have volume but look good still. Like in the picture before the second cut. You could see it was volume but it was longer so looked nicer. I will be happy when it gets to that length honestly, lol! And then we will work on the next phase!

This week' wash and color

Today I actually remembered to take pictures...yea! So I will use them to say what I did. There are alot but oh well, for the most part i think i uploaded them in the right order.

I was trying to get a close up...you can kind of see new growth....oddly the edges did not get wet, lol! Just like the middle and top. So you can also see how much it has grown since that color was done. Could be more, but oh well. I am slippin on my eating habits so yeah. It is going well enough for me so far. So as you can see the color is almost gone! Maybe by the end of the year it will all be cut off? We will see!
These next few are my prepoo....this week I did the Lekair with my Biolage and carrot oil...the carrot oil on the ends only.


Plastic cap for the dryer!
Under the dryer lol...i did 18 minutes....should have been 20 but I am a clock watcher and i couldn't take it anymorE! I had it on medium heat
After the prepoo before the wash

The prepoo stuff
I just washed it...see the random assortment of textures? Ugh!

Before adding the color in
Forgot to turn the picture....but that is the color, it is just black
The color..thought I uploaded more here, oh well....You get the idea....but hmmm, it looks a little weird here. Looked fine everywhere else
Plastic cap! I went through 3 today lol! I sat under the dryer 10 minutes then let it sit 25 more...the directions say 25 at room temp but for gray do 10 under the dryer and let cool for 5....a tad confused but no recent relaxer so i guess it was okay.
I hate rinses....ugh
After I rinsed? Maybe not because it is on my head still....lol!
Oh no that is before the rinse....So this is the new deep conditioner i use. I love it! It feels so good and makes my hair feel really good. Okay from here i got my pictures confused. So these may or may not be a combo of my hair with the conditioner or after i washed the conditioner out....I don't know lol, sorry. But I think I did a good job with the coloring! 

To end, I put on my leave-in conditioner and I combed it through....Oh i combed the deep conditioner through too. I think i pulled most of the curls. I am attempting to use less heat therefore trying not to blow it out. Should work out fine. I am letting it airdry the rest of today and tomorrow i will style it. Probably the same fly style i did....or maybe i will reverse it, we shall see. And i will take pictures of it this time. Also i think the color might help it look better. With the red, since it was slightly uneven when it grew and was cut, it looked funny in the back. So this should help that out. 

Oh I was thinking of doing a "corrective relaxer" but no. I read you should have a pro do it and i am broke so whatever. I think as it gets longer, it will be okay because it will help it look voluminous whereas with it short, it is just irritating. 

That's all for today....styling process tomorrow!