6-month locks and low carb challenge | wash day 11.29

this may come as a surprise given how much i was loving my roller sets, but i am back to twists until at least june 1.
why?
because once i realized i couldn't keep a roller set to my standard for longer than a week due to frizzies, night-time sweating, and root tangling, i was uncomfortable with the amount of manipulation weekly velcro roller sets and maintenance would create, especially for my fragile ends.
moreover, the amount of time it took to set and maintain is just not realistic for my current lifestyle. and this early winter crap we've been experiencing is not helping at all!

so, while i am completing my challenge, i will stay in two-strand twists (with occasional twist-outs) because i know that my hair loves being left alone a lot of the time, and twists are easy enough for a 6-month commitment. i can keep them moisturized constantly without worrying about reversion like i did for my roller sets, and they are somewhat versatile.
i have opted for medium-sized twists this time around because mini twists take too long to install and remove for the amount of time i plan to leave them in.

this is from a set i did earlier in the year, and this time all of my twists are about the size of the larger ones in these pictures.

without further ado... the process:

steamed and pre-pooed with q-redew and covered with a cap overnight
shampooed and conditioned with a reconstructor followed by a moisturizing con
sealed with oil, air-dried in 4 twists for about 30 minutes, and twisted

the twists took me about 1.5 hours to do, as i stopped to snip some split ends along the way.

*note* i did not post product names because they are about to change in my effort to support natural businesswomen. i will reveal these after my next wash day, but the process will still look the same!

i plan to redo this process every two weeks, including the trims if they are needed. i want SUPERB ends, and what i'm trimming isn't really affecting my length much at all.
in the interim, i oil my ends every night before bed and moisturize my hair and scalp as needed.
on wash day (fridays!), i will wear the resulting twist-out (if i want) before starting the process again that night.

anyone else twisting it up for the winter?

upcoming length check: december 26

in pursuit of:

treating my hair as my crown and glory

linking up with klp

what the-? (aka wash day | 10.25)

i've heard numerous times that you get a new head of hair every 7 years, but considering the fact that 26 is not divisible by 7, i didn't think i would be facing that for another couple of years. i noticed that my hair seemed different a little while ago but didn't pay it much mind. well, my hair must be some sort of overachiever because it's definitely ahead of the game.

observations from a few wash days ago
what's changed:
my hair is no longer porous. it doesn't get drenched immediately or dry quickly anymore.
my hair is no longer fine. my strands used to be like gossamer, but now (with the exception of the very ends) they are definitely much thicker. my hair is still low-medium density, though, which makes me think that maybe i've lost some hair. this makes sense, as my both my mother and maternal grandmother have very thick strands and very low density.
my scalp NEEDS sulfates. ...or it itches relentlessly.
my curls are no longer naturally super defined.
my hair now adores coconut oil.
i have a few gray hairs sprouting.

what this means moving forward:
i've avoided a lot of techniques and products that would over-moisturize my hair like steaming, deep conditioning overnight, and using humectants. looks like those will be making their way into my new regimen.
i have relied very heavily on protein since 2008, but now it seems as though my hair really doesn't like it too much anymore. definitely saying goodbye to daily protein products.
i used to have amazingly defined curls no matter what i did, but now that's not the case without using products. i am hoping they will reawaken some when i up my moisture levels.
i obviously need to re-incorporate sulfates and have been using lots of coconut oil.
i don't plan to do anything about the grays. i think gray hair is gorgeous.

what's still around:
soft hair. though my strands have thickened, they don't seem to have changed all that much in texture. my hair is still soft and easily smoothed.

a new regimen is on the horizon, and it will focus on moisture instead of protein. right now, i've just been rotating three products: white rain tropical coconut shampoo, coconut oil, and argan butter. and i've been bagging when needed. my hair seems to like this so far. i've also looked into the greenhouse effect regimen, and i've been studying the routines of naturals whose hair looks/behaves a lot like mine does now (like quinn, justcoolncurly, and shedel). didn't think i would be starting a whole new natural journey again, but it looks like that's the case.

ps. didn't post hair pics for this week because my hair took uncharacteristically long to dry (not used to this normal porosity!) and it ended up in a bun.

in pursuit of:

treating my hair as my crown and glory

linking up with klp