What Has My Hair Been Up To?

Whoa!  Blogging for the first time in a loooong time.  I also took a break from my Youtube channel for a little while but I’m feeling motivated so here I am.  This first post back I thought that maybe I would share pictures of some of the styles I’ve been rockin’ while away from the blog.  I pretty much have been going back and forth between curly and straight.  It has really been a learning experience because I have been forced to really pay attention to my hair and watch for damage.  Yes, the dreaded heat damage that I swore I would do my best to avoid!  Oh well, when it comes down to it I just really enjoy variety and my hair is no exception.


During this time I have rediscovered the Aphogee product line that I used in my Transitioning days.  I’ve been experimenting with the Leave-in (a spray) and the 2 Minute Reconstructor.  I credit both for helping me to retain my curly texture after each heat use.  Now normally you wouldn’t think it necessary to use protein based products on natural hair but in my case, it’s essential.  I’ve seen first hand how heat can do major damage to my curls so the protein just helps to strengthen my hair where it needs it.

I haven’t forgotten about my henna though.  I still like to use it for covering my greys but may get back to using it in the form of henna glosses for conditioning.  Overall, I’m pretty happy with where my hair is right now.  I would like to see a little bit more length though so we’ll see where it ends up; no hurry.

By the way, I’m posting videos more often on my channel on Youtube called, Mitchellzee so check that out for updates on my hair journey, tips and reviews.  Ciao!

1/2 WIGGIN’ IT
WASH N’ GO WITH A HUMP
1/2 UP 1/2 DOWN

WASH N’ GO WITH BANGS PINNED BACK
STRAIGHT
STRAIGHTENED AGAIN
WASH N’ GO (WET HAIR)
SLICKED BACK/ BANDED PONYTAIL

DONUT BUN
CURLY BRAID OUT

My Easy Ponytail Roller Set

I sometimes get discouraged with my hair when I see those little tiny fairy knots on the ends.  Single strand knots (SSKs) can cause a lot of trouble because they tend to catch on hair strands and cause tangles.  Since I won’t be doing any major cuts on my hair this year (fingers crossed) I figured I should try my best to keep the knots to a minimum.

Since I sometimes use heat on my hair I can tell it still has lots of curl and shrinkage but is slightly more manageable than if I had skipped the heat altogether.  I tend to think that this factor has contributed to my success with roller setting lately.  The drying time is still the same but I can sometimes get away with using larger sections than I used to.  I thought maybe I would put my theory to the test by doing a ponytail roller set using only a few ponytail sections.  Instead of doing 4 ponytails down the middle (like a mohawk) and 4 more sections along the sides, I just used 4 large ponytail sections; 2 in front and 2 in back.  I then split each ponytail in half and rolled each section.  I also placed 2 individual rollers for the bangs.  My new method only took 4 ponytails and 10 rollers which is much easier and still gave me great results.

Since my main objective right now is to keep my hair stretched this method will work just fine.  It keeps my ends smooth so I don’t have to worry about them knotting up on me.  Not only that, it also takes a lot less time to get all of the rollers in.  Now that I have this figured out I can use this method to stretch my hair before doing protective styles like buns and up-dos.

THEN:  Ponytail rollerset using more sections
NOW:  Fewer ponytails still worked fine
What I used to get the look:
Creamy Leave-in Conditioner
Heat Protectant serum (to minimize frizz)
Plain Water (to re-wet each section)
Goody Ouchless Ponytail Holders

The Results
Stretched hair with smooth ends

New Year; Same Hair Goal

Trying to get past this length in 2013

For my hair journey, the beginning of 2013 looks pretty much like the end of 2012.  My main focus this year will be to protect my hair from ME!  That’s right, I’ve figured out the real reason why I’m still sitting at the length I am now.  Some people call it “Scissor Happy” but I’m now calling it counter productive.  I really like when my ends have that blunt cut appearance and when they don’t, I’m pulling out the scissors.  As far as retaining length, with this way of thinking, I’m at a stand still with my hair.

Lately I have been looking for ways to distract myself because yes, I’ve been thinking about cutting again.  I hit APL (Arm Pit Length) at the sides a couple times in 2012 and saw it as an oppurtunity to even things up.  Now, I do still have bangs in the front and layers on the top and sides, so my bottom layer is still the lengthiest part of my hair overall.  I guess I have always wanted to help the other sections catch up to the rest which would mean trimming the longest bits little by little.  Still, even with that being the goal I figured I would just hover at BSL (Bra Strap Length) before trying to make my hair more even.  At this rate, I’ll never see BSL which for me is only two more inches away (in back; when the hair is stretched).

Last fall I counted and it looks like I gave myself at least 6-7 trims throughout the year.  Some to get rid of heat damage (searching for the perfect curl) and some to give my hair that look of blunt ends.  My last trim for 2012 was at the end of November and I honestly think I should put the scissors aside until the spring.  I really am curious to see where my hair will end up in the coming months but the urge to cut is always there.  Not sure if I can do it but I’m gonna try.

Healthy Hair and Skin from the Inside

Recent twist and curl style

I am pretty happy with my hair recently and am feeling like things are getting back to normal.  By that I mean I was having some issues with dry, flaky scalp followed up by a month or two with heavy shedding.  Both issues are finally getting under control so I have been uploading to my YouTube channel more often with hair tutorials.  Before now though it was so frustrating to do anything with my hair because I almost felt like there was no point.  The flakes made it look so bad that I didn’t even want to go out some days.

One of the things that I think helped was that I started working on my immune system to help get my skin under control.  I have psoriasis and I have known for a while now that the inflammation in my skin is because of something not quite right with my immune system.  When the psoriasis flared up I started introducing probiotics into my system by eating a serving of Activia yogurt each day.  This helped with digestion and made it possible for my body to absorb my supplements better.  After doing that for 2-3 weeks I decided to go back to a more effective multi-vitamin formulated for women.  It costs more but has proved to be much better for my body than the usual store brands.

So happy my scalp is finally clearing up

I also added some supplements to my daily routine like garlic, super B-Complex and vitamin E.  The garlic helped with the shedding and didn’t start working right away but I can tell that I am shedding fewer hairs per wash session now.  I would say it took about a 3-4 weeks before it started to make a difference.  The B-Complex contains biotin and I can see that it is helping my nails so hopefully it’s doing something for my hair as well.  The Vitamin E is a given because it’s known for being good for the skin.  I usually try to take my multi-vitamin on its own  and then the other supplements together at another time during the day.  Both times are with a meal.  I also started drinking Green Tea for the antioxidants and increased my daily water intake.

With the Colorado climate being especially dry right now,  I hope that this regimen will get me through the winter without having anymore problems.  For now,  I’m using shea butter to moisturize my skin and staying away from heavy oils on my scalp to avoid build-up.  I’ve also started doing more finger detangling instead of using a tool to get rid of shed hairs.  

NOTE:  As with anything health related be sure and speak with a physician when considering adding vitamins and supplements to your daily routine  

Jumbo Rake Comb Review

When I was talkin’ hair with my mother a couple of months ago she showed me a picture of a comb that she was interested in trying.  She checked out a copy of the book, “The Science of Black Hair” from the library and it listed a “rake” comb as a suggestion for detangling natural hair.  I remembered seeing the comb online (probably in a Youtube video) but didn’t exactly know where to track one down.  Recently however, I was at the Big Beauty Supply Store in Aurora, and noticed some for sale.  It was by the Annie brand and was called a “Jumbo Rake Comb”.   I figured I would grab it for my mom so she wouldn’t have to keep looking for it.  I thought that maybe I would give it a try too and since they were only $1.49 plus tax (USD) I bought two.

Jumbo Rake Comb for only
 $1.49 plus tax!

I didn’t really know what to use the comb for because I already felt like I had every comb that I needed.  I decided to use it one night when I was twisting my hair up after wearing it in a wash n’ go style.  I was surprised at how well the comb detangled my hair.  It’s almost like the front end helped to pull apart the tangles but the spacing toward the back end of the comb allowed my hair to glide right through.  When I saw this I decided to try it the next time I detangled my hair in the shower.

My normal routine for detangling is to do it while my hair is soaking wet and saturated with Tresemme Naturals conditioner.  I usually begin by finger combing my hair first which helps me to remove a lot of the shed hair and tangles before moving onto a comb or my denman brush.  So when I tried the Jumbo Rake comb my hair was already free from any major tangles.  Still, I knew that I would be doing a roller set that night so I needed to make sure my hair was thoroughly detangled beforehand.


My twists
used the rake comb
to detangle


Once again, the comb performed beautifully.  I was really surprised because I didn’t expect for it to be any different from my wide tooth comb.  Somehow though having the teeth closer together toward the front and wider in back is what I think makes it a more effective tool for detangling.  It really is able to pick apart at the tangles but the hair glides through.  You’d have to try it to see what I mean.  As for me, I do think that I’ll be using this instead of my denman brush because it removed shed hairs but not so many to cause concern.

My Mom’s hair sectioned and detangled with
the rake comb

I even tried it a week later when I was straightening my mom’s hair.  She is transitioning to natural and has about two inches of new growth.  I applied Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner and a heat protectant to each section of her hair and then detangled with the rake comb.  Her hair was only damp but the comb still did a pretty good job.

I give it a thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comb for detangling.