patience

I love my kinky twists. But right now I am so tired of them! I've had them in since the 2nd last week of august, so that's been like 6 weeks. I guess its okay for me to take them out but the thing is I didn't want to have to deal with my hair till the end of the semester, cause I have so much work to do right now.
The reason why they need to come out is because I have all these little baby hairs coming up and it just looks crazy! Like I said B4 I cant leave my braids in for long because they frizz up quick, apparently this goes for all kinds of braids right now. These baby hairs int no joke!
Anyway they are coming out tomorrow night I clarified tonight to remove some buildup and put on alot of protein conditioner and left in so I should have some strength when they come out. I might have to do a heavier protein though because my strands feel so weak right now.
The takedown plan is as follows:
1. wet the hair down and put in some conditioner.
2.start to undo the twists and comb out each as I go.
3.when done add more conditioner and comb out entire head very well.
4. shampoo- clarify 2x and maybe use CON one time.
5. deep condition with a protein and moisture mix
6. hot oil treatment overnight and co wash in the am

If the hair still feels a little too elastic I will do a heavier protein followed with a moisturizing cond.
I am going to wear it curly for a while and then start on the rollersets again and wear my half wig. I am planning on doing the halfwigs and flat twists till the end of the semester. hopefully I can last that long. lol

Problems, solutions, and braids

So I have been using the sulfur oil daily since the second week of July. I recently noticed that I was getting really bad headaches, I forgot to use it for a while and felt fine. Started back and the headaches came back. I diluted it with more oils and I feel fine now. I diluted it down to about less than 5% sulfur instead of 10-15%. I am still using it now and I did experience growth but I cant tell now because I braided it up. I was at about 8 inches all over before I put the braids in.
I have been wearing flat twists and braids with hair added at the ends to make a bun. It looked cute, but I got tired of redoing it every 3-5 days, so I put in some 2-strand twists. They took me less than a day to do. I plan to keep them in for about 2 months and maybe redo a few at a time after that so I can keep them in for like 3 or 4 months until the end of the year. I cant wait to see how much growth I will get from this. I know that I will be at APL by then.
I decided to start using ACV rinses every 1-2 weeks. I want to see how that will work. Others have stated that it has made their hair stronger over time.

My braid regimen is as follows:

1. Shampoo every 2 weeks with a clarifying poo
2. deep condition weekly
3. cowask twice weekly
4. spray with moisturizer twice daily
5. use sulfur oil nightly and massage in
6. wear a plastic cap to bed every other night

My moisturizer spray consists of peppermint tea mixed with vo5 split ends(protein), suave coconut and citrus smoothie(moisture), and a blend of oils(evoo, coconut, grapeseed, and soybean). I spray that on generously and squeeze in.

My summer decision

I have decided to keep my hair up in braids (cornrows) for the rest of the summer. I just took out my second set of cornrows so far. I will keep each set in for a week and wear my hair for a few days and repeat. The problem is that my hair gets so very frizzy in braids, they look a mess after the third+ day! I just wish that I could keep the in for like 2-3 weeks like my cousin can, but its okay.
I have the sulfur powder and i have been using it for the past week. Its too soon to tell if it is working but I swear that my ponytail got a little longer after I took out the last set of braids. I hope it works as well as some other peoples concoctions that I've read about.

Heres my recipe:
1/3 grapeseed oil
1/3 olive oil
1/6 coconut oil
1/6 castor oil
a few drops of africas best organic carrot tea tree oil therapy( for scent)
4 capsules vit E oil
4 capsules garlic oil
10 drops peppermint and rosemary EOs
sulfur powder
I made my first one in a 4oz squirt bottle like the ones used for coloring. Since the bottle was so small I added one tablespoon of the sulfur powder to it and then added all the oils gave it a good shake to distribute and let it sit overnight. There was less than a half an ounce of sulfur but after it swelled it looked like there was a little over an ounce. You have to shake before each use because the sulfur will always settle to the bottom. My concoction is between 10-15% sulfur.
I liked it a lot because it didn't run all over the place because of the castor oil and it smelled good unlike the original MTG.
I used castor and vit E oils because they both help to thicken up the hair. I used the garlic oil because it helps stop shedding. The grapeseed and olive help keep in moisture and the coconut produces shine. I do not use this all over the hair just on the scalp once or twice daily and massage in.

I cant wait! to see the kind of growth I get from this. most say that they receive an inch or more per month. Hope I get the same. *crosses fingers* :)

Measurments April-June 2006

HTML is a bi**h!. trying to make the table look right had to do it over again like 10 times. PLZ ignore the spacing, can't figure out how to get rid of it yet.

April
Back	7"
Middle	6"
Sides	9"
Front	9"
May BC
5-5 1/2" all over, all natural
June
back	5 1/2"
sides&middle	6"
front	6 1/2"

All measurments are from root to tip. I think the back hasn't grown much because I have been wearing washngoes often. But you can see that in some parts my hair has grown a full inch in about a month! :D
I started using MN on 4/27. Used it almost everyday for a little over a month, ended beg. of june.I did notice some growth and I wish I would have kept using it.I still have some I just keep forgetting about it. One tube lasted me for a month, I bought two.(monistat 2% mn)
I ordered the sulfur and will start mixing as soon as it get here. I will make a thick 'grease like' one and a oil to use on the scalp. Hopefully I will see even more growth.

More measurments

My Goals
SL	7"
APL	9"
BSL	12"
MBL	15"
WAISTLENGTH	20"

All from the nape. I need about 4" to be APL by the end of the year. I think I can make it. :)
My final goal is to be at mid-back length in Dec. 2007 :D, but if it keeps growing then hey, let it grow!:P

My Regimen

Since I started my transition last year I have come to realize that my hair loves water. When it is wet it is so soft, curly, and bouncy. I used to wash once a week and wet it every time I combed and styled. Since the BC I began to cowash daily. It is much easier to manage this way.
Here is what I do on a daily basis:

• cowash with any v05 or suave conditioner(depending on the need of moisture or protein)
• use conditioner as a leave in
• brush back with a denman d4 for a smoother ponytail otherwise use a wide tooth comb
• use a cut kneehigh as a holder and tie a scarf around till dry

After the holder is in I do one of three things

1. don't touch hair till dry, ponytail will be nice and curly
2. make a bun(twist and wrap) or tuck ends under ponytail holder
3. baggie the ends with a mix of an oil and conditioner ( usually evoo and v05 moisture milk and split ends) and cover w/ kneehigh and/or phony pony/bun

This is what I do most of the time other times I wear a wash n go:

• cowash then use cond as leave in
• add an oil concentrating on ends(evoo, castor, or coconut oil works best)
• add styling products - optional( don't have to but i use gel, smoothnshine or fantasia, sometimes)
• smooth/scrunch/shake, whatever they all give different results

I prefer to wear a headband with this. If you really want the curls to pop a honey rinse works wonders for curl definition.
Add a spoonful honey in a cup full of water and use as the final rinse

I am trying to avoid individual braids and sew-ins so my hair can thicken back up. Its been a few months since the last set and i can see little hairs growing back in. I plan on getting some sulfur powder to make my own MTG mix to use on my scalp to thicken it up even more.

I also do rollersets every now and then. The only thing is I haven't found a good moisturizer that will not revert my hair back because my hair seems to dry out after the first day or two. Still practicing...



Last but not least i take a b-complex now and plan to add MSM, flax seed and evening primrose oil, and biotin into my vitamin reg.