5 Facts I Learned About My Hair During my 8 Month Hair Journey!

I'm 8 months in my hair journey and although I haven't achieved astonishing growth like I've seen some length check pics on www.hairlista.com and on the web. I will say, that since being on this journey, I now understand what is most important for my hair and understands what my hair needs and wants. If I had known what I know now pre-HJ. My hair would be hitting my ankles right about now. But hey, when you know better you do better.

Current state of my hair: Protective style, custom wig. I wanted to give my hair a bit of a rest. My last texturizer was June 16th so that makes me about 12 weeks post. I'm going to see how long I can go with doing protective styles and see what kind of progress my hair makes. I'm also gearing up to buy Carol's Daughter Transiting Kit to keep me going during my stretch with the hopes this can be the solution to taking me all the way to being completely natural.

5 facts I've learned about my hair:

1. My hair loves protein. What I mean when I say that is, my hair just shows-off when DC with protein. It looks healthy, feels healthy and it luxuriates. I have way less shedding, it looks fuller, every single one of my tresses shines. Anytime, I shop around for conditioners, I make sure that somewhere in the ingredients there's some protein in it.
My current conditioner I DC weekly with is Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner. I looooooove this conditioner. My hair and this conditioner are married! It's a light protein so I get the strength and rebuilding my hair loves and I get the moisture that my hair needs. Double bonus!

2. I have bratty hair. My hair wants what it wants and if it doesn't it turns into a brat and sheds/breaks. What I mean when I say this is, my hair will shed or break, almost immediately with a product that does it no justice. It's a plus for me because I get to know what my hair hates asap, but the downside of that is it can put my hair into a bit of setback from trying to recover.

3. My hair grows slowly. When I log into hairlista and see length check pics, I'm like "hol' up her hair is down her damn back in 6 months???- What am I doing wrong?" Turns out, I'm not doing anything wrong, my hair moves at its own pace and I've already came to grips with it. So, I don't have the length that I want in my 8 months HJ but I do have the health. I'll take health over length anyday. I do give my hair a bit of assistance with growing and staying on track. I take Hairfinity vitamins twice a day and a B-complex vitamin. I still don't see fast growth but I do see less breakage and shedding than ever.

4. Pre-poo's and my hair shall never part. I wrote a post awhile back about pre-pooing and how much my hair loves it. I think this has been the secret to getting my hair in a healthy state. I will never, ever-ever skip a wash day without pre-pooing. For me, the pre-pooing process is where I focus on meeting the needs of my hair. For instance, my hair can be quite drying so I include honey, which helps attract moisture to my tresses. My hair can shed more than normal for no reason, so add garlic water, this minimizes shedding. I recently started adding Jamaican Black Castor Oil to help my thin tresses to thicken up. And of course, I also add my beloved coconut oil to the mix because it helps restore the health of the hair. Some wash days, I may add a cheap conditioner to the mix like Tresemme or Herbal Essence for an extra conditioning boost.

5. Natural ingredients are wassup. I'm not fully into using all natural products for shampooing and conditioning just yet, but I have learned that the natural ingredients I have incorporated into my hair regimen gives me better and faster results on my tresses. For my protein treatments, I started using a raw egg, olive oil, honey and a cheapie conditioner. My hair stopped all shedding and breakage asap and it snaps back to a healthy start--winning! I started using Rosewater & Glycerin to moisturize my new growth my hair seems to stay moist. Aloe vera juice (AVJ) I've added as a leave-in/detangler. Oh baby! My hair butter soft and super manageable. Just what I like!

What have you learned most about your hair on your HJ?

Organic Root Stimulator Uplifting Shampoo. A Review!

My hair was thriving, then it was like the life got sucked of it. I was hating my hair for a few weeks almost at the verge of chopping it all off (again). Straight up hair frustration because my hair would not shine at all no matter how much moisturizing & sealing or co-washing I did. My rollerset would not last long and it started to look weighed down and I was experiencing some excessive shedding. I couldn't figure out if it was the products I was using or was I doing to much or what? Then a light bulb hit. WELP, I DO NOT CLARIFY MY HAIR.

The point of clarifying  is stuff builds up on your hair, all kinds of stuff. Hairsprays, mousses, and gels; hard water and mineral deposits; chlorine and chemicals from swimming pools; even the waxes and moisturizers in some shampoos and conditioners can leave build up on your hair over time. This build up can cause hair to appear dull, heavy, greasy, and limp. A clarifying shampoo can help remove those deposits, give your hair a fresh start, and restore shine.

I pre-poo (a pre-treatment with oils/conditioner before shampooing your hair) weekly and recently started incorporating co-washing (washing hair with a moisturizing conditioner) into my regimen, although they are great techniques for the hair, you eventually have to clarify at some point due to product build-up. So, off to the beauty supply store (BSS) I went to pick up a clarifying shampoo.

Anyhoo, I wanted to make it easy for myself with the decision making so I purchased Organic Root Stimulator Uplifting Shampoo. Anytime I buy a product from this line, I am always pleased and impressed so I figured I couldn't go wrong. And I didn't.

First of all, what a big difference clarifying makes, I never knew! Honestly, this was my first time ever using a clarifying shampoo, since starting my HJ back in January, and I must say my hair does feel lighter, cleaner, silky AND no itchy scalp. I plan on adding clarifying to my regimen by the fifth wash.

The Facts: 
This shampoo exfoliates the scalp helping to relieve the itchy feeling associated with dry scalp. It's ideal for all hair textures, and adds moisture while helping to condition and detangle.

• Enriched with menthol, nettle and horsetail
• Gently lifts flakes and excess oils
• Stimulates and irrigates scalp

The Instructions:

• Conduct a patch test for allergic reaction before use. Apply as directed to the nape of the neck; wait 24 hours. If itching, bumps or redness develop, do not use
• Apply a generous amount of shampoo to damp hair and work into a lather. Rinse thoroughly
• Repeat shampoo, leaving on for 2 minutes to maximize treatment
• Rinse thoroughly with warm water and condition with Organic Root Stimulator hair mayonnaise

The Truth:

• First off, no allergy reaction for me, thank God. I'm never allergic to anything so I was pretty optimistic about not having some sort of reaction.

• Loved the tingling sensation it gave while washing, made me feel like it was really doing something

• Clarifying shampoo's are known to strip the hair to release the build up, but for this to be a clarifying shampoo my hair did not feel stripped it actually felt moisturized and stronger.

•  I will say that my hair also behaved with holding rollerset curls. By day 2 of a rollerset my curls are lifeless.

• It definitely did the trick to my tresses they were lighter and shinier and my scalper is definitely cleaner. I usually have itching scalp and I haven't scratched my scalp going on 2 days. Impressive!  

Bottom line, hands down, Organic Root Stimulator is winning as far as product lines for me. I always get great results from their products. I'm a trusted fan! The ORS Uplifting Shampoo is surely a staple for me as my clarifying shampoo. If you don't believe check out one of my fav youtubers MrGORGEOUSisMYname who also reviewed this product. He had me LOL'n!!!

What do you clarify with?