I ordered a hair analysis from Live Curly Live Free several weeks ago and just received my profile. My results:
Texture: coarse
Porosity: normal
Elasticity: low
Shocked the heck out of me. I had my hair properties all wrong. I thought my texture was normal, my porosity was a little higher than normal, and my elasticity was normal to high. Most of the recommendations fit with what I've been doing based on the way my hair responds, but I will be changing a few things.
Since I have coarse hair, I'm supposed to avoid protein. Guess what? I thought my hair liked protein, and I've been doing protein treatments once a month or so! I haven't noticed a drastic difference afterward (good or bad), but my hair does tend to be very dry in general. I haven't experienced that straw-like feeling protein-sensitive curlies talk about, so I'm wondering how much of an issue it really is for me.
After taking inventory of the products I use, it turns out more than half of them are protein-free, and almost all of the ones I use most often are. Unfortunately, a few of my favorites are not, like the Gudonya shampoo and conditioner. At least my most beloved Shea Moisture products (Raw Shea Shampoo and Conditioner, and Curl Enhancing Smoothie) can stay in the rotation. Sadly, I now have two buckets of Eco Styler that are verboten. At least they were cheap.
Most of the results made sense to me: while my hair doesn't seem to conform to all the properties of coarse hair (not being able to hold a style or wet set - my hair holds an artificially-induced curl like nobody's business), most of the descriptions were spot-on.
My hair is dry (but not brittle), very thick and strong, and is somewhat resistant to coloring. I always have marathon salon appointments because it takes longer than usual for color to process, and because my hair is really dense it requires two batches of color to cover it all.
The elasticity thing is more mysterious to me. My hair isn't especially brittle as far as I can tell. I don't experience a lot of breakage, but I treat it gently. Looking at it, it seemed to me like it stretched pretty far before breaking, but I really don't have anything to compare it to. However, it does explain why my hair doesn't always hold its natural curl. I always thought it was strange, because my curls mostly vary between thumb and pencil diameter. You'd think it would hold, wouldn't you? Not so much.
According to the analysis, low elasticity is caused by over-processing and/or excessive heat styling. I color my hair, but I've never thought of it as "over-processed" since it doesn't look damaged. I have a lot of grey, which I'm not ready to embrace, so I have it dyed to match my natural color, which is very dark. I do have a few highlights (like 12). I've straightened my hair maybe five times in my entire life, but I do diffuse it every few days. I guess that and the color must cause more damage than I thought.
I'm definitely glad I ordered the analysis. While it won't cause any drastic changes in my routine, it does give me some explanations for certain things - like why I need to remoisturize between washes and why it's difficult to get my curls to boing. I will make some minor adjustments, like focusing more on emollients and avoiding protein. I'll be interested to see if I notice any changes.
Showing posts with label hair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hair. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Small Victories, Part II
My husbeast hates buns. The kind you put in your hair, I mean. French rolls and Gibson tucks are okay. But not buns. He calls them "librarian buns" and states adamantly that they are "ass-ugly". My hair is a bit below shoulder length and weighs roughly 12 pounds. I also live in a city that was built on a swamp, and we have some hot, hella-humid summers. Having my hair down is like wearing a mohair hood. You see my problem.
Now, while I will take Stash's opinion into account, I'm hardly going to suffer heat stroke to please his odd perceptions of beauty. Last weekend we went to my father-in-law's to help him sort through 30 years' worth of stuff and make some room in his house. I knew it was going to be hot in there, so I put my hair in - gasp! - a messy bun. Guess what? Stash liked it.
It seems I have found the key. Tidy buns are the problem. Mine was far from it. I sprayed some homemade curl refresher on second day hair, diffused a tiny bit, then gathered and twisted it loosely, holding it in place with Goody Spin Pins (love those things). The curls near my face are shorter and fell out. I let a couple hang out and used two or three thin headbands to hold the rest back. Done.
Now, while I will take Stash's opinion into account, I'm hardly going to suffer heat stroke to please his odd perceptions of beauty. Last weekend we went to my father-in-law's to help him sort through 30 years' worth of stuff and make some room in his house. I knew it was going to be hot in there, so I put my hair in - gasp! - a messy bun. Guess what? Stash liked it.
It seems I have found the key. Tidy buns are the problem. Mine was far from it. I sprayed some homemade curl refresher on second day hair, diffused a tiny bit, then gathered and twisted it loosely, holding it in place with Goody Spin Pins (love those things). The curls near my face are shorter and fell out. I let a couple hang out and used two or three thin headbands to hold the rest back. Done.
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| I really dislike this photo, but at least you can see my awesome Marie LaVeau earrings. |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Small victories, Part I and a mini-review of Ion Effective Care Treatment
I've had a couple of minor victories recently. One was achieving the best hair day I've had in a while. On second thought, that's a pretty big victory!
I had noticed that my hair was becoming less curly. For me, this is practically a crisis, since my goal is to get tighter curls, not looser ones. My usually 3a/3b hair was looking more 2c/3a. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, particularly since we've had incredibly high dew points. Humidity will generally give me more curl (and frizz), not less.
After reading some posts on NC.com, I started to wonder if maybe my hair was over conditioned and/or had product build up. Someone pointed out that my beloved Shea Moisture is loaded with - you guessed it - shea butter, which isn't the easiest thing to remove with just a gentle lo-poo. This had never occurred to me. I guess I'm a little dim.
So, fortified with this new bit of information, I did a baking soda cleanse in place of my lo-poo. I mixed 2 T of baking soda with 6 T of conditioner and worked it into my hair thoroughly. After rinsing with water, I applied a vinegar rinse of about 2 T of vinegar (apple cider or white are both fine) to 2 c of water. A baking soda cleanse must be followed with a vinegar rinse to close the cuticle. I poured the rinse over my head, squished it around a bit, then rinsed. My hair felt almost squeaky clean - not something I usually want, but in this case I was pleased! I followed up with a quick protein treatment, using Ion Effective Care Treatment.
The mini-review: I discovered the Ion treatment through Healthy Curls (one of my favorite blogs - she's almost got me convinced to go Paleo!). I generally mix up my own DTs and PTs, but she had me interested. Then synchronicity struck: I went to Sally's for some stuff and had to renew my Beauty Club card. Lo and behold, my renewal entitled me to a free Ion product! So of course I picked up the Effective Care Treatment, and I like it a lot.It's very thick and coats well, and I like that I can detangle with it, rather than having to use an extra conditioner. It works in 2 - 3 minutes, and I don't need a DT afterward - always a plus. I still make my own treatments when the mood strikes or I want to use something in particular, but the Ion treatment is convenient and effective. I will probably repurchase.
Back to my treatment. I put it in, used it to detangle, then left it on while I did the rest of my shower stuff. My hair felt conditioned after I rinsed it out, so I didn't bother to follow with a rinse-out.
I decided to go with the less-is-more approach and use as few products as possible, and nothing heavy. I put in a little Biotera LI, which is positively watery. Then I added Organic Root Stimulator Lock &Twist Gel (all on soaking we hair). The second ingredient in the L&T gel is coconut milk, so I figured it would give me enough moisture without overdoing it. I sectioned my hair into about six parts and applied it sparingly to each one. Then I scrunched in a little more all over before scrunching out the excess water with a flour sack. I diffused until my hair was about 85 - 90% dry, and I was really pleased with the results. My curls were tighter and bouncier, and I even had curls in the back (it's usually stubborn, and at times downright wavy. Bugs the crap out of me). In spite of the fact that I was outside a fair amount and the dews were in the high 60s, my hair held up well. A little frizzy, but I accept that as part of curly hair in high dew points.
I'll write a little review of ORS Lock & Twist Gel after I've used it a few more times. So far, though, it gets a reserved thumbs up. While I liked the initial results a lot, my second day hair left something to be desired....
I had noticed that my hair was becoming less curly. For me, this is practically a crisis, since my goal is to get tighter curls, not looser ones. My usually 3a/3b hair was looking more 2c/3a. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, particularly since we've had incredibly high dew points. Humidity will generally give me more curl (and frizz), not less.
After reading some posts on NC.com, I started to wonder if maybe my hair was over conditioned and/or had product build up. Someone pointed out that my beloved Shea Moisture is loaded with - you guessed it - shea butter, which isn't the easiest thing to remove with just a gentle lo-poo. This had never occurred to me. I guess I'm a little dim.
So, fortified with this new bit of information, I did a baking soda cleanse in place of my lo-poo. I mixed 2 T of baking soda with 6 T of conditioner and worked it into my hair thoroughly. After rinsing with water, I applied a vinegar rinse of about 2 T of vinegar (apple cider or white are both fine) to 2 c of water. A baking soda cleanse must be followed with a vinegar rinse to close the cuticle. I poured the rinse over my head, squished it around a bit, then rinsed. My hair felt almost squeaky clean - not something I usually want, but in this case I was pleased! I followed up with a quick protein treatment, using Ion Effective Care Treatment.
The mini-review: I discovered the Ion treatment through Healthy Curls (one of my favorite blogs - she's almost got me convinced to go Paleo!). I generally mix up my own DTs and PTs, but she had me interested. Then synchronicity struck: I went to Sally's for some stuff and had to renew my Beauty Club card. Lo and behold, my renewal entitled me to a free Ion product! So of course I picked up the Effective Care Treatment, and I like it a lot.It's very thick and coats well, and I like that I can detangle with it, rather than having to use an extra conditioner. It works in 2 - 3 minutes, and I don't need a DT afterward - always a plus. I still make my own treatments when the mood strikes or I want to use something in particular, but the Ion treatment is convenient and effective. I will probably repurchase.
Back to my treatment. I put it in, used it to detangle, then left it on while I did the rest of my shower stuff. My hair felt conditioned after I rinsed it out, so I didn't bother to follow with a rinse-out.
I decided to go with the less-is-more approach and use as few products as possible, and nothing heavy. I put in a little Biotera LI, which is positively watery. Then I added Organic Root Stimulator Lock &Twist Gel (all on soaking we hair). The second ingredient in the L&T gel is coconut milk, so I figured it would give me enough moisture without overdoing it. I sectioned my hair into about six parts and applied it sparingly to each one. Then I scrunched in a little more all over before scrunching out the excess water with a flour sack. I diffused until my hair was about 85 - 90% dry, and I was really pleased with the results. My curls were tighter and bouncier, and I even had curls in the back (it's usually stubborn, and at times downright wavy. Bugs the crap out of me). In spite of the fact that I was outside a fair amount and the dews were in the high 60s, my hair held up well. A little frizzy, but I accept that as part of curly hair in high dew points.
I'll write a little review of ORS Lock & Twist Gel after I've used it a few more times. So far, though, it gets a reserved thumbs up. While I liked the initial results a lot, my second day hair left something to be desired....
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Rosacea, PSF, and my first Gibson Tuck!
I got my order from Pure Skin Formulations today. Whee! I've got my fingers crossed that the products will work for me. They were highly recommended by a number of very knowledgeable ladies on NC.com, so I have high hopes. But not too high.
I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin lately. I have rosacea, which is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. My case has been mild for most of the 15 years since I was diagnosed. Unfortunately, it's been moving into the "moderate" category for the past couple of months. In fact, it's worse than it's ever been. After a couple of flare-ups I went to a dermatologist, who turned out to be a butthead. After a bizarre encounter with him ("Nothing topical is going to help you", "You should be using something topical" - what???), I decided to try changing my skin care products, along with using the new topical prescription.
After getting some recommendations, I ordered samples from Diana Yvonne: Wheat Germ Cleanser, Rose Hip Cleanser, Hyaluronic Acid, and Ultra Emu Oil. The cleansers were a bomb out. I have combination skin and can get a pretty good oil slick going on my nose and forehead. The Wheat Germ dried me out so badly after two or three uses that my skin cracked near the corner of my mouth (I put some raw shea butter on it and it healed up almost overnight). The Rose Hip was better, but still left me very dry (to the point of peeling in places), and the HA and Emu Oil weren't enough to counteract it. I ended up putting jojoba oil on over them.
PSF doesn't offer samples; however, they do have a 30 day no-questions-asked money back guarantee, AND they sent me a 25% off code for Memorial Day weekend. How could I not try them? I ordered the Gentle Cleansing Castile, DMAE Gel, HA Serum, Vitamin C Serum, and got a free full-size Bio-Copper Serum! I've heard good things about copper peptides from other rosacea sufferers and I'm really curious to see the results.
This morning I used the cleanser, vitamin C, and DMAE, along with the HA sample and emu oil from DY. So far, so good. Sounds ridiculous to people with normal skin, but it's a small victory not to have developed any immediate irritation. I was particularly worried about the vitamin C, so I only did a patch test (I didn't want my whole face on fire if I reacted badly). No extra redness, bumps, or burning, so that's a good sign!
Will the stuff work in the long run? Who knows. I'm not expecting miracles. What I'm hoping is that, with consistent use, the products will improve the texture of my skin (not so happy with that either) and tone down the redness a little. I don't expect to get rid of it, but I'd like to go back to being pink as opposed to scarlet. I'll post progress reports.
In hair news, I did my first Gibson tuck today. Successfully! My hair was a wreck - it's Saturday, I forgot to wear my sleep bonnet last night, our dews have been in the upper 80's - and I had to run to Walgreen's to pick up a few things. My pony looked nasty, and I didn't feel like putting in a lot of effort just to go to the drugstore. I had run across the Gibson tuck a couple of weeks ago, and it looked easy enough, so I decided to try it.
Excuse the frizz and crazy curls at the nape of my neck - I was only to the drugstore, after all! It took me all of three minutes. Not bad for a first try.
I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin lately. I have rosacea, which is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. My case has been mild for most of the 15 years since I was diagnosed. Unfortunately, it's been moving into the "moderate" category for the past couple of months. In fact, it's worse than it's ever been. After a couple of flare-ups I went to a dermatologist, who turned out to be a butthead. After a bizarre encounter with him ("Nothing topical is going to help you", "You should be using something topical" - what???), I decided to try changing my skin care products, along with using the new topical prescription.
After getting some recommendations, I ordered samples from Diana Yvonne: Wheat Germ Cleanser, Rose Hip Cleanser, Hyaluronic Acid, and Ultra Emu Oil. The cleansers were a bomb out. I have combination skin and can get a pretty good oil slick going on my nose and forehead. The Wheat Germ dried me out so badly after two or three uses that my skin cracked near the corner of my mouth (I put some raw shea butter on it and it healed up almost overnight). The Rose Hip was better, but still left me very dry (to the point of peeling in places), and the HA and Emu Oil weren't enough to counteract it. I ended up putting jojoba oil on over them.
PSF doesn't offer samples; however, they do have a 30 day no-questions-asked money back guarantee, AND they sent me a 25% off code for Memorial Day weekend. How could I not try them? I ordered the Gentle Cleansing Castile, DMAE Gel, HA Serum, Vitamin C Serum, and got a free full-size Bio-Copper Serum! I've heard good things about copper peptides from other rosacea sufferers and I'm really curious to see the results.
This morning I used the cleanser, vitamin C, and DMAE, along with the HA sample and emu oil from DY. So far, so good. Sounds ridiculous to people with normal skin, but it's a small victory not to have developed any immediate irritation. I was particularly worried about the vitamin C, so I only did a patch test (I didn't want my whole face on fire if I reacted badly). No extra redness, bumps, or burning, so that's a good sign!
Will the stuff work in the long run? Who knows. I'm not expecting miracles. What I'm hoping is that, with consistent use, the products will improve the texture of my skin (not so happy with that either) and tone down the redness a little. I don't expect to get rid of it, but I'd like to go back to being pink as opposed to scarlet. I'll post progress reports.
In hair news, I did my first Gibson tuck today. Successfully! My hair was a wreck - it's Saturday, I forgot to wear my sleep bonnet last night, our dews have been in the upper 80's - and I had to run to Walgreen's to pick up a few things. My pony looked nasty, and I didn't feel like putting in a lot of effort just to go to the drugstore. I had run across the Gibson tuck a couple of weeks ago, and it looked easy enough, so I decided to try it.
Excuse the frizz and crazy curls at the nape of my neck - I was only to the drugstore, after all! It took me all of three minutes. Not bad for a first try.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Welcome to my journey
My hair has been my hobby lately. I admit it: I'm obsessed with my hair. And my skin - but I'll get to that later.
How did this happen? Well, like most women, I've always focused on it to some degree (greater or lesser, depending on the time period and what else was going on). Having curly hair sort of forces you to pay more attention to it. It needs more care and is harder to figure out than straight hair.
It had been a while since I paid any significant attention to it. There was too much going on in my life for that. Being a wife, working full time, and caring for a terminally ill family member took up all my time, energy, and attention. Two months ago, sadly, the care-taking came to an end. I had more time, but I was grieving and had little interest in my usual creative outlets. I needed a distraction. And suddenly, in an innocent search for a less expensive alternative to a product I'd been using, I noticed my hair again. We had a joyful reunion!
You see, it hadn't been so happy lately - that much I had noticed. While googling various things, I ran across NaturallyCurly.com. Holy crow. How had I missed this? The CurlTalk discussion boards, in particular. I was totally overwhelmed and delighted. I've learned more about my hair in the past two months than the rest of my life combined. This is the first time in my life I've joined a discussion board and done more than lurk. I've always been terribly shy online; for a site to pull me out of the shadows is a powerful thing.
So a big thank you to all the NC.com members. I've learned so much from all of you, and I'm grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
I'm starting this blog to document my experiments, talk about products I love (or hate), and generally track my never-ending quest for good hair days. I've been keeping daily notes, anyway, so I figured I might as well put it online and share it with anyone who's interested. I hope you'll stick around and take the journey with me.
How did this happen? Well, like most women, I've always focused on it to some degree (greater or lesser, depending on the time period and what else was going on). Having curly hair sort of forces you to pay more attention to it. It needs more care and is harder to figure out than straight hair.
It had been a while since I paid any significant attention to it. There was too much going on in my life for that. Being a wife, working full time, and caring for a terminally ill family member took up all my time, energy, and attention. Two months ago, sadly, the care-taking came to an end. I had more time, but I was grieving and had little interest in my usual creative outlets. I needed a distraction. And suddenly, in an innocent search for a less expensive alternative to a product I'd been using, I noticed my hair again. We had a joyful reunion!
You see, it hadn't been so happy lately - that much I had noticed. While googling various things, I ran across NaturallyCurly.com. Holy crow. How had I missed this? The CurlTalk discussion boards, in particular. I was totally overwhelmed and delighted. I've learned more about my hair in the past two months than the rest of my life combined. This is the first time in my life I've joined a discussion board and done more than lurk. I've always been terribly shy online; for a site to pull me out of the shadows is a powerful thing.
So a big thank you to all the NC.com members. I've learned so much from all of you, and I'm grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
I'm starting this blog to document my experiments, talk about products I love (or hate), and generally track my never-ending quest for good hair days. I've been keeping daily notes, anyway, so I figured I might as well put it online and share it with anyone who's interested. I hope you'll stick around and take the journey with me.
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