Texlax Journey

Back and energised to continue blogging! Whoop.

My relaxed hair got too much to deal with. It's so difficult to retain length on fragile 4c relaxed strands. So I've decided to go texlaxed.

How would I do that?
For every inch of new growth, I axe an inch of relaxed hair.

When will I apply relaxer to texlax?
After I achieve 2.5 inches of new growth. Due Date: October 10 (5 months post relaxer)


HAIR CARE REGIMEN

Wash day regimen (Saturday)

* Friday night: divide hair into 4 sections and apply Olive Oil to whole head using Roots Only applicator. Cover with a shower cap and go to sleep.

Saturday:

* Dilute Crème of Nature Moisturizing Shampoo with water and wash scalp.

* Tea rinse (1 bag each of green & black tea –warm) - prepare tea night before

* DC afterwards (add 2 spoons of Roux Porosity Control + Coconut oil to DC)

         Option 1: RPC + Coconut oil + ORS Replenishing conditioner

         Option 2: RPC + Coconut oil + Aphogee 2 min reconstructor + moisture mask

* Wash out and tshirt dry

* At 80% dry, apply Shea Moisture Leave In + Paul Mitchell Skinny serum

* Before bed, part into 4 sections to moisturize & seal

To tackle high porosity (sunk strand test): ACV rinse after DC.

When new growth is thick and noticeable: Co-wash during the week (Herbal Essence Moisturizing Condish) then DC with Aussie 3 minute deep conditioner

'If I have no time' DC: Aussie 3 minute deep conditioner

3 times a week

Moisturize (S-curl) and seal (Coconut oil or JBCO, preferably the latter)

Occasionally

Scalp massages with peppermint oil + jojoba oil

Once a month

Clarify (ORS Olive Oil Creamy Aloe Shampoo) and follow up with protein treatment (ORS Mayo or egg/mayo/honey/olive oil mix)

Texlaxing

Coat hair with oil, dilute relaxer with oil, apply normally, don’t smooth, leave for shorter time, use ORS lye relaxer in Mild/Normal strength.

Vitamins!!! Daily - take. Daily. take. Daily!


REMEMBER NO.1 RULE!!!!
Always check the moisture+protein balance of my hair. This is the MOST IMPORTANT part of a healthy hair journey.



Pictures!

Root to tip = thick to thin
Difference between my hair textures - 1 inch of new growth and the rest is relaxed.

Cleaning scalp and moisturizing: Diluted ACV + tooth brush, and more!

So I watched a couple of youtubers talk about how they maintain a clean scalp with braids on without using shampoo. I decided to use ACV to clean my scalp as I've got crochet on. I used:

* 2 glass cups of warm water
* 4 caps of ACV
* Medium bristle tooth brush


I dipped the brush in the mixture and scrubbed each line gently (I used that opportunity to tighten the crochet loops). I hope it works. I felt refreshed after the clean and itchiness stopped. But we'll see what happens in a few days!

Also, after cleaning a track, I applied my moisturizer (s-curl) and oil (coconut oil). Then I did a little trimming. And that's it! I'll be repeating these on my washdays.

Crochet is ON!

Crochet braiding is a GREAT protective style because your hair is secured underneath to minimize potential breakage from exposure. You can also moisturize your corn rows and clean your scalp whenever you require. So I've installed CROCHET braids to carry for 2-4 weeks.

I used Freetress Loose Deep. I've used these braids before for 'pick & drop' style and carried it for 2 months. I got compliments literally everyday AND the braids lasted (didn't tangle; kept its curls) which is unusual. Besides, it looked GORGEOUS in pictures. So I decided to bring back these feel good points by installing them again but this time, as crochet.

This will be MY FIRST TIME installing braids on myself (ain't nobody got money for hairdressers in this economy...). It literally took 2 days of fiddling with it to get it right. Here's the final look:

The same braids a year ago:

Learn how to CROCHET braid here

Protective styling: Bun with aloe vera gel finish

All you need:

Aloe Vera gel is optional.

My first co-wash!

This is out of the blue but remember I'm crocheting this week? So on Tuesday, I examined my scalp and when I noticed a little bit of dandruff, my next thought was co-washing. I wanted a clean scalp for crochet so that I won't have to start itching too early. I hear co-washing's advantage over shampoo is removing dandruff without drying. And I gotta say y'all, it's so true. It does wash dirt off while moisturizing the hair. I used Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Conditioner (for dry/damaged hair). I couldn't find one for normal hair but I don't think it made a difference.

This product smells DELISH. It felt nice, lathers great, turns out awesome. After wards, I blow dried my hair (instead of airdrying as I needed to corn row for crochet immediately), and applied leave-in conditioner. Then I applied S-curl moisturizer throughout and sealed with olive oil. I haven't used olive oil in a while (minus the egg treatment). My hair is now in cornrow.


P.S: That egg/olive/honey/mayo mixture I did last week works wonders! I haven't had breakage and shedding since! I noticed because as I was blow-drying and combing my hair after co-washing, nothing came out compared to how it was before doing the protein treatment. My ORS Mayo jar has also arrived. Loving them both.

Wash day 7/09: Eggs, Schwarzkopf Shampoo, & Flat Ironing

Three things I did differently in my wash routine today are: new shampoo, egg protein treatment, flat ironing.

NEW SHAMPOO

My goal: Clarifying

Product: Schwarzkopf Deep Nutrition Shampoo Shea Cashmere

Lathering: Moisturizing. I think it's OK for clarifying 'cuz it contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate (the stuff that CLEANS). And you'll feel that squeak when you step outta the shower.

Results: Great! But you have to detangle immediately before your hair dries out into tangles. Will use again.

PROTEIN TREATMENT

My last protein was 3 weeks ago & my hair felt that loss! Broke easily today! Thought I could rely ORS Replenishing Conditioner's lil protein. I'll revert to protein treatment 2ce a week now!


My protein mix: 
2 egg yokes
1 tbs of Mayo
2 tbs of honey
2 tbs of olive oil

Process: Applied to shampooed hair, wore plastic cap and sat under dryer for an hour or so. The mix isn't runny & the egg didn't cook lol thank God.

Results: Silky soft! Just like how my hair feels after using the ORS Mayo.

FLAT IRONING

After blow drying (with cold air), I decided to flat iron. I'm really skeptical about using heat on my fragile hair but I just really wanted to see how it looks before I install crochet this week. As always, I applied Tresemme's Heat Protectant and my friend flat ironned. And here's the final results!!

p.s: I DC'd after protein treatment. It's very important to soften the hair and restore moisture. Also applied leave-in afterwards. And that's a wrap!! I'll be installing crochet this week x

Coming up: Egg, Olive Oil, Honey Protein Treatment

I ran out of my ORS Hair Mayo a while ago and my wash day is in two days. Beauty supplies in this side of the world is so freaking expensive and I prefer to buy my products via eBay or other online stores. I've just ordered the Mayo but since it can't arrive before the wash day, I've decided I'll go DIY this weekend!



As you may know, my new regimen involves a protein treatment once per month (beginning of every month - also my clarifying day). I've heard and read good things about egg/olive/honey treatment. I'll be mixing:

- 2 eggs, 2 tbs of olive oil, 1 tbs of honey.

I'll do this before my deep conditioning, as always.

This potion does exactly the same thing as the ORS Mayo... repairs dry/damaged hair, infuses protein, even repairs split ends. This will be my first time trying it. I'll be back on my wash day to review the results so watch this space. x