kinksncurls ~ Still braided up

Mini Hair Update:
So I'm camping with minimal internet (ugh) so there are no picture updates for now. But I am having fun. I went from San Francisco, to L.A. where we went to six flags, then we went camping in the Grand Canyon. Now we're in Iowa for 3 weeks visiting the family and camping. Then heading to Virgina and Florida for more camping.

I'm having a blast but my hair is taking a beating in the sun. I'm still in the same braids from graduation. I cowashed and deep conditioned in between with Vo5 and coconut oil and moisturized my ends. I'm planning on re-doing my braids in a few days and getting them to last at least 2 weeks at a time. My hair is not used to the hot sun, it has been dry and crispy (daly city (near san francisco) is pretty much cool year round), but it feels a little better after my deep condition. I'll take pictures and post them when I have descent internet access. I do know at the end of the summer I'll need a good deep condition, and probably a trim.

I must say that I love natural hair. If my hair was relaxed I don't know what I would do right now! I'd probably be in extension braids, but those hurt my scalp and my neck from the extra weight of the hair.

Just thought I would stop by and say hello. For some reason I can't see pictures today in some threads. I guess it's my work computer.

Hope your are enjoying your vacation....and finding time to take care of your hair!!

KNH

Hi KinkyNappyHappy
Thanks for stopping by. I don't have alot of internet access except at coffee shops so I haven't been on in two weeks crazy!

I've been trying to take care of my hair. But its hard when you're out and about camping. I've had the same braids in since May 22nd, and they held up well considering...but they're coming out tomorrow!

Another Mini Update:
So I've been camping in the grand canyon, went to six flags in CA, went to a water park in Iowa, and then more camping and swimming. The hubby and I will be heading to Chicago, Virginia and D.C. by July 4th. Its been an awesome road trip, and my braids have held up, but My hair is definitely coming out of these braids tomorrow! I told the hubby he can do whatever he wants, but tomorrow is my hair day lol! I don't think he understands the whole hair thing, but he's been pretty supportive throughout.

I"ve been following the same routine: washing once a week with suave daily clarifying shampoo, and deep conditioning (kind of) with VO5 moisture milk and coconut oil. And moisturizing with Giovanni direct leave in. I've been doing feel tests and my hair hasn't been crunchy or super dry so I think its okay.

I'm having fun but I can't wait till august when I can nuture my hair again like I like to. I have a whole bunch of pictures I'll post at the end of the summer. My internet is super spotty right now.

Glad to hear camping is going good. I cant wait to see some pics!

Lynnieluve wrote:Glad to hear camping is going good. I cant wait to see some pics!

Thanks Lynnieluve

So it's been a while since I wrote in my Journal! But I'm finally off vacation, and finally able to give my hair some TLC and boy did it need it.

The hubby and I went to the Grand Canyon, AZ, camping and fishing in Iowa, Virginia, Washington D.C., St Louis, MO and Jacksonville Florida. And we had so much fun. I kept my hair in braids the entire time for six weeks at a time. Towards week 4 they started looking fuzzy and really in need of being done, but my hair took a backseat to vacationing.

week 3/4 hair in braids
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my hair/ the hubs and I in the grand canyon


my hair and I fishing/ Iowa


Basically, all summer I washed and conditioned my hair once a week and I spritzed my hair with diluted giovanni direct leave in conditioner - which kept my hair soft. But... (I know, I know!) I neglected my ends! I started out putting shea butter on my ends every other day and then got lazy. So I came home to supremely dry ends. I also had more knots on the ends of my hair than usual which I detangled out, but I wasn't used to seeing that many.
I trimmed about an inch off in places and started moisturizing every other day again like normal. Hopefully I'll be able to save some of my ends. We'll see when I take my next set of box braids down.

I'm really wanting to try that new shea moisture line from target primarily the shea moisture mist. I'm hoping to find something that moisturizes better then diluted giovanni leave in when my hair is in braids. I tried water, glycerin mixes and my hair just does not seem to like glycerin.

My hair is really acting up today! My scalp has been on so itchy since I put in my last set of mini braids last week. I'm so mad because there is no way I'm taking them down! I even washed and conditioned and moisturized and I'm still itchy. I'm hoping if I ignore it it will go away

Try some tea tree oil, that has a nice tingle and may help with the itching.

Hi KnC...

I see you really enjoyed yourself...so did you catch any of those fish you were holding in that picture? If so, that is great....I haven't been fishing since I was a little girl, and I wasn't successful. My grandmother would always tell me "Debbie if you can't bait your own hook you can't fish" therefore, I did not fish cause I was scared of the worms!!! LOL

So I looks likes your hair held up, but I guess you are going to really have to get some TLC in your routine to bump your moisture level back up.

Take Sweet's advice...I've hear tea tree oil works wonders on itchy scalp!!

Enjoyed your pictures....Have a great week!!

KNH

sweetdrk1 wrote:Try some tea tree oil, that has a nice tingle and may help with the itching.

Thanks I'll give it a try. I tried some when I first went natural and it made my hair itch more I think I may have used too much of the oil though, maybe I didn't dilute it enough?

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:Hi KnC...

I see you really enjoyed yourself...so did you catch any of those fish you were holding in that picture? If so, that is great....I haven't been fishing since I was a little girl, and I wasn't successful. My grandmother would always tell me "Debbie if you can't bait your own hook you can't fish" therefore, I did not fish cause I was scared of the worms!!! LOL

So I looks likes your hair held up, but I guess you are going to really have to get some TLC in your routine to bump your moisture level back up.

Take Sweet's advice...I've hear tea tree oil works wonders on itchy scalp!!

Enjoyed your pictures....Have a great week!!


KNH

Hi KNH!
Yes I had a great vacation, probably the best I've ever had. And believe it or not I caught the BIG catfish 16 1/2 inches. My husband was shocked. He said he wasn't mad, but then he went fishing every day and night after that until he caught a 19 1/2 incher lol. I was scared of hooking the worms at first too, especially since the hubs made me cut them in half while they were alive with my fingers lets just say it was interesting. But I got over it and fishing was so much fun after that.
Yeah my hair held up fairly well, but I definitely need to take better care of it. I've been moisturizing my hair daily, and moisturizing and sealing my ends every two days with either coconut oil or qhemets AOHC. I'm going to go out and get some tea tree oil today, because my scalp is furiously itchy and I can't take it anymore.
Thanks for stopping by,
have a great week too

Mini-Update
So I think I found the solution to my itchy scalp. I rinsed my scalp with water under the shower (I didn't shampoo because I did two days ago) and then I did a hot oil treatment with coconut oil. Its the first time since I've been natural that I did a straight hot oil treatment. I usually mix my conditioner with oils. Lo and Behold, my scalp feels better, my hair looks shinier and for some reason my braids look better than they did during my first wash. I'll definitely be adding hot oil treatments to my regimen.

I'm glad to hear you concurred your itchy scalp.

So how was camping? Sleeping outside? Were you able to sleep well? LOL!! I just couldnt imagine myself camping. It looks like you guys had a great time.

Camping was great for a day or two. It was just too Darn hot everywhere we went to camp for more than two days at a time, even the hubby agreed. We ended up staying at a hotel in florida, and rotating between staying with friends and camping everywhere else. We had a really good time though when we did camp, it was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be, and I was able to sleep (miraculously) maybe I was just too tired to care after hiking, swimming and fishing all day long

I remember my one and only camping trip. (Boy Scout thing) I heard wolves at night..I was told it wasn't wolves, but after the frog in the restroom it was a wrap for me!!! Not my thing...LOL (boy the things I did for my sons) SHM

Glad you had a great time...the pictures were very nice. (forgot to tell you that last week)

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:I remember my one and only camping trip. (Boy Scout thing) I heard wolves at night..I was told it wasn't wolves, but after the frog in the restroom it was a wrap for me!!! Not my thing...LOL (boy the things I did for my sons) SHM

Glad you had a great time...the pictures were very nice. (forgot to tell you that last week)

lol thanks KNH

So I've been trying not to be a product junkie (I rarely buy new products) but I think I need a change. I just don't feel like my hair is as moisturized as it could be...
Anyway here is my wish list:

Shea moisture hair milk
Shea moisture hair smoothee
shea moisture hair mist
(I'll have to order online my local target doesn't offer these)
Kenra daily provision spray

hopefully i'll get these next month and try them out.

I've been really slacking on my journal I haven't been in here in a while. I've just been super stressed and busy trying to find a job after graduating with my M.S. to no avail! Its been two months since I started my job search and I'm beginning to get discouraged. Luckily the hubby is holding down the income for now, and going to law school (which should make me feel better because we're not struggling like we should, but for some reason it only makes me feel worse). *Sigh* so its been kind of hard to get into the habit of writing in here. But I'm back to STAY hopefully.

In hair news:
I'm participating in the 3m growth challenge, and I'm loving it. It keeps me accountable for my hair and keeps me thinking about what I'm doing to my hair each week.
I've been trying out products from the shea moisture line and I love it! The shea moisture milk and mist will probably replace my giovanni direct leave in and spray bottle mix, but I have to test it out some more before I can be sure.

Anyways I'm braided up for the month. On Thursday I trimmed about 2 inches off of my hair and then put in my mini braids. (these pics are on the challenge board). I used shea moisture hair milk and afroveda shea alma to braid.

For upkeep I plan to wash and condition once a week, apply something for moisture (either the shea moisture mist or milk, or my faithful giovanni) and then seal my ends with Qhemets alma and olive heavy cream.







Side comment:
I usually braid my hair with afroveda's shea alma but due to their sudden price increase from 12.50 to 21.50 for 8oz of product, after I finish with my current stash I will be finding another alternative.

Hey kinksncurls,

I really like the sheamoisture hair milk! I think the owner of Afroveda must have lost her mind with that price increase The shea amla was also one of my staples but I will not be repurshaing at that price.

@krazycoils

Did you try the shea moisture mist? (not the volumizing one) I'm still on the fence about this product, I think it may be giving me an itchy scalp. I'm glad I'm not the only one who won't be repurchasing products from afroveda! Maybe she'll rethink her business strategy if she loses her regular customers

krazy coils wrote:Hey kinksncurls,

I really like the sheamoisture hair milk! I think the owner of Afroveda must have lost her mind with that price increase The shea amla was also one of my staples but I will not be repurshaing at that price.

kinksncurls wrote:@krazycoils

Did you try the shea moisture mist? (not the volumizing one) I'm still on the fence about this product, I think it may be giving me an itchy scalp. I'm glad I'm not the only one who won't be repurchasing products from afroveda! Maybe she'll rethink her business strategy if she loses her regular customers

I've got a feeling that the prices will go down on AfroVeda products. I was very disappointed when she increased her prices. I mean she doubled her butters from $9 to $18.50. So since I've found that the Curl Define gives me the best twist out ever...I will just purchase her products in sets!!

When she notice that her sales are dropping I see sales, sales, sales in her future!!

Hi KnC...just dropped by to see how you were doing...

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:

krazy coils wrote:Hey kinksncurls,

I really like the sheamoisture hair milk! I think the owner of Afroveda must have lost her mind with that price increase The shea amla was also one of my staples but I will not be repurshaing at that price.

kinksncurls wrote:@krazycoils

Did you try the shea moisture mist? (not the volumizing one) I'm still on the fence about this product, I think it may be giving me an itchy scalp. I'm glad I'm not the only one who won't be repurchasing products from afroveda! Maybe she'll rethink her business strategy if she loses her regular customers

I've got a feeling that the prices will go down on AfroVeda products. I was very disappointed when she increased her prices. I mean she doubled her butters from $9 to $18.50. So since I've found that the Curl Define gives me the best twist out ever...I will just purchase her products in sets!!

When she notice that her sales are dropping I see sales, sales, sales in her future!!

Hi KnC...just dropped by to see how you were doing...

Hi KnH
I'm so lagging on my own journal although I browse everyone else's lol. Yeah I'm pretty sure her prices will go down too. In the mean time, I'm trying to discover some new butters or trying to learn to make my own. But I am not a mixtress The last time I tried to make a hair butter it was a complete disaster.

Hair update:
Not much going on with my hair right now, I'm now heading on to week 3 with my natural braids and they still look good (to me). I can tolerate some frizz and massive shrinkage though, and my husband says he likes them so I'm going to keep them in for another week or so. I have to take some pictures and when I do I'll post them.

As for my hair routine: I figured out that the shea moisture mist is too light as a braid spray, it doesn't do much by itself. So I've been diluting the shea moisture milk with water and using that as a braid spray, then I used the shea moisture mist on top because it seems to provide some hold like a gel, and I tie my braids down until they dry. I think that's cutting down on the frizz.

I've gone back to my regular conditioner - the suave coconut conditioner with coconut oil. I think I'll use the tresemme naturals as a detangling conditioner when I take my braids out. The suave is the only conditioner other than V05 that doesn't irritate my scalp (I don't know why). So that's its for now!

Hey My Cyber Friend!
Just stopping by to say Hello and to see how did those products work for you? I see your looking for new hair butter. I do have a quick suggestion for hair butter. My feelings were hurt as well when Afroveda prices went up. I love her Whipped Hair Gelly for my twist but I still have (1) jar so that should last me until the end of the year. But have you tried Darcy's Botanical Madagascar Vanilla Styling Crème. I have used this with great results for my hair and my girls. It's only $12 and a little goes a long way. I could send you a small sample if you like. Just let me know.

TTYL

Hey Nina!
Nice to hear from you. The products worked great for me I think the shea moisture milk will be my new staple leave in, so thank you so much for swapping with me. I tried the madagascar vanilla styling creme a while back but wasn't completely sold on the product. I think I'm going to try organic's root stimulator lock and twist gel with some coconut oil when I get done with my afroveda shea alma (I also have enough that should last me to the end of the year, because I had made a purchase right before the prices went up).
I used to use the lock and twist gel when I was transitioning with good results so I want to re-try it. Its cheap and the ingredients are okay. Thanks for stopping by and cute up-do! Do you have a curl street journal?

Glad the products worked for ya. You just never know what the outcome will be like. Well..sorry it didn't work for ya. But alot of people favor the ORS and that's one product that I haven't tried. Not sure why... considering its cheap and easy to get. But thanks for the compliment! I'm trying to do more protective styling since my hair is shoulder length, well the back anyway . But sad to say that I don't have a curl street journal. Although I should because I log on everyday and everyone seems to have so much fun. Maybe one day I will...who knows.