Let's Chat: Is Your Hair Changing People's Initial Perceptions?

Just the other day, I was at my Aunt's House dropping off my mother. I was wearing my hair down with a simple headband. My Aunt then stops me to ask

Aunty: "Is that all yours?"
Me: "You mean my hair?"
Aunty: "Yes!"
Me: "Of course, this is all me!..LOL"
Aunty: "Oh from when you were little, I never expected your hair to be so long..WOW...blah blah blah" *I kinda tuned out after a while*

My mother told me on numerous occasions that my Aunt never had high hopes for my hair because it was always dry, coarse, rough and short as a child. She always thought my sister would have longer hair since it was much softer & "cooperative", similar to my mother's hair.

So, my question to you is..

Have you changed other people's minds about your hair thus far into your hair journey?
Have you proved the hair haters wrong?

Let me know...I know I did with my aunt and it feels GOOD..LOL.

Plus..I'm not done yet =]

♥ Sunshyne

July 2009 Hit's and Misses

Well for me...

Hit:
1. S-Curl No Drip Activator as a leave-in conditioner! This stuff absorbs way better on wet hair leaving your hair incredibly soft, moisturized and fluffy when dry. Highly recommend for those with 4a/b/c texlaxed hair.

Revisit:
1. Aussie Moist as a co-wash. I adore this conditioner. I used to use it all the time early '08!! It's up there with Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship conditioner. I'm going to be using it for the Summer 2009 Co-wash Challenge on Hairlista.

What were your hits & misses for this month?

What about any revisits (products that worked well for you in the past & you tried it again with the same/better results)?

♥ Sunshyne

Let's Chat: Got Intense Shine?

Dull lack luster hair is something that we all don't like and try to improve on throughout our Hair Journey's.

Dry dull looking hair is normally the result of poor diet, lack of moisture, porous hair, chemical treatments etc.

I know there are a lot of products on the market nowadays that don't live up to their promises, so ladies, let me ask you this....

What products and/or techniques give YOUR hair intense shine?

How do you do it?

How long does it last?


♥ Sunshyne

Let's Chat: Your Relationship with Protein!

Let's face it, many of us are scared of protein! We feel that protein in the "enemy", we will get "protein overload", it will cause more breakage, its bad for you etc. etc.

The truth is, protein is great for our hair, especially if you have relaxed hair. Relaxed hair, as opposed to natural hair, needs a proper balance of both moisture and protein in order to maintain good health. Protein gives our hair body and thickness, while moisture gives our hair elasticity and softness.

Remember, when we get relaxers, the protein content in our hair is almost completely stripped away !!! The chemicals in relaxers relaxes the curls simultaneously making the hair more weak and fragile. That's why it's highly recommend that we do a protein treatment before and after a relaxer to replenish and strengthen the protein loss we just encountered during the relaxing process.

Believe it or not, you can use a light protein treatment in your regimen once a week or biweekly without going into protein overload, if you use a moisturizing treatment afterward. Rule of thumb: Always backup your protein with a moisturizing conditioner to return softness and moisture back into the hair.

How do you feel about protein in your regimen? Are you scared of it too? Or do you welcome it with open arms?

♥ Sunshyne

Let's Chat: How did you build your regimen?

I started out by finding a hair twin (someone with the same texture and/or starting length as me) and then I took a look at their products and mimicked their regimen. As I went further along in my hair journey, I began to learn new things & experiment, which eventually led me to my regimen now.

So how did you learn to build your current regimen?
Was it all from trial and error?
Did you copy from a hair twin?
Or was it recommended?


♥ Sunshyne

September Hits and Misses

September is over! This month flewww past me *sighs*

Anyway, its about that time again, what were your hits & misses for this month? What about any revisits (products that worked well for you in the past & you tried it again with the same/better results)?

Hit:
1. Jason Sea Kelp Shampoo
2. Creme of Nature Detangling Shampoo
3. Pantene Relaxed & Natural Breakage Defense Mask

Revisit:
1. S-curl (I don't know why I stoppped using this!)

Miss:
None


♥ Sunshyne

August Hits and Misses!

So, we are now down to the last days of August and I'm curious to know...

What are some of your Hits and Misses for this past month? What products have you tried that have been working for you and what products have been a miss?

HITS:

Hot Six Oil - It has been growing on me. I gave it another try and so far it leaves my hair smooth andseals in my moisturizer very well.

Egg Treatment - Left my hair soft, thick and strong. Definately a staple!

MISSES:

None

What about you?...

♥ Sunshyne

Small Tweaks BIG Results!

Since the beginning of my hair care journey, I have learned so many little things that has helped me maximized my resluts in a very big way. Here are the tips that I have used with success :

1. Air drying my hair with a scarf around my hairline to get roots straight and hairline smooth.
2. Adding 100% pure glycerin (at times) to my favourite deep conditioner to maximize moisture.
3. After shampooing, I gently squeeze out excess water with towel right before deep conditioner. So that the conditioner can penetrate better.
4. Baggying ends with a little bit of moisturizer since a little goes a long way.
5. Using water based moisturizers with glycerin as the main ingredient to moisturize hair.
6. When shampooing, scrub the scalp only, not the hair itself. Less tangles this way.
7. Moisturize hair in sections that way all of my hair is moist not just the outer layer.
8. Tilting my head upside down, after I've applied my deep conditioner, to gather all my ends at the top and then covering it with a plastic cap so they get the most conditioning effects while under the hooded dryer.
9. Applying deep conditioner in sections as if I'm going to cornrow my hair or grease my scalp. The conditioner is applied to my roots then my tips using this method. My hair has changed so much with this!
10. Using cool/lukewarm water as my final rinse when rinshing out my deep conditioner. This closes the cuticles.
11. Applying moisturizer to my ends first (last 2-3 inches) then to the rest of my hair.
12. Adding EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and Honey to my moisturizing deep conditioners. This has given me slip and the tangles slip right out plus its very very moisturizing!! Love ITTTT
13. Only comb on wash days (I like very low manipulation) and finger comb in the week.
14. Putting glycerin based products on new growth while stretching to keep it extra soft between washes.
15. Last but not least, detangling in the SHOWER. I was one of those girls that washed and rinsed my head over the tub and ended up with TANGLES for DAYS. Those days are long gone and rinsing my hair and detangling with my wide tooth comb in the shower has been amazing for me.

♥ Sunshyne

P.S. What have you done throughout your hair journey that has helped in a BIG way???