Almost nine months post relaxer

So I am about eight months and three weeks out. I took a picture yesterday and I think that I have made a ton of progress! Here is a picture which was taken at the beginning of May -- just a little over a month after my last relaxer. You can see my hair is about ear length:


The bangs in the front are a glued-in (I know, I know) track, so my actual hair was quite a bit shorter in the front. Not long after that, I got a sew-in weave, and wore those through the summer and early fall. Now, here is a picture after I took the sew-in out and got my hair pressed. This pic was taken right around when I started this blog in October:


I am at neck length. Now, two months later, my hair looks to be just at shoulder length! I think I have had about two inches of growth:

I have to say that I owe it all to protective styles. I had no idea what that even meant before I started my healthy hair journey. But that phony pony has really allowed my hair to thrive. I can't wait to see what the next couple of months will bring!

Ulta Offer

Saw this offer on Long Hair Care Forum:

Ulta
30% off one item + 3 Free Samples
Expires Jan 2, 2010
Enter coupon code CJ30OFF1 at checkout

Go ahead and get your hair a Christmas present! Happy Shopping!

Product Review: Andis & Maxiglide Pt. II

So Friday night, after having my hair so nicely blown dry, I wrapped it, tied it in a satin scarf, and fell out *snore*

Saturday it was time to flat iron. I was so excited about my new Maxiglide. There are two big things that make this flat iron different. One was that the ceramic plates had teeth. Second, it used steam to help soften and straighten the hair. Let me tell you, I was a little apprehensive about the steam part. I had been taught all my life that water, humidity, etc was bad news for my hair. I didn't get how it was going to work, but I was willing to try.

The instructions said to steam the ends of your hair, then make one or two passes with the plates over the entire length. One thing that was stressed was not to apply too much pressure when holding the plates closed. Easy enough. I did my hair in sections starting in the back and working my way to the top and the front. It took me about an hour and here is the final result!






I have to say, it was almost as good as what I get at the salon. I cannot say enough good things about the results of the Maxiglide and Andis. It was an investment, but what I paid for both is less than a visit and a half to the salon. Totally worth it!

Product Review: Andis & Maxiglide Pt. I

As stated in the previous post, I am now the proud owner of an Andis hair dryer and Maxiglide flat iron. Woohoo!

The Andis hair dryer was purchased at Sally's for $29.99. I got a small discount because I am a beauty club member, so for me it was $27.99. It has 1875 watts, comes with comb and diffuser attachments, and supposedly dries faster due to ionic technology.

I ordered the Maxiglide from HSN.com. I got a great deal on it. The set came with the flat iron, Miniglide styler (basically a mini flat iron), 12 oz of both Maxius shampoo and conditioner, 8 oz Beyond Straight Temporary straightener, 1 oz The End Silicone Shine Enhancer, detangling brush, two carrying cases for the flat irons, and an instructional DVD. The price was $79.99, but I had a coupon code which took $15 off. $64.99 for all that stuff.... heck yea!!

On Friday, I washed my hair with the Maxius shampoo. It was nothing special -- not good and not bad. I would use it again. I used the conditioner to detangle. I liked it, it had a nice scent and a lot of slip, so it made detangling pretty easy. After towel drying my hair, I used a little Cantu leave in and coconut oil. I then detangled one more time, and let my hair dry a little, till it was only damp.

I then applied a little of the Beyond Straight all over my hair, and started drying. The first thing I noticed about the blow dryer is how light it was! I used to always feel like I was getting an arm workout while drying my hair. However, It was nice having the dryer be so light, but my hair was dry so quickly it didn't even matter! My hair isn't that long, so it doesn't take long anyway, but I think my hair was dry in FIVE minutes. Seriously. And the Beyond Straight had it looking and shiny and healthy as my hair has ever looked after being blown dry. Here is the final result:

Next, I'll review the Maxiglide!

New Purchases!

I know I know.... the last thing I need to be doing is buying anything else for my hair. If I would just stay off my new favorite site, Long Hair Care Forum, I would be good!

On Friday, I purchased the Andis Colorwaves Tourlamine Hair Dryer:


And my new flat iron was delivered, the Maxiglide MP:

I have to say, both were great deals and good investments. In my next post, I will do a review with pics of my hair results.

The Beauty Shop

Last week, while I was sitting under the dryer at the salon, I was texting one of my girlfriends. She asked me how much longer I planned on getting my hair done at the salon. I immediately told her probably forever. She replied that one of the reasons she decided to go natural was to save money on getting her hair done. I told her I enjoyed going and I wasn't very good at doing my own hair, blah blah blah, etc etc etc. Then I started to think about it some more.

I was raised going to get my hair done religiously. I had my first relaxer at around age 3, and my mom took me every two weeks since then. I was thrilled when I got my first job when I was 16, because then I had my own spending money and could go get my hair done every week! Then I left for college, became poor, and couldn't go to the salon. My hair definitely suffered for it. After graduation and being all grown up, I went back to my salon going ways, and have even kept it up while I am transitioning my hair.

I think I have to change my thinking about taking care of my hair. In the last couple of months I have learned so much about my hair that sometimes I feel like I know more than any stylist I have ever had. However, because of my own experiences I still associate healthy hair with going to get it "done." One of my next goals is going to be to break out of that mindset.