I don't normally shed as much as I have been lately. Every time I run my fingers through my hair, I lose a couple strands. I think it's the result of a bad relaxer I got from my best friend's mom. Why? She combed the relaxer through my hair! It's a BIG NO NO because the chemical is already straightening the hair and combing will only overstretch the hair. Plus, she didn't leave the neutralizing shampoo on long enough. I'm just going to have to shampoo my hair (with a neutralizing shampoo), condition, deep condition, and air dry. After, I'll probably do some cornrows.

I was lurking on LHCF and found a thread talking about Raven's website, Raven-Symone Presents, which teaches you how to make anything from mini sandwiches to hair masks. It's a cute D.I.Y website that I thought I should provide the link to.

Remember in the last post where I talked about how DC'ing was beneficial for those of us who are stretching or transitioning? Well, I thought I should provide some more good advice for my fellow Stretchers and Transitioners. Especially to Transitioners who aren't doing a Big Chop (aka BC). I decided to start focusing on the health of natural hair also since I always talk about what's good for relaxed hair.

Great Moisturizing Shampoos For S's & T's

Creme of Nature Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo (Green and Yellow)

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Cream Lather Shampoo
Nexxus Therappe Shampoo
ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo

Great Conditioners For S's & T's

ORS Replenishing Pak/Conditioner (I swear by this!)

Aussie 3 minute Miracle Deep Moisture Treatment

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner
KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner (Pricey, but amazing!)

Suave Humectant
Nexxus Hydra Sleek

Leave-In Treatments For S's & T's

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave-in Cream

S-Curl Instant "No Drip" Activator (Loves it!)

TIP - The thing to remember when stretching or transitioning is that moisture is the key to keep the new growth soft and easy to handle. Also, another thing is that your relaxed hair is weaker than your new growth so make sure to do protein treatments focusing on the line of demarcation.

Deep Conditioning is a must when it comes to Black hair care. DC'ing is especially imporant for stretchers and transitioners. Since relaxed hair is weak, extra care is needed. This is the point of deep conditioning. I deep condition every week with ORS Replenishing Pak, which is a light protein and moisturizing conditioner. I also use Silicon Mix, a Dominican product which is considered a moisturizing conditioner. Anyway, DC'ing the right way is VERY important. What's the technique? Well, there are many ways, but the following, in my opinion as well as members of BHM and LHCF, are the BEST.

Deep Conditioning Wet Hair With A Plastic Cap
This technique is pretty much self-explanatory. Wash your hair with a shampoo of your choice and condition with an instant conditioner (Suave, V05, Aussie, etc). Rinse hair with warm water. The warm water will open up your cuticles to help the deep conditioner penetrate well. After, apply a quarter size (or more which I don't recommend) to the roots, hair shaft, and ends of your hair. Your ends are the oldest part of your hair and need more attention! Put the plastic cap over your head making sure not to allow the elastic band to sit on your hairline (This causes breakage to edges!). Sit under a warm hooded dryer for 45 minutes and rinse with cold water. Apply a leave-in.

*SIDENOTE- I've used a blow dryer for deep conditioning when my hooded dryer went M.I.A and it works just as well.*

Deep Conditioning On Dry Hair
A very popular way of DC'ing among BHM and LHCF members is this one. Start by applying the conditioner on your roots, shaft, and ends. Put a plastic cap on and let your hair sit under a hooded dryer for 15, 30, or 45 minutes. Rinse and apply a leave-in. The reason why, in my opinion, this works is because the hair's dry and is dampened by the conditioner so it penetrates well.

*SIDENOTE- This technique is best for those who can't get protein to work with their hair.*

There are many more ways to DC but these two are by far the most popular since they work. The one thing to remember when DC'ing is that your ends are fragile so they need the most attention. This is extremely important for those trying to grow their hair. Anyway good luck and HHG!

Yes, yes, yes. I trimmed my hair. I was about 10 weeks post on Tuesday when I did it. It's about a half an inch above APL. Damn, back to square one. It was worth it though. I saw a few split ends, only a few, but did a trim on all my ends. My hair feels so much healthier. Hopefully it'll pay off after I take out the braids I'm getting on Sunday.