Baggying and The GHE (Green House Effect) Method for Moisture and Growth!... :-)

Hey Again!

I really wanted to get this post done today for a lovely viewer who stopped by the other day and ask me to explain what it is I meant by this "GHE Method" and "Baggying" that I kept mentioning in my previous posts.

First of all I'd like to say thank you to "thelongjourney" for stopping by and thank you even more for asking me for clarification. Sometimes I forget that I too didn't know some of the HHJ (Healthy Hair Journey) acronyms when I first started looking at hair blogs back in November 2012, I kept having to look them up when I saw them.

I'll definitely make more of an effort to explain different hair care acronyms, in fact I may just do a post soon with a list of a few commonly used hair-care acronyms and what they mean.

So...

Baggying - What is it Exactly?

In essence this is simply the process of applying a leave-in conditioner to the hair then placing a plastic cap/bag over your hair and allowing it to stay there for about half an hour to even hours overnight.

This basically creates a mini sauna for your hair so-to-speak. Sounds nice huh? :-) The moisture from the leave-in conditioner and the warmth from your body is trapped by the plastic barrier, forcing moisture to infuse your dry hair strands and it also creates the optimal environment for hair growth.

1. A Moisturizing leave-in conditioner of your choice - in my case I often use my trusty Profectiv Daily Leave-in Strengthener
2. If your hair is shoulder length and beyond and you want to make sure your ends are protected overnight - a Sponge Roller or a Flexirod
3. A plastic cap 
4. A scarf
5. For the following morning a light oil of your choice is needed - in my case I've been using Vatika Oil of late.

I use the scarf OVER the plastic cap because, as I've mentioned before, I absolutely hate the "crunch crunch" noise, I'd never get to sleep! Lol

So, now that we know what Baggying is what about...

The GHE (Green House Effect) Method?

The Green House Effect (GHE) Method is essentially the same as the Baggying method, following the exact same steps EXCEPT that in the GHE Method, no leave-in Conditioner is used. You use a spritz of plain tap water instead of the Leave-in Conditioner.

This Method works off of just your body heat and your natural hair oils

I use this method sometimes with Rosewater instead of Tap water.

And I seal in the morning with a small amount of Vatika Oil the following morning.

How long do you "Baggy" (or use the GHE Method) for?
and How Often?
Honestly the answer is: It depends on your hair. Some people sweat a lot from their scalp and so 15 minutes is quite enough for them, for others like me overnight is quite fine, I don't wake up with soggy hair, it is only very slightly damp. Some people only need to do this once a week to see great results others like me, whose hair is more prone to dryness, benefit from doing it nightly or very other night. It really depends on you and how your hair feels.
If your hair is already well moisturised then adding too much moisture from doing this method daily could be more harmful than helpful. Over-moisturised hair is "soggy" and very prone to breakage. So you just have to listen to your hair. If it doesn't need it daily, try it every other day or even once a week, up to you!

*My hair prefers the Baggying Method for now, but sometimes I change things up and do the GHE Method perhaps once or twice a month. No matter what though, I always try to remember to listen to my hair making sure that I'm not over-moisturising if I can help it!
:-)

I hope that this post answers any questions that you guys may have. Feel free to let me know if I left anything out. I'm not an expert, what I have written here is what I have learned over the past year and from personal experience from trying these methods.
I encourage you guys to give it a try if you've never tried it before.

Have a Great Day Guys!

Xoxo,

Rachie :-)