The Phased Big Chop! Oh, and I Also Texlaxed on Monday! :-)

Hey There Girlies!

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post as often as I would like, but I definitely will not leave you out of the loop that is "Rachie's Hair Journey" for very long.

As you know, I had quite a bit of shedding and breakage in Late November and during December 2014 due to the stress of Wedding preparations, The breakage is especially at the line of demarcation where my Relaxed dyed hair meets my Texlaxed hair.

I had made a plan (Much like Harlem from harlemhhj.blogspot.com)to hold out until my birthday in April to cut off the relaxed ends - woiii! the thought of cutting off 4" at once was scary.

So in the mean time I've been cutting bit by bit: 

about an inch in January, 

and inch and a half in February 

and this month, on Saturday March 21st I cut off 2 inches off of each plait!!!

19

Wash Day - 16 weeks post Relaxer/Texlax

Hey There Guys!

So as you know, I decided to wash my hair on Monday because it was a public holiday, Gosh I dunno, I was NOT feeling it,

I wish someone could do it for me at times, lol!

Anyhow, here it goes..

1. I detangled my hair in 6 sections, then in 4 and then in 2.
   
2. I then plaited it so I could wash my hair in said plaits
   
3. I hopped into the shower and shampooed with Shea Moisture Moisturizing Shampoo. I noticed, however, it had an "off smell", seriously though shampoo goes bad? is that how infrequently I use shampoo? LOL, so I used: Mane 'n Tail Deep Moisturising Shampoo. My hair doesn't seem to like the latter. I really wish I could get my Design Essentials Moisture Retention Shampoo BUT THERE's NONE on ISLAND right now!! Sigh!
4. I then rinsed thoroughly and applied an ample amount of Nexxus Humectress Ultimate Moisture Conditioner.
   
5. I then put on a plasic cap + scarf and let it sit for about 2 hrs - no heat because the apartment was just hot, and I was not feeling the overhead dryer.
6. I then rinsed with warm then cold water, and did not do my ACV Rinse, no bueno *side-eye* I was tired I think.
7. I then wrapped by hair up in a cotton T shirt for 10 mins and then applied my leave-ins: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk, Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Smoothing Serum & Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Blow Dry Perfector (heat protectant)
   
8. I decided to TRY BLOW DRYING the roots on medium heat, so I undid each braid/plait and then blow dried the roots while applying tension.
   

MY HAIR DOES NOT LIKE BLOWDRYING,

I thought maybe the roots-only method may work, but nope, my hair simply isn't a fan, it felt dry and straw-like to me.

So I applied a lil bit of moisture with wet hands and about a tablespoon of: Herbal Essences Hydraliscious & Silky Boost Conditioner... Then put my hair in one and promptly went to do some reading (academic not leisure, alas)

Not the greatest of wash days unfortunately, but it's all part of the HHJ struggle I suppose!

Before I went to bed I mustured up the strength to put my hair in 8 plaits and wore it to work the next day with a scarf,

(forgive me, not the best pic - I had to throw a vintage filter on it! lol)
and just did a braid out for a bridal shower I had to go to later that evening!

*me and my girl Calisa*

Hectic 2 days huh?! LOL, so it go!

How did your wash day go? Are you stretching your relaxer too?

Oh! be sure to check out how wash day went for these lovely ladies:

Have a great Wednesday!

XoXo,
Rachie :-)

10

16 weeks Post Relaxer! Yayness!

Hey There Girlies!

It's been ages I know, I've been Uber uber busy, hopefully my efforts will be fruitful, :-D

Just an update:

I'm currently 16 weeks and 2 day post relaxer!!!!

Yay!

Honestly, I was really itching to just Telax it yesterday #thefrustrationwasreal

but I held off because I think I ought to amp up my deep conditioning sessions (Moisture + Protein) before I Texlax.

Also, I actually like my new growth.... most times, lol, so I'm a lil' sad to see it go so to speak,

We will see...

I have been on call for what feels like FOREVER, so I haven't had a chance to put my hair back in plaits for almost a week now

To protect my ends (a la Jeni from Just Grow Already)

I did a faux bun for work this past week:

Not bad, my ends were out of the way so it was great in terms of protecting them from the elements and my clothing

as well as reducing my anxiety over the stark contrast between my thick texlaxed hair + natural roots and my relaxed ends (looking a lil thinner than I like)

I'm hoping to do a deep treatment tomorrow - public Holiday here in BVI, and I'm considering doing a weave for 2-3weeks....to give myself and my hair a break while I study, CONSIDERING! Eeps!

How are ya'll relaxer stretches going?

I'd love to hear from ya!

XoXo,

Rachie :-D

0

Relaxer Stretching - 14 Weeks Post & Still Going Strong!

Hey There Guys!

So.... I'm 14 weeks post Relaxer tomorrow! (13weeks and 6 days today), whew!

and...

My hair is trying my patience! Woiiii!

Hands up all those who are transitioning to natural OR are doing a long relaxer stretch (like me) and are LITERALLY AFRAID to unleash the beast that is your New Growth?

Guys, it's no joke, sometimes, mih 'friad! 

I took down my twists for Valentines day, and it took days for me to find a 3 hour time slot to re-twist my hair and not be tired doing it....

Result:

Lots and Lots of Poofiness - which I'm beginning to love,

but tangles at the line of demarcation... le sigh

and boy do the relaxed ends look thinner,

This is always the case when I stretch,

but it's definitely more noticeable this time, Honestly, I think that's because I have different stresses at the moment anyway, and that tends to amplify things that don't seem to be going right,

Knowing this about myself,

I'm not panicking

Not one bit

I Refuse! Lol!

 *smoothed...

 *not smoothed...

That being said, I still haven't set a date for the next Texlax session, I'm gonna keep playing it by ear

:-)

It would be nice to stretch till the last week of April...

Late last night into the early of the hours of this morning, I found the strength to put it in braids/plaits again,
(I snipped a half an inch off of each plait)

and that's how it will STAY! Until April.... I hope... :-D

Plan:

(1) Continue to cut 3/4" -1" of hair every month,

(2) Considering a big cut for my birthday in April - *holds breath, lol!

(3) Twice weekly deep conditioning

(4) Be GENTLER when Manipulating my hair - I get frustrated, I know better, alas I'm only human, but seeing broken strands only adds to my stress.

(5) Revisit a "Check In" post at the end of each week to see how well I've been able to stick to my plan - evaluate whats working and what's not.
(6) Deep condition tonight in braids! :-)

I'm a work in progress, but I still aiming for "Fabbity fab" fully Texlaxed Waist Length hair by December 2015!

Xoxo,

Rachie :-)

9

Rachie's 5 Tips for Stretching Your Relaxer... :-)

Hey There!

Today, Yours truly is 11 weeks and 4 days post Texlax, 
Yayness!

It may not seem like much now, but on reflection, I realize this is almost a MONTH more than how often I used to relax my hair, pre-hhj!

In the spirit of gratefulness, hehehe :-)
I decided to share with you guys 5 of my relaxer-stretch tips that I've gathered along my HHJ:

2

Twist Take-down - Big Hair :-)

Heya, Happy Sunday!

I'm working this weekend, but I had to take down the twists to redo them, I try to not go longer than 10 days because:

(1) My hair tangles at the line of demarcation soon after this time period

(2) I need to deep condition AT LEAST once a week to keep my hair happy.... it's still recovering form December 2014, lol.

With LENGTH RETENTION in mind I was -well I tried for the most part - very very GENTLE with my strands on taking down the twists, to keep BREAKAGE at a MINIMUM.

(1) I Finger Detangled first

(2) Then used my wide toothed comb

(3) Then the Denman Brush

6

"Wash Day" - Dry Deep Conditioning in Braids/Twists :-)

Hey There Guys!

So earlier this week, Monday, I decided to do a Dry Deep Conditioning Session, after which I decided that I didn't like that my braids no longer looked very neat, so I undid them and put them in twists,

This took me 4 hours!!! Crazy! My poor back and shoulders, le sigh LOL!

Okay so, Dry deep conditioning was pretty simple:

16