As you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven't written in a while. From Jamaica, to coming home and realising I had to move to launching Gem Stone Love, and trying to get to grips with what is and isn't happening in my day job - I just haven't had the time.
I have been keeping up on my hair regime and I'm still making things left right and centre - most recent addition being a pomade with beeswax.
But unfortunately I'm going to have to leave blogging alone for a little while :( :( :(
I'll still be around but it will be in full Gem Stone Love capacity - you can catch me at any of the places below explaining it all like my name is Clarissa or something.
I really appreciated everyone who read and Google+ posts and I'm hoping you'll stay in touch and follow me on my new journey. This blog is staying open as there may just be room for me to return later. But until the next time...
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Showing posts with label protective style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protective style. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 August 2017
Saturday, 17 June 2017
Hair oil change
So I decided that Cocoa Butter in hair oil is not for me. I don't know if it's the fine hair or what but my hair was just consistently fluffy for about a month, see Fluffy hair post
So I decided to take the plunge and add Rosewood to my hair oil mix. It effects my hair in a protein/ACV way so strongly that I was a little scared that it would be too much to include it in the oil - even though I included just 1 drop.
That 1 drop saved me. I could put my flexi rods in and have shiny defined curls even with my tiny tightly curled routes fighting for attention.
My relaxer is on Thursday (9 week stretch) I've been living in one lobster clasp at the back with curls exploding from the top and the front. It's working for me even if it is a little 90's. I'm turning 30 in a very short period of time so it's safe to say it will be difficult to age me from all sides anyway- heeeeyyyyy.
Hair oil mix below - if you try it let me know how it goes. I think the Avocado is helping me as well because I can put this mix straight in my damp hair and it just helps so much with the detangling.
So I decided to take the plunge and add Rosewood to my hair oil mix. It effects my hair in a protein/ACV way so strongly that I was a little scared that it would be too much to include it in the oil - even though I included just 1 drop.
That 1 drop saved me. I could put my flexi rods in and have shiny defined curls even with my tiny tightly curled routes fighting for attention.
My relaxer is on Thursday (9 week stretch) I've been living in one lobster clasp at the back with curls exploding from the top and the front. It's working for me even if it is a little 90's. I'm turning 30 in a very short period of time so it's safe to say it will be difficult to age me from all sides anyway- heeeeyyyyy.
Hair oil mix below - if you try it let me know how it goes. I think the Avocado is helping me as well because I can put this mix straight in my damp hair and it just helps so much with the detangling.
- 15g Mango Butter
- 45g Coconut Oil
- 12ml Olive Oil
- 7ml Jojoba
- 5ml Vitamin E
- 1ml Avocado oil
- Essiantial oils -
- 1 x Rosewood
- 3 x Rosemary
- 2 x Calendula
- 3 x Lavender
- 1 x Frankincense
Sunday, 21 May 2017
The gripped ponytail - handle with care
I used to live in ponytails. Back in the day when I was still very unconfident about my hair, and had no idea how to style or take care of it. Everyone either had longer looser curled hair that was much easier to just fling in one, or wore weaves, so I didn't have much variety to get ideas from.
So when it came to any kind of 'going out out' the decision for how to do my hair was "which ponytail to put on?" Not how do I style it. I had quite a range, and I always wore them well. I wore them well, my hair line did not. My hair line was not a fan of ponytails. The ends of my hair that I put in a strangle hold hair band was not a fan of the ponytails.
I could get quite obviously why my hair line suffered. But I didn't know what to do about the ends of my hair - I was young and not nearly as well read on the subject as I am now. The ends of my hair suffered because I was tucking them in after the forth tie around. I also didn't realise the importance of making sure the hair I was putting under stress - where the band met the hair, should be even more cared for. Because it wasn't seen, I didn't think I needed to do anything with it.
Yesterday I went to an amazing fancy dress party as Uhura from Star Trek. I have exactly 1 ponytail in my possession that I've only worn 3 times in 3 years, 2 of those at fancy dress (first one was catwoman - I looked fantastic and it had nothing to do with the hair...).
This time though, I have learnt, thoroughly what I'm supposed to be doing when I use a ponytail. I made sure to soften up and massage my scalp all over, paying particular attention to my temples. I dampened my whole head with my leave in conditioner, not dripping, but enough for you to feel it. Then I worked on the banded area, re moisturising that section and my natural ponytail to the end. I added just a spray of protein, and sealed my whole head of hair. Adding a little extra oil to the banded area and ends. I also put oil on the hair band for good measure.
I left the ends out, rather than tucking them in and put my gripped pony tail on as usual. When I took it off last night (this morning) I quickly loosened the band, and added a touch more water and oil to the banded area, ends and temple (with a quick massage to the temple as I could feel the pull even though I was careful). Then wrapped my head and somehow managed to sleep while the younger ones were still enjoying drunken karaoke in the living room.
This morning, a touch more water and oil to the hair in general and my hair is fine. Once upon a time, my hair after a ponytail night felt like straw. Not any more.
So when it came to any kind of 'going out out' the decision for how to do my hair was "which ponytail to put on?" Not how do I style it. I had quite a range, and I always wore them well. I wore them well, my hair line did not. My hair line was not a fan of ponytails. The ends of my hair that I put in a strangle hold hair band was not a fan of the ponytails.
I could get quite obviously why my hair line suffered. But I didn't know what to do about the ends of my hair - I was young and not nearly as well read on the subject as I am now. The ends of my hair suffered because I was tucking them in after the forth tie around. I also didn't realise the importance of making sure the hair I was putting under stress - where the band met the hair, should be even more cared for. Because it wasn't seen, I didn't think I needed to do anything with it.
Yesterday I went to an amazing fancy dress party as Uhura from Star Trek. I have exactly 1 ponytail in my possession that I've only worn 3 times in 3 years, 2 of those at fancy dress (first one was catwoman - I looked fantastic and it had nothing to do with the hair...).
This time though, I have learnt, thoroughly what I'm supposed to be doing when I use a ponytail. I made sure to soften up and massage my scalp all over, paying particular attention to my temples. I dampened my whole head with my leave in conditioner, not dripping, but enough for you to feel it. Then I worked on the banded area, re moisturising that section and my natural ponytail to the end. I added just a spray of protein, and sealed my whole head of hair. Adding a little extra oil to the banded area and ends. I also put oil on the hair band for good measure.
I left the ends out, rather than tucking them in and put my gripped pony tail on as usual. When I took it off last night (this morning) I quickly loosened the band, and added a touch more water and oil to the banded area, ends and temple (with a quick massage to the temple as I could feel the pull even though I was careful). Then wrapped my head and somehow managed to sleep while the younger ones were still enjoying drunken karaoke in the living room.
This morning, a touch more water and oil to the hair in general and my hair is fine. Once upon a time, my hair after a ponytail night felt like straw. Not any more.
Friday, 10 March 2017
Protective styles - making it work for me
A minute on protective styles.
I was supposed to write about Hair oil next but I'm not really feeling it. - The topic not the oil, the oil is fabulous.
I am now learning to embrace protective styles. And I have to get a bit deep and explain why it took me so long.
I relax my hair because I like variety, there are numerous hairstyles that suit my rather strong featured face that I can do with relaxed hair. I can and did canerow my own hair for several years but I found it tiresome and really uninspiring. Also my hair wasn't very long then so that also didn't give me much room for manoeuvre unless I added hair extensions.
I understood the need for protective styles after reading The Science of Black hereafter known as(TSoB). I introduced some styles where I could but I mostly struggled because I didn't feel like I looked pretty if I didn't wear my hair down be it straight or with the use of god given flexi-rods. There I've said it out loud. I felt like I looked like a child with big canerows going to church. It didn't feel effeminate to me whatsoever. Because I'm not a big makeup wearer I felt my whole face just looked plain and invisible if I didn't have my hair to add some razamataz to it.
But now several years on and oh so many expletives towards low self esteem later, that's how I've mostly been wearing my hair since the beginning of this year. I stretch for 9 weeks and during the winter when the weather is frightful, there's not really much point in attempting to wear your hear out. But as I have restarted my journey I thought it best to really look at what I was doing again, and see if I should be doing something differently or regiment it a bit more.
Towards the end of my stretch I became very good friends with the 2 large canerows. Alternated parting on the right and left every week just in case I was pulling to hard at the temple hair. I did feel like I pulled on the hair way too much but with a lot of new growth and that weird end texture your previously relaxed hair gets when it knows it's time to re do it; I just needed to make sure everything was in place. All in all I think I'll give myself an A for effort but not for out come, the style looked good but I needed to prepare my hair MUCH more before I handled it so much. And I canerowed it fresh every morning and lightly at night.
But now with my fairly fresh hair, it's all about the flat twists. I started off doing the single twists because the texture it gives me hair really works for me and makes a simple grip at the back style effortless whilst still looking like I put effort in. But as I am useless at pinning curls on a second or third day, I had to redo all of those single twists every night, which is rather more handling than I should probably do on my fine hair. I'm not sure if flat twists are actually less handling or not but their certainly quicker. Another bonus is that with the twists, I have the choice to do them tight or puffy, very weirdly for me I'm rather enjoying the puffy, they're about an inch up off my head (that's a lot for me) and that extra length / depth / direction works with my strong jaw line. Although I did realise I needed a new set of go to everyday earrings to work with my wearing my hair up nearly all the time. I have ordered them today and I'm a little in love.
I think after all this it's about finding what works for you. I felt so pressured to do what every one else was doing that I never really gave myself a chance to enjoy my hair and my hair type for that matter with my hair length on my head crowning my lovely face.
I'm going to start enjoying my hair again, and I do expect great things from it. Just changing my product line up like I did years ago had nearly an immediate effect. Now I'm not saying I expect to have waist length hair by Christmas; but I will be expecting length that's healthy because I darn well worked for it.😍
I was supposed to write about Hair oil next but I'm not really feeling it. - The topic not the oil, the oil is fabulous.
I am now learning to embrace protective styles. And I have to get a bit deep and explain why it took me so long.
I relax my hair because I like variety, there are numerous hairstyles that suit my rather strong featured face that I can do with relaxed hair. I can and did canerow my own hair for several years but I found it tiresome and really uninspiring. Also my hair wasn't very long then so that also didn't give me much room for manoeuvre unless I added hair extensions.
I understood the need for protective styles after reading The Science of Black hereafter known as(TSoB). I introduced some styles where I could but I mostly struggled because I didn't feel like I looked pretty if I didn't wear my hair down be it straight or with the use of god given flexi-rods. There I've said it out loud. I felt like I looked like a child with big canerows going to church. It didn't feel effeminate to me whatsoever. Because I'm not a big makeup wearer I felt my whole face just looked plain and invisible if I didn't have my hair to add some razamataz to it.
But now several years on and oh so many expletives towards low self esteem later, that's how I've mostly been wearing my hair since the beginning of this year. I stretch for 9 weeks and during the winter when the weather is frightful, there's not really much point in attempting to wear your hear out. But as I have restarted my journey I thought it best to really look at what I was doing again, and see if I should be doing something differently or regiment it a bit more.
Towards the end of my stretch I became very good friends with the 2 large canerows. Alternated parting on the right and left every week just in case I was pulling to hard at the temple hair. I did feel like I pulled on the hair way too much but with a lot of new growth and that weird end texture your previously relaxed hair gets when it knows it's time to re do it; I just needed to make sure everything was in place. All in all I think I'll give myself an A for effort but not for out come, the style looked good but I needed to prepare my hair MUCH more before I handled it so much. And I canerowed it fresh every morning and lightly at night.
But now with my fairly fresh hair, it's all about the flat twists. I started off doing the single twists because the texture it gives me hair really works for me and makes a simple grip at the back style effortless whilst still looking like I put effort in. But as I am useless at pinning curls on a second or third day, I had to redo all of those single twists every night, which is rather more handling than I should probably do on my fine hair. I'm not sure if flat twists are actually less handling or not but their certainly quicker. Another bonus is that with the twists, I have the choice to do them tight or puffy, very weirdly for me I'm rather enjoying the puffy, they're about an inch up off my head (that's a lot for me) and that extra length / depth / direction works with my strong jaw line. Although I did realise I needed a new set of go to everyday earrings to work with my wearing my hair up nearly all the time. I have ordered them today and I'm a little in love.
I think after all this it's about finding what works for you. I felt so pressured to do what every one else was doing that I never really gave myself a chance to enjoy my hair and my hair type for that matter with my hair length on my head crowning my lovely face.
I'm going to start enjoying my hair again, and I do expect great things from it. Just changing my product line up like I did years ago had nearly an immediate effect. Now I'm not saying I expect to have waist length hair by Christmas; but I will be expecting length that's healthy because I darn well worked for it.😍
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