Look, MA, No underprocessing!

Well I washed my hair last week, 2 weeks since my touch-up, and my hair wasn't THAT underprocessed really. When wet it lay very flat but when dry, it curled up just a bit. It shouldn't cause any problems though.

I washed with Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Creamy Aloe Shampoo, conditioned with ApHOGEE Intensive Two-Minute Keratin Reconstructor and Redken All Soft Silk Fuel and used Pantene Relaxed & Natural Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer and Joico K-pak Leave-in Protectant on my towel-dried hair. I also added a little Infusium 23 Split End Repair (a light serum that has been discontinued) to my ends. From there I blowdried my hair and flatironed my hair. My hair came out very soft and smooth buy wispy or flyaway. I've been taking care of my hair for a long time but sometimes I get stumped as to what it needs and when.

Touch-up after God-knows-how-many months

Well, finally after I don’t know how many months, I got my touch up. This was last Tuesday, March 7, 2006. I just walked in to a salon that I had been to years before. I was seen by a REALLY young stylist. She did a satisfactory job—She based my scalp and she moved through my hair fast enough as she was applying the relaxer. She did comb the relaxer in instead of just smoothing it with her hands or the back of the comb. She wouldn’t be the first though. She must not have used the same strength as other stylists have used on my hair. It seems like she was trying to leave the relaxer in longer because it was not as straight as she hoped. I have a tiny bit of reversion around my edges but for the most part my hair is staying straight. When I wash it my self, I’ll get to see the true state of my hair.

Anyway, after washing and conditioning my hair she combed my hair down and put me under the dryer for a short period of time and then she blew my hair dry on a low setting. Then, she used a flatiron to straighten my hair and bump my ends. The total time that I was in the salon was a little over an hour! I don’t think I’ll return to her but she wasn’t bad at all. She took her time and was pretty gentle with my hair. I wish she had rinse my hair a little longer at times but that is something that I’m such a stickler about. The salon is called Paradise Hair Salon (formerly FranJenLene’s) and is located at the Cheltenham Square Mall in Cheltenham, PA.

I plan on going to Xquisite Hair Design at Cedarbrook Plaza where I will make an appointment with Anika Richardson. I was told that she is really into healthy hair care. I’m skeptical because their website says she has had her license for only 4 years. Stay tuned…

I got a touch-up at Trade Secret but I don't remember when exactly. I forget the stylist's name too. She was nice. Did a pretty good job though I had some burning. I had gotten a referral for another stylist so I hadn't planned on returning anyway. Well I guess I have to wing it when it comes to when my next touch-up is due. I guess this is just a random hair thought.

I'll post my "hair plan" for 2006 real soon...

At last!

I washed my hair last Tuesday and was very pleased with the results. At last! For about a month before that my hair had been kind of rough and dry. So here's what I did:

1. Washed with VO5 Kiwi & Lime Squeeze a clarifying shampoo.
2. Followed with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo.
3. Conditioned with Redken Extreme Deep Fuel.
4. Followed up with Kenra Intensive Emollient for moisture and Porosity Control Corrector & Conditioner, mostly on the ends.
5. Used Rusk Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Leave-in Texturizing Conditioner which, if I haven't mentioned before, is great for detangling and softening my hair. It's great when you have a good amount of new growth but haven't gotten a relaxer touch-up.

After it was all said and done, my hair was very soft, detangled, and looked healthier though I know there's only so much that products can do. Here's what I did as far as styling:

1. Sectioned my hair into 4 sections, parting from ear to ear and forehead to nape.
2. Added Rusk Smoother to each section.
3. Combed each section from root to tip.
4. Allowed the hair to dry a bit on it's own.
5. Blew each section dry with a blowdryer and comb attachment.
6. Put some Shea butter in my hair for emolliency.
7. Flatironed the roots and a underprocessed section of hair closer to my ends.
8. Rolled up my hair with sponge rollers.

My hair hasn't felt this good in a while. My uncle's wife had to touch it when I was up at their house for Thanksgiving dinner. She felt my roots too. She was ALL up in my hair. I think she may have been looking for tracks. Nope, no tracks.

My hair's maybe an inch or so past my collarbone. I hope to be back to my longest length before that lady at Trade Secret cut my hair. It was on it's way to bra strap length. Somehow the inch that I asked to have cut translated into 3 inches. After her and another stylist, I'm still searching for someone.

27 y/o in Philly iso good listener that is not scissor happy and will treat my hair as her own. If you find her, please let me know.

2 weeks later

My hairstyle lasted 2 weeks! It could have lasted longer but my scalp was getting dirty and I was itching to wash my hair. So I started by shampooing with Organic Root Stimulator Creamy Aloe Shampoo, followed by Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo, and then I conditioned with Alberto VO5 Extra Body Conditioner. After rinsing this out I conditioned with Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner and a little Porosity Control Corrector & Conditioner on my ends. Don't ask me why I used both.

Anyway, after rinsing that out I towel-dried my hair and applied some Joico K-Pak Leave-In Protectant and Ion Anti-Frizz Solutions Oil Free Glosser on my hair. The Ion Anti-Frizz Solutions Oil Free Glosser counteracted the tangles that Joico K-Pak Leave-In Protectant usually produces. I combed through my hair and divided it into 4 sections. Then, to blowdry my hair, I'd hold the dryer about 8 inches from my hair, aiming it at the section I was working on, allowing it to dry some without using the dryer's comb attachment. Then I'd go in and blowdry mainly the roots with the comb attachment. My hair was left "poofy but dry.

I went to bed with my satin scarf on and this morning I curled my hair using more Ion Anti-Frizz Solutions Oil Free Glosser and Paul Mitchel Heat Seal. My hair was kind of dry looking (meaning not shiny) and it was not as sleek as I like it to be. Still it looked nice enough.

It rained a bit today and it is humid outside but my hair held it's curl. My hair is "big" but it's still curled... Not the best look but certainly not the worse. I just wish I could pinpoint what product(s) help maintain the curl. The Paul Mitchel Heat Seal is supposed to resist humidy so it could be that but the Ion Anti-Frizz Solutions Oil Free Glosser is a serum and that may have helped too.

I know this sounds crazy but I wish I could go back to the last hairdresser I went to (See Woe is me!). She did a great job with styling my hair and it lasted two weeks. My hair was extremely manageable and I was told it looked healthy. I know she used Paul Mitchell products. I'll have to investigate.

Woe is me!

Ok I went to Mia & Maxx Hair Studio yesterday. If I didn't mention this before I chose not to see the hairstylist that was booked 4 weeks in advance (with 10 years of experience). I chose to see the other stylist that was recommended for black hair. Something told me that would be a mistake but not this much of a mistake.

I get there and she's very friendly. She's doing highlights on another client so I waited a half hour for her to finish. Oh btw, SHE is Patricia [edited out her location]. So anyway, when she gets to me, she thoroughly bases my scalp and asks me what strength of relaxer to use. I told her that the sensitive scalp strength probably would leave my hair underprocessed. She tells me that she'll use medium and soon after begins to apply the relaxer. She's fairly quick like the last stylist but I get the sense that she missed some spots but I figure she'll get the spots when she goes back to smooth the relaxer in.

So, as she smoothes it in she begins to comb the hair to smooth it straight. I've heard that this is a non-no but I've had it done before so I thought nothing of it. But then, I start feeling the comb graze my scalp. HELLO! That's gonna burn! And it did start to burn. So I told her that it was burning and she did what a lot of stylists do these days--she sprayed oil sheen or something on the area and she keeps on smoothing. She said it seemed like it wasn't straight enough yet. I told or 2 or 3 more times after that that it was burning. So, she finally rinses my hair out. Again, she doesn't seem very thorough.

Then, she puts some kind of conditioner on my hair and lets me sit as she rinses the other client's hair. I feel a spot in the back of my head burning still so I'm thinking she didn't rinse it well enough. Luckily, she comes over before it gets too bad and rinses that out. Then she shampoos me a few times with the neutralizer. Again, not that thorough... In addition, she used her nails to further scratch my scalp! Stop it you sadistic maniac! OUCH! Finally, she puts in another conditioner (not thoroughly) and combs that through and rinses.

Then, she takes me over to hair to blowdry my hair. It was a bit underprocessed--better than overprocessed. She puts something in my hair that was probably a leave-in and uses a blowdryer and a comb (I think) to dry my hair. That was ok. She didn't yank at my hair to hard. She also gives me a much-needed trim. She did a good job with that and points out to me that I have an underprocessed section of hair near my ends that may need to be relaxed further to prevent breakage. This is true.

Then she puts more product in my hair. I think it may have been serum. She, then, curls my hair starting at the back of my head and working her way to the front. As she takes a section, she sprays something on the section to help the curling iron to straighten the hair further. When she gets to the areas of the head where the scalp is burned, I can feel some stinging when she sprays the hair.

As she'd move the iron down the length of the hair and get to the ends, she'd hold the iron on my ends for maybe 8-10 seconds. You burn my scalp and now you wanna damage my ends?!? It looked pretty good though. She did the best job of styling my hair than the other 3 stylists before her. So, she sprays my hair with hairspray and luckily, I had my eyes closed because she sprayed my left eye! Dang! You are about the worse hairdresser I've ever been to!

This hairdresser revealed to me that she used to work at the Trade Secret where I got my last 3 touch-ups but that she "transferred" to Mia & Maxx. She also told me that if I recommend some people to her I'd get an extra discount in addition to my mall employee discount. She told me how dead it always is there and that she needs to build up her clientele to keep working there. Sorry Sister! I feel for you but you must be out your cotton-picking mind!

I literally prayed to God before I went in for this appointment. I guess it could have been worse. I still have hair... for now.

P.S. I did see that she used Paul Mitchell The Shine. My hair was very shiny so I liked that.

Less Shedding!

I used some Redken Deep Fuel tonight and I believe that it resulted in less shedding or breakage when I blew my hair dry. I used it 2 or 3 times before but I never paid much attention to the results.

Ok so first, I shampooed with Organic Root Stimulator Creamy Aloe Shampoo and applied the Deep Fuel and combed it in. I left it on longer than the 5-10 minutes that they recommended—no heat or plastic cap. Then I shampooed again with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo and conditioned with Kenra Intensive Emollient. The comb-out process went well. ETA: I also used a little Porosity Control Corrector & Conditioner on my ends right before I rinsed it all out.

After it was all said and done, my hair definitely felt stronger. So I added some Pantene Relaxed & Natural Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer to my hair and some Joico K-Pak Leave-In Protectant and blew my hair dry. Voila! Much less shedding and breakage! This will definetly be a part of my routine. Since The Deep Fuel lasts for 8 shampoos, it’ll be something I use before touch-ups.

I should add that I’ll be getting my hair touched up on Monday at Mia & Maxx Hair Studio. I’ll definitely share my results next week.