FOTKI

Fine4s

United States

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Fine4s

I finally have a Fotki!

Please enjoy pictures of my healthy hair care journey.
It's been quite a ride...

Hairstory:
I had a lot of fine kinky hair strands as a child but between the ages of 8-12 my hair got significantly shorter. Probably because it wasn’t being cared for as much. My mother had a lot of coarse hair but never long either (probably by choice.) No one in my family has hair past shoulder length.

I got a relaxer at age 12 or possibly 11. It might have been APL with the relaxer.
A year later, my hair was shorter and continuously breaking. At around 15 I had a layered cut which I enjoyed and by looking at old pictures, I might have been close to BSL. Maybe 2 years later, I had to cut my hair into a bob because of severe breakage at the nape, but I kept relaxing. I used Gentle Treatment back then.
I moved to the US at 17 and averaged full shoulder length hair until 1995 when I decided to stop being a slave to the creamy crack.

Wait, that’s a lie.
I went to the salon to get a touch up after removing my braid extensions and the stylist refused to put the relaxer in but offered to press it instead with a comb on the Marcel stove. I was so pleased with the results that I continued pressing only my roots. I was a slave to going to the salon every 2 weeks. While my hair was healthier, I still didn’t have the long hair I remembered having as a child. As a broke college student, I had to figure out how to keep my hair looking cute. A friend who had already transitioned to natural, offered to blowdry and curl my hair with an electrical Gold ‘N’ Hot curling iron. It wasn’t as straight as in the salon but it was nice enough. I soon realized that the higher the heat, the straighter the hair. And there began my love affair with heat damage! My hair got longer but never strong and was dry, brittle and fragile. One stylist told me to put Kemi oil to combat the dryness :S

After some time, I started getting roller sets at the Dominican hair salons. While my hair liked rollersets and my pockets liked the cheap price, my scalp or hair didn’t like that extra fine toothed comb! My hair got a little longer when I was going regularly but still very heat damaged.
The last straw was when I visited a hairstylist at an AA salon (my regular stylist) who applied so much heat that it caused breakage ( I hadn’t seen this type of breakage since I was 16) at the nape.

Enough was enough. In 2006-2007 I did my own research and found several websites with members who offered techniques towards achieving fuller, longer and healthier hair.

I enjoy my journey so much, that I enrolled in Cosmetology school and will be graduating next year! I enjoy sharing what I've learn with folks.

That’s all she wrote and here’s how I did it…

My current regimen:
Step 1. Pre-Poo: Melted coconut oil to help detangle in the shower
2. Co-wash (wash with conditioner) every two weeks (I'm not consistent). I use shampoo prior to using direct heat or to clarify as needed.
3. DC with whatever product I have left over from my product junkie (PJ) days
4. Rinse
5. Apply Roux Porosity Control
6. Rinse with cool water (when I remember)
7. Moisturize & sometimes seal with various oils
8. I sometimes apply my Bee Mine Growth Serum but not consistently enough to see progress.
This process takes me about 45 minutes and add another 2 + hours to style. UGH!

I sometimes DC on dry hair. If so, I start at step 2 and skip step 3. (45 mns)

Philosophy (& Paradigm shift):
Hair health over style choice.
Stay consistent, stay simple & have patience.
Protective style 90% of the time with twists, box braids, buns, flat twists, cornrows.
In the past, I straightened for length checks only but now, I do it to enjoy the length using the tension method.
I trim 1-2 times a year at the salon.
I search and destroy split ends as I spot them using professional shears.
I do protein treatments several times a year. I make sure to do a Two-Step ApHogee protein treatment before I use any direct heat on my hair and at the next wash, I do a mild protein treatment like the ApHogee 2 minute treatment.

Conditioner: Healthy Sexy Pumpkin Conditioner, Suave, Vo5 (my favorite).
Shampoo: Heavily diluted with water Kenra Clarifying and Chelating shampoo (love the smell)
Deep Conditioner: Garnier Fructis, DPR-11, Cholesterol (my favorite), Healthy Sexy Pumpkin Puree Masque, ORS Hair Mayonnaise, Motions CPR, Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose or White Camelia, Joico Intense Hydrator
Porosity control: Roux Porosity Control Conditioner (blue)
Oils: Coconut oil, Jojoba oil, Castor oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil
Proteins: ApHogee 2 minute and Two-step
Heat Protectant: I spilled my Nexxus Heat Protectant ï. Will buy something else soon. Maybe IC heat protectant?
Combs: Various size Bone combs
Brushes: Denman brush (I use this a few times a year, usually after a twist-out when my hair gets super tangly) and boar bristle brush
Gel: IC clear with sparklelites. I’ve had this gel for at least 3 years now
Hair growth serum: Monistat 2%, Boundless Tresses (BT), Megatek, Bee Mine Growth Serum

My current length is Mid Back Length (MBL) to Waist Length (WL) or somewhere in the middle. My goal length is full waist length. I’d like for the shortest layer in the back to be at least Bra Strap Length (BSL) and the front layers to reach Shoulder Length (SL) or Arm Pit Length (APL)

Happy hair growing folks and please feel free to ask as many questions as you’d like ï

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