MsDirection HHJC: Check In

Hey Lovelies! Happy Saturday! This in the last check in for February and this means we are done with 2 months of the challenge and left with 4 more months. Also I hope we have all adhered to the mini no heat challenge, and have stayed away from heat altogether with the exception of using the heat passes. (We have 3 heat passes till the no heat challenge ends.)

This week's challenge is focused on staying inspired or motivated. In order to make your hair journey successful, it is important that you stay inspired so as to not give up on your hair journey. Many times after a person has been on a hair journey for a while, the kind of zeal that was started with tends to fade as there is no motivation. This causes ''hhj-ers'' to get lazy and non chalant.

How To Stay Motivated

• Set a goal and create a vision board. The vision board can include a picture of a length goal or a hairstyle you cannot achieve due to the state of your hair. The vision board can include encouraging words like "I can have gorgeous hair too", ''My Hair grows too'' and must be strategically placed so that you come into contact with it often. Vision boards are a great way to maintain focus and gain motivation.
• Join hair care forums or groups, or create one. I have been in a Whatsapp group bout hair care for close to 2 years now, and every time, the members come up with links and pictures and stories and the stories and pictures are a great reminder that I'm on a hair journey. The group members also encourage other members and give advice based on their experiences too.
• Join Hair Care Challenges. At the start of the year, and even at the start of each quarter, challenges are being started all over the internet. Some with end prizes and some without. Joining challenges is another good way of motivating yourself to strive forward.
• Read Hair Care Blogs. The successes and setbacks of hair bloggers have been put publicly to inspire readers and educate readers. Take advantage of it. Some hair blogs like this one has hair features which usually include progress/comparison pictures. Reading such blog posts in your spare time is enough to encourage a person.
• Get a hair buddy! Someone with the same goals as you, and with similar lengths. Working with someone is always always better.

Check In Queestions

1. How do you stay inspired/motivated on your HHJ?
2. Do you have a hairspiration, or quote that keeps you going? 

My answers; I use vision boards, hair challenges and the hair buddy system to stay inspired. I am also in awesome groups with lovely ladies that keep me going. My current hairsipirations are Kirsty of blackhairspice.blogspot.com, my hair buddy Shona Lee and group member Fatima. I always say "First they will laugh then they'll copy. There's no room for negatiivity on my journey."

Stay Awesome,

HAIR UPDATES

Hey lovelies!

This is a short post to keep you up to date with my healthy hair journey.

• I am currently 11 weeks post relaxer. I plan on relaxing my hair on 11th April 2015 at 18 weeks post relaxer. I got braids on Friday to help me stretch that long. I plan on keeping my braids for 6 weeks, and will wash and condition my hair as usual in the braids.

• I started taking Hairfinity again, and I am halfway through with the first bottle. I got a 2 month supply.

• I did an unofficial length check before I got my braids installed and I am hoping I can finally get to APL with my next relaxer.

That is my update! To keep up with day to day updates, be sure to follow me on IG @NISA_HRHJ and like the Ms Direction Gh Facebook page.

Stay Awesome,

RAMA DIRECTS!!

 Hey Lovelies! Today we will be featuring beautiful naturalista Rama! I hope you enjoy her hair story.

1.Your hair is........(relaxed includes texlaxed, natural, loc'd)
Natural

2. What's your current length?  Between neck and shoulder length

3. How long have you been on a hhj and how long did it take to get to your current length?  It has been a year since i big chopped. I transitioned for 5 months

4. What's your daily and weekly regimen like?  Daily : Moisturize and seal with my "hair love" Hawaiian Silky 14- in 1. Then seal with shea butter.
Weekly : Wash my hair which includes prepooing, shampooing and dc. I sometimes do a hot oil treatment, tea rinse or oil rinse.

5. How do you like to wear your hair. ( i.e your go to protective style)  I like to keep my hair in low manipulation styles like twists and braids. My favourite however is the 2 stand twist up-do.

6. Do you use direct heat? If so, how often?   I do not use any direct heat.

7. Are you on any diet or are  taking any vitamins to promote healthy hair growth?  I am not on any vitamins for hair growth. I try to make sure all my meals are balanced and providing me with the vitamins I will need. I also have increased my water intake.

8. If you could have 5 hair related items, what would they be and why? (Briefly)

• Shea butter mix -can't go without it
• Bobby pins -a must have for all hair styles
• Satin bonnet -to protect my hair at night
• Knee high -to help with puffs if I want to have any
• Vo5 moisture milks conditioner -for co-washing

9. What do you wish you knew before your hhj?  Answer:I wish I knew all I know now about caring for my hair now,but all the same I know now so on I go till I get to waist length.

10. Encourage someone also on a hhj.
Find what works for you. What may work for the next lady many not necessarily work for you. Stay patient on your healthy hair journey. Happy Hair Growing!
 
Stay Awesome,

Ms.Direction - HHJC Check in 5!

Hey lovelies!

Hope you are well. Last week due to matters beyond my control, there was no check in. I hope our hair wasn’t neglected though. We are skipping right to week 5.

PROTECTIVE STYLES

Protective styles are a great way of keeping your hair under wraps and away from the usual antagonists of our hair  progress like, wind, our cotton clothes, using the comb daily, and others. Protective styles include weaves, wigs, cornrows, buns, twists, box braids and may be with or without artificial hair extensions, Protective styling done according to hair needs is a good way of retaining length as well as taking care of your hair despite a busy schedule.  

TIPS FOR GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR PROTECTIVE STYLE

• Consider your lifestyle before deciding on a protective style. If you have a bus lifestyle, you might want something that you feel you can care for long enough and is fairly easy to care for.

• Consider your hair needs and problem areas. If your edges are a problem, you might consider wigs over weaves and weaves over braids to avoid the tugging on the edges. And you might have to go for big braids instead of small braids to avoid tiny knots which cannot be undone.

• Regardless of what choice you make, your protective styles should never be too tight.

• Your protective style must give you access to your scalp. This is especially necessary for weaves/sew-ins.

• Before setting out to protective style, set a regimen or plan for the weeks or days you’ll have the style in. Note that, protective styles are not an excuse to neglect your hair. Hair care still goes on. It’s just a means to an end,

• Make sure you always pick a style that works for you. Not one that cause any damage to your hair. If it causes damage it is NOT protecting.

CHECK-IN QUESTIONS

1. What is your favourite/go to protective style?
2. Do you care for your hair in your protective styles? How?

 Stay Awesome,
 

Petite Diva Directs!!!!!

Today we feature Omowunmi of journalofapetitediva.blogspot.com . She is the original diva! She is the PETITE DIVA! I hope you can learn something from her. Also, chack out her blog. It is full of awesome randomness!!

1.Your hair is........(relaxed includes texlaxed, natural, loc'd)
(Include how you started your journey)
  I am texlaxed for now (I am thinking of going back to natural). I had gone natural before in 2009 but relaxed it in 2010. Then one day i realised that my hair seemed to have been stagnant so i decided to go back to natural because i believed that my hair would only grow in its natural state. I didn't realize until later that my hair seemed to thrive better when natural because i took care of it better than when it was relaxed. So after being a natural again for 19 months, i texlaxed my hair again.

2. What's your current length? 
  I think that majority of my hair is almost at armpit length (my hair is unequal due to some set backs and my growth rate).

3. How long have you been on a hhj and how long did it take to get to your current length?
 2 years and 9 months.

4. What's your daily and weekly regimen like?
 My daily regimen whether in a protective style or not involves the use of my diy moisturising spray, a light moisturiser, oils and my diy whipped Shea butter. When my hair is not in a protective style, before washing I prepoo always with my hot oil treatment. I prepoo because my shampoos are sulfate based. Then I wash once and depending on if i am installing a protective style like braids or weaves i do a hard protein treatment. I always do a moisturising deep conditioning treatment when i wash my hair. Sometimes i do a tea rinse before applying my deep conditioner and an apple cider vinegar rinse.

5. How do you like to wear your hair. ( i.e your go to protective style)
 My go to protective style used to be a boring sock bun but now I like using faux buns and extensions to create a sleek fun chic bun.

  6.  Have you suffered a setback on your journey? How did you deal with it? If no, what's the one setback you would like to avoid? And how are you avoiding it?
How did you deal with it? If no, what's the one setback you would like to avoid? And how are you avoiding it? Yes! A lot. I made the mistake of installing faux dreads that is sewn to the hair and while loosening it I think I lost half of my hair. I was devastated but I knew that my hair would grow back. I just continued with my regimen and I am trying to be very careful with what I do to my hair now.  

Protective style.

7. Are you on any diet or are  taking any vitamins to promote healthy hair growth?
No, I am not on any diet. I don't take any hair vitamins. I tried taking perfectil by vitabiotics but it was not compatible with my system. I just take my routine vitamins of high strength vitamin c (1000mg), folic acid, iron tablets and vitamin b complex (on days that I remember). I recently decided to add cod liver oil because of my eyesight and knees.

8. If you could have 5 hair related items, what would they be and why? (Briefly)
I would love a hooded dryer, magnetic rollers basically so that I don't have to go to the salon except when necessary. I would love a microwave (yes a microwave) so that I can get a cordless conditioning cap to use for deep conditioning. 

 9. What do you wish you knew before your hhj?
That relaxed hair can grow long too!!

10. Encourage someone also on a hhj.
 Your hair journey is different from others so try not compare yourself with others too much. You would get there when it is time for you to get there. 

Visit her blog journalofapetitediva.blogspot.com

Stay Awesome

MsDirection: HHJC Check in 3

Check in week 3. 21 weeks to go. I hope we are sticking to the challenge rules and giving our hair the love it needs.

Moisturizing 101

What is a moisturizer? It is a hair product that is applied to the hair strands to return moisture that has been lost. It is a product used to combat dryness of hair stands.

Importance of keeping hair moisturized.

• Well moisturized hair is less prone to breakage
• Well moisturized hair is more manageable
• Well moisturized hair looks good.

Finding a good moisturizer.

• A good moisturizer must be water based. Water is the best thing to return moisture to the hair. Make sure water is a part of the first three ingredients on your moisturizer.
• Avoid products that have mineral oil, parabens or petroleum
• Avoid products which contain drying alcohols like ethanol, porpanol and SD alcohol.
• For hair that feels too mushy or frail, look for products with proteins
• For protein sensitive hair, look for products that contain just one protein, or none at all.

Some easily found moisturizers

• ORS Olive Oil Moisturizer
• Elasta QP Olive oil and Mango Butter
• African Pride Shea Butter Miracle lotion
•  Beautiful Textures Moisture Butter
• CON Argan Oil Moisturizer
• ORS HAIRepair Anti Breakage Crème
• ORS HAIRepair Anti Moisture Crème

Check in Questions

What is your favourite Moisturizer?

How often do you moisturize?

My check in: My favourite moisturizer is the Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter, and I moisturize my hair daily. Depending on my hair needs, once or twice in a day.

Stay Awesome,