Winter Blues

I was originally going to do a post on dry scalp issues in this winter weather, but then my hair decided to not cooperate today, and it has now turned into a general suck-age type post. Enjoy.

For the past few months (really since it's gotten colder), my scalp has been having a lot of issues. One day without a co-wash and it's flaky. Two days, and it's itchy. I was having great multiple-hair days but having to wash because of my scalp. Brown sugar scrubs haven't done anything and are a pain to deal with, so I've stopped.

It wasn't like this last year. The only difference is that the weather has been a LOT colder and drier than it was last year (It usually snows once a year, maybe an inch or two. It's already snowed like six times for a total of more than 18 inches). And I really haven't been handling it well. Not sure what to do. Guess I'll just have to wait it out (hello, spring? where are you?).

I had a great week with my great FSG routine... until today. It's still pretty curly, but more stringy than my usually clumpy. Not sure what to make of that. I haven't been using a leave-in, so I guess it's not getting as much moisture as it's used to. I know FSG acts as an emollient, but it must not be enough. I don't know how to add that into my routine since it doesn't work well with leave-ins. I'm thinking about starting weekly coconut oil treatments again.

The one bright spot is that my hair FINALLY seems to have gotten a little longer. My spiral clumps that are usually in the back have started show up again. It's been six months since my last cut. I wouldn't have gotten it that short if I had known it would take this long to grow anywhere close to being long!

* Edit *

So I just looked in the mirror for the first time since it dried. It doesn't look too bad. And it should last tomorrow. It just feels bad, and that throws me off.

Flax Seed Gel Experiments

Over the past week, I've experimented a few different times with my FSG batch with some interesting results. It's funny, because I definitely use a lot of this stuff and yet it doesn't look like I've used very much from looking at the bottle. That's a plus in my book!

1. So the first time I used this, I was able to get third-day hair. I don't mean that I wore it down for a day and then bun-ed it for the rest. I mean three solid days of great-looking curls.
Application & Usage:

• Applied three quarter-sized amounts to dripping wet hair
• Blotted upside-down and on each side
• Applied two more quarter-sized amounts upside-down
• Scrunched in a nickel-sized amount at about 50% dry during diffusing
• Scrunched in a dime-sized amount each morning I wore it down

This method gave me the best-looking curls, but they were also kind of dry. And the next time I washed, it was frizzy while wet. Not cool.

2. The second time I used this during a wash, I got so-so results. Mostly waves with ringlet-y ends. Definitely not what it had been the first time.
Application & Usage:

• Did not apply anything before blotting
• Applied a couple quarter-sized amounts before moving on to normal towel routine
• Did not apply any more throughout routine
• Scrunched in some pink boots the next morning, which led to a collapse of volume and curls throughout the day.
  

My hair still looked ok the next day. I got a lot of comments and compliments, but I didn't feel it lived up to what it had last Monday (figures, right? Always get the compliments when you think it looks bad!). This only lasted one day, and barely that.

3. The third time I used this during a wash, I got blah results. Mostly waves again. It was very stringy when wet but not as bad when it dried (but still pretty bad). With all the crunch and frizz of the previous two times, I thought it might be good to get some
Application & Usage:

• Applied a quarter-sized amount of KCKT to dripping wet hair
• Blotted hair
• Applied three quarter-sized amounts of FSG
• Did not apply more throughout rest of routine
• Applied some to hair the next morning (this wash was done during the afternoon)

This turned out ok as well. It outlasted wash #2, but was nowhere near wash #1. Curls were elongated (previously called normal!). Not particularly dry or soft. Lasted two and a half days, with the last day in a bun.

4. Tonight I decided to do it exactly as I had in wash #1 and ended up with the same great curls (and shrinkage)!

Results:

1. FSG needs to be applied to dripping wet hair that has not been coated with product
2. Blotting is allowed, along as it is followed with more FSG
3. Scrunching in FSG while diffusing allows me to rework the curls and minimize frizz
4. FSG, when done correctly, leads to multiple-day hair

I'm hoping this lasts as well as it did last week, since I washed later this time. I've been contemplating buying some of the new PJ favorites, but I can't beat the great results I'm having from something I can make at home for much cheaper.

No Damage Here!

Wow, I just got done diffusing and have to share - my hair definitely did not suffer from the sulfates on Saturday. Quite the opposite in fact! I have so much shrinkage, I did a double-take when I flipped my hair over! It looks like I got a cut!

I'm going to attribute this to the batch of flax seed gel I made this morning. Here's the background:

About this time last year, I was having a love affair with my homemade FSG. I even tried BB's FSG after reading all the rave reviews, but came straight back to my stuff. This lasted most of the month of February in 2009. Since my hair's been blah lately, I decided I would go back to what worked this time last year and went back to read the posts.

Early last March, my love affair with FSG ended abruptly. I had no idea what had caused it and figured it was a cold-weather product that I should save for winter. Here's the thing; I went back and looked at the products I was using with it - all full of oils! So now I'm thinking that FSG was not the problem; it was all the other products I was using. I even stated that it worked better with GVP Conditioning Balm than any of the other oil-filled products I had used.

So yesterday afternoon I decided to make a new batch of FSG. I have some agave nectar and seamollient, so I searched around NC.com to figure out how much to use of each. Then I stumbled upon this thread. Since I wasn't in a rush, I decided to give it a try. I put 1/4 cup flax seeds in about 1 cup of distilled water and let it soak for 18 hours, adding more water every so often. This morning I made a batch, adding 1/2 tbsp agave nectar and 1/2 tsp seamollient (have never used this before!). It didn't make a lot; in fact it was way less than I usually get. And it didn't seem that much thicker either.

I did the Spritz & Condition method with GVP Conditioning Balm, co-washed with V05 Raspberry, and rinsed-out with some more GVP CB. Then I scrunched in about three tablespoon-sized puddles of FSG, blotted with a flour sack towel, scrunched in a few more blobs, and plopped. After plopping, I scrunched in some Aussie Instant Freeze, plopped again, and started diffusing. About halfway through diffusing, things were getting crunchy. I scrunched in a little more FSG (still not sure if I like this method) and diffused a little longer.

It was when I finished that I noticed how much it had shrunk! In all my days of being a curly, let alone CG, I have never experienced shrinkage like this before. I wasn't expecting much, especially after just using sulfates on Saturday. It's clipped right now. I'll try and take some pics after it dries completely.

Edit -

Just SOTC. Here's a horrible picture. I really need to find an actual camera.

Shampoo Day

Well, I made it two months! But the time has come to shampoo again. The oils from the Lustrasilk are just too much - I want my curls back! And you know there is something wrong when you use protein multiple washes in a row and nothing happens...

I'm going to look around my stashes (and sister's stash) for a decent low-poo, but I will probably just use Suave Clarifying Shampoo again.

I put in some coconut oil about ten minutes ago and will immediately DT with GVP Conditioning Balm after shampooing. Hopefully that will cut down on the damage. I'm pretty sure I did this last time with limited damage.

I couldn't update on the wet hair results due to a freak snowstorm in my area. It usually snows an inch or two once a year, but this time we got more than nine inches. Things got ridiculous and we lost phone, internet, and tv for over a day. Anyway, it turned out just as I thought it would. My hair feels so thin when it dries like this. But I also only used a leave-in, so that could be why.

Will update in a few days with the results!

Wet Hair

I'm going to bed with wet hair. And I don't mean my "usual" wet hair - when it doesn't get diffused all the way. I mean, almost soaking wet hair in a bun.

Why?

Because I'm tired. This month has been exhausting. And we're only ten days in.

Today was traumatizing in many different ways. Most of it has been sent to the part of my brain where I put bad memories. So I don't remember. Because I really don't want to remember.

On top of this, I'm sick and tire easily. I don't want to spend 1+ hours on my hair tonight.

And I finished my book, so I have nothing interesting to read because Glamour sucks at getting to my house on time.

But despite all of this, I am in dire need of a co-wash.

So I will be sleeping with wet hair.

Results to follow tomorrow (I'm thinking it will go 99% straight and also not dry until Saturday!)

It's Back...

So my hair has looked pretty gross since Monday. It falls flat easily, is mostly wavy, and just generally not pretty.

I'm not 100% positive, but I think it's oil build-up from my one-time use of Lustrasilk Shea Mango. I thought it may have been over-kill from gel (I used it to SOTC on Tuesday night), but the frizzy-when-wet issue began before then and has gotten progressively worse. And that's especially discouraging because I thought my hair was getting better with oils. Sigh.

Now I know it's time to cleanse, but I'm really hesitant to use shampoo. Clarifying shampoo is never pretty and the only low-poos I have also contain oils. I'm kind of kicking myself for not ordering Curl Junkie's cleansing conditioner the other day when Curlmart had a 20% off code.

Would it be horrible to order it now and just bun it until it arrives?