Hey ! Im back with big news.......

I kno I haven't updated in a long long time. But....
I have decided to go completely natural.
No texlaxing. No relaxing. All natural.
I have been thinking about this for a long time. And my hubby has been asking me for the longest time why I would continue to put chemicals in my hair, after all the drama and breakage that I have been through.
 My texlaxed hair journey had been going ok, but I realized that my relaxed hair is so unhealthy, and thin. I miss my natural hair!!
  When I was yonger, my hair was natural and a lot of people (aka kids ) gave me a hard time about it and teased me, blah blah blah. And I didnt know how to style it, neither did my mom. And I sometimes , I would get it pressed. But I would go to salon, after salon, after salon, and every person who pressed my hair who sit there and complain and complain about how I had "too much hair" that was "too thick", etc. It sucked. I mean, my hair looked nice, but to have someone hovering over you whining and complaining and you are paying them to do your hair. Its kind of rediculous and annoyoing. But, I am an adult now , and I don;t really care what people think...I just want my hair to be healthy and having lots of options. I cant wait to rediscover my texture and my curls!!

21 Question Hair Tag

If you're reading this, and have a blog, and are trying to get longer healthier hair: you're TAGGED! So simply answer the following questions and re-post them on your blog so people reading it can get to know you better :)

1. Why did you start taking better care of your hair? July 6, 2011

2. What are your 2 favorite products? COCONUT OIL  (<---obsessed) and Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo

3. Who's hair did you admire as a child? Any black girl with long silky hair...Gabby Union...Aaliyah

4. What is your ultimate goal length? Bra Strap Length...I wouldn't be mad if I made it to Mid Back Length

5. How are you going to celebrate when you reach it? PHOTOSHOOT!! Night out with my hubby!!

6. Two styles you want to try at your goal length? The ULTIMATE bun and....an awesome bantu knot out

7. Which do you prefer: Health or length? Health

8. Which do you prefer: Hair ties with no metal parts, or butterfly clips? Hair ties

9. What products do you prefer: salon brands, organic brands, BSS brands or drugstore brands? Organic and BSS brands

10. Which product/technique do you think is over-rated?  Trimming ends

11. Which product/technique do you think is under-rated?  Deep conditioning on dry hair

12. What is your favorite part of your hair regimen? Moisturizing and sealing

13. What is the most annoying part of your hair regimen? Deep conditioning with heat..takes a long time.

14. Oils or butters? Oils .....COCONUT oil to be exact!!

15. Bun or ponytail? Bun

16. Wig or weave (or neither)? WIG!

17. What is your opinion on growth aids? Just another excuse for the beauty industry to trick you and rob you of you $$.

18. What length do you consider long? Arm Pit length and beyond
19. When is the last time you've been to a salon?...........um...I dont know....about February or March???

20. What do you like to surf the most: youtube channels, personal blogs or hair forums? Youtube Channels

21. And finally, what piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out their hair journey?
Be kind to your hair ...handle with care!! And make sure you know the ingredients that you are putting in your hair :)

Breakage :(

I keep having issues with breakage. I know that the problem lies in protein/moisture imbalance, but I don't know how to meet in the middle, so to speak. For example, I did a homemade protein treatment last week, because I keep having broken hairs in my comb when I comb my hair. Not a lot, about a medium amount, but still. My goal is a few hairs or no hairs. And I know it can be done because I've watched girls on YouTube like Nina Pruitt and ULoveMegz have little to no broken hairs in their combs.
  So my homemade protein mix was one whole egg and some extra virgin olive oil. I left it in my hair for one hour without heat (or else I'd have scrambled egg head) as instructed by an article on hairfinity.com. After I rinsed and conditioned, I still had some breakage. :(
  The next few days, I also noticed that my hair was hard...a symptom of protein overload. But....how can I have protein overload and still have breakage?? I don't get it. I hated my hair feeling hard, so I deep conditioned on dry hair overnight with extra virgin coconut oil and my hair felt SOOOO much better :) I love my coconut oil!!
 Anyway so...I think I'm just going to continue to do a weekly protein treatment. Probably not with an egg, but I use my Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor and it works well. I guess trial and error leads you to the hair of your dreams right? Here of some of my dream hair lengths :)

My main goal length is bra strap length, but I recently decided my short term goal is full arm pit length because...it's still so long and pretty and I would be BEYOND happy if I got there and not bra strap  length. It just seems more within my reach :)

Todays Look- BATU BANTUS!

SO, last night while I was talking on the phone to my hubby, I decided to randomly try doing bantu knots on my hair. I did a cowash with my Vo5 Moisturing Strawberries and Champagne conditioner (smells soooooooo good) and let it air dry about..90 percent.I moisturized and sealed and...here is how it look in the morning!

I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I had attempted this look before, but I think I made my bantus too small, so the curls were too tight/old ladyish. Here's a picture of the back :)

Yay for heat free curls!! :)
Tommorow will be wash day. I will be attempting a homemade protein treatment...updates to come!
  

My Current Hair Care Regimen

Hey Everyone :) I know its been a little while and I promised to put my regimen here. A lot has been going on in my life, but at last, I have some time to post this :)

**Daily*** Moisturize and Seal in the AM and PM
Moisturizer- Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave In
Sealer- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

**Weekly**

I wash my hair once a week. Before I shampoo, I prepoo with honey and a little EVCO (Extra Virgin Coconut Oil). I apply both the honey and oil onto damp hair and let them sit on my head with a plastic cap for about 30-40 minutes. Then I rinse and shampoo my hair with with Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo .This is one, if not the best shampoo I have ever used in my entire life. It's chock full of natural ingredients, and it has no Sodium Lauryl Sulfate!! It has the most amazing smell, like a fresh peach smoothie. Mmmmm. My hubby loves the way it smells, too ;) I don't think you can buy this in store, I purchased mine form amazon.com.
  After I shampoo, I deep condition with Elasta QP's DPR-11 with heat. I apply it to my hair, comb it through, then I apply my blowdryer heat cap over my shower cap and deep condition for 45 min. After 45 minutes, I rinse out my DC with cold water.
After I towel dry my hair gently I add a leave in conditioner. I usually my own blend made with a little Herbal Essences conditiner,glycerine,tangerine oil, and distilled water. Sometimes I use Aphogees Pro-Vitamin Leave in conditioner as well. I comb my leave in through and then apply my Neutrogena Triple Moisture Leave In as my moisturizer. I let my hair air dry in a bun or just down. After it's dry, I seal with a little coconut oil, focusing on my ends.

**Protein Treatments** (When needed)- Aphogee 2 minute Reconstructor

Co-Washing- I work out about 2-3 times per week, and so I usually cowash after I work out with Vo5 Moisturizing Condtioner Champagne and Strawberry or I use Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly conditioner.

I moisturize and seal nightly, and then I bun or braid my hair in 2 big braids and cover my hair with a satin scarf.

 Thats pretty much it! I try to eat a balanced diet with lean protein and drink lots of water. I also take a hair, skin, and nail vitamin 3xs a day! :)

First Texlax...Couldn't Wait!

So....I guess I lied (ooops).
I couldn't wait a week to texlax, I did it today!! Yes! I feel soooooo accomplished :)
 Well, actually, my sister Kenya did it. She did a great job....as if she were a professional.  Check it out! :)

I love the results. My hair is so soft and the texture is so much more manegable.Very convinient when you have two little toddlers :) And here is a pic of my roots!

 I can't wait until my all my hair is texlaxed , so I can cut off all that old, relaxed hair!
   After I texlaxed, I did a light protein treatment using Aphogee's 2 minute Keratin Reconstructor to replace the protein lost in the texlaxing. I then deep conditioned for twenty minutes using Elasta QP's DPR-11 and steam from my shower :)
 So, I don't know what my actual current hair length would be called...it's a little past my neck. Hmm. But my goal is Bra Strap Length so hopefully, with my healthy hair regimine, I will get there!
 I will post my regimine soon :)

The Journey Begins!

Hello World!
 I would like to introduce myself. My name is Keanna and I am 24 years old. I am maried and have two children who are awesome. Aliana, my daugter will be four years old in a few short weeks. I also have a son named Isaiah, who is two. I love being a mommy and I am OBSESSED with having healthy hair....which is why I started this blog.
  I know that there are lots and lots of "healthy hair journey" blogs online, but this one is special. I will be writing about my path to beautiful, luscious hair...and my beautiful, crazy mommy moments. I hope you enjoy reading this :).

  I started my healthy hair journey a few weeks ago on June 20, 2011. My journey started completely by accident. I was getting ready to take my (first ever) sew in down. It had been in for about two months. I had NO IDEA how to take it down, so I got on YouTube and searched "How To Take Down a Sew In". The video I found most helpful was by a girl  who had lots and lots of videos on her channel entitled, "Natural Hair Growth Show".
  After I watched her video on sew in takedowns, I noticed all the other videos on the sidebar from the Natural Hair Growth Show. There were videos about "Regimine Building"  and "High Protein Diet for Long Hair", and "How I Steam and Clarify". It sounded like something interesting, because I've always wanted hair past my shoulders for years. So I checked out her videos. At first, all I could focus on was her awesome english accent, but then I started actually listening to what she was saying. I couldn't believe it. The key to having long, strong, African American hair was having a "Regimine" and maintaning proper moisture and protein balance? Huh? That sounded like a stretch to me. But when I started looking at more and more videos of black women using great products and having ridiculously long and healthy looking hair, I knew I HAD to start a journey of my own. How could I not???!!
 
  I have naturally and extremely THICK coarse hair, probably a 4b. My roots are very tightly curled, like "little springs" (<--- as my friend, Feefee would say). I have had a relaxer in my hair since I was 14, but I don't think I've had a touch up in about 5 months or so. So I guess I'm stretching. But not for long! My sister is going to texlax my hair using the Just For Me Texture Softener with Sunflower Oil pictured here:

  I have seen a few people on YouTube using this and I am pretty excited to see my results. I will definately post a picture of me and my hair after I get it done so I can start documenting my hair journey officially- cuz you know it ain't official 'till the pics are up ;)

 Talk to you in a week! xoxoxo