A Hair Update: Goals, Setbacks & Products.

As I type this from The British Library, my hair is haphazardly sitting in braids under a very secure wig. Protective styling is the name of the game at the moment due to my own sheer laziness and mistreatment of my hair this year. I’ll be honest, throw my hands up in the air and proclaim that I am very lucky that my hair is resilient and grows quite quickly, for I have absolutely abandoned any form of a strict regimen that I once had, and I just left my hair to do its own thing (aka becoming a dry matted mess – oops!). But this post will be about getting back on that wagon and enforcing a simple wash, condition, moisturise, braid and do whatever after regimen. 

I’m blaming university and job hunting stress for the amount of hair that has fallen out of my head these past few months. In July it was quite literally falling out in CLUMPS! On top of that, it was feeling super dry, uneven and just not as good as it could be and I’m making it my goal to stay in protective styles such as wigs and buns more regularly. Although I’m loving the ‘Lob’ (long bob) my hair falls into after a braid out or twist out, I still want it to be healthier and I still want to continue with my growth journey – aiming for a solid waist length straightened by December 2019. I’m currently just scraping bra strap length in the back which is an achievement in itself as my hair has never grown past collar bone length in the past!

Appropriate products and good hair practices are the way to go for healthy hair which translates into retained growth in the long run. A mixture of protein, moisture and gentle manipulation is what I’m doing to nurse my hair back to health. Palmers Coconut Oil Conditioner has been incredible for detangling in the shower, I will say that I don’t think it’s moisturizing enough for an actual deep conditioning treatment but it’s good for a quickie detangle. In a bid to amp up my growth, I searched high and low on youtube for DIY oils for scalp stimulation and I came across an interesting video by Curly Proverbz on Ayurvedic practices for long term hair health, growth and retention which led me to my local asian grocers for fenugreek powder, henna, castor oil and jasmine oil which i mixed together and let sit for approximately 48 hours in an glass spritz bottle before using. I’m delighted to say that the mixture works and it works wonders! My edges were quite literally snatched during my graduation back in june because of the crochet braids i had installed, and my regrowth can definitely be attributed in part to the fenugreek oil mix. Definitely check out this video on growth oils too if you’re needing a boost in that department. Following on from more natural homemade hair solutions, i’ve got to give a quick shout out to bentonite clay – IT IS THE BEST at clarifying, and i mean a solid deep clean from scalp all the way to your ends. I use a bentonite clay ‘shampoo’ between once and twice a month as a clarifying treatment and to get into the places where my usual shampoo cannot. I’ve been very into French Pharmacie for my beauty needs lately and for daily moisture, Kloranes’ Leave In Cream with Mango Butter is a solid staple at the moment, it’s a little pricier than my usual leave in’s but a little goes a long way and i simply adore the scent. It’s particularly great if i’m wanting to wear my hair heat styled as it doesn’t make my hair fluff up (high concentrations of glycerine, which is a humectant does this fyi!). A good cheapie panic buy that i’m also loving for my braid outs is Boots Curl Creme which is a steal at £1.99! It’s obviously not as good as the Klorane leave in but it’s great find for the price i think.

I’ll be back with updates and a few more in depth reviews on products that are killing it in terms of reversing the damage i’ve done to my hair. Hope some of these help! 

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