Crochet box braids: 13 weeks post relaxer touch up

I usually do my relaxer touch-ups at 12 weeks post although I have stretched to 14 weeks post relaxer once before. However, my new growth has been soooo manageable like I can't believe it. I guess I owe it to S. curl moisturizer that i started using again. So I have decided to see how far this stretch could go. To make things easier for my hair and I,I thought it best to get a protective style that would keep all my hair out of the way. Voila...! Crotchet box braids it is. I watched the video below for the how to.

My wash day before installation went thus:

1) I prepooed with coconut oil for about 1 hour. I saturated my hair in the coconut oil and applied Tropic Isle Strong roots red pimento oil on my scalp, massaged for 5 mins, wrapped up my hair in cling film and used my heat therapy wrap.

2) Shampooed with Creme of nature moisture and shine sulphate-free shampoo (diluted in a spray bottle). I usually clarify before installing a protective style, but I clarified just a week ago so I decided sulphate-free shampoo should do.

3) Deep conditioned with my fav deep conditioner; ORS replenishing conditioner. I applied the deep conditioner, wrapped my hair in cling film and used my heat therapy wrap. (I love eeeiiitt!). I took a nap for about an hour and half and then rinsed with cold water.

4) T.shirt dried for 30 mins, sprayed aphogee green tea reconstructor, applied megagrowth profectiv daily leave-in strengthener and sealed with my oil mix. I decided not to air-dry as I am 13 weeks post and i needed to stretch my new growth so I blow-dried with cool air using tension method.

5) I oiled my scalp with my oil mix, massaged and braided my hair up for the crotchet box braids. Then I attached the extensions I had pre-braided using my lat h hook. I'm planning to keep the braids in for about 3 - 4 weeks

Have you tried the crotchet box braids and would you rock it? How was your last wash day?

Wash day: 11 weeks post relaxer touch up

I took out my first diy crochet braids (see pictures below) after 3 weeks. It was easy peasy and my hair was sooooo soft. So soft that I feared moisture overload.

I skipped on prepoo because my hair felt pretty coated and super-soft. Washed using warm water using ORS creamy aloe shampoo. Lathered once and followed with creme of nature moisture and shine sulphate-free shampoo. T.shirt dried for about five minutes while mixing my deep conditioning concoction  (ORS replenishing conditioner + one tablespoon Jamaican Black Castor oil + 2 tablespoons Coconut oil ). Applied the mix and wrapped my hair in cling film and used my heat therapy wrap. Deep conditioned for about 45 mins. Rinsed with cold water and tshirt-dried for 2 hours.

 It was after tshirt drying that I discovered many tangles and some teeny tiny knots aaaaargh! I started dreading detangling. My initial style for the week was a braid-out. I knew I dared not. Braid-outs tend to give me tangles even when I'm not 11 weeks post. Anyway I worked in smaller sections than I normally would, sprayed aphogee green tea reconstructor, applied my oil mix and blow dried with cold air using tension method. Oiled my scalp with my oil mix using my root only applicator bottle and used my current staple leave-in conditioner (Megagrowth profectiv daily leave-in strengthener. Fortunately, the tangles were easy to work through, although I was very patient It took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes to detangle and comb all sections using a wide-tooth comb. Since a braid-out was off the table, I simply did a faux bun with a bang using marley hair.

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New healthy hair blogger alert!

Hello there!

Finally I'm here! So so so...My name is Bobola and I'm a naija (nigerian) hairlista. I started my healthy hair journey in May 2014. I had shoulder length hair but I was frustrated by the amount of breakage I was experiencing ...hair all over the bathroom floor that you have to sweep kind of breakage. So I started surfing the internet for solutions then bang!!! I found some nigerian healthy hair blogs. Lade of www.rehairducation.com especially had me swooning like wah? it's possible for an African to gave waist length hair? Then I lapped all the info on her blog...every single article. I discovered a lot of bad hair practices that I was ignorantly guilty of. My eyes really opened but the major thing was a change of mindset. I realised Africans could also have long and healthy hair. Ever since I've had an insatiable hunger and thirst for all things healthy hair and I've taken charge of taking care of my hair. I really can't remember the last time I went to a salon. DIY all the way.

I decided to start my own blog for the following reasons:

• For documentation - Keeping a blog would help me keep track of the things I'm doing to my hair, products and so on. Sometimes I have to think so hard to remember if it's been a month or not since I clarified. I tried keeping a dairy but I realised a blog would be better.
• For accountability - There is something about knowing someone is/people are kind of with you. It sort of keeps you in check from slacking off or being lazy. A kind of motivation so to say
• My journey/hair is unique - Although there are several healthy hair bloggers even in Nigeria. I realised that each person's journey is different and unique and there is always something new to learn.
• A different demographic - When I started my hhj what really encouraged me was the fact that some Nigerians living in Nigeria were having a successful hhj. So I didn't feel alone, things such as availability of products didn't scare me. However I observed that most hair bloggers in nigeria are either in Lagos, Abuja or Port-Harcourt. Some newbies might easily chicken out thinking it is because they are in the big cities where they have better access to products and tools needed on a hhj. People in other cities even miss out on healthy hair meet-ups and other related programmes. I'm currently in Ibadan, Oyo state so it's high time we got something going on here as well *winks. Ladies outside the 3 cities I mentioned might be able to relate with my experiences And yea, you can also get a lot of products and tools here (will share more on that later)

So again here I am. looking forward to having loads of fun on here. mwwuaaah!

xx