Top Three Reasons Why I'm Transitioning To Natural Hair

Hey guys,

I'm so sorry things have been so quiet around here. Life has been super-busy. Growing old is tough, lol. So much to do, so little time. There are so many posts on my mind, so much I want to share with you all, getting the time to write is the issue. I hope to find a balance soon. Thanks for sticking around regardless.

  

So I'm on fresh new journey guys,  I'm transitioning back to natural hair. Here is why; 

Boredom & Seeking New Challenge:I got bored and needed a new challenge. I got bored with my texlaxed hair. Some of you would remember my instagram post on this. I suspect this is because I got to my goal length(Brastrap length) and even went past it a little. I considered relaxing it bone-straight cutting it really short and then grow it all over again. I decided to go back natural instead. I've been able to prove to myself, my friends and a few others that relaxed/texlaxed hair can be healthy and long. Mission accomplished onto the next one

Holistic healthy lifestyle: Now, this is the major reason. For about 18 months, I've been trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Organic foods, exercises, reduced canned/processed foods, more fruits and veggies, no foundation or concealer except on special events, black soap and my whipped shea butter as skin care products and so on. Don't laugh, but I have faltered several times especially with food. Lol. Cold Stone Ice cream is a major weakness. Hahaha! In all of these, the only chemical-laden thing I was holding on tightly to, was the relaxer. I decided it was time to give up the creamy crack.

Curiousity. I'm really curious to see what my natural hair is like. Defined curl pattern or not, dense or thick?  and so on. The last time I had a full head of natural hair, was 17 years ago. I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I vaguely remember hair dressers avoiding my hair or begging me to apply relax my hair because it was coarse and long. This scares me a little bit, but I know a lot of things I didn't know then. So we've (my hair & i) got this with the right regimen, technique and products. Knowledge is power.

My last relaxer application was December 22. 2016. It's been 10 months and two weeks since my last touch-up. I did not share this earlier because I couldn't believe I could do it. Managing two textures on washdays, detangling and so on. My conviction grew along the way and here I am. No going back now. 

I will not stop writing about relaxed, texlaxed or texturised hair. The ultimate goal is healthy hair, regardless of how you decide to keep your hair. My next post will be about how to prepare your hair for relaxer touchup. 

Happy growing

xx, 

Bee

ABCs of Texlaxing

Texlaxed hair is gradually becoming more popular in the hair care world. The aim of this post is to break down basic things about texlaxing, how it's different from relaxing or texturising, how to texlax and it's pros and cons.

What is Texlaxing?

Texlaxing is deliberately under-processing the hair during a relaxer application process. This leaves a bit of texture in the hair,  this implies that the hair is not allowed to be bone-straight or silky straight. The amount of texture left in the hair or how under-processed the hair is,  depends on individual preferences.

How to Texlax

Texlaxing is done with relaxers (both lye and no-lye). This is how it is different from texturising (done with texturisers). It's also where the name was coined from i believe; Texture + Relaxer/Relaxing.

Method 1: Reducing the relaxer application and processing time to 15 minutes or less

Method 2: Reducing the applicator before mixing it with the relaxer creme in no-lye relaxers.

Method 3: Diluting relaxer with carrier oils (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil). Add 1 - 3 tablespoons to the relaxer depending on how weak you want it to be, and mix thoroughly.

Method 4: Saturating/coating the hair strands with a carrier oil just before the relaxer application process.

Any of these methods can be used and two or more methods can also be combined. Each method or combos can be adjusted to give preferred texture. For example, someone using a no-lye relaxer could pour 80% of the activator into the relaxer creme to get hair with just a little texture/coils. Another person that only wants to adjust the curl pattern slightly could pour 50% activator or less into the relaxer creme. The activator makes the relaxer creme in no-lye relaxers potent, hence the more you add, the straighter your results. The more oil or conditioner you add to your relaxer,  the weaker it is and you would have more texture or kinks left. 

My method:

I apply a light oil like olive oil all over my hair

I add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil to my relaxer (ORS lye Relaxer).

*application and processing time usually less than 15 - 16 minutes and I smooth the relaxer just once with my fingers.  No combs

There are posts on here detailing my texlaxing routine.

Pros of Texlaxing

• Slightly less chemical (relaxer) damage than in bone-straight relaxed hair
• Thicker hair or more volume
• Some natural hair styles would give better results in texlaxed hair than bone straight relaxed.  For example; braidouts,  twistouts. Updos & buns also have more volume
• Usually more manageable than unprocessed natural hair

Cons of Texlaxing 

• Getting same texture results at every touch up might be difficult. This can be managed by being consistent with method(s) used and application and processing times
• Higher probability of breakage because of texture similar to kinky hair, dryness, breakage at the line of demarcation between new growth and texlaxed hair, and varying texture results from touch-ups. This can be managed by regular sealing & moisturising and deep conditioning.
• More difficult to manage than bone straight relaxed hair. The texture and thickness makes texlaxed hair very prone to knots and tangles like in natural hair. To manage this, work in small sections, detangle your hair thoroughly before washing, keep your hair stretched post wash and generally handle your hair like it's natural.
• Texlaxed hair is also chemically processed and should be treated accordingly. Regular light or medium protein treatments (ORS replenishing conditioner, Organics hair Mayonnaise,  ORS Hair Mayonnaise, Aphogee Two Minutes Keratin Protein Reconstructor,  Vitale Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise etc. ) once in 4 - 6 weeks and strong protein treatments (Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment) 1 or 2 weeks before texlax touch-up.

My Verdict: Texlaxed hair is NOT for a lazy hairlista, else there would be frustration due to dryness, breakage and so much thickness and volume. However, if you are ready to put in the work, you can have the best of both worlds of natural and relaxed hair. *winks. Search out texlaxed hair bloggers or vloggers, learn about their struggles, success and be INSPIRED or otherwise.  Lol

If you have any questions, drop a comment below or send a mail to hairvolutionbybee@yahoo.com.

xx, 
Bee. 

Disclaimer: Everything stated in this post is based on my personal experiences and should not be take as scientific or professional advice. Please do your personal research before making any drastic haircare changes. 

#AskBee: Blog Reader Question 1

QUESTION
"Hello,
I've been keeping up with your posts and you have mentioned applying "scalp oil mix" to your scalp after washing. Please which oils make up the mix and how often do you apply it?
Thanks "

ANSWER 

Thanks for dropping by on my little space in the "blogosphere". My scalp oil mix is made of carrier oils that I've found overtime to be most beneficial to my scalp health. See Composition in the image below.

Here's why I chose these oils;

Castor oil: It promotes and stimulates hair growth, makes the hair strands thicker. It has antifungal properties so it prevents dandruff and other fungal scalp issues. It contains Ricinoleic acid, which is believed to help replenish sebum (scalp's natural oil)Coconut oil: It's very penetrative and enhances blood circulation to the scalp thus stimulates hair growth. It has antibacterial properties which prevents itchy scalp, dandruff etc. It is also very rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for hair and scalp health.

Tea tree oil : It has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. It prevents and heals scalp issues like dryness, flakiness, Itchy scalp and also dandruff. At the beginning of my healthy hair journey, my scalp was always terribly itchy. Even just a day after washing and deep conditioning. I introduced tea tree oil to my regimen and that was it. My scalp is now super healthy. I even added it to my shampoos and deep conditioners. 

Peppermint oil: For me this essential oil is the chief hair growth stimulator. I mean you can even feel it working within seconds of application. LOL. #Justkidding. But really, the tingly, minty feel on the scalp is so refreshing and I also always notice an increase in my growth rate anytime I use it consistently. It increases blood circulation to the scalp which rejuvenates the hair follicles and thus leads to increased hair growth.

I apply the oil mix to my scalp and massage it in for about 3 -5 minutes, not just on wash days but at least twice a week

   

xx,
Bee

Introducing: Blog Reader Questions Series #AskBee

Hi lovelies,

Happy New Month!

I have decided to add a something new to the blog, Blog Reader Question(s). I've received mails and messages from ladies interested in healthy hair. I thought it would be a great idea to share the question(s) on the blog so others can also learn and so that I would not have to answer the same question twice. Once a question has already been answered I can easily refer to the answer on here. 

The frequency of the Blog Reader Question(s)/ #AskBee Posts will depend on how often I get mails/messages. 

So if you would love me to answer your hair-related questions send a mail to hairvolutionbybee@yahoo.com. OR DM (Direct Message) @hairvolutionbybee on Instagram/HairvolutionbyB on twitter. I will reply as soon as I can and also post the question and my answer on here without disclosing your identity.   Let's get this started !!!

Disclaimer : My answers to questions are by no means a rule or law. They are simply based on my knowledge and experience.

xx,

Bee

Product Review: ORS Hair Mayonnaise

One of my goals for my blog this year is to do at least one product review per month. So to kick it off this month, it's only right that I start one of the products that have the most impact on my hair. The product is no other than. ..... ORS Hair Mayonnaise!  

Product: ORS Hair Mayonnaise
Price range: N1200 - N1800
Size: 8oz, 16 oz          
Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Polyquaternim-32, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Safflower), Dimethicone PEG-7 Cocoate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate / Dicaprate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Olea Europaea Oil (Olive), Cetyl Alcohol, Dicetyl Dimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Behentrimonium Methosulfate,  Lanolin Oil, Tridecyl Stearate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate, Dicaprate, Tridecyl Trimellitate,   Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Phenyl Trimethicone, Panthenol, Cholesterol, Urtica Dioica Extract (Nettle), Capsicum Annuum Extract (Paprika),  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Dimethicone, Ovum (Egg Powder), Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, d-Limonene, Linalool, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 15985, CI 19140

Promises:  An intensive conditioning treatment that moisturizes and strengthens helping to reduce shedding abd breakage and enhance shine.

Attributes: Thick, Creamy, Light yellow colour, mild but pleasant scent.

How I use it: My hair is madly, head over heels in love with this deep conditioner. I usually use it once a month or twice when I notice more breakage than usual. I apply to my hair in sections after shampooing and cover with shower cap under a heat cap for at least 20 minutes. Then I rinse with cool water. Despite this product being a medium protein treatment, my hair usually feels so soft after I use it. Sometimes, I even think it's more of a balanced deep conditioner for me. I always follow with a moisturizing deep/rinse-out conditioner though, just because I don't want to risk having protein-overload.

What I like

• Availability; This product is very easy to get. Hair & Beauty stores usually have it in stock. You can even find it in local markets.
• Price; I think the price is quite fair for the job it does. 
• It's a great protein treatment for my hair. It delivers. It makes my hair stronger yet so soft. 
• A little goes a long way, I don't have to pile so much in my hair to get it well saturated. I use the 8 oz jar about 4 times. 

*note: my hair is bra-strap length.

• It has quite a decent amount of slip
• It does a great job with or without any additions. I've used it several times without adding oils, honey e.t.c. and my hair still felt very great after.
• Lovely smell but not overpowering or too strong

 What I don't like

• Despite the fact that my hair responds so well to this deep conditioner, I can't help but frown at and question some of the listed ingredients. Ingredients I don't like are highlighted in red in the ingredients list above, and there are others that I have no idea what they mean or do. I guess you can't have it all in a product sometimes.
• I wish I could get a huge tub of it, like 1000g or 32 oz. lol

Rating: 4/5   

Will I repurchase? : Of course! I've used several jars already. It's a staple in my regimen.

Have you tried this product, drop your comments. Let me know your thoughts. 

xx,

Bee