Product Review: As I Am Cowash

 

 

"CoWash: To cleanse hair with conditioner, oppose to using shampoo, instilling mosisture, oppose to stripping it with sulfates. (Sulfate free)"

I will start out with the good about this product. It smells like HEAVEN!!!! I reeeeally like the smell. That's about it. It comes in a jar, but would be much more convenient if it came in a bottle or pump. It seems as if the water that drips from your hand, into the jar, would eventually thin the product out.
I actually wish the product was a bit thicker, creamier. Also performance wise it was "meh". I guess it did what it was supposed to do, cleanse with out the sulfates, but I feel like I could have gotten the same results from the Aussie Miraculously Smooth, that I usually cowash with. Would I recommend this product to anyone? No. I am actually disappointed because I was so excited to try it myself! Will I be repurchasing it? No. As stated before, this product cost almost $8 for 16 oz, and I get Aussie Mircaculously Smooth for the same price for 29 oz and it comes in a pump :-). I will however use As I Am up, as it does do the job, just no wow factor, nope nothing special, yummy, or tantalizing.

Cold Hard Truth About The Journey; The Hair Journey.

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated! I kind of fell into a hair funk, hair boredom. Which a revelation about the truth of our hair journeys is what spun the birth of this blog post. 

We know their are hundreds of rules out there! The don't dos, the do dos, & all that lies in between. Typically I use direct heat on my hair once a month, I've tried to stretch that out to only on special occasions, well at this point in my life the special occasions are far & few in between. That would seem like a good thing right? Less heat use! Well for me that SUCKS! Lol my hair simply air dries stupidly, no matter what method I try... This is what I end up with 

A relaxed hairfro!!! That makes styling it more difficult & bc it has SOOO much texture if I ever want a sleek look, heat has to be involved. So trying to go heatless & bunning, got me bored with my hair! I was beginning to become lazy, not wearing my bonnet while sleeping, using gel on my edges & a brush to sleek it down. I wasn't M&S'ing... So I decided to straighten it & once again fall in love with my hair. The truth is, starting my hair journey I depended heavily on Wigging for protective styles. Not being able to do that now & not having a variety of styles to choose from I get bored & lazy. So my revelation was "Right now, refraining from heat usage is not ideal for my hhj". I have to do what is best for me!! There is no reason to feel caged in or imprisoned by your hair & all the rules that apply. 

So what I use heat once a month, still my hair has thrived 

 So what if I don't retain the MAXIMUM length for the year, so what if I don't reach BSL by the end if the Summer. The most important thing is being happy & comfortable with my own hair.  So far this year I have straightened my hair & worn it straight for two weeks, most of which time it remains in a protective style, I only wear my hair down if I'm out & about. Then for two weeks I do heatless low manipulation & protective styles & that has worked for me. What doesn't work is.....trying to focus so much on following one rule that you end up breaking all if the others.  So that's my two cents for the week!!

Don't try to mimic anyone else's regimen.

Don't beat yourself up if you can't apply EVERY rule in the book!

& most importantly... Enjoy & have fun during this journey...you'll reach your destination whether you take the freeway or scenic route :-) 

 

 

How I Care For My Relaxed Hair'

I am writing this post because as I gain more length I am starting to get more attention/inquiries on my hair care regimen & what it is that I do & why. 

First I would like to reiterate that I DO RELAX MY HAIR!!!

Many people see that I am on a hair journey & automatically assume that I am natural. Being on a hair journey or developing a hair care regimen has allowed me to gain knowledge on how to maintain my hair relaxed as well as my kinky/coily new growth, which allows me to only relax my hair every 5-6 months. 

Another reason that I am writing this post is bc my blog is pretty much a journal for my journey. Some may reference it & find ideas here & there but it is not quite an informative hair care blog. I am only a year & a half in so I still consider myself learning. I post what I learn, as I learn. Then there are other things that I know of, but don't post because I don't utilize them. That is one thing you will learn if you are just starting out on your journey, there are MANY MANY products, DIY treatments, methods & hair utensils out here! There is no way that you will utilize everything that you read. So I don't consider this an informative blog bc I am a bit selfish...if I don't do it, I don't write about it. Perhaps one day I'll grow, when the traffic starts coming in & I have questions to answer & requested posts, but until then this entire blog is based on what I've learned & what I've found useful. 

Ok now down to what I do!!!

Daily:

 I take my vitamins bc my diet is not the best & I spritz my hair with a DYI Green Tea & oil mix.

I spritz my hair for a tad bit of moisture.

Every other day I oil my scalp with an oil. Sometimes (most times) it's Castor Oil, but right now it's Liquid Gold Sulfur BasedOil. Both are for growth aids.

I also moisturize my hair every other day & GHE.

What do I moisturize with?

Mizani Overnight Tx

Mizani ButterRich Hairdress or

ORS Moisturizing Hair Lotion.

What is GHE?

It's Oiling your scalp & moisturizing your hair, then placing a plastic cap over your hair followed by a head scarf for at least 30 minutes.

Weekly:

I cowash with V05 Clarifying Conditioner.

Cowashing is cleansing the hair witha conditioner opposed to shampoo.  I know it sounds sketchy but it truly does cleanse my hair while adding & reserving moisture.

DeepCondition: I deep condition under a hooded dryer weekly.

Monthly:

Clarify hair with an ACV rinse.

Apple Cider Vinegar rinses clarifies hair while closing the hair shaft creating a smooth & sleek look. 

I use 2 tablespoons of ACV w/ 2 cups of water. Pour over hair, allow to sit for 2-5 minutes then rinse in cool water.

Protein Treatment: I use Aphogee 2 min Reconstructor for protein. 

I also seem to flat iron my

Hair once a month. It's not my intentions to do it so frequently but I do love being able to show my hair off every once & a while. When ever I do flat iron I use the comb & chase method &ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a heat protectant. 

After straightening my hair I use my Split Ender to dust for split ends. 

Outside of straightening my hair I use buns & wigs as protective styles & Bantu Knot Outs & Braid Outs as low manipulation styles.

My current length is APL: 

 

App for Hair Journey!!!

This is just a quick little post to let those of you who may not be aware that there is a hair journal app on the iPhone, I'm not sure if its available to Android users but you are welcomed to check!! It's called "Hair Journal"

I find it extremely useful to keep account of even the smallest details of what I've done to my hair.

It is set up to where you can have more than one profile.

That comes in handy if say you & your sister are both using the app on a shared device.

As you can see it has tabs for a hair diary:

Which contains a calendar to pick a date & allow you to write down any notes, measurements, or pics for that specific date. 

It also contains an entire photo album where you can see all if the pics collectively 

 But to only see certain pics for a specific day you would need to go to the calendar inside of the diary & click on that specific day.

Then there is a tab to list your favorite products, staple prods & what you like about them!

If you are anything like me, keep your phone at hand & have to FIND time to even physically write on notebook & paper lol, this may be the app for you!!! I have literally used this EVERYDAY since downloading!! Just thought I'd share :-)

HHJ EVERYONE!!!!