Transitioning with a Newborn Update

Whew! It has been one SERIOUS week. And you know I must love my hair because I just gave birth to my little Ethan on May 12, 2012 and here I am back on the hair blog! I want to make this short and sweet because I do have a newborn to care for so here goes.

I have had NO time to do my hair. I finally washed it two days ago in that same plaited style I showed you in my last post and am in the process of rebraiding it. Breastfeeding a newborn and transitioning is tough, so I probably won't change my hair unless one of my family members coming in town to see the baby offers to do it. Here's my hair after I had Ethan. I put my phony afro puff on that day. I'm using Aveeno leave-in for moisture every few days.

Similar style at 41 weeks pregnant (not my favorite pic of myself, but focus on the hair, lol):

I had an appointment with the pediatrician this morning and I STILL have not finished rebraiding it. It's super fuzzy and crazy looking. So here is the style I threw together to run out the door. I unbraided the one braid in the front, threw on a beanie and ran! Little Ethan almost made me late! I didn't even wear makeup (first time in years I've been in public with none on). I should have undone that ponytail in the back where the bump is. Next time!

Again, my hairstyle throughout the next 5-6 months will NOT change much. I will keep it braided with my own hair, wash in braids every week, and rebraid (rebraid the front every week, and rebraid the back every 3-4 weeks). I will keep you posted on my progress! And I'm sure you are all curious, so here he is: the newest love of our lives!

Product Chat: Conditioners

Alright folks. Let's have a chat about my conditioners. I talk about what I do to my transitioning 4b hair, but I also want to make sure I note what products I'm using and how I'm using them. Here's something you will quickly realize about me: I REFUSE to get rid of any inexpensive products. Any conditioners that don't work for me get added to the pre-shampoo detangling conditioners. I haven't yet met a conditioner that doesn't add a little slip to the hair when thoroughly coating the strands. If that doesn't work, there's always adding a little extra virgin olive oil to it for a little assistance. (Note: Misting sections of dry hair with a little water before adding conditioner helps with the detangling process).

Anyway, I finally bought some much-needed conditioners so I'm not just limited to what I currently have: the Cantu leave-in (good for blow-drying, but not sure how it works in air-dried hair) and Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat (very thick and creamy, but I think it leaves my hair more coated than moisturized).

I haven't yet used the Cantu leave-in again since I stopped straightening my hair. It worked really well when I blow-dried my hair because it always left my hair moisturized instead of dried out. The Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat I've only used once on dry hair since I found it about a week ago in the back of my cabinet. I thought it left my hair moisturized, but I'm starting to realize that it may have just left my strands coated with product instead (adding to the pre-poo pile! There's not much left anywho).

I'm just about out of the Shea Moisture conditioner that I've been using as a pre-poo since I discovered its drying qualities on my hair. Since then, I bought Organic Root Stimulator Deep Penetrating conditioner (for use as a deep conditioner), Aveeno leave-in (for use as leave-in and light daily moisture), and a V05 Moisture Milk Passion Fruit (for use as a rinse-out conditioner).

Unfortunately I can't properly review the three new products right now since my hair is in the braids, but in about two weeks when I take them out I'll review the Organic Root Stimulator and the Aveeno leave-in. Thanks for listening!

My Little $20 Mini-haul: I Love Beauty Supply Stores!

Well, I just came back from the giant beauty supply store a ways away since I've been pregnant (41 weeks!) and stuck in the house. I just wanted to get out and I planned on getting a hair flower for an event I have to go to on Monday, but when I learned the flowers were only $1, I got a little excited! I spent $20 and here's my haul:

 

Four flowers and four knitted caps. The cap at the top is purple if you can't tell. It's kind of dark. I'm excited about wearing these in the next few weeks! I'll add pics of me wearing these in a later post.

Week 24: Wash Day and New Style

Alright! Finally made it to another wash day yesterday. I went a little different this time, plaiting in nine plaits this time and leaving them in while washing again with Creme of Nature Shampoo. Note: bad idea for me to wash in plaits. I wasn't able to get all of the product out of the length of my hair with it in braids, but that may just be because I didn't squeeze the shampoo through the braids enough.

Anywho, I took out the plaits one by one and used the tension method to blow dry my natural roots and the demarcation line, replaited, tied my hair down with a satin scarf, and air dried the rest of the way overnight. I undid the plaits this morning and decided to put in individual plaits with my own hair and braid the front. I'm not good at braiding and plaiting, so this took five hours, but I'm sure I'll get faster with regular practice. Here are the results.

Starting Plaits

End Results

I like it! I will be happy if this style lasts two weeks. I will still wash them the best I can with a stocking cap on once per week., maybe three if I'm lucky.