Hair Warfare: Detailed Battle Plan

Hey Everyone!

Well, I received a lot of feedback, especially on Facebook, about the article I posted on yesterday that showed how I am growing my edges back about severe postpartum hair shedding. That article quickly became one of the most-viewed posts on my blog and it has been up a little over a day so it must have "struck a chord" with some of you out there and I'm glad it did.

****DISCLAIMER: AS I STATED IN THE OTHER ARTICLE, I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR. THESE ARE MY EXPERIENCES WITH THESE PRODUCTS. I AM NOT OFFERING ANY TYPE OF MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE ADDING ANY SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR DIET, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THESE ITEMS, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK.****

Okay, so the pictures are of the products I am currently using in my battle for the edges. I bought the products from my local Wal-Mart. The cost of both were probably around $10 USD. The MSM is in pill form (it can be purchased in powder form as well) and I started off by taking just 1 pill daily. I had worked myself up to 5 pills daily, but I think that was too much for my system. (My monthly cycles are by the book...very regular. When I increased the MSM to 5000 mg per day, I noticed that my cycle was thrown off. This problem was solved after I decreased my dosage.) I've seem to have found a good balance in taking 3000 mg per day (3 pills). 

I use the Castor Oil daily. In the morning, I pour a dime-size amount into my hand and apply it with my fingers to my edges in the front. I like the Castor oil because it actually helps to lay my edges down so I really haven't been using much gel on my edges since I incorporated the Castor Oil into
my regime. At night, I apply the Castor Oil in the same manner before putting on my satin scarf or bonnet. Folks, a little bit of Castor Oil goes a long way so if you decide to get some, don't be heavy-handed.

For my eyelashes, I apply the Castor Oil every other day before going to bed. I thoroughly wash my hands and then I apply just a dab of the Castor Oil to my index finger. I gently rub the Castor Oil along the base of my lash line on both the top and bottom lashes. I repeat the previous steps on my other eye. You don't want to use too much because you don't want to get the Castor Oil into your eyes.  I only apply Castor Oil to my eyebrows if I get a little too zealous with plucking them.

Now, my husband started using the Castor Oil on his face because he's trying to grow in his beard evenly. If I can get him to take some pictures, I will show you the difference in his facial hair. He's been using it about a month and that little line of hair that runs from a man's bottom lip to his chin has grown! That area is normally kind of sparse on him so he has been able to see a change in the thickness of his facial hair.

Now, healthy hair starts from within so along with these products, I drink water and try to maintain a balanced diet. I also take a multi-vitamin and sometimes I take biotin. I take the biotin a few times a week. I don't take it more because too much biotin makes me experiences break outs on my face. I also make sure I style my hair in ways that don't put too much stress on my hairline-no tight ponytails or braids or tight headbands. 

From my experiences, I do believe the MSM and Castor Oil are helping me in thickening my hair edges and minimizing shedding. I'm going to continue to use these products to get my edges back to the way they were pre-pregnancy and I will probably make these items staple products in my hair regime!

My challenge for you today is think about your health-physical, mental, and spiritual. What are some things you can do to improve all aspects of your health? Now, turn those thoughts in action! Add some exercise to your daily activities. Cut out some thing that are causing you unnecessary stress. Take some time to mediate on God's Word or to talk with Him. Do something to improve your well-being! You will thank yourself one day! Be blessed!

Hair Warfare: The Battle For My Edges!

***Waving*** Hey Y'all!!!

 

Okay...this post is going "keep it real"! By real, I mean as honest as I can be. Do you mind if I get on my soapbox for a second? I get tired of people posting about their hair journeys/issues/roadblocks, but they never really show the struggle! Do you know what I mean? They talk a lot about problems they encountered, but where's the proof? Many show us the beautiful "after" pictures. The pictures where they have followed some strict regime and they obtained the length or thickness or whatever they were aiming for, but where are the BUSTED pictures? *Smile* I know that no one really wants to be put themselves out badly on the world wide web, but I think if more did, it would add some validity to their claims.

Alright, on to my post....as some of you may have gathered, my husband and I recently had a beautiful bouncing baby boy in July of this year. I love my little Ty and he's such a blessing to my family! Now, Ty isn't my first baby. I also have a 3-year old so pregnancy and dealing with postpartum issues were not strangers to me. This time around, however, I experienced something I didn't with my first child. I had to deal with SHEDDING! Now, many moms in the postpartum phase deal with a much more noticeable amount of shedding after having a baby because while pregnant, hair stays in the growing phase and it doesn't shed. So basically, in the postpartum period, you start to shed all that hair that you more than likely would have shed if you hadn't been pregnant.

Now let me be clear, I have never had edges that almost touch my eyebrows or really thick edges. By genetics, my edges have always been the finest part of my hair and that's fine with me! I know what I can and cannot do with my hair and I work with my hair instead of trying to make it do things that would stress it out. As long as my hair is healthy, I'm just fine with what God has given me to work with! (Self-love starts with acceptance!)

Well, after I had Ty, I expected that I would have some shedding, but I never would have imagined that the shedding would take place mainly in the front of my hair, near my hairline! Imagine my utter dismay, when I was washing my hair and it kept shedding...in the front! I was like, "Come on God! You know I have a big forehead! Can I get some shedding in the back please! That's much easier to disguise." By mid-September, I was almost on the verge of a major freak out! Instead of having a break down, I started to ask questions and do some research. After consulting with a few people and surfing Google, I developed a plan of action. My regime and products were fine so I stuck with what I was doing, but I decided to incorporate Castor oil and supplements (MSM and Biotin) into my routine.

****DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor nor am I in the medical field. I chose to use things that I felt would work for me. I am not advising that anyone do what I did without consulting his/her physician. If you choose to do so, you do so at your own discretion and risk.****

Now, many people raved about Castor oil, MSM, and Biotin, but I didn't see too many believable pictures/videos that showed if they actually worked. So I decided to really document the process, like I did when I was transitioning to natural hair. For most folks, seeing is believing! This is an ongoing thing, but I'm posting these pictures because I really want to help somebody. I know that for many, hair issues can be discouraging, but with consistency, diligence and most importantly, patience, I believe many hair problems can be fixed with positive results.

This picture was taken on September 22, 2011 at 7:17 PM CST. (I have time and date stamps on my pictures.)

This picture was taken a little over two months later on November 30, 2011 at 3:31 AM CST. (Yes, I took the picture this morning!)

Now as you can see from the pictures above, there is definitely a difference in my edges! They are not 100% back to how they were pre-pregnancy, but they are definitely getting there! If you also look closely, you should be able to see a difference in my eyebrows. I use the Castor oil on my eyebrows and eyelashes and I can also notice a difference in them. With the right mascara, it looks like I'm wearing some falsies. (As a matter of fact, my husband thought I had on some lashes last weekend so y'all know there has to be some difference if a man notices!) I'm very happy with the results so far and I'll do another update in a few months.

This post is getting long so if you guys want to know exactly how I used the Castor oil and supplements (amounts and frequency), leave me some comments! If I get enough feedback, I'll give you the play by play of how I use the items in conjunction with my normal hair routine.

My challenge for today is to start taking proactive steps to handle whatever situation you might be going through in your life. Instead of crying about it, get up and do something about it! If your significant other isn't acting right or your job isn't fulfilling or your prayer life is not where it should be, take the steps to make things better. Counseling, filling out job applications, making time to communicate with God---whatever it takes, do it! We have to stop talking about things at some point and start doing something to see the change! God bless!

My Puff: The Difference in a Year!

***Yawning*** Good morning....

If I were talking, my voice would sound like a groggy whisper. I've been up since about 3:45 AM with my Ty Ty. It's just part of being a mother to a 4 month old...

Anyhoo, this post will not be long. I just wanted to post a couple pictures to show how my puff has grown in a year's time. Now, I did give myself a mini hair cut (About 1 1/2 inches) about 2 months ago so keep that in mind.

The first picture is from November 2010. You probably recognize it from the home page of my blog.

 The second picture was taken last week so it is from November 2011.

Now, how do I get growth? I can't say I do protective styles all the time, BUT I do keep my hands out of my hair and I try not to overmanipulate hair, even when it is in my staple style---the puff. Over the last year, I alternated from my Freetress Creta Girl half-wig to puffs to WnGs to buns. Occasionally, I would do some two-strand twists or bantu knots. My hair is always moisturized! I really think that played a huge part in te growth I saw in this last year.

This year, I plan to try more twist styles and try to do protective styling a little bit more because it does help with retaining length. I just don't think I will ever be the type to wear protective styles all the time because I want to enjoy my hair and having it tucked away all the time just doesn't fly with me. My hair is a decent length and of course, I wouldn't mind it growing out more, but obtaining length isn't the only part of my hair journey.

My challenge for you today is to make sure you love yourself. I keep being bombarded by blatant cases of self-loathing, especially when it comes to accepting one's hair. It makes me sad to see that some people really don't like themselves, epecially because of their hair texture. I don't care what anyone says, you have to love yourself so that you can love others. God bless!