This past week has been a weird hair week for me. I washed my hair last weekend and put it in a bun. I wore my hair in a bun all week, but no matter how much I oiled it, it was always dry. It felt like the oil was just sitting on the surface of my hair and my hair was not absorbing a thing!

This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, washing my hair is the only thing that softens and moisturizes it. This is also one of the reasons why I wash my hair weekly. This used to happen when my hair was relaxed as well.

So I washed my hair and pampered it a bit, this weekend and blow dried it a little. My ends were horrific, so I trimmed them just a little. I know you guys are saying “AGAIN?!?!” Yes, again! Lol. That’s the only way for me to keep my hair in good health and stay on top of the SSK situation. It’s been about 5 or 6 weeks since the last trim. I promise I only trim a smidgen each time.

I realized that I ran out of creativity for new styles. I need inspiration. Help!

XOXO,
Rece

I was talking to a friend not too long ago. She relaxes her hair, but also maintains several of her family members’ natural hair. She’s just good with hair! She’s actually one of the few people I trusted to trim my hair back in college.

We were discussing the use of protein conditioners vs. moisturizing conditioners. I told her that I usually alternate weekly, which was advice she had given me in the past that worked like a charm. Prior to that, I was using moisturizing conditioner all the time and I was accustomed to the mushy feeling of my hair while the conditioner was in. I thought my hair was well moisturized and was doing well. When I started alternating with protein conditioner, my hair thrived.

She told me that while she’s washing her hair, she takes a strand of hair from the sink that has already come out and does “The Strand Test.” This test is to see what type of conditioner your hair needs. If you stretch the strand and it stretches a lot before it breaks, your hair is over moisturized and you should use a protein conditioner for that wash. If you stretch the strand and it immediately snaps, your hair has too much protein and you should use a moisturizing conditioner for that wash. Ideally, you should be able to stretch the strand just a little before it snaps.

Interesting. I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds reasonable to me.

XOXO,
Rece