I'm starting a new journal since I've started a new haircare routine.

About a month ago I started doing homemade herbal rinses and I'm loving the results.  I keep forgetting to write down my experiments, so if I do it here, someone might get something from it, too.

I bought the book: "Naturally Healthy Hair" by Mary Beth Janssen.  Most of my haircare changes are due to this book.

After reading the book, I started drinking nettle tea.  I have done several nettle rinses, but they seem to darken my haircolor.  I like the properties of nettle, I just need to use less in my herb mix.

At the moment my routine:
Devacurl One Condition on ends
California Baby Super Sensitive shampoo (this is helping my flakey scalp) *sometimes I alternate shampoos with Devacurl No Poo and Low Poo
ACV rinse, rinse out the rinse
Herbal Rinse #1: Horsetail, lavender, marshmallow, nettle with lavender, sandalwood and clary sage eo
Devacurl One Condition on ends
brief water rinse, blot out excess water
Herbal Rinse #2: decoction of chamomile and calendula with rose, neroli and lavender eo

Scrunching in Ouidad Curl Quench gel and plop.  After taking off the towel, scrunch in a few drops of camellia oil.  Dividing my hair in half really helps me evenly distribute my conditioner and oil.

I did one gelatin deep conditioner protein pack since working with the book.  I liked the results, am struggeling to get a deep condition in each week.  I will do the gelatin pack again.  Someday.

Am still getting Success Oil scalp massages every two weeks at my salon.  I've been doing this for several months.  Its helping with my TMJ and I think keeping my growth going.

Right now, I'm taking a hot bath after my workouts and then showering and washing my hair = 3 times a week.  I like this routine, although getting a little weary of making my "hair tea" 3 times a week.

This past Monday I dropped my 1st rinse and just did the 2nd.  The tea was too hot to apply so I diluted it and I think I got better color results.  Curl is a bit more to my liking with both rinses.

I've dropped my leave-in conditioner: Devacurl Be-leave In for the moment.  My ends are less crunchy, I think the herbal rinses are conditioning enough and I leave the 2nd one in anyway.

I'm really happy with these results.  I've gone almost 5 months without a trim and I'm in really good shape.  Very few splits, breaks or dryness.  Also, regarding my thick hair: I am lifting my hair to get a good rinse.  I think this is helping my scalp, along with all the other stuff I'm doing.

Trying for monthly S&D, if I do that I'm sure I can go 6 months between trims and have healthy hair.

On another note: Saturdays is my outdoor boot camp fitness class.  I'm recieving or doing my scalp massage on Friday and heavily applying camellia oil to my ends overnight, wearing my hair in braids during class and then bathing.  I really feel this is not only giving me extra conditioning, but protection to my hair during vigorous exercise.  Bonus!!

Thanks, CurlyGirl64!

This pic is when I do both rinses:


and this one is from today, with just the 2nd rinse:

Thanks, Trisha.  I don't know if I'll be posting much in this journal with my board duties.  I'm hoping to post at least once a month though.

beautiful curls!

I got a bad headache after boot camp yesterday, so I'm still holding off on the henna.

I used my new larger micro fiber towel-its a winner!  It makes plopping much easier and I like the results even better.

I didn't do my herbal rinses when I washed yesterday.  I did a clarifying shampoo and conditioner, plus my usual ACV rinse to get the oil and ginger out of my hair.  Its funny, I think my hair looks redder.  At last hubby could tell a difference w/o the color rinse.

Today after yoga class my folks are coming over for the Super Bowl.  We have the FBR and Super Bowl here on the same week.  Thank goodness we live on the other side of town.  Traffic is bad enough regularly!!  If my head doesn't stop hurting, I may spend most of the afternoon in bed.

Thanks, Curlygirl64.  I do feel better, I think I may have been dehydrated and not realized it.

Experiment:
Avocado oil
Aloe Vera Gel
Honey
Ylang-Ylang eo

Mixed and warmed and applied to scalp to leave in overnight.  Very emollient, however very sticky.  Lost lots of hair trying to finger comb through and even more in the shower.  Luckily it washed out just fine.  I had to wash earlier than planned-there's no way I could style my sticky hair and go out to do stuff and then come home and bathe (which is my routine).  If I do this again, I'll add more oil and/or less honey or maybe just the oil and eo.  I don't want to loose so much hair again!  This mix made my hands very soft, as I put on the left overs.

Tomorrow I go to Tuscon w/hubby to get a curlygirl haircut.  Trim, actually.