Meet Sofia!!!

Since my last post, I've joined a hair board (curl talk at naturallycurly.com), finished my second year of law school, started an internship, and of course, did a whole lot of experimenting with my hair. I've tried a wide range of products from cheapo conditioners that can be found at any drug store to high-end products that can only be found online. Through all of this experimenting, I have noticed that my hair has a personality of her own. She loves some ingredients that I absolutely can't stand the smell of, and she hates things that I want her to like. She often does not do what I want her to do, and prefers to just do her own thing. She has her own way of letting me know that she's not happy with something and endures all of the products that I have used on her thus far. After a while, I started calling her by her God-given name: Sofia.

Over the past 3 months, I have come to know and love Sofia for exactly who she is. By getting to know her, I can make better product choices and even predict whether a particular product may or may not work for her.  To better help everyone understand my product reviews and how certain products work for me in the future, I have compiled a list of Sofia's characteristics as well as some of her likes and dislikes. I've also included some random shots of her with and without product, and styled and not styled. So without furhter ado, meet Sofia! I know you'll lover her just as much as I do!

Sofia’s Stats
Density	Normal to thick
Strand Thickness	Fine to very fine
Curl Pattern	3c/4a
Curl Type:	Mostly coijls with some S-shaped curls
Porosity	Normal to low

Sofia, Damp with No Product

Sofia, Damp with Deep Conditioner In

Second-day hair Wash 'n go

Sofia's Likes and Dislikes

Likes	Dislikes
Shea Butter	Aloe Vera Gel
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Aloe Vera Juice
Glycerin (in appropriate dew points)

Biotin Challenge: Month 1 Update!

Last week, I reached the one-month mark in my biotin hair challenge. For the past month, I have taken a one 5000 microgram supplement of biotin in conjunction with my regular daily multi-vitamin, One-A-Day Women's. So far, this biotin supplement is definitely looking like a keeper. Although I wasn’t planning on formally doing a length check until I finished the entire bottle of biotin, my hair has noticeably grown.

The length of my hair in the front now.

The length of my hair in the front a month ago.

Additionally, I have noticed that my skin is better than it has been in years. For about the first week and a half, I experienced some unusual skin trouble. (I should note that I’ve gotten maybe one or two full blown pimples in my life, but I do get the occasional small zit.  With that being said, I didn’t break out at all; my skin just looked a lot grungier than it ever has and was a lot drier than normal). I guess it was just an “adjustment period” to rid my skin of its impurities. Since then, my skin has been great. It seems brighter and retains more moisture.

I really haven’t noticed any severe side effects since I’ve started taking biotin supplements. I do find that I need to shave slightly more often and that I get extremely hungry (like so hungry it hurts) if I skip a meal or eat later than I usually do, but other than that I haven’t experienced any difficulty. If all goes well over the next few months, this will definitely be a staple.

Hair Diary: 2 Week Post-BC Update

Second day hair

For the first time in an extremely long time, I absolutely adore my hair! Every time I catch a glimpse of it in the mirror, I can’t help but smile! Although I originally told myself that I would wait until my 12-month post relaxer mark to BC, I have absolutely no regrets about choosing to BC earlier. For anyone that is still going through the transitioning process, HANG IN THERE! At times I know that it can be really frustrating, but it is totally worth it!

For the past two weeks, I have just been experimenting with products to get a feel of what my hair likes, and how my hair reacts when something works really well for it.  I’ve learned that not all conditioners are created equal –at least not when it comes to my hair lol—and my hair will give a distinct reaction when it isn’t a fan of something that I am using. I have already fallen in love with one new product, and have fallen back in love with a product that I had previously written off. I am also in search of really really good protein rich and protein free deep conditioners. Needless to say, there will definitely be TONS of product reviews to come in the future!

I’ve also been working on getting a set regimen. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything, but some adjustments do need to be made to best fit the needs of my hair at this time. I don’t want to use 20,000 different products every single time I put water on my hair, so I’m attempting to formulate something that is extremely simple, yet very effective. Since I haven’t really had the opportunity to play in my hair too much because of school, I have only been wearing wash-n-go’s. That really isn’t a problem for me since I’m basically just moisturizing it every few days and letting it be in the meantime.  

I BC'd!!!

Remember when I said that I was going in to see my stylist for a trim in this post? Well, when I sat in the chair I accidentally ended up saying "take off all the relaxed ends" instead of "take off a few inches." When I realized my flub, I didn't even bother trying to correct myself. I thought that maybe my unconscious was telling me that it was time, so I just went with the flow...and I could not be happier!

My Biotin Challenge!

Last week, I looked into what hair pills are supposed to do and whether they really work. (Check out that post here). After finding that most of the vitamins needed for hair growth are encompassed by most, if not all, multivitamins, I decided to forego using a hair pill and just use my multivitamin. I checked out my own multivitamin, One A Day Women's, to see if it included all of the necessary vitamins. 

From the bottle, it seems that all of the essential vitamins for hair growth are accounted for in full, except for biotin, which is only supplemented by 10%. This made me curious as to whether it was necessary to supplement my multivitamin with biotin.

Biotin, Vitamin B7 and often referred to as Vitamin H, is one of the 8 essential vitamins for the body. It aids in the metabolism of fat and amino acids, and is an essential element in cell growth. Biotin especially plays a critical role in the health of hair, skin, and nails. Dermatologists often recommend biotin supplements to their patients to treat and slow down hair loss, as well as promote new growth. Although the recommended dosage of biotin is 300 micrograms daily, a higher dosage will not do any harm to the body. Biotin is water soluble, meaning that the body will only intake and make use of what it needs. Any excess is broken down by water. This makes it essential to drink lots of fluids when supplementing with high doses of biotin. If not enough water is consumed daily, biotin can clog the pores causing acne.

As a result of taking biotin supplements, many people have seen their hair grow anywhere from 1/2 an inch to a full inch of hair each month. Curious to see what this would do for my hair, I decided to give it a try. Last Thursday, March 10, I began supplementing with 5000 micrograms of biotin. I will continue to take one pill, containing 5000 micrograms of biotin, in conjunction with my multivitamin until I run out of the bottle. At that time, I will remeasure my hair to see how much it has grown. The bottle has 120 capsules, so the experiment will last for 4 months. (I purchased my biotin supplement from Walmart for only $7!!!)

Beginning new growth length: 4.5 inches (not too bad for 10 months!) 

Feel free to join me in this challenge!

My First Bantu-Knot Out

After a week of wearing my hair in a tuck-and-pin faux hawk (check out this post to see how I achieved that look!), my hair was extra thirsty and my scalp was becoming irritated from the bobby pins. Since I would be going to my stylist a few days later for a trim, I didn't want to wash my hair. Instead, I decided to take a chance and do my first bantu knot out. For those of you who aren't familiar with this style, you essentially section and twist your hair, and then wrap each twisted section around itself. The next day, you take down these "knots" and it should produce curls.

To achieve this look, I first took down my faux hawk, and I moistened my hair with water so that I could section it into four. Section by section, I detangled using my Tangle Teezer and applied a little Shea Moisture Raw Shea Restorative Trauma Masque. I traditionally use this Shea Moisture product for DC, but it can be used as a leave-in conditioner and possibly a styler depending on how your hair reacts to shea butter. For my hair, shea butter provides moisture and enough hold to act like a gel without all of the drying and crunchiness, which is why I chose to use it to both moisturize and style. Once detangled and moisturized, I then divided each of the four big sections into smaller sections, then twisted and bantu knotted each of the smaller sections. ( I had between 5 - 8 bantu knots in each section). Since I was hesitant on how the style would turn out, I didn't take any pictures of my hair  during the bantu knot setting process. To give you an example of how your hair should look once set in the bantu knots, here is a pic that I found on the web:

{Source}

Your parting doesn't have to be this precise (mine certainly wasn't lol), but you get the idea.

Coating my hands with EVCO, I took down the bantu knots the next morning. First, I unwrapped the knots. Next, I untwisted each twist. And Finally, I separated each twist and finger fluffed. These are the results:

 

For it being my first time, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

SN: Check out how much new growth I have now!

And this is why I am always tempted to cut off the remainder of my relaxed ends...

Hair Pills: Are They Really Worth The Hype?

The other day I snipped yet another random section of hair. While there is certainly some growth since last year, it's still a long way from my dream length. In my moment of impatience, I had the urge to start a hair supplement to get me to my goal length quicker. When I asked a few of my twitter followers for some supplement suggestions, the reaction that I received was certainly less than favorable (someone even suggested that they could cause growth of extra body parts!). Extremely concerned by this news, I decided to do some research to see if hair pills are really worth the hype.

The ability of a person to obtain long hair starts from the inside out. While there are numerous practices that can help retain the length of one's hair, the growth process itself is entirely internal. This internal process is what hair pills seek to address. But how is this exactly?

Like all other parts of our body, our hair follicles need certain nutrients in order to operate at its optimal level. Because it is the lowest in the hierarchy of bodily needs, our hair gets only the remnants of the essential vitamins and minerals needed to sustain our other bodily functions. Hair pills seek to boost vitamin and mineral levels to allow our hair to get more of the nutrients it needs. And what exactly are the essential vitamins and minerals for hair growth? From my research, I found that the following are essential:

Biotin (Vitamin B7) - this is one of the 8 essential vitamins for the body. It helps with metabolism and growth and is also needed for healthy hair and skin.

Inositol (Vitamin B8) - this vitamin is good for healthy skin and hair

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) - this helps the body make healthy new cells, and is especially essential for women who are able to have children.

Vitamin B6 - can help accelerate hair growth

Zinc - helps the body utilize protein, which stimulates hair growth

Vitamin C - helps increase circulation of blood to the scalp

Vitamin E - improves scalp circulation

Silica - a mineral naturally found in the body that can help accelerate hair growth and help strengthen the hair

MSM - mineral that lengthens the growth cycle of hair, allowing each hair follicle to be in the active state longer

While these vitamins and minerals have substantial benefits for hair growth, when supplemented in extreme doses they can have adverse effects on the body. Most hair growth pills provide dosages of up to 30 times the recommended daily intake. Since all of these vitamins can generally be found in certain foods that we eat, intaking a supplement that boosts levels to 30 times the recommended daily dosage is definitely extreme. This accounts for the negative side effects that many people experience from taking hair growth pills. Some of these side effects can included neurological disorders, heartburn, acid reflux, headaches, and cystic acne.

Although it would be nice to be able to grow an inch of hair a month, I personally am not willing to take those risks. For now, I am going to stick with my multivitamin since it encompasses most, if not all, of the essential vitamins needed for hair growth. I do, however, intend to take biotin supplements. (Look out for a post in the next few days about it!)