New Year.. better hair care!!

As I write this, I can't help but observe that January is almost over. But! As it's my first post for the year... Happy New Year? I guess.. Also, knowing me and the way I write, you may very well be reading this blog post in February lol.

Anyway, 2016 is done and 2017 is here in all its glory. The new year symbolises the washing away of the old and bringing in of the new. Many people make resolutions about losing weight, having new relationships, getting rid of old relationships, and overall making promises to themselves to do better in the various aspects of their lives. As for me, I personally don't do new year's resolutions, but this time around, I've made one resolution: and that is to put more effort into caring for my hair. 

"But Nelly, you're always posting about your hair!!!" 

Yes, this is true, but admittedly, I would share in the few moments that I actually was doing some sort of treatment on my hair. Otherwise, I seriously neglected my hair. I am thankful that my hair is resilient enough to not have dropped off my head in retaliation to my lack of care. At the same time however, it does not mean that I can remain insensitive to the fact that my hair needs a more intense regime of TLC as I am a coloured natural. Sooooooooo here are my five hair care resolutions for 2017: 

I picked these up at Hair City in Port of Spain. If my memory serves
me right, I paid $27 for the two step and $16 for the reconstructor

1. I will do protein treatments more often. For some reason I can get time to deep condition, but for the love of all things awesome I can't make time to do a protein treatment. Now I've been using a mix of cassia/amla powders as an alternative type of protein treatment and they have been doing my hair well. But I also want to try other treatments like ApHogee to see how well they will work on my hair. 

2. I will trim/dust my hair when necessary. There was a point last year when my ends were a knotted mess. This tends to happen when I wear my hair out a lot, but in that particular case, my inner lazy natural was having a field day and I just did not feel like trimming my hair. Sadly, the knots got worse and by the time I did trim, I had to take quite a bit off. Oh well, hair grows back, life goes on. 

3. I will use my satin pillow case. Last year I was gifted a satin pillowcase from a naturalista sister in the US and I have barely used it. Many nights I forget to use my satin scarf/bonnet and then other times, i put them on, only to wake up not wearing them. At least with the pillow case, I know that no matter how I toss or turn, my hair will stay in contact with the pillow. This is provided my head actually stays on my pillow. Maybe I should use the scarf, put the bonnet over it, and sleep on the pillowcase. I may be on to something here... 

My two toned purple senegalese twists done by
Braidz Inc

4. I will protective style more. Those who know me well enough are probably laughing at me right now. I openly confess that my record for keeping in protective styles isn't the best. But, after keeping in some senegalese twists recently for a few days short of 5 weeks, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to wear protective styles for longer periods of time without going crazy or missing my hair too much. 

5. I will be more patient when it comes to styling my hair. What most of you don't know is that I have a hard time combing my hair. No my hair is not long, it isn't that thick either. Rather, it is because of my joints. I have a condition known as hypermobility aka double jointedness. As a result of that, my joints dislocate a lot, some of which I can control, others control me.. sigh.. Because of this, a lot of tasks that some people may see as simple, aren't as simple for me. For example, something like throwing a ball can dislocate my shoulder (this has happened), or peeling a fruit or vegetable can leave my wrists and fingers feeling like if they're on fire. The same applies for when I comb my hair. It gets really frustrating, especially when you're trying your best but yet the style isn't neat enough. But, part of my frustration also stems from my lack of patience. So, sometime this year, I plan to take up a course and learn different braiding styles. I think that learning from someone will give me a better understanding of how it is done and in turn, I can figure out how to tweak the techniques so that my hands aren't in any discomfort when I style my hair. 

Overall, though a daunting task, it is simply time that I not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk with my hair care and put in the effort that is necessary for my hair to thrive. I will keep you guys updated as the year progresses. Wish me luck! And please, hold me accountable if you think I'm slacking or falling off the hair care bandwagon. Let me know in the comments, do you have any hair care resolutions for 2017? What are your hair goals? 

Regards,

Tshenelle aka Nelly B.