I did it, I did it! My new hair routine! Bwahhaha!

[scalawaggirl]

Okay, I am a bit over-excited but, hey, you all know what it's like to find a working routine.

A little background, I've been toying around with oils, henna/cassia, CO, CWC, no-cones, cones, catnip, and scalp massages among other things. It's been somewhat daunting as I'm in the midst of growing my hair back out after having it at waist although not in the best condition. I wasn't oiling or doing any deep conditioning treatments at the time and I was dying chemically. In mid-2006, an acquaintance convinced me to chop it off and I did (duh). Fall of last year is when I decided to get serious about growing.

So, today was my jackpot day and here's what I ended up doing:

-CO w/VO5 Clarifying Conditioner and rinsed very well
-Catnip tea rinse (bagged and left on for 5-10 minutes)
-CO w/VO5 Strawberries & Cream and rinse
-When damp, apply Fox's leave-in and air dry

Usually, to get any type on control over my mane, I have to double layer oil and then, it's a bit too controlled. Ugh. Here's an action shot of my hair now taken w/an auto-timer. It's shiny, managed and I'm one happy LHC camper!

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h311/scalawaggirl/Hair/Feb92009_2.jpg

[Nocturnal]

Congrats! It looks great! And your hair colour is so bright!

[Moldilocks]

Yahoo! Beautiful hair :)

[kwaniesiam]

Congrats, it looks great! What is your natural color if I may ask, that henna sure comes out bright :D

[scalawaggirl]

Hi, all and thanks!!! Regarding the color, it is nice and bright in person. I drive my BF up a wall talking about my hair so our running joke is, "Hey, is my hair still red"? :)

Anyway, I started out with chemically-treated hair that I did myself after having highlights put in eons ago. I was using Wella Color Charm from Sally's w/30% developer on roots for about a year. So, I have a lighter canopy than under-canopy and like it for interest. At some point, I may need to address this because there will be changes as my hair grows out w/just henna but I'll do that as the need arises.

For my henna recipe, I followed Nightshade's and added a few other things to it:

80 g BAQ Moroccan Henna (from Henna Sooq)
120 g Cassia
3 T. Allspice
1 T. Ginger
7 T. Honey
Chamomile Tea (enough to get a mousse-like consistency)

I really love this mix because it tends much more toward the golden red (orange-y) coloring, which is what I wanted. Also, I think that the catnip rinses I've been doing (also as week deep treatments) and COs are helping keep things nice and bright.

Not the greatest lighting for the before/after here but it should give you an idea of what I started with in the following pic. It's an interesting growth comparison, as well, since the view is about on par in each. I'm guessing an inch growth but I did a self-trim to round it out recently.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h311/scalawaggirl/Hair/JantoFebgrowthandafterhenna.jpg

[Pixna]

Purdy!!!!!!!!!

[Johanna64]

Wow,what a beautiful color :inlove:

[ImperfectBrat]

Congrats !! Isn't a load off your mind to find something that works ?

:happydance:

Lovely hair !

[Coriander]

Sparkly hair! I love it!

Congratulations on finding your routine :)

[maunaloa]

Fantastic. Your hair looks mahhhvelous...:cheese:

[AutumnSky]

Beautiful! Great color & shine, and your "after" pickture looks much, much thicker than your "before". Nice job!

[desertrose]

woow your hair looks beautiful!! i really like the color, it looks a bit like my hair only mine is thinner and darker :)

[scalawaggirl]

Many thanks, everyone. I'm very happy with the outcome. This morning, I am pleased to report that after undoing my nightly braid, I gently misted my hair to revive the waves that were partially crushed. Usually, I have to really mist my 2nd-day hair but not today! I was glad to know that I can fix my hair in 5 minutes rather than having to do a lot to get it ready. What a relief!

The other thing I normally have to do is apply more oil (in the past) or even recently, Fox's leave-in - not a lot but enough to tame any parts that looked dry. Today, I applied a tiny bit to the ends just for the heck of it even though it didn't look like I needed it. :)

As for looking thicker, I definitely see that and believe it's a combination of things. My hair has had henna/cassia, I've fore gone heavy daily oiling (to tame, which weighed it down), switched to strictly CO and, lastly, I've started doing the catnip rinses and deep treatments, which are fabulous. All these changes, I think, have given me manageability, almost no frizz, shine and, hopefully, continued health while I grow.

[dolcevita]

Beautiful! And I love how the henna brought out your highlights!! It must be so exciting to find "the one" - you know, the routine that works for you! :p ;)

[zanne]

Yay You!!! Your hair is just gorgeous! Congratulations on your Holy Grail:):cheese:

[HeatherMae]

Your hair is stunning!!!! I love the thickness, color and shine! Good for you! :)

[Monsterkitti]

Congrats on finding a routine that works for you, youve got such lovely colour!

[paper]

Just gorgeous! Your hair looks so fluffy and soft. Congrats on finding a routine, thats great! :cheese:

[Chanteuse87]

Your hair looks fabulous! Congrats on finding a routine -- I'm still in the midst of figuring things out, so it's nice to know that one of these days I'll hit on just the right thing! And, as others have said, that henna color is gorgeous :bounce:

[Fencai]

that does indeed look wonderful!!!! Congrats!!!!!!

[scalawaggirl]

Thanks, everyone. I'm feeling very fortunate to have figured out a good routine that works for my hair. We all have our own challenges with this and I know from long-time research for skincare, it can be daunting sometimes.

I've found that it was far more frustrating to find the right process for my hair because there are so many products that promise this and that. Well, now that I think of it, it was equally difficult for skin AND hair. LOL Oddly, or not I suppose, I have ended up going with a mostly natural route with my skin, too. That was a surprise after all the time I spent trying to find something that worked.

The thing that helped me was to try to pin down hair types that were similar to mine so that I could have a starting point from which to work. Granted, that won't actually ensure success but it's better, IMO, to have some basis. Also, following some of the long threads, like catnip for example, is also a good idea as a lot of people weigh in on their experiences. I do believe that catnip could benefit all hair-types and it's easily available so check it out. Any questions, just let me know.

Regarding the henna, thanks for the comments on the color. It looks very natural to people who have commented on it IRL. I did do strand tests and also researched how other people were obtaining their color so I had a realistic expectation. One of the wonderful things about henna (cassia and indigo) is that you can tweak the recipes to somewhat "steer" the outcome.

[Amara]

I'm so glad you found a routine that works! I am still tweaking. Congratulations! And your hair is beautiful!

[scalawaggirl]

I'm so glad you found a routine that works! I am still tweaking. Congratulations! And your hair is beautiful!

Thank you, Amara! I braided last night and things are still going well so I'm sure this routine is a keeper. :)

[Tressie]

Way to go!! It looks terrific!! (o: Congratuations!!

[3azza]

Good work, good colour :)

[Islandgrrl]

You got great results! And I'm happy that you've found a routine that works for you!

:)

[SupermanSeven]

Remaining diligent in any routine is key to success. Good job.

[Sissy]

Wow, your hair is looking beautiful. I cannot wait to try Fox's Shea Cream too! I am happy you found a routine that works for you. I'm still searching for my perfect one :)

[SimplyLonghair]

Looking Great! :thud: Glad you found what works for you!:cheese:

[scalawaggirl]

Thank you, everyone! Still going great! Last night, I put Fox's leave-in from my ears down, then braided each side so that it could soak in overnight. My BF said I looked like Pippy Longstocking but I promptly corrected him by pulling my braids up on each side to show him the proper style - as if he can get one over on me for Swedish 1970s flicks, I mean, really. ;)

I'll post back once I wash as to how it looks and whether I can tell any difference. Wonderful stuff so far, though.

[suicides_eve]

i love your hair color! congrats on finding something that works for you,

[WritingPrincess]

Wow! It's beautiful! I'm glad you found something that works that well!

[going gray]

Add my congratulations too, must be terrific to finally find something that works so well.

[scalawaggirl]

:) Thanks to all of you for your comments. I did a heavy application of the leave-in the night before last and boy, was it hard to get out with my normal routine "wash". So, I had to use some of my heavily diluted shampoo on my length to get the oil out!

Clearly, my hair is affected by shampoos because it was a bit frizzy when air-dried (even w/the leave-in) so I should have put more on. This morning, it was much better (back to normal as in the pic below) after lightly misting and applying leave-in.

As an aside, I usually apply Fox's leave-in every day because my hair drinks it up but it works better for me over slightly damp hair.

[Addy]

Oh my~ your hair is gorgeous and I love the color!

[scalawaggirl]

Oh my~ your hair is gorgeous and I love the color!

Thanks, Addy. I cannot wait to get to waist length. :) 5" and counting!