October 2010-11 Hair Diet

So I decided to go on a hair diet in October. I am really interested in having long and healthy hair. My goal is to have curls that fall past my shoulders. I want my hair to hit my bra strap by October 2011. I am looking to retain length, increase moisture and strength, and reduce the amount of heat and friction that I use on my hair. I am hoping that I can go a year doing all of the aforementioned. 


Retain length: sealing my ends and being careful to not have my ends rub against my clothes or on my pillows. I sleep with a silk bonnet. I also am sure to get my ends trimmed regularly. Don't be scared to trim that old hair! You need room for the healthy hair to show through. 


Increase moisture: This includes water. Water is very moisturizing for hair. Ever since I can remember, I was always told not to wet my hair in order to preserve a style. That all went down the drain when I went natural. I usually wet my hair everyday! Water is a great way to rehydrate your hair and to wake up your curls. If I don't want to wet my hair in the shower, I definitely use a spray bottle with just plain water. I have tried different concoctions like water and conditioner but I like how accessible regular water is. You have to remember to use a product to retain the moisture once the water on you hair has dried.  I am currently using a hair moisturizer and an argon oil to seal and moisturize my hair. I also find that after I wash my hair, I will let it air dry or use paper towels to remove the excess water. I don't like to use towels because they make my hair frizzy. 


Reducing heat and friction:  I am vowing to not use direct heat...omg...I don't use it a lot but I do straighten my hair maybe once every two months. I will only use indirect heat like a hood dryer. Even that won't be very often. I am in the process of wearing protective styles including two strand twists, braids and roller sets. I am having to find creative ways to style my twists. I have really soft hair and my twists like to unravel after a couple of days. I've realized that bobby pins are my best friend! You also have to remember to be careful when detangling your hair. I ONLY detangle my hair when it is saturated with water and conditioner. I have found that having some type of lubrication prevents you from loosing a lot of hair. I also use a wide tooth comb or my new favorite a denman brush. I have always been tender headed and don't see the point in detangling my hair more than once or twice every two weeks. I just don't have time. Plus my curls always look better when I don't rake through them. I detangle in the shower and let them air dry. 



 Here is an example of how I had my hair for the weekend. I just twisted it in the car on the way to Atlanta. Nothing serious. I have hand made parts and different sized twists. Lol. I used a moisturizer,  an alcohol free gel and my argon oil.  It took me about two hours because my hair was a tangled mess!

One of my favorite bloggers, Nikole from Moptop Maven has the best regime and explanation of a hair challenge that I've seen. Check it out!


The Moptop Maven.com | 2011 Healthy Hair Care Challenge: " [Source] To get the best results from this challenge, you have to first devise an effective plan of action. An effective hair regimen ..."




As with any and all diets, I know that I will have my ups and downs. I hope to stay focused and have great results! I'll be sure to post pictures on my progress! 


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