Hair, Skin and Beauty

Progress Check – June 2017

It’s that time of year for another little progress check. I suppose the first thing I need to say is that the hair is growing and I actually believe it. I think I spent the first few months of this journey in denial that anything was happening up top but I can see it, I believe it and I am starting to love it. I spent the last few months thinking that I would be my own natural hair meme and that the 5 in my pic above would be me on the fifth year hair anniversary sporting the same TWA that I am now because black hair doesn’t grow, right? Luckily I have high hopes that in 5 years my hair will be waist length. My daughter just turned 5 and her hair is pretty much waist length, albeit my waist length is a bit longer than hers, she gives me hope!

I’ve used various products over the last few months but I have to give 2 hands in the air to the As I Am Coconut Co-Wash. My review isn’t due to be posted for a while but I will say it is a fat big yay from me (just a little sneak peek).

An essential part of my routine and I would say anyone that is looking after their hair would agree, is your oil mix. It’s important because you can potentially use it as your sealant in your LOC method, pre-poo, scalp massage oil and deep conditioner. My current mix is varying ratios of Almond Oil, Castor Oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil. When you read up on the almost magical qualities of JBCO, it would be a shame to not use it. Castor oil is proven to be beneficial in hair growth but JBCO especially is super thick and can be quite sticky. I find that the kid’s hair seems to like it more than mine, making their hair feel really soft and being a great helping hand in detangling but as we are a co-washing family, the buildup is pretty serious. To get round it, I think diluting it is the only way to go.

My aim was to use my DIY Leave In spray every day as the L in my LOC. However, I found that the easiest thing was to just quickly run my hair under the shower in the mornings mainly because the DIY spray needs to be kept in the fridge. Just plain old water works for me but I know this isn’t the case for some people in hard water areas. I think when my hair gets longer (look at the positivity – “when”) this won’t be viable as air drying on a daily basis will be harder or as I only literally walk through the stream of water for a second, as my hair gets longer I might not be as able to get moisture to all of my hair. Oh I wait for the day I have #longhairproblems.

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I was doing the Inversion Method and I still feel like a bit of a pillock doing it, I’m no yogi so I’m not able to find a cute Instagrammable pose of inverting my head, you’ll find me hanging off the sofa or almost falling off my bed trying to get that blood flowing to my scalp. And I don’t want to jump the gun by saying it’s working but I think my hair has grown a little longer than it did in the first 6 months. My opinion on the matter might be skewed a bit by the fact that I actually believe I have hair now but we’ll see when the tape measure comes out.

Something I am astounded by is that my hair is curlier than I thought or remembered it ever being although I have unearthed a photo from the last 5 years or so of my fro looking soooo good. I don’t know what I did or what I used, I guess I was having a good day. But now I am starting to feel like every day is a good day. I guess I have a very different outlook on my hair than I did before.

The revelation I think I may be having is that even though I have type 4 hair, no doubt, I may be 4b and not 4c. Anyone who isn’t familiar with the hair typing system I suggest you look it up and then just ignore it. Most people do not have a clue even after reading through various articles like the one I’ve linked to. For some it is really clear and the rest of us just muddle our way through pretending we know what we’re talking about. What I will say is that I definitely have type 4 hair and that’s where I’ll leave that. My hair is curlier/ coilier than I thought or remember and I really like where it might be going. But I won’t get too attached because knowing my hair it’ll change again.  As much as it can be a lot of effort to look after, looking after it has become just another part of the day, like all over body moisturising, getting washed or brushing my teeth.

Integrating skincare and keeping it consistent is a definite struggle and has not yet become a part of the daily routine. A little while ago I shared the insecurities I feel about my skin and my plan was to cleanse, tone and moisturise everyday in an effort to clear it up. I kept it up religiously for a lot longer than I expected but the last few weeks, I probably have done 2-3 times a week which is just poor. I don’t have any excuses other than I find it all a little boring and the way you see results isn’t the same as when your hair is growing. I think that even when I feel I am doing everything right, hormones come in and ruin all of my hard work and I still have bad skin days. But if I am completely honest with myself, even though the scars may not be fading, my skin does look and feel better, I just wish breakouts where a thing of the past. Until then, thank the universe for snapchat filters!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to walk around looking some airbrushed Barbie doll but it’s hard work loving the things you perceive as imperfections. I can only improve so much without some sort of serious intervention and anyway the most important thing is how I feel, not how I look. I think spending this time concentrating on my so-called flaws makes me think that maybe they’re not flaws, they are what make me different and if I don’t like them, I can change it but I do that for me not for society. However, that’s kind of hard because no matter how level-headed and independent you think you are, you are somewhat guided, influenced and pressured by popularised beauty standards. But I think that’s something to be explored in another post.

But generally all’s well here at Woeful Towers and the journey continues.

Let’s keep progressing together!

xx Lee xx

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