my hair 

So recently as you know I have made my transition to college. Since school has started I’ve been getting used to my schedule and finding ways to get involved on campus. Below I have the latest information about my hair! My hair journey is ever-changing, especially since coming to college!

1. Braids: Upon coming to school I was determined to just wear my hair braided. My hair stylist pointed out that the front was breaking off a bit, so I was like I’m going to work extra hard to keep my hair protected (I’ll talk more about why later). Since University of Michigan is such a huge university, I figured that I would be able to find someone who would be able to braid my hair. Luckily that person happened to be my roommate (which is fantastic). So last week she braided my hair on Friday, which I undid on Wednesday. Considering the fact that my hair was curly when she braided it and not blowed dry (plus it was all of my hair only), I’m surprised (and happy) it lasted that long! Though I don’t have full pictures of my hair, I do have a couple (along with a look I did with the braids). I also have attached the style I picked out (which I found on pintrest).
2. Post Braids (More Braids lol):  After that, I french braided my hair in two french braids, the picture of that is from today. I enjoy just having two french braids because it is easy to maintain in general and it looks cute for a few days.
3. Pre-College- I got my hair straightened before I came to college and I got my ends clipped. My curl definition is getting more and more defined, which I really like. Plus my hair is healthy and that is ALWAYS the goal. That picture was taken after I deep conditioned my hair. It’s growing a lot too which makes it easier to style.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar in Strengthen, Grow and Restore Shampoo (by Shea Moisture)– As you all know I love shea moisture. It’s my favorite product brand cause it really keeps my hair moisturized. I use the strengthen, grow and restore leave-in conditioner and sometimes the regular conditioner so I decided to try their shampoo. I was washing my hair about every three days, to remove product. Since the product line is called strengthen, grow and restore I figured it is really good for my hair. I was wrong. This product is a clarifier, because it has apple cider vinegar. This means that the product restores your hair to it’s natural pH which can be affected by the products you use. Overall if your is oily, it works out really nice. But since my hair is drier it led to my hair not being as moisturized as it should have been. Luckily, I haven’t been using this product that often for a really long period of time. Restoring your hair to it’s natural pH is not a bad thing, my normal eczema shampoo did the same thing. It leaves your scalp and hair very clean. It just should not be done in excess. My hair stylist recommended shampooing my hair every ten days. I’ve decided that about half way through (or whenever my braids give out which is about half way through lol), I will cowash and just condition my hair.
5. Conditioning- I love to condition my hair using coconut oil. I just use a little when I have conditioner on my hair and it makes it really soft when I rinse it out. I’ve decided that I will deep condition when I wash my hair (not cowash because I don’t want it to end up being that I deep conditioned twice in a week- overconditioning is not good). I sit under the drier between ten and twenty minutes (most of the time it’s just because I don’t feel like getting up again lol!). And I always make sure I rinse my hair out with cold water, which helps to seal in moisture. When I wash or cowash I use warm water, which opens up the hair follicles so that they can receive the moisture.

Overall I’ve been doing a lot with my hair recently. Just make sure that you’re finding things that work for you and using a stylist who knows what she’s doing. As someone who has had iffy hair stylists before, it is really important. My hair stylist currently is a professional colorist and even is trained to teach other people color. Make sure your hair stylist knows that they are doing and can help you out! Maintaining healthy hair is a journey, but you don’t have to do it alone!

May your curls forever stay poppin.