Why does time always fly when you're on holiday?

I came back from a 2-week vacation in India and decided to give my hair a treat, since it had been facing lots of heat, sunshine, and pollution. So, I mixed up a hair concoction, consisting of shea butter, olive oil, honey, and a dash of cinnamon.

Big mistake! I should have remembered the reason why I gave up conditioner and shea butter in my hair. My hair gets overconditioned very easily - the best conditioner for me is a light coating of oil.

Anyway. I left it in overnight, and the next morning (after 3-4 shampoos), my hair never dried. It was a mess of icky, sticky, yuckiness. I decided I would wait it out till the next wash, hoping that the shea butter would at least moisturize my hair in the meantime. I kept it in braids and buns for 2 days, then couldn't take it any longer and washed a day early!

For this wash, I got out all my Indian herbs, applied them on my hair, and even sat under a heat cap for an hour. I left these in overnight as well. These herbs get even the heaviest oil out, and I was sure they would work!

But they didn't (and I shampooed another 2-3 times this time). They got out most of the gunk from the top half of my hair, but the bottom half was still a tangly, sticky mess. I couldn't wait till the next wash day to get rid of it all! So, this morning, remembering something I had read from Heidi W.'s post some time ago, I mixed some baking soda with shampoo and used that on the bottom half of my hair. My hair is still wet, but it feels SO much lighter, and I could see all the goop being washed out in the drain with the baking soda mixture.

So, I (re)learned that shea butter works better on my dry skin rather than in my hair (I also probably used too much, and my hair didn't NEED all that conditioning, which is why it didn't get absorbed). Poor hair - I tried to give it a treat and ended up having a bad hair week! Anyway, baking soda did the trick, and hopefully my hair will be clean and nice from now on!

~*Leia*~


Pic from December 2006

2bMiii
Current length: 42" on November 3, 2006

Growing since January 2003; found TLHL at the end of June 2003 and was at 25". I am 5'4.5".

Leia's Journal

Last Updated: September 17, 2007

It is way past my bedtime, and I am not being able to sleep. I'm wondering if it is because of my hair (haha).

I wanted curls, so I decided to try plopping. It has never been successful for me, and I think I have figured out why. I always try to do it while I am sleeping, because the towel won't stay on my head unless I am lying down. But it is so uncomfortable. Maybe this is why I can't sleep?

I love my natural 2b waves, but it seems that after being combed through, they disappear into longer, looser waves. I wish they wouldn't! It makes my hair look so lifeless. Especially in London - the air is not as humid as I am used to in Dhaka, and my hair looks flat and almost (gasp) 2a. I remember someone calling it "straight" last semester. Ahh! I do NOT have straight hair.

Anyway, I supose that rather than obsessing over my hair (which I rarely do, these days) I should be trying to get some rest. I have a busy week coming up - my second year of university in a few days. I am excited, but also slightly nervous... and hoping for better grades this year as well as successful piano studies.

~*Leia*~


Pic from August 2007

2bMiii
Current length: 42" on November 3, 2006

Growing since January 2003; found TLHL at the end of June 2003 and was at 25". I am 5'4.5".

Leia's Journal

Last Updated: September 23, 2007