Wash Day Diary @ 39 Weeks Post: 25.04.14

 "I washed my hair again and this time I thought I should take a few pictures to show that I do still have some hair left on my head – despite the shedding!

My hair has shed approximately the same amount for as many weeks as I have been documenting my wash days over the past 6 months plus.  The length of time between my wash days has increased averaging at around three weeks so with this in mind the amount of shedding I experience is similar to that which I would experience if I had my hair in long term protective style then taking down that style after 4 weeks (i.e. crochet braids or a weave) but less than I would experience if I had my hair in kinky twists etc. 

At this point in time I am not sure if my shedding is something to be concerned about or not.   

Anyway, onto my wash day…..

Pre-Poo, Detangling and Deep Conditioning

I spritzed my hair with a water and conditioner mix and left to soak in for about 10-20mins.  I then applied some coconut oil to my strands before beginning to unravel my braids section by section and finger detangled.   To detangle, I initially loosened the hair within each section of the braid then applied Aubrey Organics White Camellia Conditioner to my dry hair. 

I then finger detangled a little then spritzed a tiny bit more of the water and conditioner mixture onto my new growth, detangled a little more and then two strand twisted the section before moving onto the next.   When all sections were coated in conditioner, I placed a conditioning cap on my hair and sat underneath my heated cap for an hour.

Detangling
After finishing up underneath the cap I allowed my hair to cool for 10 mins before I began detangling each section thoroughly using my modified Denman brush.  I am so impressed with how well this brush removes shed hairs.  So much so, I am actually going to buy a bigger Denman brush to make the process a little easier as the model I use is a mini/handbag sized brush.

When I finished detangling a section, I braided it securely about two thirds of the way down the two strand twisted from the point through to the ends (this is how I braid and twist my sections to wear underneath my units.  I don’t braid to the ends as they are thin and it prevents tangles on the ends doing it this way).
 

By this point it was late (9 or 10pm) and I was going to go to bed with the deep conditioner in my hair and finish up in the morning but I remembered that leaving deep conditioner in my hair tends to make my scalp itchy the day after so I thought about it and tried something else …..!  I figured that if I could get through washing my hair and not experience any tangles then I would wash it and go to bed – skipping the final detangling session!  GASP!!!!

Shampooing 
Anyway, I jumped in the shower and proceeded to shampoo my scalp twice using diluted Deramax Therapeutic shampoo.  With the second shampoo I lathered up and left it on for 3 minutes before rinsing.  I didn’t condition my hair afterwards because the shampoo I am using is extremely moisturising as is the White Camellia conditioner (when I put that on my hair moisture was dripping out of my hair – I always forget how much I love the WC deep conditioner – I must get some more of it – I love the smell too)!!!

After rinsing the shampoo out I popped a towel on my head for 15 minutes.  I applied a generous amount of Hairveda Whipped Cream Ends Hydration to the palms of my hands and distributed it amongst my braids.  I followed up with an equally generous amount of Hairveda Vatika Frosting which smells like cake mixture – when I went to bed I smelled good enough to eat!

At this point I checked two of my braids for tangles (one at the nape and one at the front).  There were none to write home about, so I rebraided the sections, covered my hair with a scarf and jumped into bed.  Job done!
  

 

Image can be clicked to enlarge.  This series of pictures show my new growth at 39 weeks post and the level of shrinkage from the section which is at the nape.

Five days later I have gone through a couple more of the braids and there are still no tangles.  Therefore, this will become my wash day process for the foreseeable.  Reduced amount of detangling sessions and time taken to do it is all a result of the Denman brush and I’m happy to continue with this because I dislike detangling – especially at however many weeks post I am…..!  On the 23^rd July I will be one year post so anything that continues to improve my detangling sessions is a welcome addition to my adapting regimen.

Shedding
My hair still continues to shed – but now it is much easier to determine whether the hair lost is shed hair as it has a lovely coiled spring of new-growth at the base. Not only is it trickier to get out through the length of my strands but it also adds some volume to my ‘hair balls’!

Because I have noticed pretty much no change I have stopped photographing the hair lost from each of the ten sections of hair and just photograph the overall amount.  It was taking too long and there is no point in the additional time being used if there really is no difference in shedding in those sections.

I absolutely love the texture of my new growth, it feels so smooth since I started using the Denman brush.  My natural hair is thicker and stronger than it has been in months!!  

Ciao 4 Now