Nape Care

One of my biggest issues for MOST of my life has been my nape!  Breakage, dryness, alopecia, slow growth you name it, even at my longest lengths it was always just plain old choppy and never the length of the rest of my hair.  Throughout the years various practices have helped the hair grow and become healthier but right now with my last alopecia flare up it still isn't anywhere near where it should be.

Well if you are a fragile nape sufferer and looking for some great tips in treating and "rebuilding" your nape check out the following article which, imo, has all the basic steps you need to get your nape growing in long and strong!  Thanks to Eryn over at hair2toe for sharing!

http://www.hair2toebeauty.com/2010/03/how-to-grow-your-nape.html

Dr. Ali Syed's New Growth System

I've been looking for a hair care "system" to help battle this alopecia.  I basically wanted to get one complete line for the specific use of thinning/balding and shed hair.  In reading Dr. Ali Syed's blog he's introducing a new system coming soon, that I hope may be the answer to my prayers!

Check out the link below:

http://www.dralisyed.com/2010/06/syntonics-grothentic-anti-thin.html#more

Long Time No See

Hey All,

How ya been?!  I know I've been m.i.a. so yes we've got a lot to catch up on but we'll get to that at another time.  One of the things I've been meaning to incorporate in my blog is giveaways.  Since I never got the chance why not advertise for a fellow blogger and take the pressure off of my self ?! (and gain another entry..lol)

So without further ado,  here's your chance to win a Corioliss flat iron courtesy of Misikko over at LHDC. Click the link below to enter and for contest rules.  Good luck!

CONTEST CLOSED

Miconazole Nitrate (MN)

Back in October after perusing all the blogs and forums I decided to try MN in a desperate attempt to get some quick growth where my hair loss patch is.  For those of you who are unaware, the full title is Miconazole Nitrate Vaginal Cream (2%).  That's right, yeast infection cream on your scalp!!!! The theory behind it is that since the active ingredient, MN, wards of bacteria and fungus in the vajayjay, it should serve the same purpose on the scalp in which bacteria and fungus also grows.  By removing, the fungus/bacteria and keeping it at bay, it allows for the hair to grow faster b/c there are no longer hindrances preventing the growth from coming through or suffocating the scalp, in a nutshell.  I must admit at 1st I had some serious reservations but the more I researched the more I saw how popular it was and ladies were claiming these amazing results and growth rates that they were able to achieve with the stuff. So after getting over my skepticism I thought what the heck, if its safe for down under which is much more fragile it can't hurt right?!  


So, my initial attempt I used it neat, naked whatever you want to call it.  Just straight outta the tube.  That was a big NO.  I got major headaches and was gonna stop using it all together but again I did my research and saw this was quite common and b/c of this,  most ladies created their own concoction comprised of oils etc. to decrease the intensity.  So I got to mixing on my own.  My formula of choice was 1. Tube of MN 2. JBCO 3. Garlic Powder 4. Cayenne Pepper (Powder) 5. EO's of Peppermint & Grapefruit.  I used an old conditioner jar and applied to my scalp anywhere from 4-7 nights a week.   


The truth of the matter is I did not receive the fantabulous results that most spoke of.  There definitely was not an incessant growth spurt to the point I had to think of retouching that spot in 3 weeks, or the famous claim of 1/2 and inch per week or an extra inch per month.  Definitely not!  But what I will say is that it promoted growth in that area b/c at one point I wouldn't notice any growth between my stretches.  Upon using the MN mixture hair definitely began sprouting in the patchy areas and filling in so to speak, which is still growth, but there was definitely no major length improvement.  BTW, I limited to my edges and hair loss areas, the whole point is to get them to catch up.


All in all it was okay but not the miracle worker that its portrayed to be, at least not for my hair.  I saw a slight difference so it does something but due to the nature of what it is intended for I decided to back off after about 4 months of use.  I mean hey, you wouldn't put it down there for 4 months right?! That's the main reason I decided to back off and choose more natural herbs and remedies.  The end result is I don't have a problem with it but wouldn't necessarily run out to purchase it again.  


Have you tried MN?  How did it work for you?

Relaxer Prep

 I did it yet again and made it to 12 weeks, I am an official 3 monther!  I will be 12 weeks post and relaxing on Sunday.  The best part about it is that it's so dang easy now, so there is no turning back.  What's also great is the fact that I feel confident that I can stretch longer; the only reason I don't is b/c of this patch of alopecia and it's location really minimizes my style options.  Anywho in preparation of my relaxer this Sunday here's what I did last night:
1. Prepoo'd w/a mix of Aubrey Organic GPB (review coming soon), an egg, wheat germ oil and olive oil and Nature's Gate Condish.
2. Chelated w/L'anza Healing Hair Care Swim & Sun HPF 30 Daily Chelating Shampoo -Sulfate and EDTA free(review coming soon)
3.Deep Condish w/Jessicurl Weekly Treatment
4. ACV Rinse for porosity control

I didn't apply any leave-ins, I simply put some distilled water in a spray bottle and saturated my hair, sealed w/olive oil and let air dry using Sunshyne's scarf method.  When my hair was about 90% dry I applied Hairveda's green tea butter (review coming soon) on the ends and mid-shaft down the hair, wrapped in a bun and went to bed.  I woke up to soft, moisturized hair and new growth.  I will  be using the distilled water and olive oil solely to moisturize and seal until my relaxer in order to minimize product build-up on the hair which can cause under-processing and/or uneven relaxer results.

Wonders Never Cease

Funny thing; At one point I used to relax every 4 weeks but I'm 10 wks post this weekend and never been able to better manage my hair this far into a relaxer stretch.  I've got some hardcore newgrowth, I ain't lyin, but I've had absolutely no difficulty managing my tresses.  I think this is largely due to the fact that I've learned what works for MY hair and now I am keeping it simple and sticking to those specific products.  No deviating for me....I even did the unthinkable this past weekend and fell asleep w/o moisturizing, sealing or putting on my scarf!  To make matters worse the next night I wasn't feeling too hot and tied my hair up for bed real half -you- know- what, and when I woke up my scarf was off again! (The next morning the hubby said I look like Edward Scissorhands..lol!!!)  No sweat thought I recovered by giving my hair a lil tlc with a hot oil treatment pre-poo for about an 1.5 hrs, a co-wash w/baking soda, deep conditioned for 45 min w/heat and air-dried.  My hair was like new, my new growth was soft and fluffy and I was cool.

I remember when a light "snip" was the answer to all my hair problems: a lil dryness, limpness, boredom etc but now I opt to fix what's wrong by listening to what my hair needs.  Knowledge is definitely power!

Progress Pics - 1yr

It seems I made the mistake that everyone on the hair boards and forums advise you NOT make;  I didn't take photos of my cut in Dec 08!!!  My 1st pic was in March 09 so I took some pics a couple of weeks ago and decided to post what a difference a yr makes;

The top left photo is March 09 an ear length bob.  And now for March 2010:

Outside of the "hole" where my alopecia patch lies underneath, I can't complain, but that "hole" is enough to make me go crazy trust me.  Don't worry, I have a quickie solution for when I want to wear my hair out b/c of course I can not let that show and look like a hot mess:

Just sew to mini comb-clips on a track of hair, measure and cut to suit your needs and voila!

HHG