Packing tips...

Been doing a bit of travelling so I thought this was the perfect time for this post. I have mentioned before that how I wear my hair on a planned trip depends on a number of factors; duration of stay, destination weather and purpose of trip. Simply put if I am going on holiday where there will be plenty of swimming involved braids would be the way to go and so on and so forth. Thankfully for my most recent travels I already had a protective style on my head so there was not much worrying to do about my hair and I ended up swimming in the hotel pool:)

I basically pack almost the same things now that I did pre hair journey with a few additions and some exclusions. What I pack will also depend on how I will be wearing my hair so if it’s out then some tools like a blow dryer, curling or flat iron, appropriate products, brushes and combs of course will most definitely make it into the suitcase. Depending on the extensions used for example a weave with leave out hair these tools may come along as well. However for braided and corn rowed styles it is usually an oil, my braid spray and some gel to lay down them edges. 

This is what I packed for my trip last week:

Coconut oil – which served a dual purpose scalp and face (I used it in place of castor oil just for the duration I was away I didn’t want to carry too many oils)

Homemade braid spray - transferred into a travel size spray bottle that has a lid

Gel – to lay down them edges

Old toothbrush – still for the edges

Scarf – night use

Hairband

Bobby pins – these ones I didn’t actually pack I always have bobby pins and safety pins in my makeup bag so they end up wherever I am.

Even though I swam I didn’t wash my hair I only rinsed it I had a good mind to use the hotel shampoo but changed my mind last minute so I just rinsed and washed using a chelating shampoo when I got home three days later. If this was a pre planned trip I would have had some shampoo and probably a leave in conditioner packed as well. (I had some trips planned already but this particular one was not one of them it was a last minute one given 24 hours notice to replace someone else subject to my availability)

I wrap all my liquid products both hair and beauty in cling film then put them in a Ziploc bag and place them in a standing position in one corner of my suitcase incase of any accidents with the Ziploc there will be minimal spillage to my clothes.  I have had a product spill on an outfit I was supposed to wear to an event a few years back; thankfully it was all the way at the bottom towards the hemline so it wasn’t so noticeable it was an oil based product and didn’t quite come out when I tried washing it out using a damp cloth. I was on a tight schedule and there was no time to dry clean the dress between arrival and event, that situation gave birth to my wrapping liquid based products in cling film, Ziploc and placed in a standing position in the suitcase.

What hair products/tools are a must have for you on a trip? And please share any packing tips you may have  for products in the comment section below.

Hair update!

I have had my kinky twists in for 4 weeks now just getting started on week 5. I had the perimeter redone yesterday so now they look brand new. I have shampoo washed them twice at two week intervals. First wash was with liquified African black soap second wash Organic Root Stimulator Creamy Aloe Shampoo since I had been swimming and needed to get rid of the chlorine in my hair. I did not manage to do any hot oil treatments for both washes unfortunately but I hope to do at least one before I take them out. I have made three braid spray mixes so far the first two mixes consisted of my leave in conditioner (a different type each time), avocado oil, olive oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, glycerin and distilled water the third mix was Aloe Vera Juice, my kiddies carrot crème moisturizer, tea tree oil, coconut oil, castor oil, olive oil, avocado oil and distilled water.

My shed hairs were peeking out of a few twists at the front of my head. I have noticed this before whenever I had braids but always assumed it was product build up and wiped it off with a wet cloth. This time however being on a hair journey and all once I saw little white bits I decided to take a closer look and tried pulling one out and lo and behold this long strand came out with a white bulb at the root that’s when I knew it was shed hair.

Still got the dented spray bottle!.Note to self never add boiling water into a spray bottle!

This is my very first time installing kinky hair and here are my highs and lows so far;

Highs

• This hair holds styles much better than regular braiding hair I think it is because of its coarse texture
• The older it gets the better it looks
• I like the fact that they sort of resemble twisted locs I am considering having them wrapped around like how you do threading instead of twists next time to achieve a loc’d look
• According to the lady who braided me they can be reused at least twice if you do not cut them on take down and I plan to do this. I will use them to rebraid with a different style for maybe 4 - 5 weeks once I take the twists out. Actually most braiding hair can be reused it’s just that they are usually quite affordable so most of us do not think of reusing unlike “human hair” which costs an arm, a leg, and probably an eye as well:)

Lows

• They are very heavy when wet and mine are even heavier since I used 3 packs of Afro Kinky bulk, I have a big head  love the full look lol
• I used my cousin’s braider this time and she followed my instructions; do not braid too tight, leave out my edges and then I just had to go and tie them in a tight updo let’s just say I lost a twist while I was trying to achieve the updo as in it broke off from the root! Thank God it was at my nape so not very visible. They had started loosening up due to new growth and I think this twist was at its weakest point and snapped from the root. I take full responsibility for that one lesson well learnt.

All said and done I must say that I am satisfied with this hair and will be using it more frequently in the future. I hope to carry this protective style until the end of July/early August which will make it 8 weeks. If you plan on wearing your braids or twists for longer than four weeks I highly recommend getting the perimeter redone halfway through, your hairline and nape will thank you for that.

Meanwhile it’s been rather quiet round these parts nowadays is everyone on hair blogsville on a blogacation, where are you people?

My swimming hair regimen...Revised January 2014

I love swimming it’s my keep fit regimen, it’s what I do when I want to relax, clear my mind or just chill out. For the past year or so I have been an almost frequent swimmer. I went regularly once a week sometimes twice in the first half of 2012 then did not swim from early June only getting back into the pool in late September 2012. Life happened I just couldn’t find time to go and when I did something else cropped up and swimming was pushed to the back. But since diving back I have picked it up regularly and gone every month not as often as I would have liked to but I keep a mental swim diary of how often I go. At the moment I try to go once a week sometimes once every other week. I am hoping to get a regular regimen that I can stick to if my schedule allows it but for the moment I go whenever I feel like it I don’t exactly have strict days or times when I go like I used to a few years back.

Took this photo a few years ago by the poolside at the Safari Park Hotel and Casino, Nairobi, Kenya

This is my revised swimming regimen as at January 2014 and I will keep making changes to this page accordingly should I incorporate or change anything in my swimming  regimen.

When my hair is out;

1. Wet hair with tap water
2. Apply a little coconut oil (I do the reverse sometimes; oil first then water)
3. Tie hair into a tucked pony tail or braid the ponytail and tuck it (the ends are tucked into the pony tail I don't like hair all over my face when swimming) before getting into the water
4. Rinse immediately after coming out of the water – several rinses
5. Shampoo wash with a chelating shampoo if swimming on shampoo wash days and deep condition or deep condition then co wash on co wash days. I always do my wash routine either shampoo or co wash at home when my hair is out the only thing I do at the pool changing room is step 4.

When I have hair extensions;

1. Wet hair with tap water and tie into a ponytail before getting into the water (Truth be told I forget to pre-wet my hair sometimes when in extensions)
2. Follow steps 4 – 5 above.  Depending on my schedule and type of extensions on my head at the time I either finish my wash routine at the pool changing room or wait until I get home, this is usually planned ahead so I know what to bring in case I will be washing at the pool.
   
3. I don’t normally co wash in extensions whether I am swimming or not because I use a homemade leave in braid spray which is filled with about 70% distilled water/Aloe Vera Juice give or take about three times a week and that is like a mini wash in itself. I rinse with water on non shampoo wash days and use my conditioning homemade braid spray after. 

Wetting the hair, applying oil beforehand ensures that my hair is saturated and doesn’t absorb as much chlorine as it would had I gone into the pool with dry hair. I would choose overall health over hair any day and will not let my hair get in the way of my swimming instead I let the two complement each other by following a swimming regimen that allows me to swim as often as I want and still take good care of my hair.  I don’t use swimming caps because the few times I have used one water still seeps in and I find them tight and uncomfortable to wear as well.

Questions, suggestions, tips on this regimen and swimming hair care in general are highly welcome just leave them in the comment section below thanks.