Photo Dump Wednesday: E3 Hair Update

I have been trying to come up with a catchy hashtag to use on Instagram for my hair updates. I finally settled on one. "3Ehairupdate". Since our family name starts with E and I'm planning on doing updates on all 3 of our hair, I figured it works.

I started taking manetabolism in June when I saw the first signs of postpartum shedding and I'm happy to report that I have seen a huge difference in my hair.

First a quick recap of my journey so far. I have also posted about my hair routine here.

So far, I have seen more fullness in my hair but not as much growth. It could also be that I'm not seeing the significant growth because my hair is very coily. I have a combination of different textures on my head. 

Overall though, I feel like I have made a ton of progress since June. My edges are growing in nicely and my shedding has been SIGNIFICANTLY reduced. Since those were the primary reasons I started taking manetabolism again, I count it as a success. I have one more bottle to take and unless they do another 30% off sale or offer me a free sample, that will be my last purchase of the vitamin for now. I'm not going to say never though :-).

Anyways, here's the progress I have made from June through September.

I noticed the biggest growth in the front of my hair. That's an area that didn't grow as fast but I am pleasantly surprised with the growth. 

I've been trying different things with my hair. The great thing about being natural is that I can experiment a bit with different hair styles. 

I've decided to take pictures of new "ventures" and post them. I'll record them as hits or misses. I forgot to add numbers to each one so you too can chime in but will do so for next time. For now, below are the styles I consider hits and those considered misses. What do you think? The misses are more because I don't think the style fits the shape of my face.

I put in spiral rods in my hair yesterday. Prior to last Sunday, I hadn't combed my hair since my last wash and go 2-weeks ago. Don't shudder. A good friend of mine (let's call her D) can tell you stories about my "hair adventures"!

Anyways, I spent a good 90-minutes giving my hair some TLC last Sunday. I pre-conditioned it and detangled it completely with the conditioner in it. Then I co-washed it and then thoroughly massaged  my scalp and combed it out. 
I didn't want to do another wash and go so I decided to try using these rods. I've had them since my relaxer/texlaxer days but never really used them. They aren't the most comfortable to sleep on but they aren't the worse either. 
I'll post a picture of the final results on my Instagram account tomorrow when I take it out so be sure to follow me for results. 

Now on to the kids. JOE's hair is VERY long. It is now past her behind when wet and is also quite curly and thick. 

I've had a lot of trial and errors with her hair but we've now settled on hair products and routines that work for her. Her hair used to always be a tangled mess and Saturdays were always a very stressful day for me because detangling her hair while she screams like she is being tortured was just not fun for either of us. 
A really good friend of mine (we'll call her C) sent me some products to try on her hair. This was a very selfless act. She paid for a ton of these products that were not cheap and had them shipped to me. I love her! One of them took and we haven't looked back since. 

JOE's hair routine is simple. I wash her hair with the baby no-tear shampoo once a month. While this isn't necessarily the best product for her hair, I like the no-tear option because my daughter is NOT a fan of water on her face. I figured this way, if it does make it on to her face, it won't sting her eyes. 

I then follow it with a conditioner. I often leave it on there then give her a bath and then let her play. Once she says she's ready to get out, I detangle quickly and rinse it out. I use the same conditioner for co-washing her hair on a weekly basis. 

Once done, I towel dry her hair by lightly squeezing the excess water out of it. I never rub her hair with a towel cause I don't want it getting even more tangled. 

Then I apply my oil mix to her scalp and massage it in sections. Then add some leave in conditioner and then follow it with extra virgin olive oil. I concentrate the leave in conditioner and extra virgin olive oil on the ends of her hair when doing this since that's the oldest part of her hair. 
I do any additional detangling that might be necessary, comb it and then put it in 2, 3 or 4 braids. JOE participates by telling me how many braids she wants and what colors she wants to use on her hair. 
This sounds rather simple but let me tell you, Oreo cookies, ginger chews, the iPAD and promises of ice cream and/or other treats or toys is often involved. 

So far, her hair is thriving. I am trying to decide on when she should get her first good trim. Perhaps next Spring. We'll see. 

JAE's hair routine: 

Now on to JAE. JAE's hair is fairly easy and takes a lot less time to do. I wash her hair with the same shampoo I use for JOE's hair. But I don't leave the conditioner in there while she plays in her tub. I think she's still too young to get any concentrated amount of product in her hair and since she can't tell me if something is bothering her, I choose to err on the side of caution. 

Once she's done with her bath. I towel dry her hair by patting it gently with the towel. I then apply the same leave in conditioner I use for JOE and then use the extra virgin olive oil. I do not use my oil mix on her because it contains peppermint essential oil which can be dangerous for babies. Even though it only contains a few drops. I don't want to risk her having a reaction to it. 

I massage (very mildly) her head with the extra virgin olive oil and then comb it out. She's not yet at the stage where I have to do anything to her hair but I know we'll be getting there soon enough. 

I didn't realize how much her hair was growing until I took this picture last Saturday! Since the routine appears to be working quite nicely for her, I won't be changing it anytime soon. 

There you have it. That's our hair so far. I'll post more updates if/when we try anything different on our hair so stay tuned. I'll be sure to use to "3Ehairupdate" hashtag on Instagram as well.