Hi Ladies,
In January 2008, I really started developing my hair regime and joined a Super 3m challenge. This challenge really helped me to develop a routine and start learning about my hair.
Here is my hair in Jan 08:
I looked so silly!!
My mini-twist
In June ’08, I started the Twisting for Growth challenge. I did it for 3m and my hair really thrived.
In Sept ’08, I did my other growth check and started to wear my hair in a wash and go style, and started to focus on a cowash challenge. I also started using a rosemary-sage spritz mix on my hair.
I also started to experiment with more afro styles:
In Sept-Dec. ’08, I started to really tweak my regime. Started adding tea mixes and Vaseline to my regime. I even developed a natural homemade hair mask that has done wonders for my hair.
End of year growth Dec ’08!!!!
To submit your “Walking Down Memory Lane” story, email me at nikki@curlynikki.com.
Can you use rosemary tea instead of the rosemary leaves in your spritz? Your hair is beautiful. Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful hair regiments. 🙂
Wow, i luv ur t-shirt thats a cute idea, however you hair is doing good keep it up!!
Zaheen
@ Anonymous..I typically wash my hair 4x/week. If wearing medium twist, I wear them for about 4-5days.
@ Anonymous…I am currently participating in the Bootcamp Challenge. Therefore, I don’t plan on straightening my hair anytime soon. I will however do another length check (like the last picture) in August once my Twisting for Growth Pt 2 Challenge is over.
@ ChristinaBella..Glad to hear you like the spritz… 🙂
Let me know if you have any other questions.
@ Anonymous..I wash my hair about 4x/week. If I am wearing medium twist, I tend to wear for aobut 4-5days before wearing twistouts.
@ Anonymous..I am currently doing the bootcamp challenge, so I don’t plan on straightening my hair anytime soon. I will however do another length check in August when my Twisting for Growth Challenge Pt 2 is complete.
@ ChristinaBella..So glad to hear the you like the spritz. 🙂
Let me know if you have any more question
i’ve been using ur spritz for the past 2days and i love it..it makes my scalp feel fresh and energized ..thank u so much
whens the next time ur going to straighten ur hair
how often do u wash ur hair?? and how long do u keep medium sized twists in ur hair not the small ones
@ Anonymous…I make sure that my scalp and hair get spritzed.
@ speciakay…Thanks for the compliment. I like using natural products on my hair. My hair mask helps me to maintain a lot of moisture in my hair. I also like to apply a blend of pure sheabutter, castor oil, aloe vera gel, glycerin, and Vit E to my dry hair that also helps keep my hair moisturized and soft.
I live in Japan, so I get a lot of my henna at the Indian Store or sometimes at my ($1 store equiv). I’ve found that the quality is not different from some of the expensive Hennas that I’ve used in the past and the results are the same. If there is not an Indian store in your area, definitely try ordering online from sites like (Amazon.com).
For the mix, some people use acidic juices (lemon, orange), coffee, teas (black, green), plain water, etc to blend their henna. I would say try several different mixes in order to determine which one you like best. Caffeine has been noted to aid in reducing shedding and boosts hair growith, hence when I am sticking w/ tea in my henna 🙂
Let me know if you have any more questions…..
Love your hair. Question my hair is so dry, what can I use ? about the henna where do you buy it ? and can I use any tea with it?
do u apply the spritz to ur hair and scalp or just ur scalp
@ lala…Always glad to help.
@Anonymous..My henna version is similar to Nikki’s. I add about 1.5cups freshly brewed cooled green tea to 100g henna and mix. If it’s too thick, I add a bit more tea. I don’t like my mix too runny. I then add about 3tbsp honey to the mix and blend it all together. I apply my henna onto freshly washed and detangled damp hair.
I mostly use the Vaseline for extra sheen. I apply a small amount to my dry twist (not scalp).
@ Maria..I looked like a clown. I still crack up when I see this pic. I was so paranoid about the henna staining my skin, that I figured I needed to be properly covered. Imagine my husbands face when I asked him to take this pic..LOL
Let me know if you ladies have any more questions 🙂
You have beautiful, thick hair! I cracked up at the picture of you applying henna with all that stuff on. It looks like a hazmat suit LOL
Great growth in one year!
That is a lot of growth by all means!
Love your hair!!!! I have two questions for you…What do you use in your henna mix and how are you using Vaseline in your regime?
Thanks,
StarInIndy
Your hair is beautiful!!! and your such an awesome person ..you helped me out when I asked you a few questions before 🙂
@ ChristinaBella when I wear my hair in twist, I make sure to keep my hair properly moisturized. I spritz day and night w/ my Rosemary-sage mix, and I apply oils/butters to my twist to seal in the moisture. I don’t wrap my hair at night, but I make sure to sleep on a satin pillow case.
If you notice, my hair took off once I started cowashing on a regular basis and using my Rosemary-spritz spray. One of my buds on the forums (BunnieHoney) was also in my twisting for growth challenge pt 1 that ended in Sept 08. Upon her reveal, her hair showed CRAZY growth. I immediately picked her brain regarding her regime, and she stated that the Rosemary-sage mix is what made her growth take off. She also wore twist religiously. I started doing the spritz soon after.
Here are my recipes:
Rosemary Sage mix
2tbsp dried rosemary leaves
1tbsp dried crushed sage leaves
4 cups water
Bring water to a boil. Add the leaves. Stir and turn off heat. Let sit until mix is completely cooled. Strain. Add to a stray bottle. Refrig after use. Use morning and evening.
Banana-coconut mask
5 ripe bananas
1 can creamy coconut milk
1/2 cup honey
2tbsp molasses
3/4 cup EVOO
Add mix to blender and blend until extra smooth. Transfer to a sealed container. And refrig.
When I use, I first apply some cheapo condish to dry hair. I then pour some of my mask into a bowl and add some plain yogurt. I then slather onto my hair and cover w/ a plastic cap. Sometime I sit w/ my heated cap. Most times, I just leave hair covered for about 1hr then rinse. I then co-wash after. My hair feel so soft and shiny after.
@ Anonymous…If I am wearing small/mini twist, I keep them in for about 11 days. I typically don’t wash unless my scalp is feeling very itchy. If I wash, I make sure to cover my twist w/a pantyhose, and wash over the pantyhose. If my hair is in large/chunky twist, I then wash and restyle every other day.
If you ladies have any other questions, let me know 🙂
WOW! Lots of growth. I’m also interested in what your homemade hair mask is made of.
Wow your hair is beautiful :o) I love your twists :o)
how long do u keep ur twists in for and how often do u wash u hair
ur hair is beautiful i was wondering what did you do for the Twisting for Growth challenge because i twist my hair but my relusts arent even close to urs and what do u put in ur homemade mix..and lastly ultimetely what part of ur regime that u feel made ur hair grow faster like did u feel that once u started the henna or the rosemary spritz ur hair started growing??
Thanks ladies for the kind words. If you haven't already, definitely try to document your hair journey. You'll be able to see the changes in your hair.
Regarding the 3m challenge, it was a challenge started by Emih19 on blackhairmedia.com last year. It was basically a challenge that allowed you to do whatever you wanted to your hair. You just had to let the group know weekly what you were doing and share hits/misses with each other.
Here is the link:
http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=111903&KW=
This was by far the best challenge I've participated in.
And regarding my progress t-shirt, I purchased it from DontSpeakDefeat on Longhaircareforum.com
She is currently taking pre-orders:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339713
Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
What lovely healthy hair you have. I too need one of those t-shirts. Im goin home and make one from hubby’s!!!
Beautiful!!! i too would also like to know what the Super 3m challenge is.
i need one of those shirts!!!
What an inspiring look at how beautifully natural hair thrives….lovely!
Beautiful! Awesome hair growth!
Question: What is the “Super 3m” challenge?..
I’m currently in a protective style challenge ending on next week. I can definitely tell that I want to go further and I’d love to know more about this.
WOW! Your hair grew so fast! Beautiful
Omg, your hair is gorgeous and it has grown so much. Keep up the good work.