D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: My UPDATED Hair Regimen (Pt. 1)

Happy June, y'all! Can you believe how fast this year has been going? Oy!! As promised, I will be sharing in this post my modified hair routine. This routine is a bit special, because I will be incorporating some new products in the mix, so in addition to talking a bit about what I do to make Ms. Mooch so very Ms. Mooch-y, I will be sharing my first time thoughts on the new additions I tried.

Let me get this first out of the way and say it upfront so that there is no misunderstanding: Since the beginning of the year, I've been washing my hair once a month. Yes. Once. A month. Me. Washes my hair. LOL

It honestly started sometime in January because our apartment was frequently having water issues. We would either have no cold water, no hot water, or no water at all.. depending on the day. Either of these situations aren't really the most optimal for getting in the shower and washing my hair. The familia had to actually buy gallons of water to use for bathing and cooking (and the toilet... just saying!), so I couldn't really use up the water for my hair, so I ended up having to wait until the beginning of February to wash my hair when the water problems were fixed.

And when the blessed moment finally arrived, I noticed I had a lot less hair shed. I wondered if the change in my wash routine had anything to do with it, so as an experiment, I decided to wash my hair again the beginning of March. Again, I noticed my hair had a lot less tangles, a lot less shedding and it looked like it had grown more than usual since the beginning of the year. So I did my homework, and discovered a lot of naturals follow this same regimen. And I figure if this wash schedule works for Amel Larrieux and Cipriana from Urban Bush Babes (And be honest, who doesn't LOVE their hair!?!?), it won't hurt to see if works for me!! And so far, it has! So to get started, I will talk about my wash and condition routine in part one.

Because my wash week occurred after my flat ironing Ms. Mooch, I decided that I would give her some extra special TLC, so I started with a pre-poo using Karen's Body Beautiful Secret Weapon Restorative Hair Treatment for the very first time.

I'm not really a pre-poo kind of girl, to be quite honest. I think I can count on two hands the number of times I've actually done one in the past 6 years. But I received the jar free with my recent purchase, and I was excited about trying it out from reading the ingredients, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

The treatment has an amazing lavender mixed with something (I cannot put my finger on it) scent. I don't know if that's the scent it has, or it was scented to match my other products I ordered... 'cause I love my Vanilla Lavender!

The texture reminded me of the roux I first make when preparing gravy when I put it in my hand, but I must admit I was quite surprised how quickly it thins into an oil. My still semi-straight hair was separated into four bantu knots, so I took down each section and added a liberal amount to my tresses.

Seriously, why did I think it was a good idea to flat iron my hair?!? Poor Ms. Mooch.. she's looks beat up, huh? After it was all up and through my hair, I put on my very sexy plastic conditioning cap and waited to let the treatment work its magic.

I kept the treatment in a lot longer than the recommended 20 minutes (I watched, like, two movies!), but it did say you can leave it in over night so I figured four hours wouldn't hurt. I then hopped in the shower and was ready to wash my hair using Bumble and Bumble's Creme de Coco Shampoo.

I really fell out of love with my Mixed Chicks shampoo months ago, but out of necessity I opted to keep using it until it was finished before trying something new. I have read a lot of rave reviews on Creme de Coco online and because I am a total smell junkie, I decided I would give it a try. I did buy the 2 ounce bottle, just in case! LOL

I have the very strong feeling that I'm going to end up purchasing the bigger bottle next month, because not only does this shampoo smell HEAVENLY... it really did a bang up job in removing a month's worth of product and the Secret Weapon Restorative Treatment from my hair without leaving it feeling stripped and icky. I think I heard Ms. Mooch sigh with relief! Relief turned into excitement, because she knew what was coming up next!

Yes yes, y'all! It's Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish, which was cooling in the kitchen while I was in the shower. I raked up on this conditioner last Christmas, so I had a ton of hearts (which are all gone now!), plus a big block (which I just broke a piece off of) at my disposal. I stupidly forgot to grab Coconut Milk for my treatment, so for the first time, I was using plain H2O (mixed with a little EVOO) to make the mixture.

I was a bit worried when I noticed that the mixture was a lot thinner than it normally is with coconut milk, but I figured I would give it the old college try!!!

At this point Ms. Mooch is  in hog heaven because the curls are coming back and she knows she's just been given the good stuff! I left the rhassoul condish in my hair a little over an hour and it was back in the shower I go!

I love it when my curls get clumpy, and nothing makes 'em clumpy like the Rhassoul Deep Condish!

After my getting out of the shower, I don't apply a leave-in to my wet or damp hair. I find it makes my hair really stringy. So I put my hair in four braids.

My hair will stay in these four braids until completely dry. It is then that I apply a leave-in and product to my hair. Part Two will cover what I use and how I maintain my hair every week. Stay tuned!!!

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Ms. Mooch Gets Straightened Out!!!

Out of sheer boredom I decided to flat iron Ms. Mooch on Monday. I do not flat iron my hair often, so this was the first time in 2012.

Why did I flat iron my hair when it's been VERY hot and humid (when it's not raining) here in NYC and take walks twice a day with the major purpose of getting hot and sweaty?!?! Simple answer... I'm not very smart! LMAO

By yesterday, my hair showed no signs of ever being flat ironed. So I decided to flat iron it again, because I wanted to blog about it and because I promised to share more Ms. Mooch posts (and I'm a woman of my word!). I also had the opportunity to try out a new product in the process (Yay!), so I will talk a bit about that as well and give it a little bit of a preliminary review!

A WORD OF WARNING: I've never flat ironed my hair twice in one week before, and honestly wouldn't recommend it. But like I said, I promised to do more hair posts. Also, since last year, I have refined my technique a bit, so I thought I would share the process with you. And if my hair becomes horribly damaged I will expect you all to take up a collection to pay for my wig!! Just kidding! ;)

So first, I separated my hair into eight bantu knots. I find that they are perfect for keeping all of Ms. Mooch out of the way while I flat iron.

It's not that big of a secret, but I'm a total theater nerd! I love "Memphis: The Musical!!!!!

Once my flat iron's good and ready, I take down the first knot and apply a bit of Karen's Body Beautiful Creamylicious to the entire section. 

This stuff has edged out Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter as my "go to" hair cream. I love this stuff with a passion and broke my "no buy" policy to get some more when she had her recent sale. Simple and all-natural ingredients, works like a dream, and the fact that I can get in my favorite "Vanilla Lavender" scent?!? Yessss!!!

Once the section of hair is nicely full of the "good stuff", I part my hair and get to flat ironing!!

Usually I end up doing three parts per section, so it doesn't take a ridiculously long time to complete a section.

Once a section is done, I bantu knot it again.Vee of The HodgePodge Files suggested this... Thank you, girl! I seriously just used to let it hang there. Once I bantu knotted the section, I moved on to the next one, repeating these last few steps.

SIDENOTE: These pictures really highlights my weight loss to me. My eyes look bigger, and my double chin is totally less chin-y! LOL It's all about the small things you notice, I'm learning!

It's about this time I start sweating up a storm... which is exactly what you want to have happen when flat ironing your hair! LOL

But (as I do when taking my walks) I say, "Bring it on, Sweat Monster!!! I ain't afraid of you.. I'm from BROOKLYN, son!!!" LOL

Yeah... the Sweat Monster brought it!!! LMAO But I was able to finish the job without major incident. Once I was done, I was very excited to finish the job with Karen's Body Beautiful Beauty Boss 101, which I used for the first time on Monday, instead Carol's Daughter Hair Balm, which was what I used last year. Monday I went OVERBOARD with the stuff, which made poor Ms. Moochie look like the Exxon Valdez crashed on top of her!! This time, I was a lot more conservative with each section.

I applied by undoing each of the now-straightened bantu knots, and working it through each section. That stuff makes my hair feel super soft, and did I mention that you can purchase it scented, too?!? Ms. Mooch and I are both in Lavender-Vanilla scented hair HEAVEN!!! Beauty Boss 101 gets a thumbs up from me so far!!

I wish there was an internet equivalent to "Smell-o-Vision".... Seriously!!! Monday I posted on the Miss Moon's Musings FB page that last year I felt like my straightened hair made me look like an extra in "Jesus Christ: Superstar" (::singing:: What's the buzz? Tell me what's a-happenin'.. LOL). Theater dork!

This year, the moment I saw the results, I was like, "Ms. Mooch you look like Irene Cara in 'Sparke'!!!!"

::singing:: If you look into your heart... with a positive mind. Take self-inventory... your woman and your glory... but the bad things behind...." LOL

I know my hair is not going to last a while, as the moment I go for walk #1 today, it will be O-VAH! To be honest, the frizz made it presence known hours later! LOL But it was fun in the process, and I love sharing my hair stories with you all!

This weekend I'm planning on giving Ms. Mooch a well deserved treat of deep conditioning with Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish. I will also be shampooing with Bumble and Bumble's Creme de Coco Shampoo and I will be doing a pre-poo with Karen's Body Beautiful Secret Weapon Restorative Hair Treatment (Yeah, I raked up during that sale!!), both for the first time, so be sure to check out my blog next week to see how Ms. Mooch liked them both!

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Hair Love AND an Introduction...

I haven't be writing a lot of D-I-Y Nappturaliciously posts about my own hair (product reviews, length checks, etc.) in a while, I know.

Only part of this is because I'm unemployed. Having a limited budget definitely has put a damper on my spending, I'll admit, but that's not really the main reason why I haven't. The truth of the matter is, I was feeling very... uninspired about my hair. I was still loving being natural and was certainly not itching for some creamy crack. I just was in a rut, and budgeting for natural hair goodies wasn't really all that exciting to me. I am very happy to report that all of that has changed.

What changed it?!? Four Words: Miss Moon Gets Healthy. Yes! All of the work I've been doing in eating healthy and exercising and drinking nothing but water has really manifested itself in my hair. And for the past few weeks, I've been looking into the mirror and LOVING how my hair has looked!! So much so, that I officially gave my curls a very new (and improved!) nickname!!!

For years, I've nicknamed my hair "Freeda", or more specifically, "FRIZZ-eeda", because well... the Frizz really got on my nerves! But no more, darling 'do. That name no longer suits you at all!! Before I reintroduce my hair to all of you, permit me to indulge in a little back story.

The year was 1988. I was 11 years old and in the car with my Dad, who asked me what I wanted to do that afternoon. I said that I wanted to see a movie. My Dad has never (in my lifetime, at least) been the "Go to the movies" type of cat. I can count and name the number of movies I've seen with my Dad on two fingers! LOL

But, in a fortunate turn of events, he agreed and we went to the Green Acres mall to go see what would be playing that day. Yes, that is what people did before Moviefone! #TeamOldFogey

I don't remember the other movies that were playing at the time, but out of all that was available, I remember that "Satisfaction" was the one movie poster that I thought was the most interesting. Plus Justine Bateman was in it, and I had a huge girl-crush on her back then!

And I was right. That movie kicks ass to this day!! And I walked away from watching it a) Vowing to form an all-girl rock band one day! and b) With a brand new CURL crush: Trini Alvarado!!!

This movie was all about Mooch for me! She was the character I could most relate to, being a young girl from East Flatbush Brooklyn.

She was the kick ass girl who stole a van from a gang banger (with the unfortunate name Bunny Slotz) to get the band to the audition!!! She played the drums like the devil, and (spoiler alert) she was revealed to be a very shy girl and by bringing her vulnerability to the surface on occasion... she got the cute sensitive guy at the end of the movie!! And to top it all off, she had GORGEOUS hair!!!

Which leads me back to 2012, when 34 year old Audrey was admiring her hair in the mirror.

I looked at myself and said, "Girl, you are looking very "Mooch" today!!"

And I gasped and said, "That's it!!!!"... So it is with great honor, that I reintroduce you all to my hair...

Meet Ms. Mooch!!!! And I am also very pleased to let you know that Ms. Mooch and I will be revealing our updated regimen in the upcoming weeks, in addition of having A LOT of new products to try and review for you good people! Ms. Mooch is a good influence on Miss Moon, don't you think?!?!?! LOL

What's your nickname for your hair, if you have one? Also, what products would you like to see me try on Miss Mooch and review? Leave a comment and tell "us" all about it!!! ;)