It's been 6 months and 19 days since I shaved off my hair and the above picture was taken after I took my flat twists out today. I flat twisted my hair on Sunday using a moisturising cream and Blue Magic's Pressing Oil (which contains Petrolatum, Lanolin and Mineral Oil) to lock in the moisture. I moisturised my hair on a daily basis using water and various oils. On some days I used the World of Curls Moisturizing Oil Sheen spray for extra moisture.
The Blue Magic left a greasy residue on my hair so I made a Bentonite Clay mask to pre-wash my hair and scalp. I added Hyaluronic Acid for moisture and Plant Keratin (Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein and Hydrolyzed Corn Protein) for strength. I used Peppermint water to turn the mixture into a paste and I left the mask on for a few minutes before washing it off. My hair still felt like it had a layer of grease so I washed it with Dax Removing Shampoo.
I recently did a blog post about Yogurt which inspired me to do a Yogurt protein treatment. I blended 0.12 grams Silk Amino Acid powder with 7 grams of Lavender Water then I added 50 grams of Fage zero fat Greek yogurt. I mixed the ingredients together and then applied the mixture to my hair. Yogurt contains zero slip but I didn't add oils to the mixture because this Glamour Magazine online article quotes Ross Charles (Owner of Ross Charles Hairdressing) as saying that oils can stop amino acids from penetrating into our strands. Once my hair was fully coated with the yogurt mixture I applied Abyssinian Oil (with added essential oils and Vitamin E) on top. I covered my hair with a plastic cap and left it on for 20 minutes before rinsing the treatment out.
My hair felt great after the treatment because the Abyssinian Oil helped the moisture to penetrate into my strands. I recently bought Shea Moisture's Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Mask for the first time and I've been eager to try it out so I decided to use it even though my hair didn't need it. I applied it to my hair and left my hair uncovered as I relaxed in a steamy bath for 30 minutes. After rinsing out the conditioner, I applied my homemade leave in conditioner followed by a homemade Moisturising Cream, then I sealed in the moisture with a homemade hair oil. I'm going to allow my hair to air dry overnight and I'll place it in a protective style tomorrow.