Happy 2017!!! 
I had taken a break from blogging and now I am back with a detailed update of my healthy hair journey in 2016.

1. Pre shampoo treatment (tropical coconut oil brand Alison)  
2. Shampoo once a week (herbal essences hello hydration shampoo I recently incorporated African black soap to my routine).
3. Condition with a moisturizing conditioner once a week and a protein based (has hydrolyzed proteins) conditioner once a months (I am yet to settle on any particular brands). I do not use any deep conditioners.
4. Stretch hair using twists and bantu knots(Check tutorial on my YouTube channel)
5. Moisturize and seal with an oil or butter every other day.
6. Wear one hairstyle per week to reduce manipulation.
7. Always wear a scarf to bed.

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   When it comes to retaining length and maintaining the ends of my hair, protective styling comes in handy. If you are reading this and you have always thought that hair had to be braided or in a weave to be protected I hope to convince you otherwise. A protective hairstyle is any hairstyle that keeps your ends off your clothes and ideally hidden to avoid damage. Buns are a great way to protect your hair and still have access to it at all times. To protect my hairline I create a loose pompadour or loose mini buns at the front to reduce the pressure applied on my hairline.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   braid out pompadour

   
   
   
    braids are the most common protective hairstyle in Kenya and in Africa as a whole. They are also one of the main causes for hair damage and more so hairline damage. The last time I had braids done was about a year ago and I loved the braids. But unfortunately I suffered so much damage that I promised myself that I wont ever braid my hair again.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Mini twists are a life saver for those weeks when the last thing on my mind is my hair, they are not only versatile but also easy to wash and care for.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   All buns and no afro makes me a dull girl so 2016 was also full of afros and some variation of the afro, remember my goal was to have fun but not damage my hair at the same time. to achieve this I made sure that these kinds of hairstyles would only last upto three days to avoid knots and tangles. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   I like to stretch my hair out because my curls are so tight which makes tangling and knotting very easy and my go to ways of stretching is either blow drying on cool to medium air using the tension method or using bantu knots. Please check for the link below for a tutorial on this method.

This post is long overdue since I actually have had my braids undone for about three weeks now. Thank you so much for your patience. Please click on the video to watch how I undo my braids.

wash and go on natural type 4 hair

Bun on stretched natural hair

Here are the rules of the challenge.

1. Wear protective styles 90% of the time

Protective styles are those that keep your ends hidden. These include buns, cornrows, braids, weaves e.t.c keeping your ends hidden will keep them from getting damaged and will encourage length retention.

2. Wear low manipulation hairstyles 10% of the time. 

Low manipulation hairstyles do not keep your ends protected but do not need to be combed out. These styles can easily be turned into protective styles. Examples of these are braid outs, perm rod sets, straw sets, bantu knots out, twist outs e.t.c 

3. Deep condition every week or at least once every two weeks

4. Moisturise and seal your hair on regular basis. 

5. Baggy your hair or just your ends

whenever your hair or ends feel too dry.

Baggying is simply applying a plastic bag on your head after moisturising to retain moisture. 

6. Keep your hair covered with a satin or silk scarf at night while sleeping.

7. One heat pass for the entire three months. Use it wisely ladies! Rollersetting and steaming are allowed

As always we recommend you taking pictures at the start of the challenge so as to be able to track your progress. More details on the challenge will be posted on our website http://growafricanhairlong.ning.com/group/gahl-hair-challenge-2013-1st-nov-1st-feb we hope to see you there 😀

Thanks for reading

Joanne & Evelyn