Ringa Linga - 8 weeks + styling

That time has come again! I've broached the 8 weeks post barrier, at this point any contact with my hair results in breakage.

Last week I attempted curls (using flexi rods) as a defense against the scourge of retention.

Since I only had 12 (supply fail) the roots were pretty exposed and the front part wasn't pretty.

The back however! Looked quite good. This will definitely be attempted again with more! more! more!

What I used:

Crème of Nature conditioner
Joico Moisture Retention + ORS Replenishing Conditioner
Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in
Sweet Almond Oil
ORS Wrap and Set Mousse

I'd just taken out my weave so I deep conditioned with crème of nature conditioner for about the entire day. I don't have a steamer or a dryer so I have to use my body heat and a bajillion plastic wraps/bags. Also it's cold where I am so I figured the longer it stayed covered the better.

I washed with my trusty Joico and used a little ORS replenishing conditioner to create slip for finger detangling.

I'd thought about air drying but it was getting late and I was sleepy so I used some heat *gasp* to get my hair about 80% dry then went to bed.

I'm trying out new moisturizers and this time around I'm using Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioner. Reviews are mixed with this one (will do product review later) but it was on sale so *shrug*

I slathered the cantu on my new growth like it was relaxer. It makes your hair white for a little bit before it absorbs so I worked it in a little. I noticed it made my hair easier to comb so I took advantage of that slip to do a little extra detangling. It was so refreshing to not hear the snap crackle and pop that comes with combing.

I sealed with sweet almond, used the wrap and set mousse and wrapped my hair in the flexirods.

It took a lifetime to dry. And that was on hair only damped by the cantu and the mousse. I might have to invest in one of those hand dryer hood thingies. They all have mixed reviews though.

Pros: The Cantu might not be a good moisturizer but it sure can keep hair in place! I don't know if it was just that or the combo with the wrap and set mousse but my curls stayed pretty curly for the entire week. Thumbs up!
        My hair stayed pretty soft for the entire week as well. I used a little of the dove mousse on the ends from day 3 - 5 but that was cause I was afraid the curls would drop. I shouldn't have bothered.
        Curls lasted all week! I stopped taking care of the curls on day 5 but still had well formed curls on wash day.

Cons: There weren't enough flexirods so the divisions were huge! Especially in the front. I had to divide the curls several times to get a full-ish look which might have contributed to the fruzziness on day 3 and 4.
         Shrinkage due to growth/air drying meant the curls weren't long enough for pinappling. I was hesitant to do the mini pinapples because I had so few curls!
        I couldn't get close to my roots so my hair just got puffier and puffier during the week.

Conclusion: It was an encouraging first attempt at curls as a breakage-proof style. I will definitely do it again. I've been looking into curlformers as an alternative. They are supposed to be easier to install (once you get the hang of them) and I won't have to think about the direction of the curl because the colors tell you. They're also installed closer to the root so I should have a more uniform curl and straighter roots. I'm getting the knock-offs from amazon (the one that comes in a pack of 40) and will be trying them out either this weekend or next weekend.