It all started when I decided to do a quick protein treatment one day via Aphogee's 2 Minute Reconstructor. I rarely do protein treatments but since I recently touched up my hair, I figured now would be a great time to break out my bottle. So there I am standing in front of my hair product closet scanning the contents over and over again in search of the Aphogee. Nothing. I move a few bottles around, take some and put on the floor for easier viewing, and still I can't find it. Weary from looking, I decide to move on with another protein heavy conditioner that I'm able to easily locate. I know that I haven't ran out of my Aphogee. Which makes this experience that much more frustrating. It's in there buried among years worth of collected hair products stemming from various crazes and numerous product junky relapses. Fed up with the collosal mess I've created, I decided to take an action to clear out this massive clutter disguising itself as my hair product closet.
For a while now, whenever I visited the closet on wash day, I would stand there staring at it blankly as my eyes glazed over. After several moments I'd collect various products into my arms not knowing if there was another, more appropriate, product I should be using that was lurking just behind my 1 liter bottle of conditioner.
I'm a strong believer that if one wants results they've never experienced before, they must take an action (or a series of actions) that signify the belief and desire to get there. I call this "building the ark." When Noah was told that a flood would appear and he began to act on it years before the rains came down. When I wanted to land a job where I could work from home, I decided to create a home office space to symbolize my strong intentions to work from home. That, coupled with other actions, led me to realizing this intention. For me this idea of "building the ark" could also apply to my goal of reaching waist length. Waist length hair is a lofty goal for a constant manipulator like myself. And if I continue to maintain the same habits I have today, waist length may elude me or take much longer than it would otherwise. So I wanted to take an action to signify my desire for longer lengths. My hair product closet was in disarray. Could this chaos also be leaking into my hair regimen and routine?
So I went to work, pulling out years worth of products and laying them on the floor before me. Then I grouped them in order by their similarities. Oils were together in one area, conditioners in another, shampoos in another. When I pulled everything out, wouldn't you know it, my Aphogee 2 minute reconstructer was lurking in the background waiting to be discovered once again. I also found some "oldie but goodies" like my Biolage Cera Repair Pro, my pH strips, and various leave-in products that I haven't used in quite a while.
(The picture below doesn't show all the products I owned at the time of the closet cleaning).
In the end, I threw away numerous bottles of product, both full and empty, that I knew I'd never use again. My end in mind was to create space so I could organize what I would keep. An organized closet gives off a different kind of energy than an over-cluttered, disorganized one. That energy will translate to good feelings for me. Every time I stood in front of my overstuffed closet, I would zone out. Now, when I open the closet, I feel good. I am now present when I'm standing there and I'm making better choices of which products I'll be using. By organizing my closet, and throwing out unproductive hair products, I'm creating a butterfly effect that will hopefully lead to a series of events leading to waist length length tresses.
Since writing this post, I've stumbled on a couple sites that talk of the minimalist lifestyle. I love the idea of everything in my home having a purpose. This way of living is so contrary to who I've been in the past. I'm one of those people who buys 3 of something if I like it. The result of such actions is a plethora of stuff. Don't get me wrong, with the exception of my hair product closet, my house doesn't look like an episode of hoarders, but I would love to deplete my belongs to really owning things that I know I will use.
Wow that is a lot of stuff. what are your absolute must haves?
@ Ebony & Nix: I don't really wear my hair "straight," I usually rock big curls so most of the time my hair looks like it does in my "Curly Nikki" or "5 things I can do to better retain length" posts.
I may do a flat iron comparison post in October. Maybe I'll take some pics of flat ironed hair.
@ Tiffany: Daily I use Gleau. I like to keep it simple day to day and go all out on wash day. I keep a lot of conditioners on hand because I tend to be VERY heavy handed. For shampoos, I WEN/Hair One and keep a clarifying shampoo on hand. Conditioners range from low cost to high end. I like to mix them all up in a bowl before applying.
let me ask you a ? what if you combined liquid keratin annd caruso steam rollers? i think it would be something amazing,what do you think,Nadege?
@Cooco-Are you thinking about adding it to the water? I've added a little ACV (apple cider vinegar) to my caruso steam setter before and it helps produce longer lasting curls for me.
Now that I think about it, adding a little "booster" to the h20 may not be such a bad idea. The cuticle layer opens up a little while roller is hot/damp, so you may have the opportunity to infuse some keratin protein into the strands. The only thing to consider is if the ingredients in the keratin product may cause build up to the steamer over time. So I'd probably use product with a thinner consistency or add just a little product.
@ Coco- I think the leave-in may work better in the steamer. The treatment (I think) should remain concentrated so you get the full benefit. I have the bold but I haven't used it enough to experience any lightening effects so far. If you're only 4 weeks post and your curls are behaving, stretch for as long as you are able. That way you can minimize the risk of over processing.