I had my follow-up and first retightening yesterday. I had no slippage and no bunching. I was very pleased. My 450+ locks took just under 2 hours to retighten. I hope every reti is like that.
My consultant said I must be doing everything right, so I guess I should share what I do,(and don't do).
1. I'm trying to shampoo my hair only when I feel it really needs it. Since it is wintertime, I can hold out for two weeks.
2. I put some SL shampoo in a bottle with a nozzle and add warm water. After semi-loose braiding and banding, I apply my shampoo mixture to my roots and massage lightly. I then squeeze my braids to shampoo the locks. I rinse thoroughly. Because there's no product in my hair, I only shampoo once.
3. I separate my locks and re braid them tighter to achieve my braid out look. I leave braids in overnight, or cover with a satin cap and fashion hat until my crinkles are set.
4. Because I have relaxed ends, my crinkles loosen up from time to time. I just braid it back up with a spray mist of water to freshen up. I only have to do that maybe once a week. It also gives me an opportunity to give my hair a little moisture. I also take my shower cap off sometimes to moisturize my locks.
5. At night I use a satin pocket bonnet to protect my hair. I got it from Wal-Mart. It's like a bag, so as my locks grow, they will be fully protected and allowed to lay flat instead of bunched up in a regular bonnet.
That's it. I just run my fingers through my locks and go. I love that my hair takes less than one minute to style and I'm out the door!
These shots were taken right before my first reti:
This was taken right after my reti. It flattened out my crinkles!
