Natural Hair Exposed challenge and product reviews and updates

Soooooo. Basically I have been natural for 2 years an 9mons. However my hair length is not reflecting such. I have been watching youtube videos and I have realized two things. 
1. the main reason for my not retaining length is that I have not been taking care of  my hair properly until this summer.
2. I have not found settled down on what products work best at the cheapest price for me and settled down on a regiment. 


Two more things I realized today.
 1. I have to figure out what products I am going to rule out
2. start to minimize the complexity of what I do. 

Many girls with long hair do not use a whole lot of products and their regiment is fairly simple. However, there are still some products I am waiting to try out (once I get some more heads braided). Particularly:
A nice butter- Homemade and the shea yogurt moisturizer by Blackonyx 
a leave-in that actually works for me-no particular one in mind
and a better shampoo-Herbal Essence and Spanish Sur Gro (oldie but goodie)

Before I try BlackOnyx shea butter mix I am going to try making my own (once I take my hair out in a few weeks). After that is used up hopefully I wont be broke anymore and I can try hers. As far as the leave-in. Ive tried sheamoisture's and cantu's and neither of those work for me. The one by sheamoisture leaves my hair dry for some reason, and the one by cantu is too heavy and leaves little white chunks in my hair I cant get out. Soooo still on the look out for that. It is a bit harder being in  South Dakota where you cant just drive down the street to your local beauty supply store and pick something up. Most all my products ar bought online at: Amazon, Barsnbutters.com (my shea butter), or Sallys online store (we have a sallys but the online store is more extensive). Or bought from the health food stores (which make them pretty expensive) or the indian store (my coconut oil), I found aloe vera gel at Walmart super cheap and I use that alot with my clients who have straighter hair. As far as the shampoo I think I would like to try Herbal Essence because its avaiable around here and i've heard good reviews. I am also thinking of trying Spanish Sur gro product line because it is old and has proven results. I am totally satisfied with my Yes to Cucumbers conditioner. Its awesome! I think I will continue to use the same recipe I used last for my deep condition because it leaves my hair way softer then with the original recipe I was using with the egg. 

I have been trying to do the castor oil challenge. However with extensions in I dont know if that will effect the results. Other techniques I am curious to try on my hair is the pre-pooing (I tried this once and liked the results), and the green house effect. Since I am just going to school and living at home I might actually have time for these. My Jamaican black castor oil is already running out and my mom was nice enough to pick some more up for me. This is regular castor oil though not the Sunny Isle Jamaican kind. She also picked up rosemary oil which I haven't tried yet and tea tree oil (also never tried). So I think I'm going to stick with my all natural products and try to continue to make homemade recipes instead of ready-made products. 

I am going to attempt to keep my hair out of braids for the next 6 months. AHHHHH that is sooo hard for me. I love my spring twist and fluffy twist. Once I put them in they are so easy and fun to style. Its sort of become part of my look to those who know me. Right now I'm really craving the bright red fluffy twist I had in for my birthday. But at the same time I want length!!!!! Also I think that the braids are definitely not helping with improving the thickness of my hair. My hair is already really fine and not super thick like others. So I need to give the braids a rest and let it thicken back up. The good thing about spring or fluffy twist is they are soooo lightweight so I know they don't weight down my hair like kinky twist or braids. Also with my braids in I am not deep conditioning my hair on a regular basis like I would otherwise and I think that is important that I start doing that. Lastly I am going to take extra time to take care of my ends. I know my hair can grow, but can I retain length? That's what I need to prove to myself


So once I take my braids out I'm going to start documenting my 6 month journey. My personality is one that loves to start projects but never wants to finish them. So this will be a challenge but definitely one I want to take. My mom has the belief that its genetics and some people are just born with hair that can grown down their back. While I agree to some extent I also think people can grown their hair way longer then they thought possible with proper care. And I really would love to prove to her that my hair can grow past my shoulders and hopefully down my back. I'm 20 now and in 6 years I would love to have mid-back or lower back length hair. I think it can happen faster than that. But we will see!!!! One think I do not like is looking nappy! I want to find cute styles that are sophisticated enough that I will want to wear them out the house, while still being protective. And I am about tired of the afro puff look. I like it but I have worn it too much. I am a person that craves variety. I cant wear my hair the same way week after week. That's why I always turn to twists or some variation thereof. I also do not feel my hair is thick like others to wear twists just out as a style by itself. 

Soooo moral of this long and confusing story? I want length and thickness (dont we all?). But I want to be confident enough with the thickness of my hair to wear it out. the texture of my hair is not silky and smooth or strong like other naturals I see on youtube. So I will be working extra hard to find those products that help thicken naturally. 

Advice and feedback are wanted, needed, and welcome!!!!

Sorry no pics this time. But there will be plenty coming!!