Feature | Divachyk

Really excited today to feature a fellow hair blogger.  As a matter of fact, I requested a chance to feature her journey a while ago because her hair is so awesome.  I love how she was able to leverage her signature style, the bun, into lots of length.  Let's get to know her a little better.
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 I go by the name of Divachyk on hair forums and social media. I'm a certified product junkie that loves everything hair, health and beauty. I started this journey after experiencing breakage that resulted from pure hair neglect while dealing with the stress of my husband's health (cancer -- praises to God hubby is healed!) During this time, I did not have the time or energy to frequent a salon so I started looking for ways and tips to maintain my hair at home and the rest is history.

I am relaxed and tend to stretch for 10 weeks on average. I tried stretching for longer without great success so 10 weeks became my norm.

-Wash Day: I change things up based on the needs of my hair but the basics remain the same: cleanse, deep condition and air dry.
-Daily Maintenance: I moisturize/seal and lightly comb 2x daily.
-Relaxer: I am salon relaxed and my current stylist uses Naked by Essations which is lye-based.

 I am not a fan of low-lye and no-lye relaxers because calcium deposits made my hair feel dry and brittle. My stylist then started using Design Essentials Honey Nectar. This is a time released relaxer and my hair took to it just fine. Fast forward several years, my hair began to suffer from breakage. I'm unsure if the issues resulted from relaxer strength or stylist technique.

What is your everyday go to hair style?
- Typically, buns - buns are my signature style.

 What are your every day products that your hair loves (and why)?
 I have all my favorites detailed on my blogsite but the ones I simply cannot be without are:

- Clarify: HairVeda Amala Deep (now discontinued and looking for a replacement). Shampoo: Bee Mine Botanicals Co-Cleanse: HairVeda Amala Cream Rinse Oil Rinse: Wheat GermTea Rinse: loose leaf slippery elm and marshmallow root. Deep Condition: Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose Leave In: Pura Body MuruMuru Moisture Milk Seal: Extra Virgin Avocado Oil Daily Moisturizer: Aubrey Organics White Camellia.

 Share you hair goals and what you will do to achieve them?
 Hair Length: My hair length goal is/was middle back length which I've achieved and surpassed.Hair Health: I revise my goals monthly to avoid complacency. My hair motto is health before length although I've strayed away from this at various times. In the moments that I've strayed, my hair did not flourish whatsoever. Needless to say, I've regained focus and will continue focusing on hair health going forward. My assessment of hair health is a moving target. Hair can be healthy one day and not so healthy the next. Overall, I feel that I've achieved and maintained healthy hair.

Achieved By:
- Protective styling for length retention
- Stretching relaxers for an average of 10 weeks
- Operating within my comfort zone rather than trying to hang with others
- Accepting what works for me and staying the course
- No bandwagons -- I've done them before but it did not work out so well
- Moisturizing / Sealing daily

Have you had any setbacks in your journey?
Please share the root cause and how you overcame your set back. I've had numerous setbacks! All setbacks and the associated effort to bounce back are detailed on my blog.
 Main Root Causes of my setbacks were:
- Jumping on bandwagons
- Not understanding protein / moisture balance
- Not understanding hair porosity
- Improper detangling tools & techniques

The main takeaways for bouncing back are: 
- Never repeat the mistake that caused the setback
- Remaining consistent with a well-defined regimen
- Protective styling for maximizing length retention

  You've started a blog on healthy hair care, what will readers learn  & experience from following your journey? 

 How to manage low porosity hair.   How to achieve healthy hair no matter if relaxed or natural.

 Someone stops you in the street and asks what they can do retain length like you, what do you tell them?  A well-defined regimen, consistency and protective styling.   

You're going on an extended vacation but can only take 3 hair  related products with you.  What do you pack and why? 

Co-Cleanse: HairVeda Amala Cream Rinse (hair cleanser)Conditioner/ Moisturizer / LI: Aubrey Organics White Camellia. Sealant: Extra Virgin Avocado Oil The three items can assist with wash day without causing an imbalance of protein / moisture or potential for setback. They are very moisturizing which my low porosity, dehydrated hair loves.


 Stay Connected With Divachyk // Relaxed Thairapy
Blog: relaxedthairapy.com
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