I’m not any particular kind of Protestant. The earliest church I went to as a kid was on a military base without a particular denominational affiliation. It had “conservative” Lutheran-style services in the early morning, “gospel” services in the afternoon, “contemporary Protestant service” in the evening, and Catholic Mass throughout the week (early afternoon on Sundays). My family attended the “gospel” service.

Later, I went to a charismatic church. Then my family became members of a non-denominational church. That church shut down, and we attended an Assembly of God for a couple years. That was not a good fit, so we later found a Church of God and joined there. I now attend a non-denominational church with my aunt.

I don’t find much preference between any of these, nor do I consider any to be the exclusive ”right” way, so I call myself Protestant on premise of Martin Luther’s Five Solae. 

Well, the differences in Christianity are quite wide, especially since the are countless denominations under Protestantism. However, there are some concrete historical reasons for some Christian divisions, such as the division of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and the division of Protestantism (Reform) from Catholicism. I can try to give a somewhat-quick rundown!

I generally answer a lot of questions privately to ensure that everyone I respond to gets their message, but I’m posting this publicly so people can correct me if I make any mistakes.

I’m going to talk about a lot of stuff, including things that aren’t from my personal religion, so I hope others will correct and help me in the event I get anything wrong. :)

Warning: this is a very long post, so the rest is under the cut!

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Oh, hi! You can read a little bit about my hair in that regard here, and I’ll talk a bit more about what’s changed since then and other details below!

I wash all of my hair regularly but typically no more than once a week. I only co-wash when I’m in a rush, and I don’t really have a preference between co-washing and regular washing. I bounce around between shampoos and conditioners. My last bottles were Head and Shoulders shampoo and Nexxus Humectress Ultimate Moisture deep conditioning treatment together. I now use Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner. I think my next bottles will be Yes To Carrots shampoo and conditioner; I tried some of my sister’s and it worked wonderfully. I don’t really have a go-to shampoo or conditioner yet, so I’m still experimenting. As long as you get the dirt and buildup off of your hair, though, the shampoo doesn’t matter much. As long as your hair feels soft after you condition, then that’s all that matters, too! Brands are just names.

I don’t quite remember the last time I had a relaxer. I think it was last September? I only relax three or four times a year now, partly out of cost and partly out of laziness. I go to a professional and only relax the new growth, to avoid damaging the already-relaxed hair. I think spacing out relaxers is important because it gives your hair some time to chill out, and the more new growth you have at the roots, the lower chance you have of re-relaxing what’s already been relaxed.

Obviously having infrequent relaxers makes it more difficult to get my hair to lay down than if I did it every 4-6 weeks like other people. However, I have taught myself how to take care of my hair in a way that makes gravity-defying bangs a thing of the past. 

I wash my hair, put a bit of jojoba oil on my hair, blow dry the bangs on medium and comb while drying with a wide-tooth comb (fine tooth doesn’t work as well and causes frizz). Be sure to avoid heating your hair so much that steam comes out, and also try to make sure that you don’t dry your hair to a straw-like texture.

I flat iron my hair in really small pieces close to the scalp. Every few week I trim my own hair with shears at this step—split ends stay frizzy and make your hair lose moisture. I wrap my hair that night with a silk bandana (a crucial step), and my hair is generally perfect in the morning. If I don’t wrap it, my bangs stand up and look frazzled.

I try to flat iron as infrequently as possible, and any touchups between washes are quick and with as little heat as possible. I also have given up using Paul Mitchell’s Gloss Drops. Instead, I just put a tiny bit of jojoba oil on my hands and run it through my hair when needed, since it weighs it down less than manufactured product.

Basically, don’t wash your hair too much, or else you will lose moisture. Blow dry on the coolest heat setting reasonable, and flat iron as infrequently as possible. Wrap your hair with a silk scarf while you sleep, too. :)

(Source: bey-lee, via t-h-e-v-o-i-d)