Braidout on Straight Hair II

Last night I used the ORS Pudding, Giovanni Direct Leave in, and Shea Butter for my braidout. This morning I have more definition and suffered a little shrinkage from the leave in. However I love the results and wanted to share.

Picture taken on my phone which explains the quality.

Despite the shrinkage my hair is very soft and moisturized. The plan is to wear a braidout until the end of the year. This may be my last post of the year so I want to say: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Weekly Inspiration

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”


—Matthew 17:20

Hello

What a busy year?! I apologize for falling behind in my posts but between work, holidays, and family obligations I’ve been busy. For the most part I kept up with my weekly wash and deep condition routine. The last couple of months my hairstyle alternated between flat twists and puffs depending on my mood on wash day. On December 8 I decided to straighten my hair with the intention to wash my hair the following Sunday which is my normal wash day. Instead I decided to continue rocking the straight look and may stay straight for the rest of the year since there is only two weeks left.

Workout and Weight Loss/Gain Update

The week after Thanksgiving is when I fell off my workout plan. Unfortunately, I gained an extra 3 pounds over Thanksgiving and fighting now to get it off. For some this may seem minuscule but as you know for the last 6 months I’ve battled a plateau. Finally, I bust through my plateau with a weight gain: NOT ACCEPTABLE. However, I can only blame myself because I decided to indulge on Thanksgiving Day but not the case for Christmas.


Currently, I’m switching my workouts up daily between Kettlebell Training and cardio workouts from bodyrock.tv. Next month I plan to start a 30 day bodyrock.tv challenge and more details to come. It’s definitely time to “beef” up my workouts and I plan to start with the bodyrock.tv challenge. If you are not familiar bodyrock.tv please check out the website! Until next time stay healthy!!

My Straight Hair

As you know I straightened my hair a couple of weeks ago three days after my wash day. For some it's a no, no to straighten on dirty hair. But I gauged my hair and limited the amount of products used daily just for this reason. Honestly, I was itching for a change and going thru my wash routine and flat ironing on a work day was not an option.


Products used:
Heat protectant – CHI Iron Guard and Silk Infusion
Leave in – Neutrogena Triple Moisture
Oil – EVCO

Hopefully, I didn’t suffer any heat damage. Here are the comparison pictures from 2009-2010.

December 2009 - 9 months post Relaxer

 

December 2010 - 100% Natural

Braidout on Dry Hair

In order to keep the flat irons out my head daily I decided to try a braid out on my dry hair. A couple of days before straightening my hair I found ORS Hair Pudding. For this style I used Neutrogena Tripple Moisture leave in and the Hair Pudding for braiding. Afterwards, I used EVCO to take the braids down.

Here is my hair braided up the night before. Also, I did not spritz my hair to avoid conversion.

Here is my hair afterwards. The pudding didn't provide a hold and gave my hair some definition. However, my hair felt very moisturized.

Here are pictures of my hair later in the day. As you can see the definition is gone which I knew will happen. To prepare I brought bobby pins and an ouchless band to pull my hair up. However, I decided to rock my afro puff proudly!

Tonight I will try the braid out again and give details later. Chao!

Flat Twistup

Just another flat twist up do I tried out.

Weekly Inspiration

A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.




William Arthur Ward

3 Months Natural

Three months ago I took the plunge and chopped the rest of my relaxed ends off. Boy what a relief! The transition had ended and I was glad to move on to the next phase of my healthy hair journey. Since the b/c I’ve kept my hair routine very simple: weekly shampooing and deep conditioning treatments, moisturizing daily, and wearing protective styles. However, I added honey to my routine as a pre-poo treatment to add moisture and shine to my hair. Honey is amazing and you should give a try if you haven’t thus far.


Flat twists are my favorite protective style. The style last for a week, survives rigorous workouts, and prevents tangles. A couple of times I ventured from the flat twists to play with my hair which resulted in a major afro. Instead of getting depressed I just rocked my fro! Needless to say I’m still in search of products to help with the conversion and maintain my curl definition.

Three months later I am still in love with my hair and happy I made the transition. At my six month anniversary I plan to straighten my hair for a trim and length check. Trimming my hair will depend on the condition of my ends. Just in case you are wondering, my mom is still natural and she is more in love with her hair than I am. LOL!

For those of you who are on your journey, remember patience and consistency are key!

Kettlebell Training

 The best way to blast thru a plateau and burn fat is to switch up your workouts. Recently, I have experimented with Kettlebell Training. It is amazing and I love it! My favorite fitness guru, Jillian Michaels, has a workout DVD specifically for Kettlebells. A kettlebell puts you in the mindset of a bowling ball with a handle. The kettlebell comes in different weights starting from 5lbs and higher. This form of training was originally invented by the Russians for strength training and flexibility.

There are many benefits to this form of training such as: strength training, conditioning (athletes), muscle endurance, and aerobic training. Majority of the exercises performed with a kettlebell can be substituted with a dumbbell. However, when using a kettlebell your whole body is forced into motion which results in a full body workout.



Jillian Michaels’ DVD is great because she incorporates cardio exercises with the kettlebell training for maximum fat burn. Her DVD has beginner and advance workout levels. She also has a tutorial for proper form and use of the kettlebell to avoid injury. This DVD and form of training is highly recommended if you want to switch up your workout.

Mediterranean Greek Salad

Ingredients:

Spinach, Arugula, and Carrots Mix (or salad mix of your choice)
Pitted Black Olives
Small Red Pepper (sliced)
Small Green Pepper (sliced)
Small Red Onion (sliced)
Small Cucumber (peeled and diced)
Feta Cheese
1 can Garbaza beans (drained, rinsed)
Cherry tomatoes



Dressings (whisk together):

Red Wine Vinegar
Dried Oregano
Olive Oil
Dash of Salt
Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing. Enjoy!

Weekly Inspiration

Remember:




Amateurs built the ARK and Professionals built the Titanic…

KCCC Update-Braid out

Last weekend I used the KCCC for my braid out. After my normal wash routine and braiding my hair all over I sat under the dryer for an hour. The braids were left in overnight as well. The next morning I used cocoa nut oil on my hands to take down the braids. The braids felt hard so I used the cocoa nut oil to soften up my hair. Also, I used Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave in because it works best with the KCCC.


The results were beautiful and I was pleased. The KCCC gave me the definition I desired. In order to fight off humidity I used Kera Care Humidity Blocker Hair Spray. Unfortunately, my hair fell victim to the humidity anyway. By the time I reached the airport my hair started to fro and shrink. Instead of whimpering I decided to rock it and be fierce anyway.

Here is my hair before I left the house.

This is what my hair looked like by the time I arrived in Phoenix.

In order to protect my hair from the sun I wore my cute hat from Target while I sat by the pool.

Open-toe Booties

The open-toe booties are hot this season. For me, I still haven't decided if I like them. A couple of weeks ago I purchased my first pair of open-toe booties. The next day I returned them. Maybe in the future I'll change my mind.

KCCC Teaser 2

Here is a picture of my bangs this morning after using Kinky Curly Curling Custard.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard Teaser

The hunt for the perfect product for a braid out on my hair has initiated. Before, my Shea butter used to do the trick on my relaxed and transitioning hair. Shea butter gave me the most defined curl pattern and left my hair very moisturized and shiny. Now, my natural hair just laughs when it comes to curl definition. After watching a few you tube videos I decided to splurge on Kinky Curly Curling Custard.


Tonight is wash night and my weekend hair is a braid out. The anticipation was overwhelming so I decided to take it for a test run last night.

This section of hair has a very loose curl pattern than other areas of my hair.

First I washed with Kera Care moisturizing shampoo

This is the texture of my hair without product

Used KCKT leave in conditioner (plain)

Wet hair and applied the KCCC

Here is my hair 2 hours later

As you can see the KCCC really defined my curls so I'm looking forward to my braid out results. My hair felt kind of crunchy but hopefully cocoa nut oil can fixed that. All in all, I loved the results and full review coming soon!

Weekly Inspiration

...Life is what we make it and a chance is like a picture it'll be nice if you take it...
--Drake (Unthinkable-remix)

Adding a little Honey to my Wash Routine

Last weekend I experimented with honey. There are many videos on you tube stating that honey is a perfect moisturizer for the hair. Honey is known to add shine and moisture so I decided to give it a try. Any type of honey is ok but I used raw honey because this is what I have. Since the honey is in a raw state I heated it for 5 secs in the microwave. This step is not necessary.




Here is a picture of my hair after taking down my Janelle M. inspired style.

Next I divided my hair into 4 sections for detangling. Each section was sprayed with water and lightly combed from ends to roots gently with my shower comb.



After detangling I applied a small of amount of honey to each section. A little goes a long way because too much can cause stickiness. Surprisingly the honey was easy to apply to my hair.



As soon as the honey hit my hair my curls started to pop (see picture above). My hair immediately looked shiner than the other sections of my hair. Plus my hair immediately started to shrink as well. LOL!

After applying the honey to all sections I used my heat therapy wrap for 30 minutes. Then, I followed my normal wash and deep condition routine. My hair felt oh so soft and moisturized without the greasy feeling. The honey washed out easily and did not feel sticky. The results were amazing and I plan to prepoo with honey for now on.


**Bonus pictures**
Impromptu length check:

BC-July 2010

2 months post BC-September 2010

NetFlix – I’m in love!

When I moved into my house I decided to experiment. I wanted to know how long can I go without cable. Well three years later, I have yet to miss it and saving some money. Cable here in Texas can run you $100 a month if you are careful.


Everybody who knows me knows I absolutely positively love Jada Pinkett-Smith. When I heard about her new show Hawthorne, I considered getting cable to just watch her show. But the thought of having another bill just overwhelmed me. Well through NetFlix I can watch the first two seasons on DVD. You’re talking about somebody that is overjoyed. LOL! It’s the little things that make me happy. Do you have NetFlix?

Janelle Monae Inspired Look!

My hair style is not an exact duplicate but it reminded me of her. I love this style!

Weekly Inspiration

“True happiness and contentment come to you only when you are living the life that you’ve always imagined; not the life that others have imagined for you.”




-Gwen Stefani

Pounds v. Inches

So many people are caught up with measuring their weight loss success by the number of “pounds” lost (including myself). Losing pounds is important but inches loss is just as important. For the last couple of months I’ve toggled between 139lbs and 134lbs. Every other week I’ll lose five pounds then gain it right back. Honestly, I was frustrated because I refuse to “starve” myself to lose the last 10 pounds. Needless to say, I strayed away from posting “weigh in” blogs because I felt I didn’t make any progress.


However, my clothes are getting loser so I decided to take pictures of my waist only. After comparing the before and after pictures, I’m very happy. There is definitely a difference in my waist area which is motivation for me to keep up my workouts.

139 to 134 lbs - 9 month lapse

Rain down on me!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to reduce the amount of salt consumed to help with weight loss and other health reasons. Well in an effort to watch my sodium intake I decided to shop for items at Whole Foods. In my area Whole Foods is very expensive and I never shop there unless for hair products. Well while in the store it started to rain. Since going natural the rain is no bother to me anymore.


When I walked out the store there was a woman standing there with beautiful mid-back length relaxed hair. She had a plastic bag over head and patiently waited for the rain to slack up. I remember those good old days and glad to leave them behind. Unlike her I proudly walked in the rain to my car because water equals moisture for my natural tresses. Needless to say, I’m so happy with my decision!

My Black is Beautiful

This past weekend my niece and I attended the "My Black is Beautiful" event here in Houston. We had a great time and I wanted to share some pics with you guys.

MC Lyte on the 1's and 2's...

Old school hair tools our ancestors used

My niece really enjoyed herself. So if the event is coming to your town please check it out. It's free!!