Weekly Inspiration

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.

Jawaharal Nehru

Straight Hair for the Winter

Every year I straighten my hair in December because the weather is cooler with less humidity. This time I infused much needed moisture into my hair to help with the straightening process and avoid heat damage. The process was recorded but for some reason I’m having problems uploading the video. Once I figure out what’s going on I’ll post the video.

During the first week my hair did great until the rain started to creep in the forecast. To combat the humidity infringement when I walked RJ I wore a plastic cap. That seemed to work and my curls lasted all day. But at some point my hair did succumb to the humidity and it was frizz city. Since I was not ready to wash because my straight hair needed to last two weeks I used my flexi rods.

Flexi Rods

Using the flexi rods were very simple. First I moisturize my hair with ORS Olive Oil moisturizing lotion and added flexi rods to big sections. The next day I was amazed at the results because all the frizz was gone and I was left with bouncy curls.





For fun I decided to try bantu knots for the first time. The plan was to put my hair up into a pony tail but when I saw the results I decided against it.

The back seems flat because there was a section I retwisted back into the knot. The knot was left there for another 30 minutes for more definition.

Here is a picture of my hair straight and this is towards the end of the two week stretch. Unfortunately, I had to use my flat iron again because my initial plan to avoid it did not work. I will discuss further in another post.

Have a bless week!!

Weekly Inspiration

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and  lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great."

--Luke 6:35a

Invisalign 12 Update

Fitness Update

Weekly Inspiration

For the Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want...
--Psalms 1:23

Saying Hello!!

Weekly Inspiration

The preparation of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

--Proverbs 16:1

Happy Friday!!

Hi Ladies!! I wanted to pop in and say Happy Friday. Hopefully everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving Holiday full of food, fun, and laughter with their families.

Stay on the look out for updates coming soon...until next time!


Ciao!!

Weekly Inspiration

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

--Proverbs 3:3

To poo or not to poo??

For the last year or so Giovanni Smooth as Silk has been my go-to product line. As you know I use the shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner and my hair loves it. Recently, I’ve noticed that the shampoo has left my hair very dry and brittle on several wash occasions. This is a total shocker because the shampoo has always left my hair very moisturized before. Now this change happened once the weather started to get cooler here in Texas. So I’m uncertain if the cooler weather is adding the harshness to my hair.

In an effort to remedy this issue I tried the Giovanni Tea Tree shampoo. After the first use my hair was very dry and brittle. Then the same results the next week which forced me to re-read the bottle. When I purchased the Tea Tree I didn’t realize it was more on the clarifying side than moisturizing. Well I decided to step out from the Giovanni line and try the Shikai Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner. The conditioner is ok but I do not like the shampoo. The shampoo made my hair very dry not brittle but dry. I’ve also used this product on Kiddie Kurls' hair and received ok results.

For the last 16 months my regimen consisted of a shampoo and conditioner. Maybe my hair is telling me it’s time for a change. Maybe it’s time to incorporate co-washing into my regimen and eliminate shampoo, for now. For the next 30 days I plan to put this little experiment to the test and see how my hair responds.

Kiddie Kurls' Braid Out

For this style Giovanni products were used including the styling foam to give definition. A mixture of different oils was used to give her hair shine.

I just love her!

Boots for the Winter

Oh My it's been too long since my last shoe post!!

Enjoy...

These shoes were purchased on http://www.zappos.com/. All were under $60!!

Weekly Inspiration

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

--Psalm 119:105

Next Stop Paris

The next stop on this European adventure was Paris, France. Surprisingly, it took a couple of days but I grew to love Paris. Paris actually reminded me a lot like New York with all the hustle and bustle. Honestly, I expected a more laid back atmosphere but that wasn’t the case but still a lovely place to visit.

We visited a lot sites in Paris including the memorial for Princess Diana and drove through the tunnel that led to her untimely death. Paris has a lot to see and we did so much in such a short amount of time. During the total trip took over 500 pictures so I’ll only share some good ones with you all.

As far as hair, again we planned for cooler weather and ran into hot temperatures. By the time I reached Paris my hair was begging for water. Between the heat and sweat my hair was DRY! Again I only had my leave in mix and oil but I had to make it work. Instead of ignoring my hair’s needs I gave it what it needed, water. It felt really good to get my hair wet in the shower. Afterwards, I added my leave in to small sections and twisted it up to air dry for a bit. Later in the day I sported an afro puff.

Since the weather was so warm we b-lined to the first H&M for cooler clothes. H&M was semi successful because they had a few shorts and t-shirts on sale. The store was blanketed with fall/winter fashion and rightfully so since it was the end of September. Despite the lack of summer variety I was just happy to wear shorts so I can properly enjoy the weather.

Jim Morrison

Oscar Wilde

Kiddie Kurls' First Length Check

Texture shot

Front

Back

The road to a perfect smile - 6 week update

Yesterday marked the six week mark of having my invisalign. A little over a month later I’m still happy with my decision and excited to see the final outcome. The invisible braces are so discrete and no one has noticed them and those who know forget I have them. So far the only drawback is not using my electric toothbrush. Right now I’m using a regular toothbrush because my teeth are very sensitive. Every two weeks when I change trays my mouth aches for the first day which is normal. The aches I experience surely are the same as getting the metal braces tightened regularly. A little pain once every two weeks for the next eight months is a small price to pay for a beautiful smile.

This is not a true smile just a picture to show progress.

So far I’ve noticed small changes in my teeth but again it’s only been six weeks into the process. The aches I mentioned before are particularly around my trouble a tooth which is expected. Yesterday, I started my fourth set of trays and my teeth are more sensitive than usual. The extra sensitivity does not worry me because at this point my teeth are really starting to shift. The next week I have a dentist appointment for follow up and pick up the rest of my trays.

Thanks for traveling this road with me! Ciao!!

Weekly Inspiration

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

--Isaiah 40:29

First Stop Munich, Germany

A couple of friends decided to explore Oktober Fest for the first time. It was AWESOME! All major beer drinkers will love this festival. Now I’m not a beer drinker but I did get prepared a year in advance and was given the name “snobby beer drinker”. HA! This name was given because I will only drink German beer and I have said good bye to Corona.


As far as my hair, the plan was to wear it curly so on the plane ride to Germany my hair was twisted under my hat. The only hair products in tow were oil and my leave in conditioner mix. The plan was to simply re-twist at night and go curly during the day. News Flash! That plan didn’t work past day 2. We planned for cooler weather in Germany but to our surprise it was HOT the whole time.

Even though the weather was perfect I was not equipped hair wise. Well unbeknownst to me central air is not popular in Germany or Europe for that matter. Every night I sweated out curls and woke up to a fro in the morning. Afros are not bad and I love them just not so much when I wasn’t trying to have one. So I improvised and wore my faithful twist-n-bun. Enjoy the pictures for Germany and stay tuned for Paris and London.

FYI...those are not birds but people handgliding off the mountain.

My First Blow Out - Natural Hair

Last week I was in the mood for really big hair after watching a couple of you tube videos. Also I was very interested to see how a blow out will look on my hair. Hope you like it as well!

Technique:
Blow dry using the tension method

Products used:
Water
Avocado Oil

Before

Lightly spritz with water

Added Avocado oil as a heat protectant

Pulled my hair taught and ran the dryer up and down/back and front

Back all done

The finished product. Loved it!! The Avocado oil kept my hair very soft and moisturized all day.

J loved it too!

A little shruken a couple of hours later but still love it!

Dry twisted at the end of the night using no product. The oil kept my hair soft and moisturized.

The next day after taking the twists out. It was ok but I decided to pin it up.

Weekly Inspiration

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.

--George Washington Carver

European Vacation

This year’s birthday was a special treat to myself: an European Vacation. This was a once in a lifetime trip and I’m so thankful for the opportunity. On the journey we stopped in Germany (3 Days), Paris (3 Days), and London (1 day). Since there’s a lot to share I’ll break each location in different posts.


The birthday celebration started in my hometown with Paris themed surprise party just for little ole me. It was a surprise party by one my best friends who told me we were going to a play and make sure I doll up. For the look I wore a twist out that turned out fabulous!

Love the decor!

Flowers for my hair...exciting!

My bestie who made it all possible

Kiddie Kurls Hair Regimen

As you know my 10 year old niece has come to live with me for two years. To my surprise she was relaxed after being natural for 9 years. At this time I have no plans to continue her relaxers even though my sister complains about the thickness and unruliness of her hair. For now I plan to mock my hair regimen for Kiddie Kurls and use the same products for awhile and assess the results.


The past year has been trial and error for me but I finally have a solid routine that is working so far. Every now and then I want to try a new product but the basics stay the same. Of course our regiment will have some differences because of our two textures. Again I plan to document her journey here so any and all advice is welcomed.

Weekly Routine (Basics)

Detangle (out the shower): Cheap conditioner wide tooth comb

Shampoo: Giovanni Smooth as Silk or Tea Tree Shampoo

Conditioner: Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner

Leave in: Giovanni Direct Leave in (used for my conditioner mix)

Monthly Routine (Basic)

Deep moisturizing conditioning – ORS Replenishing Conditioner

Protein Conditioner - Aphogee

These are the basics that will happen every week and month. Right now I plan to experiment with current products to find the best daily moisturizer for her hair. Since I flat iron my hair once a year and air dry only, Kiddie Kurls' hair will not experience direct heat for a while. She loves to wear braid outs and rod sets so I plan to keep her hair in a textured state often. Once her new growth starts to come in I plan to use water and glycerin to manage it. This mix worked wonders for me during my transition. For now her wash day is Sunday and mine is Friday so both our strands can get the care it needs.

Are you a mom? If so please feel free to share your tips!!

Weekly Inspiration

"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12

3rd Qtr Length Check

Here is my 3rd quarter length check and I'm excited to share. The last length check was in April at the end of 1rst quarter.

back right side

back left side

right side

left side

front

Have a Marvelous Monday!!