Health and Fitness Update

Last week I finally broke through the same plateau and lost 2 lbs. The 2lbs did not kick me below the 130lb mark but they were able to get me over the hump. The last month or so I broke down and read the book 80/10/10. Unlike most, I did not read the book chapter by chapter but only read what was interesting to me. Since I know all about the different statics about the war on health those chapters were avoided. The book is very interesting and the concept is fairly simple to follow.

Since reading the book I started trying to follow the new low fat RAW vegan lifestyle and found it a tad difficult. The difficult part of the program, for me, was eating enough calories for my body. There were days that I found myself very sluggish and it was due to not consuming enough calories. The book recommended a very useful website: www.nutridiary.com. This website really helped me to consume the number of calories needed for body and fitness levels.

Consuming 1600-2000 calories per day along with extra workouts during the week, I believe, is the reason for the 2lbs lost. Even though I have yet to fall below 130lbs, I love the way my body looks, the strength and energy gained. So far I haven’t decided if following the 80/10/10 lifestyle entirely works for me. Once I figure out my healthy eating lifestyle you guys will be the first to know.

For now here is a very general overview of how I eat: low fat RAW vegan until dinner; low fat cooked meal for dinner. If you have any questions please leave them below. Also you can follow me on twitter (lakitiamarie) and instagram (lakitiamarie) for daily updates.

Tell the truth shame the Devil

Fitness Update, Challenge, and Weight Loss Pics

Finally I have pictures of my weight loss journey. For some reason I couldn’t find the original pictures so I had to improvise. The “before” pictures are still shots from a fitness video update I never uploaded. There is a six month time lapse between the pictures. As you can see like most I struggled with blasting through a plateau as well.



me at 144lbs



131lbs

I was really self conscious about showing a picture from the back because this is a definitely a trouble area for me. But the difference is huge and I just had to share.



Now I’m only 6lbs away from reaching my goal weight. For the month of June I plan to do the 30 day Shred video to try knocking off the last 6 lbs. As far as meals, I’m going to continue eating RAW until dinner or one cooked meal a day when I’m in a crunch.

Here is what’s on the menu for today. According to the cro-no-meter today I’ll consume approximately 1261 cal, 26.7g protein, 255.6g carbs, and 27.9g fat.

Breakfast – Purple Smoothie (roughly 3 cups)

Mid-morning Snack – Cherries (roughly 4 cups)

Lunch – Apple Raisin Salad

Mid Afternoon Snack – Cashew (roughly 2 oz)

Dinner – Sweet Potato/Baby Carrot Bisque w/salad

8 glasses of water

Now I’m sure the carb count is freaking someone out but not me. The carbs I’ll consume today are from complex carbs like fruits and the sweet potato. As you see no white bread, cheese, butter, processed sugars, etc are consumed so all good carbs here. The fat content can be reduced some but I’m not too worried because majority of the fat is from the cashew nuts.

So what’s on your menu today? Are you closer to your weight loss goals?

Chicago in the RAW

Recently, a friend and I started a personal RAW challenge for eight weeks. Well my Chicago trip fell within those eight weeks and I was a little concern. Sticking to the challenge was important to me and I needed to experience eating healthy while traveling. As you know, I swore off chicken, beef, turkey, and pork about eight months ago. To help stick to my challenge I told my aunt I was a vegan and she was very supportive, shocked, but supportive none the less. She stocked the refrigerator with spinach and fruit for my green smoothies. She also made me the biggest salads with loads of veggies which helped out a lot. Now I purposely left out the RAW food challenge and eating 80% raw a day to avoid additional questions.

The efforts I made to stick to my challenge started off not too bad. Before my flight I didn’t eat so we ate at the airport. There were plenty of fast food restaurants that were not RAW Vegan friendly. Yes, I could have bought salads but a plate of iceberg lettuce with little to no veggies did not sound appetizing. Instead I got the tortilla soup with all the fixings on the side enjoying only the brothy soup loaded with veggies. The soup was surprisingly very good.

The first morning in Chicago I started with a green smoothie. To my surprise my aunt has the Vitamix blender which is awesome. This blender is used by a lot of RAW Foodist for blending and it costs about $500. It made the smoothest smoothies I’ve had and it was so easy and simple to use. It should be with a hefty price tag. Later on that day while visiting the mall I stopped and bought another smoothie while my honey ate at taco bell. Later that night my aunt made me my own personal pan of salad loaded with veggies. 

For the rest of the trip as we bounced from family to family and I did consume some cooked food. Since it was my honey’s first time in Chicago I could not let him leave without trying some deep dish pizza. Needless to say, I gave in and one half of the pizza was veggie.

As a result I did gain four pounds during my trip but the bright side is I can always start over. Also, the only meat I ate was fish and only twice within the week we were there and loads of vegetables. The extra four pounds was not a big deal for me because I expected to gain more. Now that I know more about what works for me I’m sure those four pounds will fall off in no time.

Me, Cousin the Graduate, My honey

Ohhh wee he so tall. I love him!!

I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend!!

Quick Hair and Life update

These last couple of months has been really busy for me. Between my 9-5, my niece, my business, workouts, and balancing a healthy relationship my plate has been full. Despite being constantly on the go, I’m enjoying every minute of it. Taking care of two heads of hair hasn’t been easy because I’m dealing with my niece’s two textures. She arrived last year relaxed and I refused to give her a touch up. The plan is to slowly grow out her relaxer while she is here and my sister plans to keep her natural from there. In order to make sure both our heads are getting the proper attention I had to split up our wash days.

I must admit our wash days have not been consistent all the time and there were times I skipped a week but never to go beyond two weeks. My niece hair is thriving and growing beautifully; not to mention my hair which is doing quite well. This year I decided to switch up my routine and not focus so much on protective styling. About two maybe three months ago I gave myself a trim taking off at least an inch which setback my length goal. This doesn’t bother me because the health of my hair is the best it’s ever been. The two styles I love right now are two strand twists and twist outs.

Since I work out 5-6 days a week I have to wet my hair constantly. The two strand twists provides protection and an extra day for my hair to dry eliminating direct heat. Unfortunately, my hair does not dry over night unless I sit under the dryer for 20 minutes prior to going to bed. The next day I wear my twists in a side pony tail or bun with a headband or flower. Surprisingly, I love how my hair looks pull back and the twists are so convenient especially during my workouts. The day after I take the twists down for a twist out and it looks so pretty. So far this is my routine and it works for me which helps so much during my workouts. Soon I will post my daily upkeep of my twists and twists out while working out.

Until next time… Ciao!!

Bonus**
Check out RJ

Frustration = Venting Session

Right now I’m so frustrated with my lack of patience. Recently, I decided to switch my eating habits and become a pescetarian (vegetarian that eats fish). This is not a smooth or easy transition so I’ve been researching. Of course the main concern with a vegetarian or vegan diet is getting the proper nutrients which encourage my constant researching.

All this research has caused confusion on whether I should just go strictly vegan. This is a big step but for some reason I cannot find simple answers to my questions. One question I have concerns oil substitutions including olive oil. Today I watched the documentary “The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue” which is a spin off from the documentary “Forks over Knives”. In this documentary olive oil is considered a non-healthy oil because of the saturated fats. Well I cook with olive oil like most people thinking it is a healthy choice and good for the heart.

If that was not enough the documentary also shows how some vegetarian substitutes I’ve grown to love is also un-healthy. Before watching this documentary the plan was to dedicate a post to these substitutes for others that are interested. With this information I cannot promote healthy eating with these particular foods. For example, Earth Balance spread was a butter substitution that I fell in love with. Well after paying closer attention to the label, I discover the spread is 100% fat. The spread is 80 calories per serving and the fat calories per serving are 80. The serving size is 1 tablespoon and I do not follow the serving size which means fat is constantly added to my meals. This is another eye opener courtesy of the documentary.

All in all, I need to practice patience and understand my transition may take some time. There is a lot to learn for guaranteeing a successful transition. Of course I know challenges will present themselves but DANG!

That’s the end of my venting session…

Dancing off the inches and getting down with Kelly Rowland

Last week I found a new way to add cardio to my fitness routine but in a fun way. For some this is not a new concept but I must admit I had doubts before. The new found discovery is dance fitness videos. Yes that’s right! As you know Netflix has great fitness workouts you can stream to your T.V. or rent DVDs such as “The Biggest Looser” and “The 30 Day Shred” by Jillian Michaels. Well last week I tried my first cardio dance fitness video by Crunch Fitness and absolutely loved it.

The dance cardio routine took the “work” out of “work out” and I actually had fun with all the moves. Since I loved it so much I search for other cardio dance videos to try on Netflix as well. These dance routines are definitely going into the fitness rotation along with Jillian Michaels and Insanity. This new discovery is just what I needed because cardio is a very important factor for my weight loss goals.

Other fitness DVDs added to the mix are “Crunch Super Charge Kickbox Party with Jeanette Jenkins” and “The Hollywood Trainer – Sexy Abs with Kelly Rowland”. Some of you may know that Jeanette Jenkins is a personal trainer to the stars. For some reason, I’ve been slow to buy any of her fitness DVDs and for no particular reason. The workout with Kelly seems very intense and I can’t wait to get it. If you haven’t seen the new workout with Kelly click here to check it out. Both of these DVDs were purchased on amazon.com. Stay tuned for a review of both DVDs in the future.

Side note…this morning I slept through my workout time because of a late night and now I feel tired and sluggish. This observation just proved that working out in the morning keeps me energized throughout the day.

Until next time…

New Year/New Hair Routine

Since November I’ve experimented with the “Curly Girl” method because my hair stayed dry and brittle for some reason. Before trying the method, I experimented with different sulfate free shampoos and still no change for some reason. In order to follow the method correctly I read the book by Lorraine Massey, “Curly Girl: The Handbook”. I will give a review and my thoughts on the book in a separate post.

Surprisingly, my hair has responded quite nicely to the method and it stays moisturized. From now on shampoo is no longer a part of my regimen including sulfate free shampoo. The one concern I had but did not experience was itchy scalp. Right before experimenting with the method my scalp was very itchy and dry but not since eliminating shampoo.

Another change in my regimen is how I detangle. Instead of four sections my hair is split down the middle and my fingers are used to remove tangles. Of course my hair is saturated with conditioner before detangling. When I jump in the shower to cleanse my scalp I continue to run my fingers downward to remove the rest of the shed hairs. At the same time, since I’m using a racking downward motion my curls are nice and define by the end.

This new method has shaved even more time off my wash day and it’s totally simple. After about a month and a half of this method, I was able to see a difference in the definition of my curls. Plus my twists out are starting to last longer. If you haven’t already try the method out or at least researched it to see if this is a possibility for you. Until next time…

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!!

Confessions – Tangled and Knotted Hair

Between the massive heat wave, exercise routines, work, and business my hair has taken the back burner. For the last couple of weeks I’ve washed and conditioned in the shower or co-washed without properly detangling or deep conditioning. The result after weeks of this and sporting my favorite protective style was massive tangles and knotted hair.


Luckily the tangles and knots did not lead to massive hair loss but I did lose more than normal. Even though I co-washed mid week to add moisture my hair was still dry. Last wash day I decided to give my hair some much needed attention. For detangling my hair is divided up into four sections. In each section I took smaller sections detangled, moisturized and twisted. That night I slept with my silk bonnet with hopes to a decent twist out the next day.

Normally flat twists give me the desired look since my hair is on the thin side. To my surprise I had the best and biggest twist out ever. Amazingly, soft moisturized tangle free hair over night that I absolutely love. Every night I re-moisturized, twisted my hair up, and slept with my bonnet. Since my workouts are in the mornings after untwisting my hair is pinned up in a protective style. The twists give my protective style texture which is adorable to me.

In order to reach my end of the year goal I have to get back on track. This is my new routine until the end of the year.

Life always throws curve balls

Hi everyone! Let me start by apologizing for the inconsistent blog posts and please bear with me. This year has been tough for me in so many ways and too much to explain. All I know is that life has thrown me way too many curve balls this year and it’s time for someone else to play catch. Seriously, I do plan to start up my weekly postings as soon as my plate is cleared.

Recently, my 9 year old niece has come to live with me and to my surprise she was relaxed. She just received her relaxer about two months before coming to Texas. When I picked her up at the airport one of the first things she said was “Auntie, can you make me an afro puff?” Of course I was proudly sporting my puff which inspired her to want one too.

Currently, my plan is not to relax my niece’s hair again so unbeknownst to her she has started transitioning. Since I have sixteen months of transitioning experience under my belt she should have a good transition back to natural. Of course I discussed this with my sister and she is ok with my decision because I have to deal with the maintenance. Hopefully you guys don’t mind but I plan to document my niece’s journey right here!

Until next time ladies, ciao!!

Hair Woes…

It’s common to experience frustration with your natural hair. During my transitioning phase I was able to avoid my hair “woes”. Now that I’m embarking on 1 year natural the frustration with my hair is starting to build up. Oh where do I start with my hair rant? The frustration is in every aspect of my hair from length, thickness, shrinkage, battling the frizz, to finding the right product(s). At this point I just want to enjoy my hair but I feel like I cannot. On one hand I want to wear my hair free but on the other hand I need to wear protective styles to retain length. Right now I’m trying to find a healthy balance but it’s hard when the weather is battling against me. The humidity in TX is unbelievable and I’m having the hardest time finding the right products to help with the frizz.

Now I’m constantly learning new things about my hair and documenting the process but at what point will “everything” just click for me. Please do not be alarmed but I truly thought about just relaxing my hair. Seriously!! Then I thought about how limp and lifeless my hair was, the money spent on relaxers, and not to mention the countless hours in a hair salon! What’s the point?! At the end of the day I decided to stay on my natural journey and get back to the basics. For me, moisture and making sure to restore my hair’s ph balance is essential. But every now and then I sway away from the basics after viewing or reading an awesome product review. At some point, like now, I need to get it together in order to reach my bsl goal in December. *sigh*

With all that said I still love my natural hair and just needed to vent. Thanks for reading and sticking with me on this journey!!

Eye opening experience on Hair Porosity

Last month when I flat ironed my hair I was really worried about heat damage for some reason. My intent was to wear my hair straight for two weeks but between working out and dry hair I decided to wash after a week. Luckily for me my hair reverted with no problem. However, I had a discovery about hair porosity during my short stint with straight hair.


After research I discovered the sink or swim test for measuring porosity. Unfortunately my hair sunk which means my hair is overly porous. Overly porous hair means the cuticle layer is raised and moisture is released quickly because the cuticle is not closed causing dryness and frizz.

Since I could not retain the moisture in my hair I ventured to Sally’s for a new product. While there I did not buy anything because a lot of products have alcohol in it and my natural hair hate it. Now I’m not an ingredient Nazi but alcohol definitely dries my hair out. As I walked up and down the aisles looking for a “miracle” product I thought to myself “I need to just keep it simple. I know what my hair loves….water. Why am I here?”

On the ride home many thoughts ran thru my head about what works with my hair. Now I have to admit that my conditioner mix was dropped by the waist side simply due to laziness. Since I ran out of kinky curly knot today I didn’t want to pay $12 to buy it again which stopped me from making my mix. But something had to be done to get my hair on track and make my length goal at the end of the year. At the same time, I want to enjoy the length that I have but the summer is coming and humidity is a beast in Texas. Until the dryness and frizz problem is conquered hair freedom is not in the immediate future.

After learning about hair porosity I “reinvented” my conditioner mix in a spray form. The answer for me was that I needed to close my hair cuticle in order to retain the moisture. A ph of 5 usually does the trick for my hair. This lesson about porosity and my battle with retaining moisture was an eye opening experience for me. Thank goodness I had this discovery early because down the road I could have experienced a setback.

Straight Hair inspired by my Mom

Two weeks ago my mom sent me a picture of her hair after she flat ironed. She retained so much length and her hair is growing nicely. Inspired by her picture I decided to flat iron but I wasn’t too impressed with the results. The night before I deep condition with honey and glycerin mixed with my fav conditioner. The results were amazing and the mix really made my curls pop. The straightening experience I didn’t really like.

My ends need a much needed trim but I’m not too concern right now. I’ll trim my hair the next time I flat iron at the end of the year. This time around I really hope my curls revert because I used a new product as a heat protectant. Until I wash I plan to enjoy the straight hair for now. Today I decided to rock a braid out on dry hair using my Shea butter inspired by my “Butter-n-braids” post. The next morning I was really pleased with the results but by the time I got to work all the curls was gone. Humidity is a beast I tell you and I have to learn how to tame it. Thank goodness I grabbed a couple of bobby pins and a flower before leaving the house.

Since I wear protective styles Monday thru Friday I’ll like to wear a curly style on the weekends. Sad to say but I may need to result to an oldie but goodie that worked for my relaxed hair. This product I’m sure contains mineral oil but since I wash weekly I’m not too concern. Expect a review/update later on the product and results.

INSANITY – Update

This week is recovery week in the INSANITY program. The end of last week marked the end of week 4 in the program. Honestly, I have yet to lose any weight. I have strictly followed the meal plan and pushed myself thru every workout. Since I do not believe in depriving myself cheat days were allowed only for special occasions. Despite the lack of weight loss I’ve been able to maintain my current weight. So far I haven’t noticed a difference in my clothing either. Truly I believe my plateau is due to my eating habits.


Now when I say eating habits I do not mean “eating bad”. I think my caloric intake needs to increase in order to speed up my metabolism to burn fat. The second half of the program I do not plan to follow the meal plan. I will continue to practice my healthy eating choices because I cannot afford not to. At this point I chose to make a change in order not to get discourage. Surely, I’ve gained muscle which may explain the lack of weight loss. Honestly, not seeing the numbers lowered on the scale is a little discouraging. So in order to keep the momentum going and energy up I’m hiding my scale!

Despite my results so far, I highly, highly recommend this program. Once my 60 days are complete I plan to start the program over. At this point I haven’t set any short term “weight” loss goals to avoid extra stress. The goal is turning healthy eating and fitness into a lifestyle. With that said I plan to continue on my journey and never give up!!

The Road to BSL

This year I plan to focus on length retention in order to reach my goal of bra strap length. Currently, my hair has never been this healthy or this long ever. Amazing right?! For me to reach bra strap seems a little impossible but I know with consistency, patience, and proper care my goal is achievable.


The plan to reach my goal is simple.

1. Wash/Condition once a week

2. Protein treatments once a month

3. Moisturize daily

4. Wear protective, no heat styles Monday-Friday

5. Maintain my hair’s proper ph balance

6. Continue to eat healthy and exercise daily

7. Have patience and be consistent

Every three months I will do length checks to track my progress. On average my hair grows about an inch and a quarter every three months which is less than average. In December I will flat iron my hair for comparison shots from 2009-2011. The last three years my hair went through a lot of changes from stretching my relaxers, to transitioning, and finally doing the big chop. Now that my hair is at its healthiest I can finally focus on length retention. Please stay tuned and watch me grow!

Saying Hello and Updates

First off “Happy New Year” even though my New Year’s wishes come at the end of January. For me the year started off with a death in the family and then I was sick with an upper respiratory infection. Needless to say my year started off on a bad note but I refuse to let my “start” set the tone for the rest of year.


After recouping and getting back into my normal groove I set a couple of goals for myself this year. Unfortunately, the weight I loss last year was gained right back during the holidays. The old song and dance has started with my weight loss. This year I’m going in insane with the INSANITY workouts by Shaun T. So far it’s been two weeks and the DVDs are getting addictive. The program is for 60 days and instead of tracking weight loss I’m using pictures to document the changes in my body. Of course I will keep you updated on my results. This year’s fitness goal is to get the weight off, keep it off for good, and tone up. The yo-yo effect has truly grown old to me.

As far as my hair, length is the focus for 2011. July 9 will mark my one year anniversary since my big chop. March 2011 marks two years since my last relaxer so this year I’m hitting some major marks. By December 2011 my goal is bra strap length which is about another six inches. So the plan includes protective styling and moisture! For me, protective styles work due to my fitness regimen and lack of styling creativity.

Well those are my goals for the year and now that they are shared with you the “accountability” kicks in. Please continue to stay tuned for more posts and updates.

Chao for now!

Your Comments Matter!!

This post is dedicated to all my followers. Let me say thank you for taking the time to read my posts. Secondly, for the positive feed back!! All my posts are based on my experiences, research, and random thoughts I want to share. A lot of your comments have helped me make decisions and I learn from you guys.


For example, after my big chop I wore afro puffs or my infamous twist-n-bun to work. Then I just focused on my twist-n-bun because it’s a protective style that lasts during my work outs. Well I started to have mixed feelings about not wearing my afro puffs and exposing my natural hair. Honestly, I toggled with the idea of wearing my natural hair out instead of protective styles. Well my confirmation came within the comments section of my “hair update”  post:

his hers said...

Congrats on your BC!! It looks like you are a little longer than I was when I BC on Christmas 2008. I can't wait to see more updates!! Take advantage of protective styles as much as possible, even if just during the week to give your hair a break, it helped me out not only with growth but retaining it!

A big THANK YOU to Lo from “his hers” for giving me the confirmation I needed. Now I wear protective styles during the week and wear my hair out on the weekends: giving me the best of both worlds. Again, thank you to all the ladies for supporting my blog!!

 

Sporting my afro puff at my cousin's baby shower.

Which is more work relaxed or natural hair?

Natural hair is an interesting subject. On my journey I’ve learned through other women’s experiences that not everyone is a fan of natural hair. With this knowledge, I used my time transitioning to fall in love with my new growth as a way to “soften” the negative blows. So far I’ve only had one negative comment and not sure if it is considered negative. When I told my sister about my big chop her response was “you chickened out because you should have cut your hair shorter (i.e. TWA) and started from there”. Help me out please; is there really a difference as long as I’m natural?


A week or so ago, I hosted a baby shower for my cousin at my house in which my afro puff was debut. Surprisingly, none of my family commented on my hair. They said nothing! At the end of the night I was surprised because how could they not notice. Also, I didn’t make it a point to say “hey I’m natural notice my afro puff” because the puff will speak for itself. Plus that day was all about my cousin. However, the more common response I’ve heard which sparked an interest for this post was “natural hair is just too much work”. Really, natural hair is more work than relaxed hair?

Now this comment was burned in the back of my head for a while especially since it keeps coming up. When relaxed I was clueless on how to take care of my hair. Every 4-8 weeks was relaxer time and every morning I flat ironed. The result was shoulder length hair and constant breakage. Now that I’m natural more time and work is spent on my hair. The reason is because our hair is delicate and I treat it that way. Time is spent getting to know what my hair likes, dislikes and correcting the issues. Research plays a big part in my journey because I’m constantly educating myself on kinky afro texture hair. Now that I have acquired so much knowledge on healthy hair in general, these same principals I will use if relaxed.

Bad hair days are going to happen and they happen for relaxed ladies too. Just because bad hair days are inevitable is that a reason not to continue my natural journey? Not having the patience to find the best products for my hair is a reason not to continue my journey? Even when relaxed all products did not work wonders on my hair. These thoughts are not random because these are just a few reasons my sister gave for relaxing her hair. Of course there is more to that story which was explained in a previous post.

At this time, I do not have an opinion about natural hair being more work than relaxed because I’ve been natural for only a month, today. Since the big chop my hair is in protective styles 95% of the time. For now, I’ll give myself more time in the “natural realm”, if you will, before formulating my own opinion. What do you think?

Guess who Big Chop! My Mom!!

Ladies I'm so thrilled to announce that my Mom is now 100% natural. Just a couple of weeks ago I had to talk her off the ledge because she was debating getting another relaxer. After hearing how excited I was about my kinks and coils she started to get the urge. She big chopped on Sunday, July 25 when she took down her tree braids. Since then she's worn twists and her perfectly round Afro. LOL! I have to post more picture soon!

Take care ladies!!