2yrs 100% Natural

July 9^th marked my two nappiversary and the day came and went without me noticing which is why this post is late. These last few months have been loaded with “life” events that I missed the day. Yet, I’m excited to have reached 2years natural and 3.5 years relaxer free. As you know I transitioned for 16 months before cutting all the relaxed ends. Each of the last two years has been very different for my hair.

Year 1

During this year I was totally obsessed with length. Reaching APL was the highlight of my life, at the time, because my hair never grew passed my shoulders. Also during this year I had a strict, die hard regiment and wore protective styles 90% of the time. This is when the obsessions reared their evil heads. The first obsession started with length and having to keep up with length checks.

Year 2

This past year I was still a little obsessed with length BUT the obsession branched off to “desiring the perfect curl”. The perfect curl translates into the perfect braidout, twist out, wash n go, flat twist out, and any other curl defining method. Then the obsession started to transform into jumping on new product bandwagons.

Year 3

The goal for year 3 is to simply do less to my hair and enjoy the length accomplished thus far. No more length checks this year which is why the posts stopped. No more obsessing over having the perfect curl. Frizz was the enemy and I refused to embrace it not understanding that a little frizz can add character to your style. Now don’t get me wrong having a big frizz ball on top of my head is never the desired look. However, a little frizz on day 3 hair is not the end of the world; making it ok to stretch to day four and wear a pin up.



1wk post bc



As far as products, STOP JUMPING ON BANDWAGONS!! Water, conditioner, eco-style gel (Argon Oil) and cocoa nut oil are the only products that will penetrate my hair for now. The less I do the more my hair thrives and that’s what I have to constantly remind myself.

Last but definitely not least, I plan to enjoy my hair out in its full glory as often as I want.

For daily updates, please follow me on twitter and instagram (lakitiamarie).

Follow Me!

lakitiamarie

lakitiamarie

Tell the truth shame the Devil

Mini Twists Updo

This hair style was inspired by one my fav you tube gurus Ms. Vaugh so make sure to check her out.

The was slightly different but I loved it nonetheless. My twists were in this updo for a week and every day I misted with water to keep my hair moisturized.

Accidental Mini Twists…I’m in love

As you know with my busy lifestyle and workout regiment co-washing my hair and wearing twists and twist-outs have become a staple. After co-washing I twist my hair in medium/large twists to wear my hair in a ponytail to air dry. Within a day or two I take the twists down and wear a twist-out.

Well about a week ago rain was predicted for the entire week so I decided to wear my twists smaller. The smaller the twist the longer the twists will last and make for a better looking ponytail without all the parts. While twisting in smaller sections I ended up with mini twists that I absolutely love.

Unlike most naturals it took me only an hour and half to twist my whole head. Why, because I have naturally thin hair. My hair was divided into four sections and I started with the back and worked my way to the sides and front. Honestly, I never thought about wearing mini twists because of my hair’s thinness but I love them. To me my hair looks really nice and full, plus, the twists are very versatile.

This style is perfect for my workouts and wearing them in a pony tail helps to stretch them. Unless I just really want to wear my hair out, this will take the place as my staple style for the summer. So far it’s only been four days and I plan to see how long they will last. At this point I’ll settle for two weeks of wear out of them.

As far as maintenance, I will maintain my normal routine. However, I may alter how I co-wash in order to prevent the twists from unraveling. Despite what happens I will keep you guys posted.

Ciao for now!!

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

TGIF!!

Well ladies, another work week has come and is almost gone. This was a long week for me and I'm looking forward to the weekend. This week I wore two strand twists and decided to let my hair down today. The twists are really holding up well during my workouts. The twists are helping me to keep my hair moisturize while giving me the freedom to enjoy my hair. Here are a couple of pictures

Have a good weekend!

CG Method: The Handbook Review

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.

Hair Update

 Since I did not post an "official" length at the end of June here is a comparision picture of my afro puff. June through August were very busy and challenging for me. As you know my niece came to live with me in July and trust I have a new found respect for "single mothers".

Any way, here are my afro pics.

July 2010 - right after my big chop

July 2011

I should have taken the picture at the same angle.

This is my favorite protective style at the moment. A simple twist in the front to side with the rest of my hair in a banana clip rolled and tucked. Very Cute!!

Here is a picture of my wash n go after I diffused my hair. The picture is really dark but my hair was way cute. This style was very fun and carefree. Since the summer months are ranging in the low 100s this style is not an every day style for me. The sun bakes my hair and makes it very dry so I stick to protective styling 95% of the time.

Here is a picture of me and Kiddie Kurls when she first arrived.

Have a great day!!

My Netted Bun

Today I received many compliments on my hair in its simplicity. Just a simple high bun I created using my hair net and banana clip. Since I received so many compliments I took pictures to share. For this style nothing special was used but I received a lot of compliments that my hair looks really shiney.

Products:
Giovanni 50/50 Moisturizing Shampoo
Giovanni 50/50 Conditioner (left in hair until finished bathing, cool water rinse)
Givoanni - Direct Leave in Conditioneer (leave in conditioner)
Eco Styler Gel

Tools:
Banana clip
Hair Net
2 Goody bobby pins

Hope you are having a Wonderful Hump Day!!



1 Year Natural

July 9 marked my 1 year Nappiversary and I’m so excited to reach this milestone. This past year overall has been a good one in regards to my hair. However, the last couple of months I started to experience some frustration which I talk about in my “Hair Woes” post.

Overall, my hair is the healthiest and longest it’s ever been before which I contribute to improving bad hair habits. Notice I did not say my hair is healthier because I’m natural. You can have healthy long relaxed hair but the natural route is the better option for me. Transitioning to natural forced me to change my mind set and learn my hair’s needs.

Now, have I learned everything I need to know about my hair within one year? No, there is still a lot I need to learn and document throughout my journey. Even though I had a short “thought” of relaxing my hair I’m still happy with my decision. The thought I had was basically out of pure frustration; the frustration built up because I strayed from the basics which I will talk about later in this post.

Within the last year I’ve noticed that my hair is curlier and I love it. Another observation is my hair needs water more than once a week. Since I workout 3-4 times a week my hair needs more water due to sweat. However, since my hair is highly porous I make sure to use a ph balanced conditioner to help close the cuticle and lock in moisture.

As a way to celebrate I’ve included pics from over the past year and list of tips learned for my hair. Please forgive me for the late anniversary post: life happened. Enjoy!!

Tips
1. No matter what stick to the basics!

a. What are the basics (for my hair)? Water and a ph balanced conditioner to seal in moisture by closing the cuticle

2. Low manipulation styles are my friend

3. Since “this” product works for me why try a new one

4. Patience is a virtue!!