Speak to your storm

The past three months I have been dealing with a lot of little emotional fires they shall be called. However through the preached word of God and the Holy Spirit I am proud to say, the clouds are clearing and the storm is passing.  This even rolled over into my hair in the way that I have been forgetting to take my prenatal pills and have been experiencing a tremendous amount of shedding and then I forgot that I had told myself I love mini-twists and hate the aftermath so lost some hair there too :(.  All things being equal I am reminded this Thanksgiving and Christmas season that no matter the storm I have been created for and with a purpose and I have to FOCUS- Follow One Course Until Successful and I too will experience, spiritual fulfillment, internationally known Christian Apparel Branding, waist length hair, wonderful well-adjusted children, a spiritually and emotionally successful marriage and writing a few published and well-read books in my lifetime. God is able!

Bantu Knots / Chinese Bumps

Whatever you call them, well I got some after a semi-blowout.  My hair is so thick that I cannot tell you the bellyaching that goes on everytime it is time to wash it. See I have three children 3 and under so any time I get to myself is considered a luxury. That being said, I washed and conditioned my hair in sections.  After that I coated it with my Shea Butter mixture and blow dried it.  After it was semi-dry I did bantu knots as a way of setting it.  I was going to wait a few days to take them down but as you all know I love my hair out so they only lasted two days.  Here is a picture of them.

Been A While.....

Been a while since you have seen me and how about my edges have been growing back in and no, it was not the Dr. Miracles. I have been using a product called "That Growing Thing".  It is actually made by a friend and her daughter and when I tell you it is a phenomenal product, trust me.  It is only sold in a few beauty supply stores in South Florida, however this product will take off and be nationwide soon.  Won't keep you too long since this is my first time back since a wealth building hiatus but here are a few pics to get you caught up from the past few months.  Yes I colored my hair again. It was done on Tuesday, 10/18 and yes I am loving it.

Product Review - Dr. Miracles

Well, when putting in my yarn braids and from prior styling I started noticing my edges getting a little thin.  It is probably due to me not being as gentle as I should be at times with my hair.  Anyway, I have decided to try the Dr. Miracles Temple and Nape Balm to get those areas grown back in.  The box suggests using it 2 times per day for 30 days before seeing results so this is Day 1 and here are pics of the product and before shots.  Thank you for following the progress!

When in doubt

There is never a time that this saying is not true.  When in doubt, stand still.  Since I had no idea what else to do with my hair in 90 degree heat I decided to cave and do a protective style.  GREAT IDEA! not only has it helped me to stop the constant styling and give my hair a break, it has also caused my hair to be protected from the intense heat we have been experiencing here in FL.  I will not have my hair to wear out at the meetup with Palm Beach Naturals this weekend however I am sure they will understand and appreciate seeing something else they can do with their hair when the constant styling ceases to be an option.  Will keep you posted.... good night or should I say good morning?

Time to Protect!

OK. So I have to give in and get a protective style.  It is hot as all get out here in FL and my hair from the constant styling and shedding from baby has finally had its last hoorah!  It is very dry and if I want to add some inches before the holidays and be able to wear it out nicely for cool weather I better put it up now.  Soooo tomorrow yarn braids here I come. I have had them before however I missed my hair and took them out early.  This time I will style them in fifty ways and make sure to keep them for 6-8 weeks.  You all help keep me focused okay?

Avocado Deep Conditioner

So it is 2:25am and I have just put my first deep conditioner in months in my hair.  With a husband, five children and a business to run when I do my hair it is a blessing.  And since it takes me minimum from start to finish 3 hours, deep conditioning usually takes a back seat. Anyhow I found this deep conditioner that was posted on http://natreview.com/2011/07/03/avocado-deep-conditioner/ and I did not have all the ingredients this called for so here is my version of it:
1 Ripe Avocado
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp Jojoba Oil
1 tbsp Coconut Oil

I will let you know how it turns out in the morning. I will be keeping it in overnight which is perfect as my husband is working overnight so no inconvenience to him :). I am excited for some great results especially since I just had a disaster of a twist-out wash from mini-twists. I will fill you in on that for reference later.  Did I mention that it is a very drippy mixture so even though it has texture be prepared to be sopping as it warms to your hair and starts to run :)  Love You all and God Bless!

Frustration to Motivation

Life as a natural much less a woman is not always "peaches and cream" for want of a better term.  Between shedding hair from having a new baby and shedding tears over some instances in life it has come to my understanding even further that "in all things give thanks".  Trust me when I say things could be worse, they really could be.  For example as much as I love a big Afro, I could be uncontrollably bald.  See what I mean?  Embrace your life and your hair :) everyday like it is the best day and even when it is not you will be further along than if you are always humdrum  :)

Pic In Last Post

For those of you who will wonder how I came about the style in the last post here goes:  I washed my hair with Shea Moisture - Moisture Retention Shampoo then I detangled with leave in  Kinky Curly Knot Today.  After that I put in Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk and put it in big braids until it was completely dry (yes this was my way of getting around shrinkage).  After it was completely dry and maybe a day later I took down the braids and mini-twisted my hair only using spray bottle with water to get the hair moist and added a little more Curl & Style Milk for dress and to assist with twists.  What a beautiful result in my opinion.  Here are my twists just after I finished them.

Mini Twists

Protective

So all, my summer has been filled with little nuggets that I have learned along the way but the best thing I have learned all summer so far is "Praise Him anyway".  I learned this in more ways than one.  I have the tendency to give my hair a hard time and thinking it is not growing fast enough nut after linking up with a few women from group I belong to they reminded me that the KISS method still applies to more than just life.  With that in mind I decided to embrace the protective styling to give my hair a break from constant manipulation.  The pic below is the product of my first ever mini twist out.  I normally have no patience to put in mini twists or micro braids or none of that because very soon thereafter I start missing my hair but this was great and will be used again and again. I loved it. I kept the mini-twist in for two weeks and wore a twist out for about 5 days before washing.  Tomorrow is D day for washing :)  Good night!

Just Pray

Well hello folks, two painful weeks and several viruses later, my computer is virus free and up and running.  Right after my modem was repaired my computer system got hijacked by an anti-virus program and subsequently blocked out for want of a better term.  I lost some pics however I am working on some more to get to you asap.  Lately, post my darling daughter that is, 3 months, I have been trying to figure out how to quickly grow my hair back to its length and past that awful trim that was a chop.  I am still working through that and I believe only the naturals will understand as other folks just look at me like, get over it. However when naturals want to cut their hair it is fine they do so but when they intend on a trim and lose half or three quarter of their length it can be a bit traumatic.  Alright, I am calm lol and getting off my soap box.  If any of you out there know any way to help, please just offer advice.  Thank you for listening!!!!

Modem broken

You all must think this was the longest 24hrs. My modem died and I am just getting back up and running. I apologize. It was not my fault. Anyway I will be posting a bunch of pics soon and tell you about my first hair meetup and the like.  See you soon!!

Because I love to Experiment

Well, I have been itching to touch up my grown in color and since I have normally no skills to do it myself it has not been done. Anyway all the people that would normally help me have been busy so here is what I did.  Remember how I said I would be doing a protective style to keep in for three weeks so I could give my hair a rest? Well I did that style, it is mini twists and what did I do, since I did not want to take them out and try to color my hair as big as it is I colored my two strand twists tonight.  Yes my girlfriend said I may get a tie-died effect however I can rock that :)  I will take my twists out after being in for a week because I miss my big hair when it is completely dry tomorrow and will take pics of the results.  By the way I have no clue if the color took because as usual if I actually want a color to show up in my hair it normally has to be lifted first and I definitely was not doing that myself for the simple fact I may have come out bald after that.  I co-washed my twists, then left in Jazzing Ruby Red Rinse for about 1 1/2 hours. After that I shampooed with Creme of Nature and then added Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner and Afro Detangler.  That's it for now, look for the pics tomorrow :)

Braid Out Until...

Here are a few pics of a braid out I did last week.  One can really get used to playing in your hair all the time once you start figuring out how to handle it.  Soon it will be time for a "dusting" but still a little paranoid since last time...therefore I will wait.  When my hair stays conditioned and not greasy I can wear it for a couple of weeks with a braid out and just rebraid at night and style as I would like in the daytime.  When I wake up in the morning I just take down the big braids from the night before, spritz with a little water and oil with either Shea butter mix from prettydimples01, Shea Moisture Curl Style Milk or Curly Buttercreme from Miss Jessies.  These products give me a wonderful curl pattern and softness and they prevent my hair from getting dry throughout the day.  See you again over the weekend as I have some more pics to upload.  Have a great Friday night....P.S. How about these two ponytails huh? I cannot see that great in the mirror as some of the other girls do however this style made me feel like I was ten again and I loved it :)

Protective Styles

If I was not such a wild child protective styles would be my friend :)  What I mean by that is I love my hair to be out in some type of big funky afro so I do not do as many protective styles as I probably should.  However here are a few of the one I have done for your viewing and recreating pleasure.  I have no braiding skills so for that I enlist the help of my wonderful friend and church sister who as you will see is super talented in this area.  God has truly given her a gift.  All that happens before these styles is a co-wash and blow dry.  Remember I said that I would stop blow drying for a while and I must say it has been great.  In order to get some more length after co washing instead of twists I do braids to avoid as much shrinkage.  That's all for now folks!  Enjoy the pics and subscribe!

It did not take all day

In the past it would normally take me hours to accomplish what I did in three hours today, wash and style my hair.  I cowashed my hair and then proceeded to detangle with my denman brush and Afro Detangler from www.growafrohairlong.com . After all that I braided my hair not too large for a braid out to be worn starting tomorrow after my hair is completely air dried.  I have some pics of a style I did the other day and I will do my best to post those tomorrow and hopefully I remember to take a picture of the braids before I take them out to show you the marked improvement over the last braid out :)  Have a great night and we'll be seeing each other soon :) I mean reading!!

Style I did

Well gang as I mentioned I have been spending more time taking care of my hair myself.  This is a style I did with remnants of the braid out I have been wearing for a week now.  I spritzed with glycerine and water and then dressed hair with Shea Moisture Curl Style Milk.  After that I parted both sides and did flat twists securing them with a rubber band and Ecostyle Aloe Gel. I then proceeded to two strand twist the rest in medium sized twists. I will wear this as a style for a few days and then it will be almost a mohawk twist out. Hope you enjoy!

Who's wearing a pony tail

How about your girl who has been boycotting the ponytails due to them never holding with my Kaya hair actually rocking a ponytail.  Yes, I actually got one in using the same spritz with glycerine and water and brush with my denman and then attempting the infamous patyhose leg tie :)  Several people on youtube have been raving about this tie and how to get a ponytail using it.  I actually got it to work (after much tutoring from my little cousin I might add) and I am ecstatic. Yes, you will be seeing more ponytails from me. Here is the pic.....

Improvement

Not that I have more time on my hands by any means.  I still have a 2 year old, 1 year old and 6 week old at home, however I am starting to actually be a "grown up" about how I handle my hair.  In the past I thought that wetting it at night or damping with spray bottle and moisturize and retwist was just something they talked about however not that it actually worked.  Well I have been using this method to braid my hair at nights and refresh in the morning and wow what a world of difference it makes to the wearability of my styles.  Take a look at some of the pics and if you can tell from past posts the hair looks a lot more full and vibrant from having enough moisture!  Also I actually styled my hair this weekend. It is by no means professional however for me this was a huge step.  To achieve the look I sprayed with vegetable glycerin and water mix, moisturized with prettydimples01 shea butter mix from you tube and then braided and bantu knotted my hair.  I took it down the next morning.  In the front I just did two flat twists that did not come out that flat and made sort of like a flower at the end of the twists.  Hey, no laughing, compared to past attempts at styling, this is a masterpiece. 

Here They Are!

As promised here are the picture of the braid out.  For right now please just take a look at the hair and not necessarily the face as it normally looks a lot better.  Since I am normally more put together, going forward I will make my best effort to do myself more justice in the photos :).  I will not say in what way, but you will see.  I dare say this may be my best braid out yet.  Take a look and tell me what you think.  The method for achieving this look is shown in my previous post.  Enjoy and I am open to questions regarding my hair regimen etc. As you can see there is no rhyme or reason to my parts and if this was to be worn out it would be covered in some beautiful head wrap (will show you sometime).  My skills are improving!

Don't Laugh!

So last night I decided that I would do a deep conditioner overnight since I have been wearing protective styles for the past few weeks.  Don't laugh, I forgot to shampoo my hair first and proceeded to put in the (Aloe Oil, Condensed Milk and Egg White) conditioner on dry hair.  Needless to say when I woke up this morning my hair smelled like something to eat but was incredibly hard and sticky if you can imagine.  I did not panic. I rinsed very well with water and then proceeded to shampoo with Creme of Nature Shampoo, Condition with my Favorite conditioner Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and after detangling with my denman which by the way was phenomenal, proceeded to do big braids using the Afro Detangler by Taikyel that I had completely forgotten about under my sink.  I have very thick hair so hours later it still has not yet air dried.  When it is completely air dried I will take the braids down and wear braid outs for a week and then maybe wash and go's for another week before washing.  Thanks for letting me rant.....much appreciated.
P.S. Tomorrow I will post the pic of the braids so you can see them before I go ahead with the braid out.

Never dwell on the past!

For a few days I have been beating myself up for how long I have not posted and wondering how I am going to show you all the pics from hairstyles you have missed. NEWAY I decided not to dwell and start where we are.  I have been wearing protective styles for the past two months as I was nine months pregnant and have two barely older children :) therefore no time to handle my hair.  The style I finally took down this past weekend is shown here and I will be washing my hair either today or tomorrow, using my Denman brush for the first time to detangle and I will post the results after.  Also, because I missed my length since the last traumatic cut in October 2010 I have been blow drying after cowashing, however I have decided to take a break from that and just let my hair air dry for a while.  Definitely more updates to come on that because my hair is the QUEEN of shrinkage!  Catcha Later!

Been A While......

Here we go! Finally starting to get back on track.  Added a new baby to the family on 3/29.  Charis Victoria is wonderful and she is a welcomed addition.  She has also been a wonder for my hair growth :)  This post will be short as I am working on some pics to post for tomorrow.  Happy Mothers Day!