inching along

it may not seem like it, but my hair is still inching along towards my goal. this is a picture i took tonight...even with that trim, i can see that the u-shape has grown out some more. i know that i need trims, so i will try to stick to every 3-4 months. with that said, NO MORE CUTTING TILL MARCH!

my skin is inching along, too...i did my 2nd glycolic peel tonight. so far, i have 5 peels completed: i did the three lactics about 3 or 4 days apart, then waited a week for the first glycolic, then gave it another 4 days before doing the one i did tonight. i'm not doing another one until next monday, when i will rotate back to the lactic peel. i am glad that i read regular witch hazel can be used as a pH prep, because everyone was right: i am going through the prep solution much faster than the peel itself. i have also started pouring a tiny amount into a bowl and using a concealer brush to ensure more even application. i wonder if MUA is having a black friday sale, because i definitely want to buy a sample of the TCA peel. i may go on and get the 12.5%, but if i don't there is always the option to get the "lunchtime" 8% peel. i probably won't get anything until half of the bottles i have are gone, and i am far from that, so that gives me time to think -- you know how i am.

can't shake this feeling...

after winging it for about a month, i went back to the dominicans today and got another blowout. i went to the salon down the street looking for my favorite girl, and when i heard she was at the other one in the next city over, i high-tailed it out of the WITH THE QUICKNESS! long story short, it came out great and i met another really good stylist who herself has really nice, thick, long (ok, it's about APL) hair...not only did she not skimp on the time under the dryer with the DC in my hair, but she sprayed heat protectant on my hair without me asking -- truly a dream come true after going to those horrible women i used to let touch my hair.

since my homegirl was busy coloring some girl's hair when i came from under the dryer, the new chick blew out my hair, and i was not disappointed. when she was done, i asked for bangs -- she decided that a layered side bang would look better, and then i realized she wasn't really all that excited to cut my hair from under my chin to above my eyes. i decided to go with the flow since i'm not opposed to a side bang, and i watched as she angled those scissors and went in. the trouble came in when i closed my eyes and heard a snip IN THE BACK when i asked for bangs! all these horror stories of scissor happy stylists immediately came to mind, and i whipped around and stared at the floor, looking desperately for all the hair i just knew she had chopped off. clearly she saw the panicked/crazed look on my face, because she began reassuring me in broken english that she didn't cut all my hair off. i got up from the chair with some really cute layers in the front about 3 minutes later, but i spent much of the next two hours trying to reassure myself it was ok. however, being that i just got a trim in september, my brain was convinced she cut off all my progress since my last blowout. i even looked at the hair again when i stood up, and it was definitely a dusting, not to mention my mom was watching her the whole time she trimmed my hair and would have let me know if she aimed those scissors too high. eight hours later, i am still uneasy about the whole thing, although i realize she was trying to do me a favor: i paid for a trim so it would have been crazy to only get two snips in the front, plus i've had two blowouts (and thus a lot of heat on my head) since my last trim. i think i can still see some progress since the last set of pictures i took, but i won't be sure until tomorrow when i gather the energy to take some more pictures. smh, i am a hot mess...paranoid over trims now.

back to the subject at hand, i plan on keeping my hair straight for the next three weeks or so, then wearing it curly for a week before deciding where to go from there. i am still keeping the weave option open and added a box braids option in there sometime last week, so i honestly have no idea what i will do come the week before christmas. hopefully the solution will strike me soon.

finally!

i've been addicted to twistouts for a while now, but unfortunately they are still hit or miss. i determined at the end of last winter that 5-6 flat twists seemed to work best for me instead of a head full of smaller two-strand twists, but i decided to tweak that theory earlier this month when i was homebound with swine flu. i really had nothing but time on my hands, so i used it to play in my hair. i mean really, what else am i supposed to do with 10 days of free time quarantined in my bedroom...

although i love the simplicity of two-strand twists, mine always tend to look anorexic. i had the brilliant idea to simply make less of them so they would be chunkier, and it worked pretty well for me. after following my normal WNG routine one night, i grabbed a few large duckbill clips and parted my hair into about 7 or 8 sections and just started twisting. i was pretty happy with the thickness, and they got me through 5 days of my quarantine. one day when i got sick of laying in bed, i unraveled them and actually had a pretty decent twistout.

now that i'm better (and getting out of the house), i made a run to wal-mart's electronics department and OF COURSE made an obligatory hair products purchase. i bought a container of cantu shea butter leave-in, which as a newbie to LHCF waybackwhen was the WORST (uhh, probably because i tried it as a DC, which is far from its intended purpose), as well as one of the big $5 bottles of HE hello hydration. excited over my new leave-in scores...hey, i'm easy to please...i ran upstairs when i got home and used the hello hydration as a moisturizer on my dry hair to reset my twists for another twistout. unlike what i've been doing for the past two weeks, this time i went back to my trusty flat twists and got the best twistout this morning. it was everything i wanted: stretched, moisturized, and swangy! now that i am on this washing once a week kick, i'll use tomorrow as my opportunity to set it for the week and wear it till the wheels fall off.

tis the season...

i kind of thought it was a fluke, but now i know for certain...i shed like a small animal in the fall. thinking back to around this time last year, i tried this low-mani thing out, and not only was it an utter fail, but i experienced so much shedding that i thought my hair was falling out. however, at that particular point in time, i didn't know whether to attribute it to my lack of detangling or the change in the seasons. now that my regimen has been pretty solid for the past few weeks, not to mention the fact that i've placed 2 protein sessions with joico k-pak DPR in there, i definitely know it has something to do with the time of year and not my washing/styling habits. i am thinking about going back on those garlic supplements, since they really did seem to work, and i have already started wearing styles that require less washing and thus less of those massive hairballs in the shower. i'm currently rocking a twist n curl a la curlynikki...i may post pics as the week goes along to share how it came out. in any case, i hope it stops soon. my next paycheck (and subsequently, my order with hairsisters to get these tracks) can't come fast enough.

want it, need it, gotta have it: fall/winter edition

now that i'm putting away the flip flops and shorts in lieu of pea coats and leather boots, it's time for me to revamp some of my current products/habits until winter weather returns. here is a list of things i really need (ok, some are wants) to get me through the colder days.

PRODUCTS

• ditching the coconut oil for avocado oil
• castor oil to seal and weigh down my ends
  
• jane carter nourish and shine for straight hair weeks
  
• qhemet biologics burdock root butter cream...something to COAT those strands
• cantu shea butter leave-in for daily moisturizing
• lustrasilk cholesterol (an old favorite) for defined curls/waves and DCing
  
• hairone cleanser to clean the gunk off my hair without the tangling effect of sulfates
• more hair accessories...clips, headbands, silk scarves, bra strap headbands, ouchless bands
  
• gel: ecostyler clear, aloe vera, fantasia IC are among my choices
  

TOOLS

• FHI Runway (definitely a WANT, since my solia works fine)
• a new denman...mine is ready to cross over to the promised land
• more large magnetic rollers, perhaps of the ceramic variety
• caruso steam rollers
• bigger flexirods (i currently only have the grey ones)
• salons r us dryer to dry my hair faster
• bone combs...snagging those strands is not attractive
• shower filter
• hot air brush to cut down on styling time
  

METHODS

• more deep conditioning...more than likely i will continue using aussie moist or GVP CB
• less cowashing, more styles that last 3+ days: buns, twistouts, frohawks, chunky twists
  
• MORE STRETCHED HAIR! my ends do not get along with one another...
• stretching hair with the denman and a blow dryer
• a solid weave regimen for when the time comes
• self-installed cornrows and flat twists i won't be ashamed to wear in public!
  

SUPPLEMENTS

• fish oil
• GNC vitapaks? these look really interesting...
  

back to curly...

after wearing my hair straight for the last 4 weeks, i went back to curly yesterday. i will stick it out for a week or 2 (knowing me, probably more) before getting weaved up for the rest of the year. i actually found a really great thread by Nichi on LHCF documenting the weave she has had installed since late august and hopes to have until the first of the year. i found a lot of similarities between what she is doing and what i hope to do: she's natural 4a, is using sensationnel goddess remi (which is actually on sale right now at hairsisters for $35.99, BOGO FREE as well) and started out with it in longer layers, then had it cut to a very stylish bob after a few months. this is something like what i plan on doing...wearing it, going to a curly install (more than likely BoBraz) for a few months, then switching back to the bob. don't get me wrong, i LOVE LOVE LOVE wearing my natural hair out, but i am stuck in an APL rut now and it would be lovely to make it past that hump in time for the summer of 2010.

here is my current wash day regimen, which i will probably follow every 2 weeks or so until my install.

• prepoo with EVOO, VO5 tea tree therapy conditioner - 4 hours to overnight
  
• shampoo: motions lavish conditioning
• porosity: roux pc
• protein: joico k-pak deep penetrating reconstructor - 15 mins (1x/month)
  
• moisture: joico k-pak intense hydrator - 45 mins
  
• leave-in: PM the conditioner

i did buy the joico products, a 16 oz jar of matrix biolage conditioning balm, and a 16 oz bottle of PM the conditioner at the JCPenney sale, but i returned them in lieu of the GVP versions. since there is no GVP intense hydrator, i will substitute it with the GVP CB.

styles i plan on utilizing:

• WNG (current, but gotta get away from this)
• braidouts
• twistouts
• frohawk with the middle worn as a twistout
• blown out fro
• flexirod sets
  

moment of inspiration

i ran across this picture on the sephora website a couple of weeks ago, and fell in love (and not just because it's jordan richardson):

i had to try it out, of course, so here is what i came up with. i probably should have extended the color heavenward a little more, but it looked fabulous IMO:

(like my flexirods?)

all i used were some wet n wild shadows i had, and of course my HiP cream liner and diorshow iconic mascara. i am really torn about buying this mascara again since i am really happy with it but have also heard that lash blast is a great (and cheaper) alternative to it. to be honest, part of it probably stems from the fact that i am a label whore in training, but what can ya do...

here is one more picture of me fooling around, and trying my hardest to get another week out of this blowout. if i had stayed in the house this weekend, my roots would be just fine...

before and after: twistout and dominican blowout

so i may have mentioned that my staple style has been twistouts...but i have never posted a picture, mainly because my camera batteries were dead and my webcam photos left something to be desired. however, i recently got some new batteries from a friend (YAY!) and was able to get my camera whoring on.

PROCESS:

• cowash with aussie moist
• add leave-in (probably more aussie moist) and seal with EVCO
• 5 flat twists on damp hair; unravel in the AM
• retwist at night
  

i repeat every 2-3 days...not because it's messed up, but because i want the water on my scalp.

on the 25th, my paycheck was burning a hole in my pocket so i decided to go get a dominican blowout. the last time i had one was about a year ago, and although i was afraid the same thing would happen with an incompetent stylist and a sudden thunderstorm on the way out (it did, in fact, rain that day...again), i went for it.

i went to my former salon instead of the newer location in my hometown, hoping that would make a difference since more stylists are usually at the first location. turns out i was right -- i don't usually see the same girls on repeat visits since they shuffle them like a deck of cards, but i saw a girl at the front desk that i was pretty familiar with and took it as a good sign. not afraid of opening my mouth anymore, i looked at her and said "do you have anyone here that is good with natural hair? the girl at (the other location) messed me up the last time i went there." she chuckled a bit and motioned for me to sit, then pointed out a tall slender girl with beautiful black and fire-engine red highlighted (it's hard for me to say that without it seeming like an oxymoron, but it looked great!!!) BSL hair. i was dismayed when i realized she didn't speak much english...as a matter of fact, she sounded like the russian chick from ray-j's show...but i decided to give her a shot.

bottom line? i'm so glad i did. she began by leaving me under the dryer with DC in my hair for 30+ minutes...this was TREMENDOUS when i thought about how the last girl made me get up after 8 minutes. she happily obliged when i passed her the nexxus heat protexx i brought with me, and added some CHI silk infusion of her own to my hair prior to blowdrying it. she rolled my hair UNDER to get it straighter, and even passed the most important test -- the TRIM test. clearly i was ecstatic that it was she who trimmed my hair and not the other stylist...the one with broken off, bleached NL hair who had the nerve to make her clients wait while she got some tracks installed and rollerset. i mean, i do now feel as if it is a cardinal rule to get your hair trimmed by those with hair equally as long as (or longer than) your own, so i felt confident that she would do a great job, and she did. i was initially nervous when she cut before i was able to finish saying "i would like to see where you are going to cut before you do it", but she saw the expression on my face and said "it's ok" -- while holding out the damaged ends in her palm for me to see! by this point, i was in awe and said nothing else to her except for "please wrap my hair for me, it's raining cats and dogs out there!"

the real test to me was once i got home and unwrapped my hair. i knew it was great before i even removed the wrap pins -- i haven't been able to feel my scalp AT LEAST since the summer of 2007...and the softness was incredible! even now, three days later, my hair is so flowy and soft i can't believe it. of course the real test will be when i wash my hair, making sure there is no heat damage, but if there is none i think i will have to return to making DBs a regular part of my regimen. the one thing that seems to be hindering my length goals is this issue of raggedy ends, and the culprit still seems to be wearing my hair curly, even when i do attempt to stretch out my ends. -sigh- it's days (experiences?) like this that make me want to texturize, or at least BKT, my hair. for now i am fighting that urge, but maybe i need to go ahead and decide on what type of hair i would like for an install BEFORE this blowout runs its course.

as usual, there are more photos in my fotki.

kinky curly or straight?

now that i am once again gainfully employed, i have disposable income to spend on the REALLY important things in life, like clothes, MAC and my hair. however, it doesn't make me any less indecisive. with the winter coming up, i want nothing more than to put my hair away for a few months, and i was thinking a weave would be the way to go. i even found the perfect hair, courtesy of BHM and LHCF...this AAMH kinky curly hair is absolutely gorgeous and only costs about $20 more than that stupid "remy" BSS hair i bought for my last weave in 2007. i am sure i would have no problem finding someone on craigslist who would be willing to install it for no more than $75, and it would last me at least through the coldest months (or until i get to BSL). of course, that would keep me from fulfilling my burning desire to cut bangs for at least about 6 more months. that is, if i wear my hair straight for a month or so to get that itch out of the way before i sew it up.

now watch...now that i have spelled all this out, i won't do ANYTHING this winter. murphy's law, ya know.

hair updates/length checks are less than a month away!

got to give it up

you see how long the straight hair thing lasted. i washed my hair sunday and after that killer workout today (i move on to 30 day shred level 2 TOMORROW), my hair smelled like pure FUNK when i took down my french braids! my reassessment led me to DC and install 5 flat twists for a twistout that i will try to keep until sunday. that is, if partying doesn't screw that up too.

i am in a rut with my hair right now where for some reason i keep thinking negatively about it. i really hope it is PMS or something, but i just keep thinking it's really thin, really short, really dry, and all that. of course the people around me have nothing bad to say, but my pessimistic ass can't figure out if that's because they are length-obsessed or because it's really just ALL in my head. i can't really say i'm at a point where i want to cut it, but i sure wish i could stop thinking about how BAD my hair looks. maybe i just need to put it away again.

longer and stronger

i have been slacking on the protein treatments lately, mainly because i forget a lot, but also because my emergencee and aphogee 2 min are in storage after our house fire and i refuse to buy more when i already have some. today i was on twitter and a friend of mine said she was doing a mayo/egg/EVOO treatment...and i had a serious "duh" moment! even though i just DC'd on friday, i knew i had to do one, so i mixed it up (it looked strangely conditioner-like) and slathered it on for about 30 mins. i knew it worked well when i rinsed it out and my curls felt kind of hard, so i smiled and counteracted the hardness with a gvp cb/raw honey mask with heat (provided by the 30 day shred). my hair is now happily sitting on some flexirods after being flat ironed. i will keep it like this for the next 2 weeks or so...that is, unless my exercise regimen has different plans.

still on it

shockingly, i am still following the BFC. i don't really record my food intake anymore, but i mentally track my sugar and carbs and it still helps. i'm hovering right around 128-129, and when i get on the 30 day shred like i am supposed to, hopefully i will tone up the way i want. i need to go do it now...feel a sense of accomplishment...but there are a lot of things i have to do today that i am putting off.

end of the road

i took my twists out the other night and detangled/washed yesterday. i had these twists a total of 2.5 weeks before i took them out...as pitiful as that sounds, it's pretty much a record for me. i always feel like they are so loose and scraggly looking that i HAVE to take them out. i think i'll give my hair a break for a week or two before i put in some box braids (hopefully those will last longer). right now my hair is blow dried and sitting pretty in a bun, but i may go swimming later and things may change.

my senegalese twists

as of today, i have had my senegalese twists two weeks. that is somewhat of a record for me, as around this time i get the itch to take them out. however, this weekend i redid a few of them (made them smaller) and that cured the itch...at least for the next week or two.

pros:

• extremely inexpensive hairstyle (i used 1.5 packs of 100% kanekalon braiding hair, $1.99 per pack)
• lasts as long as you want
• only took 4 hours to install (i part my hair into 4 sections, then grabbed and twisted the back two sections...took a break...and finished the rest)
• easy on my edges
• easy to keep your real hair (and scalp) moisturized
  

cons:

• can start looking fuzzy pretty quickly
• didn't make them long enough (i cut the hair in half, so they are only 1-2" longer than my real hair; next time i may not do that)
• heavy when wet (i cowashed them last week and had to wear them up till they were mostly dry)

i think i will redo my hair in 2 weeks...i will use the same hair, but change my twists into braids since they seem to fuzz less.

saving grace

now that my skin is on track (again), all i have to worry about are the dark marks. i usually use foundation for that, but i really hate getting all sweaty and having to worry about streaks in my foundation (or whatever other paranoid ideas i may get), so on most days i skip the foundation and simply wear MAC mineralize skinfinish in medium dark. i didn't quite get what the hype was on makeupalley and LHCF before i purchased it, but i kept hearing that it makes you look airbrushed. i figured it wouldn't do that much for me, but boyyy was i wrong. i can put this on with my 187 and have enough coverage to not feel bare-faced, but not so much that people can tell i have anything on. also, unlike my beloved satinfinish foundation, i can sleep in this (i still don't recommend that!) and not wake up with blemishes. i definitely have to keep this on hand at all times!

(pic from naturallysophia).

BFC day 4

i am determined not to post how much i have lost until monday -- however, i feel sooo much better. my belly is not gone (of course), but i am wayyyy less bloated and definitely don't look pregnant anymore! i did well today with the food portion (except for that whopper jr, but even that was only 6/2), but i did EXCELLENT with the exercise -- 2 reps of V sit-ups and a mile and a half around the track (i probably ran about 1/3 of it, which is more than what i used to do, or think i could do). my mind is clearer, my body is trimmer...it just can't get any better. this may just be one of the best fitness decisions i have ever made.

BFC day 3

for some reason i woke up in a bad mood this morning...bills, finding a job and taking the MCAT is weighing heavy on my mind, so i tweeted a few friends and raised my spirits then went downstairs to make breakfast. i am a big breakfast person (when i am not in a rush) so the fact that all of my favorite breakfast foods are BFC approved makes it really great. i made a pseudo-sandwich with scrambled eggs, a slice of cheddar and a slice of turkey (all 0/0) on my honey wheat bread. all of a sudden, i got a really bad sweet tooth, i guess because i couldn't have jelly on my sammich. i got the brilliant idea to cut an apple in half and share it with my mom; that cured my sweet tooth and also cut the sugar in the apple from 13g to 6g. i am still at 10g and haven't eaten lunch or dinner yet, but reading through the original BFC thread on LHCF gave me more ideas for 0 sugar meals. this shrimp stir fry i plan on making seems promising, and with one of the chicken wraps (1g) i should be more than able to get through the night.

another note about the zipfizz -- the orange soda flavor kinda sucks. however, it is very good at giving me that energy boost that i need halfway through the day. i will give it another shot since i have 2 more in the box, but i prefer the pink lemonade one. for $1.50, i won't complain. i might go back to CVS to get the rest of the pink lemonade ones before someone lurking on LHCF beats me to them.

the main challenge will probably be the weekend for me -- that is, if i don't go to nags head with my roomies this weekend. my friend always makes dinner for me and my girlfriends, and he provides the pregame drinks too, and i can't regulate what is in his food. lucky for me, shots are 0/0, so at least i can control that!

hidden benefits of BFC

You know how some people just seem to always be hungry? I will come out and say it: I am Mojo and I am a snacker. I am notorious for sitting in front of the TV and all of a sudden being "hungry", not because I really am but because I eat in front of the TV so much that if I snack I turn it on and vice versa. I have stopped myself a few times to say "hey, you're not hungry" but I will still grab something.

Granted, I am only 2 days into BFC, but the urges I had to snack yesterday DISAPPEARED today. I am pretty sure keeping track of everything that went into my mouth had something to do with it -- when I reached for the cheese nips I had to first look at the label to see how much sugar was in it, and reading all these labels has made me super aware of what exactly I am reaching for. In addition, I ate a lot more protein today, and I think whoever said that protein fills you up was right. The only time I can't think about snacking is when I am noticeably full, and after the big protein-filled breakfast I had this morning and the large wrap I had with a whole chicken breast cut up in it, eating something else was the LAST thing I wanted to do. I think between reading the labels and writing down everything I eat, I may have found a viable solution to the mindless eating. So there it is -- BFC is helping me stop snacking.

I did extremely well today -- 13/6/34, 7 cups of water, 2 green teas, and a zipfizz...not to mention the run/walk (i ran a bit longer today). i feel this amazing sense of accomplishment. i also want to weigh myself, but that i will not do until this weekend. at least i will TRY not to.

good things come in threes...

1) the zipfizz i intended to get was originally $6. i thought $3 was fantastic so i picked up 2 boxes (3 orange soda flavored tubes, 3 pink lemonade). i got to the register and it was $1.50 per box!! i should have gone back for more.
2) i got a scale...and weighed myself...i am 130.8 lbs. lighter than the chick at the doctor's office told me (on their scale i was 135), but i still want to get back to 123, what i was a few months ago, or ideally 118.
3) i'm about to start my twists!! yay!!

BFC day 2

it pains me to say this, but yesterday absolutely SUCKED. i mean, it was going alright after i stopped panicking over what i was going to have for breakfast and realized eggs, cheese and bacon all count as 0/0. i made a great omelette, had it on toast (the no jelly thing is tough) and had 2 glasses of water. i felt really good about myself...until i went out with my mom. she took my brother, sister and i to sonic for happy hour slushes, and i went into meltdown mode. when i looked up the nutrition facts on my phone and saw that NONE of the slushes were under 70g of sugar, i screamed! i got one anyway, not wanting to suffer since a) everyone else was getting one and b) she does not believe in turning on the AC in the car and it was 96 degrees. i felt SOOO bad, but decided to make lemonade out of those lemons. if it hadn't been for the slush, i did pretty well, with an S/C of 26/7 and 34g fiber. i don't even think the 26 was so bad since 13 of it was an apple i just had to have.

i also managed to get in a workout -- walked/ran to the park near my house and did a half lap around the track before coming back. it's not your ordinary track -- that thing is HUGE. matter of fact, i just looked it up and it's 2 miles around. i think today i will walk over and try to run as much of it as i can.

day 2 is going well...i have to go buy some zipfizz (which i found 50% off at cvs), frozen veggies, and more chicken breasts. i scored big yesterday at wal-mart when i got these carb balance wraps -- 1/2 and 21g fiber! if i have one of those with chicken and cheese (both 0/0) for the next 6 days, lunch will be a breeze.

wet bun

i was supposed to put my braids in sunday...then monday...and MAYBE tonight, but it was so hot today i had to take a shower after i washed my car, and i really didn't want to let an opportunity to cowash pass me up. my hair was hanging so beautifully after i plopped it, but i weighed the pros and cons of a WNG and decided to wet bun. my buns are finally to an acceptable length and i'm so happy!!

the belly fat cure

yesterday, i hit a wall with my weight. i found out about 2 weeks ago that i have gained about 13 lbs over the course of a few months MAX, and i was devastated. not having a perfect beach body was one thing, but now that i know i am gaining weight like that i knew i had to do something. i am trying to get the motivation to go over to the park and walk/run a few laps, but for some reason i cannot get off my butt. i went to the health and fitness forum on LHCF yesterday to come up with a plan of attack, and i saw this thing called the belly fat cure challenge. i am not one for dieting, especially fad diets, but the more i read the more intrigued i became. not only that, but it is SIMPLE...in addition, you know there is always a group of people on LHCF willing to try anything, and there is a group of women taking the BFC challenge that are actually losing weight. i told myself the challenge is only a week long, which is perfect for my short attention span, and i read up on it (the site is www.jorgecruise.com if you want to check it out for yourself). the guidelines seem pretty simple:

• 15/6 rule: only 15g sugar and 6 servings of carbs per day
• foods with less than 5g carbs are "freebies"
  
• 30g fiber to rid anything else (ahem) that may be keeping you bloated
• 8 glasses of water (duh)

i was game this morning, but then i remembered this may not be so easy, being that i can't do my own grocery shopping in my own apartment anymore. i scoured the kitchen for about 15 minutes, sadly putting away many of the foods i usually turn to in the morning. even fruit was hard: i reached for a nectarine before looking it up online and seeing that it would put me almost at my sugar limit for the whole day! all of a sudden, i had a moment of clarity and decided to look up the ingredients for my latest favorite, omelettes. cheese is a freebie...and apparently so is an egg...and bacon as well...so i was ecstatic! i made one and put it on a slice of honey wheat bread (4g sugar, 1 carb, 3g fiber) and went on my merry way. i'm already planning for lunch, and it looks like it will be a sandwich and salad of some sort, as long as i can find something sugar-free to put on it.

to top it off, i am trying to make it to the track this evening once the heat advisory goes away so i can at least walk a few laps. if i make it 7 days it will be a miracle.

two-strand twists redux

just as i enjoy pulling recipes from websites, message boards and cookbooks, i do the same with hairstyles. i saw this one about a month ago and fell in love:

the first one with the auburn twists BLEW ME AWAY, although i knew i would never be able to recreate something like that on myself. instead, i did the next best thing and did them on my sister. the only drawback to having only one view is that i had to interpret the back for myself, but i still think it came out great.

quit faking the funk

about 2 weeks ago now, i took the box braids out of my sister's hair and decided to forego the extensions for a while. frankly, i did it out of sheer laziness -- i didn't feel like buying, then washing, then detangling and sectioning all that kanekalon at the time -- but i also did it to see how long her two-strand twists hang without the aid of BSS hair. she got quite a few compliments, mostly from my mom (who then coerced me into twisting her hair) but also from my brother, who was absolutely sure that wasn't all her hair. i just hope he doesn't expect me to start twisting his hair too!

prep: wash, DC with aussie moist, detangle with shower comb.

halfway done...


and here is the finished product.

tread softly...

i need to be really careful with this scrub/mask combo, because it sure is addictive. here it is sunday night and i am doing it again. another reason i am addicted? i put the lemon juice and sugar in my hands to apply it, and my hands are so soft! i'm also addicted to what this honey is doing to my skin, because i definitely woke up saturday morning and put a honey mask on while i walked around and made breakfast. i promise i won't do this again until thursday night!

i have been doing a little research on chemical peels over the past few days as well. many of the people i heard from did lactic acid peels, but it seems as if to get the results i want (no more acne scars) i need to look into glycolic acid peels or even TCA peels. i'll definitely read up some more and ask tons and tons of questions before buying anything. i'd be mortified if i messed up my face trying to get rid of some scars.

good enough to eat!

i posted earlier about the info i got from the post by pokahontas on LHCF...so last night i had a facial night. i have done the lemon/sugar scrub once before, but something was different about my routine last night, and whatever it was gave me the softest skin. i am literally struggling not to touch my face because it is SO SOFT. this combo is a keeper for sure.

• washed with desert essence + clarisonic, as always
• ACV toner
• lemon sugar scrub, exfoliated and left on ~5 min
  
• greek yogurt + raw honey mask, ~15 min
• moisturize with AV gelly and grapeseed oil

i have two hormonal blemishes that i have been successful in leaving alone, but they are taking too long to shrink for my liking. i tried another tip i picked up, covering them in raw honey and a bandaid and leaving this on overnight. well, guess what...they are in fact a lot smaller. i am thinking 3 days of this could make them disappear, which is GREAT for the cystic one on my chin.

i am selling/swapping this philosophy microdelivery peel -- it's really good, but i don't see myself using it anymore now that i have this regimen.

andddd another one!

it always feels like i am being mega conceited when i admit things like this, and i am trying to tell myself that after all the trials and tribulations i have been through with my hair, i deserve it...but i went home for the weekend, and it felt SO GOOD to get weave checked by my best friend and her family. i wore it half-up and half down, and all the hands that ran through my hair were a bit creepy but still reassuring that i am doing something right. my bff was really the one that made the difference though -- she told me that my hair hasn't been this long since she met me 5 years ago, even though i know my hair has NEVER been this long. she has said a few things about "good hair" in the past that have rubbed me the wrong way, but i was ecstatic to tell her about the new staples in my hair care arsenal, namely aussie moist. in addition, i have always admired her aunt's long, healthy-looking hair, and when she came up to me and touched my hair, it was shocking. i mean...it kind of felt like being a singer and having your idol compliment you on your vocals. bottom line? it feels good to get some sort of indication that all the stuff i am going through is actually worth it.

just like honey

true product junkies know that there is an art to determining if your hair likes a product or not: hardness, sheen, and bounce are just a few of the factors that can let you know if something is a stable or just plain garbage. i have come to be very picky with my DCs, since adding or subtracting a single product from my moisture mix can have drastic consequences on how my hair feels...and if i'm gonna sit under the dryer all that time, i want it to be for a good reason!

in the past i have gotten good results with a combo of light protein (aphogee 2 min), oil (grapeseed) and a good moisturizing DC (gvp conditioning balm) before straightening my hair. i bought a bottle of raw honey from the grocery store the other day, as opposed to regular honey, and decided to put in a squirt of that too, since it normally takes me for-ev-er to get through a bottle of honey. well...i don't know what it is about raw honey that my hair loves, but as soon as i stepped in the shower to rinse it out and put my hands in my hair, i almost fainted! my hair felt soooo soft, which is always a great sign to me that my DC mix has done its job. i absolutely dread touching my hair when it is wet and noticing that it still feels bone dry, no matter how much water i run through it. my hair felt so great that i didn't even have to cowash after i rinsed it -- i just ACV rinsed, plopped and applied my leave-ins. needless to say, i found a new staple DC mix.

i'm currently sitting under the dryer, where i will probably be for quite some time being that i ran my denman under the sink to smooth out my hair before i rollerset it (my spray bottle is being a little wonky, so i had to improvise). another thing...i ran out of rollers this time and had to throw in some grey and turquoise ones. it's nice to see that the grey ones finally fit since i used to envy girls who could use the big grey ones, but i still get paranoid that they are too big and will fall out. i guess i should up my goal to being able to use them all over...and then raise it to being able to use the big black soda can looking ones. one day soon, right?

lazy me

the last time i straightened my hair (about a week and a half ago), i rushed through it, blowdrying before i flat ironed. i must admit i hated how my hair came out; it was straight, but didn't seem moisturized at all, especially since it was only the week before that when i had a great rollerset and flat iron combo. i've been lazy since then though, and haven't really touched my hair except to put some coconut oil on it every other day. i got caught in a rainstorm today and although my hair didn't really get wet, i decided that i might as well blow it out of proportion and take care of my hair tonight.

i'm following the plan from april 13th:

• DC with aphogee 2 min, grapeseed oil, GVP conditioning balm, and raw honey (added this step)
• ACV rinse
• cowash with aussie moist
• add giovanni direct and gvp leave-ins
  
• rollerset...probably not flat iron since i don't have my solia (afraid of the andis)

i'm also gonna do this lemon and sugar scrub, which i got from a post by pokahontas on LHCF. it looks good.

post #101

i think i'll begin with a disclaimer, cause i know someone is gonna run up on me (or presume this is what they are doing) and say "it's really not all that". i never claimed it to be; if you read my blog you know this is about my PERSONAL achievements, and not me trying to stunt.

my hair has been straight for the past 2 weeks, and i am just now getting used to it. it feels pretty good to get weave checked by people who are CLOSE to you; first it was my mom, which was really shocking ("you're not wearing one of those wigs again, are you? let me see" -proceeds to scratch all up in my scalp looking for a net or tracks-); then tasha, who asked if it was all my hair; then crystal, who 5 minutes later did the same thing while i was brushing my hair into a bun; followed by my cousin, who just stood in the bathroom doorway for a good 5 minutes while my sister helped me flat iron it; then finally today, by a friend of mine when he came to visit me. mind you, this is the same guy who told me repeatedly back in february-ish that he loves my hair straight. (i will ignore the fact that he said it repeatedly, as if it were an attempt to tell me "you should always wear it like that".) i mean, i know i have become more of a hair anorexic over the past year, but...i feel as if they are jumping the gun. in any event, it is letting me know that what i am doing is working -- and simultaneously makes me want to go DC my hair. i have to figure out how to shake this paranoia that i picked up; going from cowashing every other day to suddenly washing it once a week makes me feel like it is going to dry up and break off, no matter how much coconut oil i am putting on it. i know that this straight hair won't last much longer between a) the humidity and b) my paranoia, so i'd better hurry up and go get this good ol' kanekalon so i can hide it for the rest of the summer.

next countdown: december 13th. let's see how close to BSL i can get by then. remember, shoot for the moon and land among the stars.

thursday hair

i was really happy with the bounciness (is that a word? i'm the grammar nut and i'm asking) of my hair today...i set it on satin covered sponge rollers the other night and despite wrapping it last night the curls just won't go away! i bunned for half of the work day, but i wanted to feel like a diva so i let it down and tousled it. the headband just completed it for me. i foresee a skirt and kitten heels tomorrow.

obligatory 1 YEAR POST BC update

clearly i am not going to be able to do this like i had imagined, but pretty much everything about my hair goes differently than expected/hoped -- why should my "nappiversary" be any different?? my actual 1 year was this past saturday, but because a) i have a life that involves very clingy bffs and b) my old camera was broken a few months ago, and i haven't gotten a new one yet, i don't have the shots i want! i will get a length check pic in sometime this week; i rollerset my hair tonight in preparation, but i can't get my camera to the timer mode without being able to look at the screen, which is cracked! the good news is i'm almost back to apl, the even better news is i am getting sick of my hair so i'm about to braid it up, so barring any setbacks i will be full APL at the end of my 2 month HYH challenge.

i can't leave you without posting pics of SOME sort, so i took a few...well, the ones i could do without being able to use the screen for guidance. the curly pics are interesting, because my hair is definitely bigger when i look at the pics, but it's growing OUTWARD moreso than DOWNWARD. that was kinda expected, though.

the lowdown

graduation has come and gone, and my goal of being BSL for graduation was far from being met. thank goodness i came to my senses a few months ago and edited it to be APL, because that i was. i think my hair looked great on graduation day, and that is all i ever wanted. while straightening my hair that morning, my sister walks in the bathroom and goes "whoa -- you have some long hair!" it was rainy and nasty outside, so i had to end up putting it up, but my pictures came out great. speaking of pictures, i wore my hair curly for my cap and gown pictures, and they're pretty spectacular too. i will scan them and put them up sometime in the next weke (hopefully).

that day had me feeling pretty bad about my ends though, so instead of waiting till june 13th to get a trim, i made it may 18th. i went to hair cuttery, and even after stressing i wanted a DUSTING, the dumb girl gave me a blunt cut. the good news is my ends look better; the bad news is i am no longer APL. still looking through rose tinted glasses, when i am APL again (july-ish?) it will be blunt, FULL APL, which is exciting to know.

after a few months out of the senegalese twists, i want them back! i said i would reinstall them post-graduation, and now that the time is upon me i am thinking the weekend of the 13th will be perfect to put them back in -- after i take my 1 year nappy-versary pics, of course. i really can't believe it's been a year since that night i got so frustrated with my hair that i just chopped it all off -- but what a year it has been. i get all teary eyed thinking about it. (not really, but it is astonishing.) less than 2 weeks remain! in the meantime, i am DCing with gvp cb, kenra mc, grapeseed oil and aphogee 2 min. i've been slacking on my 4x weekly WNGs, so i will be extra diligent in the next two weeks so that i don't lose any progress unnecessarily.

bikram yoga

i started bikram yoga yesterday in an attempt not only to feel better about myself, but also as a last-ditch attempt to get in some kind of shape before beach week. it's supposed to be good for the body, immune system, skin, everything. it was the hardest thing i have ever done, but i felt SO GOOD after it was all over. the words "cold lavender-scented towel" mean anything to you?

before i went, i put GVP conditioning balm in my hair and covered it with a shower cap and scarf. i ripped it off an hour into the session, but i guess it was good while it lasted.

10 months post BC: length check (my sister)

after all the negativity this child has had to endure over the past few years, she is (we are) finally at a place where all the naysayers can be proved wrong. through braids and twists, she has gone from NL to APL in 10 months. this, from the child whose "hair will always be too nappy to grow". the one who was called crazy when she refused to get another relaxer. the one who told people two, three times her age that she didn't want that stupid flat iron or hot comb in her hair. yeah, her.

14 years old with APL hair. watch out, world.

weave check #2...

...and this time i wasn't wearing a weave! hahaaaaa

on saturday, i went to a que party with one of my best friends. we are both natural, but she is more 3c than anything else, while i am clearly 3c/4a. i had a WNG that had been blown dry by the wind coming through my car window, so it was nice but still all over the place in a funky kind of way. we got to the front of the line, and one of the ques came up to me.

que: when you get inside...can i play with your hair?
me: you wanna what?! why?
que: cause it's so...playful. -touches hair-

at this point i kind of flinched because he was touching me, but when he went straight for my scalp i realized what was going on. when he started smiling and twirling my curls, i knew i was being weave checked. well, glad i could make his night, i guess. the last time this happened was the summer of 2007, and i was definitely wearing a full sew-in. that guy's in the NBA now, so i figure i blew my chance of being a trophy wife that night.

i crack myself up.

this rollerset thing...

i ponytail rollerset my hair the other day...not in an attempt to get it straight, but just straightER. well...the set itself went ok, but i couldn't sit my impatient self still long enough for it to dry completely, so the ones in the back curled up as soon as i took the rollers off. i left it alone for a few days then washed it out today with HE LTR. back to wet bunning until i can figure out what i want to do next. i really want some twists, either regular two-strand or senegalese, but a) my two strand twists look anorexic and b) i don't feel like marathon twisting this weekend. i got finals next week, for pete's sake. i hate being a libra sometimes; i swear i am the most indecisive person in the world.

p.s. true PJ's see that kenra mc and suave clarifying shampoo on the rack in the background.

back to basics

i found a $1 off 4 bottles of VO5 coupon on LHCF today, so i went to CVS and picked up 2 bottles of VO5 strawberries and creme and 2 bottles of VO5 vanilla mint tea conditioner. i remember when i thought VO5 was the end-all-be-all for cowashing; it sure did get me through the summer of 2008 though. ahh, memories.

i will be 2 years post relaxer, 1 year post BC in june. i think until then i will keep it as simple as possible: weekly wash and DC, not to mention cowashing til i drop.

"that thing is HORRIBLE!"

my mom did a pop-up visit today...kinda weird, but hey. while she was here, we were talking hair (i'm dragging her through my hair care journey) and she was SO happy to get the chi silk infusion that i pilfered from the house back. i'm so glad she recognizes the need for a heat protectant! she had called me last week and told me she was flat ironing her hair, which boggled my mind because i had the solia with me. turns out she used the cheap old andis that we have from way back when. i was so incredibly stupendously happy when she told me "i threw that thing out, it is HORRIBLE!" it just thrills me that she and my sister are picking up on my hair practices. i can't wait to get back home and take progress pics for my sister; her growth and retention has been amazing.

what's your affirmation?

I have often seen women on LHCF with affirmations in their signature, and recently I discovered that just reaffirming the things you are doing is worth it. Specifically related to hair care, if you are trying to grow long healthy hair, TELL YOURSELF! Stuff like "this isn't gonna work" or "I don't know why I am trying this, my hair never gets past SL" won't do anything but aggravate you. Here's what I do:

• regularly look at my old fotki pics
• look at the progress made by some of my hair idols, such as BrockStar and GoingNatural
• look for inspirational threads and hair tips from those who are where I want to be
• tell myself this stuff IS working!

My top affirmation has been this: if hair grows about 1/2" a month, that means every 2 weeks I am gaining at least a quarter inch of growth. All I have to do is worry about retaining it, and the amount of sheer moisture that I provide to my hair means this isn't an issue. There are plenty of better-worded affirmations, that's just what works for me. If you are just starting out, thinking about transitioning, or rebounding from a setback, try this and see where you stand a month from now. All we can do is take it a day at a time!

Here are some inspirational threads that I like to look at. HHG!
WANTED: Progress Pics: After the BC...
BSL and Waist Length Naturals...links here!
Old pictures of your "Damaged Hair" (for motivation)

10 months post BC: length check

so the DC went great...afterwards i did an ACV rinse and cowashed with aussie moist, then rollerset the bottom half of my head (giovanni direct + GVP leave-in and water in my spray bottle) before i got tired. i twisted the top half and put rollers on the end, then sat under the dryer. before flat ironing i added a drop of chi silk infusion and coconut oil. it took me so long but it was worth it...cause i am APL! yay! i am hoping that by my next length check on june 13th i am full APL. if i am, i will get that professional trim i so badly need!

hair update

i've been going through some things with my hair for the past few weeks, some good and some bad. after realizing that WNGs were murderous on my ends, i had to restructure the way i go about doing things. since i really didn't feel like dealing with it over spring break, i put in senegalese twists on the 4th of march. i ended up keeping them only until the 28th -- no water on my scalp was making me antsy, plus they got really fuzzy.

after i took them out i went back to my first love, WNGs. i decided that it would be better to wash them out after a max of 2 days, since detangling HAS to be what is slowing me down. i also picked up a few new hair products, and i'm not having a single regret about them! here is my new WNG regimen:

• wet hair down and add HE Hello Hydration. i don't know what it is but this stuff gives the greatest curl definition...
• rinse most of it out and squeeze out the extra water. some days i switch it up and rinse all of it out.
• dry with my handy dandy t-shirt for about 5 minutes, then remove it...if i rinsed it all out, i add GVP leave-in
• seal (yes, me SEALING) with jojoba oil.
  
• add lily of the desert AV gelly to keep it fabulous and funky. good to go!

other goodies that i throw in the mix are HE LTR (since i fell in love with the leave-in last summer) as well as aussie moist (for cowashes and DCs), and grapeseed oil. i'm still looking for that quintessential shampoo; the organix has become a body wash and the chi infra shampoo that i bought dried my hair out too. i almost forgot that crappy one night stand i had with ecostyler gel; it may be more cost efficient than the aloe vera gelly, but it certainly doesn't give me the shine, softness, and definition that this double duty gel provides. and you know it's good when you can use it on your face too!

another revelation that i made is my hair likes protein...or at least i think it does. i did a DC with megatek about 2 weeks ago, of course followed with a moisturizing DC, and my hair thanked me for it! i went home and stole both the aphogee 2 min and the nexxus emergencee, so now i have enough strengtheners to last me the rest of the semester.

right now i am sitting under the dryer with aphogee 2 min, grapeseed oil, and GVP conditioning balm in my hair. i'll let this sit for about 40 mins, then it's wash day! i'm definitely gonna try a ponytail rollerset, and since the other one didn't go so hot i hope i can get the hang of it! i will post pics if it comes out right, my camera broke on me (well, someone broke it) so i will try to take a few via webcam.

HiP haul

lately i've found it pretty pointless (well, time consuming) to post about my makeup hauls...i mean, for me it's just run in the store...grab conditioner...grab a gloss, or some e/s...it's really informal. don't get me wrong, it's just as exciting to get something new as it was when i first started really wearing makeup a few months back, but it's just ordinary to me now.

anyhoo, i've been coupon clipping and waiting for the infamous BOGO HiP sale to return to CVS...and it came this week! it's weird, i just happened to go there yesterday cause something told me HiP was on sale. boy was i right, and i am in looooove already with these glosses that i got.

the rundown:
HiP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor - arresting (pictured above) and euphoric
HiP Color Presso ligloss - swanky
HiP kohl eyeliner - gold kohl
shadow duos in dynamic and platinum
HiP Color Rich Cream Crayon - perfectionist and intricate

i needed something to act like a MAC shadestick, and then i wanted some really bold glossy lipcolors...mission accomplished. next goal is to depot the HiP shadows...no rush on that though.

good news, bad news

good news: i made it to 22.5 minutes (90%) on the elliptical today...oh yeah, i'm a beast.

bad news: i am NOT retaining length like i should be. my ends are a hot mess, and i JUST trimmed them like a month ago. i'm going into braids ASAP, and until i get up the energy to braid my hair i'm stretching my hair. that means twistouts, rollersets, straighter hair. i bet relaxed girls don't have this problem...

gray rollers

I CAN FIT THE GRAY ROLLERS!

i just did a sloppy rollerset that i don't expect to last past tonight...pics soon.

<3

exercise update

wednesday: 17 mins on elliptical (why is this thing so much harder than the treadmill?)
thursday: 10 mins arc runner (gave up), 10 mins stationary bike
friday: 18 mins elliptical, 50 sit-ups

i got my fruits and veggies in EARLY today...apple for breakfast, spinach and cucumber salad for lunch. that's 3 so i may throw in another for fun.

good news/bad news

the megatek is inconsistent. good job, me, but i've been having fun with puffs again. sue me.

the exercise fell off completely last week...between the new job and all, i just didn't feel like i had time. i did buy an exercise ball (it came with a resistance band + a yoga mat) to motivate me to workout in my apartment...and to improve my posture. my back hurts so maybe it's working.

workout for this week:
20 mins cardio (switch to 25 on thursday)
5 mins stairclimber
10 mins on exercise ball

so far, so good...

like i said i would, i have been getting those 20 minutes on the treadmill in -- yesterday i threw some lunges in after the run, and today i actually made it through the whole 20 without stopping! even my roomie complimented me on my stick-to-it-ness! not only that, but i got in my 3 fruits and veggies and met my water goal...oh, i've been megassaging too! mannnn this is just turning out to be a great week me-wise.

sunday starts a new week...i am pushing myself to finish out the week on a high note, then i will up the treadmill time and add some stairclimbing/lunges in there as well.

full of it

i KNOW that every time i jump on a fitness wagon i fall off, and it's been causing me some distress lately. i'm doing pretty well with the workouts so far...i made it all 20 mins today on the treadmill, and i felt really good about it when all was said and done...but i think i need to up it to EVERY day instead of every other day. i have to be able to find 20 minutes somewhere in there to go hop on the treadmill. only a month till SB09!

goals for this week:

• get those 20 mins in wed, thurs and fri...sat/sun are a tossup, got plans
• back up to 64 oz of water a day...my skin is yelling at me for dropping this one
• 3 fruits/veggies a day
• eat breakfast!
  

i will look into adding the weight training next week or the week after that.

something old, something new

the old? clarifying and DCing. the new? baking soda!

i've been slightly intrigued by the idea of using that big ol' tub of bentonite clay for my hair, as evidenced in kinkerbelle's fotki, but before i got into all that i wanted to try out the baking soda texturizer that littlegoldlamb profiles in her fotki. long story short...i still have the same texture =)

1) washed with organix vanilla silk shampoo...love the smell, but still convinced that there is sometihng better out there that doesn't tangle my hair. either i'm using too much or my curls are trying to tell me something!

2) airdried to 80%, as suggested by LGL, then applied the mix. i added approximately 2 tbsp of conditioner to a small container of trader joe's nourish spa conditioner -- probably the amount i would use to DC with. i left it on for an hour under a plastic cap.

3) rinsed and applied DC mix: gvp conditioning balm/kenra mc/herbal oil blend. went to exercise like i said i would, then left it on for maybe an hour past that as well.

4) detangled, rinsed out DC, plopped with t-shirt, applied gvp's paul mitchell the conditioner, and twisted it up into 1-12 big fat ones.

granted, my hair is really soft, but it doesn't feel any different from when i normally clarify and DC. i can see myself doing it again -- maybe, it's kinda time consuming -- but it's not a lifesaver.

pics coming when i unload my camera.

the addictive nature of FAKE HAIR

i bought two more wigs, and decided to get rid of the short one -- it should be on the exchange forum shortly. here are my two new boos (in the curly one, i decided to smile, since the general consensus is that i look EVIL, lol)

1) femi "irina" synthetic LF - i like it, it's just a tad long for me...haven't decided whether i want to cut it or not yet.

2) freetress "fresno girl" half wig

still looking into the tammy, and since the SLF works so well for me, this one as well...femi "kelly":
my hair is LOVING me right now. it gets to stay twisted up for days on end, and i can even start megassaging again (although, as we know, saying it is easier than DOING it). i mean, i even DC'd under the half wig the other day...just covered my cap with a satin scarf, put on the wig, and pulled the scarf up over the edges so it looked like i had a headband on. PERFECT. the other day i realized the best way to do it is to make an ear-to-ear part in the front, then flat twist that in case i need easy access to the front of my hair for the half wig, and then flat twist the back. so far, so good.

6 week slimdown - the TORTURE begins!

i always make these attempts to get back in shape, and about 2 weeks in something goes wrong and i stop dead in my tracks. i keep telling myself that it makes no sense to have a free gym membership if i'm not using it, and given that it expires when i graduate in may i need to get it done! i mean, there's a treadmill in the exercise room in my apt complex, and i can SEE IT from my bedroom window, for pete's sake! so here's to motivation...i have no set exercise plan yet, but something is better than nothing. i'm sitting here with a baking soda texturizer in my hair, and since i have to DC for an hour after this anyway, i might as well spend it working out. crossing my fingers...

sassy and classy: daddy's girls

i must admit, i really like the show daddy's girls -- not so much for the dialogue (ok, angela is really funny sometimes), but their style, both clothes and hair, is OUTRAGEOUS. i'm particularly diggin' alycia, whose hair is amaaaazing. i wish i knew if these were wigs or weaves! no wait, i just want to find half wigs like these!

(re)discovering the wig

since my grandma wore a wig every day of her life (that i can remember), i always thought of them as something you wear when you're bald or nearly bald. i also thought they were extremely ugly, but my mind is being changed more and more every day. it started about 3 weeks ago when i went in the bss to get some kinky twist hair for my sister and i saw this really cute red and black bob. there is NO WAY i'm cutting my hair, but i thought shorter hair might be a welcome change, so the other day i went back in and tried it on. that one didn't work out for me, but i bought two others, one that i'm realllly in love with. well needless to say, i'm a wig junkie now. i've spent a lot of the past two days on hairsisters.com and gmbshair.com looking at new full and half wigs, and on LHCF and BHM looking at other styles on people and wig regimens. i think this could really work for me...i mean, it sure is cheaper and less damaging than sew-ins. here is my fave, it's the "baru" by bobbi boss.

i soaked it in ACV trying to get rid of the shine, kinda like i do with braid hair, but it didn't really work. i have also read that sprinkling powder on it works, so i guess i'll try that tomorrow. if nothing else, it will fade over time. i bought some hats to go with it too, and my head was EXTRA toasty today:my next step is to look into some half wigs, since they seem more realistic and i can use all my favorite headbands with them. check out this one that i saw on gmbs, "tammy" by outre:

i like the big hair, teyana taylor look, and plus these are easier to blend than the straight hair ones. i'm so excited!