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.