LongerStrongerHair

Eating Right For 2012

2012-01-02T20:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I seriously want to start eating right starting now! It's a brand new year, fresh start, new beginnings. I know you hear this every year and think "that's what everyone says"....But to me, I love to stick to my word. I'm also on a mission to lose a couple pounds so eating right would be very beneficial.

On New Years day, my first meal was the traditional Haitian Squash soup that Haitians eat to celebrate our Independence. New Years is also Haiti's Independence day :)

Today January 2nd, my first meal of the day was a bowl of oatmeal and raisins garnished with strawberries. I had a small cup of orange juice on the side. I am trying to stay far away from eating animal products or dairy. I used soy milk when I cooked the oatmeal. It was delicious! My favorite dish for breakfast :)

I Love My Braids...

2011-12-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

15 day old braids...taken this past Monday [12.19.11]

I think I'll definitely get them again :)

My Braids...A Closer Look.

2011-12-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

Just giving you guys a better look at my braids...These pictures are not perfect but I think they'll do. I took these pictures today which means my braids are 10 days old.

Excuse the background...
My braids are pretty much "Butt length" lol

My straight ends

The size of my braids and the partings...they are medium/large. These are 10 day old braids.
Another view

Length from the front...
(I'm wearing sunglasses because I have a cold and I look very tired)

Side view

My Winter Protective Style: Box Braids!!

2011-12-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Oh gosh...I haven't had braids for 3 years! I stopped getting them in the first place because my hair started growing past my "braid length limit". Back then, my braid length limit was armpit length. But as soon as my real hair grew to armpit length, I felt like I graduated from braids and had to find new protective styles to wear. I dreaded the idea of mid back/waist length braids for some reason, so I decided to just never get braids again until......the box braids trend started for 2011!

I love Solange for bringing the trend back! It seems like a lot of women wanted to get box braids for so long but they were afraid to because they probably thought box braids were "played out" or something. But as soon as Solange bought the trend out, everybody came out of the wood works getting braids lol...I'm guilty of this too...LOL. One of the first reasons why I got these braids was because they're long! I used to be afraid of waist length braids because I thought they would be too much of a hassle. But after seeing a lot of pictures and videos of girls with long braids and the different styles you could do with them, I thought they were actually kind of.....cool! My braids are 2 inches past my waist, almost hitting my upper thighs. So I know for sure my real hair is protected to the maximum level, which makes me happy :) Another reason for these braids is because of the endless styles I could do with them. I bought so many hair accessories, which I will blog about soon (I promise!). The style I want to do the most with my braids is a high bun! So chic!

I got my hair braided last Sunday (December 4th) in Harlem, NY. Unfortunately, my braiding lady went on vacation to her home in Africa, so she left me in her sister's hands. Long story short, I had 2 women braiding my hair, one on each side pulling in different directions! I started at 11AM and finished at 3PM...4 hours of pain!

The braids were TIGHT! I'm super tender-headed! I always flinched when somebody tried to touch my braids after I first got them done. Also, the weight of the braids made my neck stiff for 3-4 days...I felt like I had an invisible neck brace on. On top of that, I caught a cold...so yea my week was pretty bad. Tight & heavy braids, stiff neck, sore throat, runny nose, all at the same time...imagine that! I had to see my doctor for my cold and for my stiff neck...he prescribed me some medicine and I feel about 90% better now (My nose is still runny). I'm not trying to scare you guys or anything, but I'm just not used to carrying all that weight on my head, plus the cold wasn't making it any easier. Around the 4th day of having the braids, they were loosening up pretty nicely..and now today is day 6 and I feel like my head is as light as a feather!

I used 8 packs of Zury's Kanekelon hair in the color 1b. My braids kind of have a old school flavor with a twist....old school because of the medium-large sized braids, and the twist is because of the long length (almost hitting my thighs). The ends of my braids are straight because I got them dipped in hot water. The hot water actually acts as a locking technique so that your braids wont unravel. I used to be scared that my braids would unravel, but they stay locked up to the point where the braid stops. I paid $80 for these braids and I think I just might get them again next year for the Spring...we'll see. I will be leaving these braids in for 2 months (December 4- February 4). Btw, I am currently almost 11 weeks post relaxer and don't plan on relaxing anytime soon.

I will have a separate post with more pictures of my braids. I wasn't able to take a lot because I'm still kind of recovering from my cold and not really in a picture taking mood...sorry ladies :/

Excuse my face lol..I still wasn't feeling well when this pic was taken.

Julie's Birthday!

2011-11-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

I'm about a week late, but I wanted to share my cousins birthday with you all from last weekend. She's also my stylist (just in case anyone forgot!).

We went out last week to a restaurant called Benihana to celebrate Julie's birthday. It's basically one of those Japanese type of restaurants where they cook the food right in front of you. It was pretty cool. That was my first time at a restaurant like that lol. Afterwards we pretty much hung out at our table at the restaurant and talked until it was closing time. Of course we took a lot of pics too!

Me and Julie (Yes that's her real hair)!

Waiting for the rest of the girls...

The table setting at Benihana was gorgeous!

Ladies night!

Fried shrimp and calamari...yum!

Fried rice that the chef shaped into a heart...aww!

The food was alright..

I had a lot of fun :)

My Make-Up So Far...

2011-11-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

Just took a picture of my make-up. I didn't start wearing make-up until earlier this year (March). Before that, make-up was pretty much non-existent to me because my skin was just too oily. I was always afraid that if I put it on, the oils would seep right through and cause a disaster! But as soon as I discovered the powers of M.O.M (Milk of Magnesia), everything seemed to change overnight! Read my blog about my experience with M.O.M. Anyways, this is not much make-up but it's a start! I don't feel the need to have more than 1 or 2 eyeshadow palettes unless you're a make-up artist with clients. I mean the palette I have has 88 colors! There's a lot to choose from....but I guess since I'm a beginner I'll learn why women buy so many palettes...who knows? I might be one of them :/ When I wear make-up, my looks are pretty simple and neutral. I am also on a budget so hopefully I don't go overboard and buy things I don't need.

Taupe Nails

2011-11-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to try a gorgeous taupe color on my nails to start off the Fall season. I went to Target and picked up Sally Hansens "Commander In Chic" nail polish for about $7 bucks. I bought it along with me to the nail salon as usual. I love how the color blends so well with my skin tone. The guy who did my nails complimented me for making a good color choice lol. Enjoy! Oh by the way...these pictures were taken on my brand new camera! There's something wrong with my old one :/

Wig Review: Freetress Creta Girl

2011-11-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I know I haven't blogged for a while. But I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to really update my blog on a regular basis. I remembered I promised you all to give a review on the Freetress Creta Girl wig so here goes!

I ordered this wig back in August as a protective style to wear as I awaited my end of September relaxer. I really needed something to cover up my hair since I was already 3 months post relaxer and had a lot of new growth. I don't really like messing with my hair when I have more than 1 inch of new growth.

When I received the wig from the mail, I opened up the package and felt it. The hair felt so smooth and soft! I couldn't believe it was made from synthetic fibers....amazing! And the curls are not tight cork screw curls, they're more like a loose 3b type of curl. I got her in a color 1B. When I tried it on, it fit on my head just right. The cap size is very comfortable and snug. If you have a big head and you're worried that this might not fit...think again because I have a huge head and this wig fits just perfect lol! It comes with a comb in the front, and a comb in the back. I left the front combs in for more stability, but cut out the back combs to prevent breakage at my nape.

When I tried her on, she was a little long reaching me a little past armpit length. It kinda gave me an 80's vibe because it was big, curly, and LONG. When I looked in the mirror, I kinda felt like I was auditioning for the "Soul Glo" commercial in the Coming To America movie back in the 80's lol. I wasn't feeling how long the hair was originally, so my stylist cut and shaped it up for me. She cut it to above my shoulders, and gave me side cut bangs. After she cut it, the wig looked perfect! It didn't look fake anymore and actually looked like it was growing out of my head! I fooled many people with this wig. A lot of people actually stopped me and asked if it was all my hair lol...so you know this wig is good!The hair is made of synthetic fibers, but its not shiny at all. It has a natural luster to it, and feels very soft....not 'plastic-y' like one would imagine synthetic hair to feel.

I did not have to leave any of my hair out because I positioned the wig in a way that hid the seams. Being 3 months post relaxer also helped because my roots camouflaged the seams too. By the way, this is not a half wig, it's actually a full cap wig.

Some people thought I spent over $100 on this wig, but truthfully...this wig was only about $17 bucks! With shipping and tax included, I spent about $24 bucks total! If that's not a deal, I don't know what is. I ordered her from Hairsisters.com but you can find her on any website that carries wigs...even Amazon.

She lasted for about a month and some change. I wore her every single day in that time frame. The wig gets bigger and more natural with time. After about 2 weeks, the nape of the wig started to tangle up a little bit. Even though I treated it like a new born baby, it still tangled up in the nape sometimes. After I cut out all the tangled bunches in the back, the wig still remained nice and full. At night, I kept her on my foam mannequin head to keep the curls neat and tangle-free.

Since I wore this wig every single day for a month, I definitely noticed the very few changes that started to occur when the wig was getting old. When I first got the wig and after my stylist cut it for me, I started wearing it immediately the next day. The curls were tangle free and when I shook my head, the hair had movement and bounce. But as the time went by, The curls started to stick together. So now whenever I shook my head, the wig would have a stiff shake. This only started happening towards the end, when it would be time for me to retire from the wig. Also, being that it's so cheap, I was very surprised that this wig doesn't shed that much. It also gets frizzier with time as well, which is a good thing because it made it look more natural.

Overall I give this wig 4.5 out of 5 stars. This is a great wig and I will definitely get it again in the future!

Creta girl wig after its been cut and worn for over a month!

Guess Who's Pregnant!

2011-08-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the VMA's and Beyonce performed. After her performance she showed off her baby bump! Yay! Finally!! I'm so happy for you Bey!

Pretty in Purple.

2011-08-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

I just love this shade of purple! Its so pretty! I got a lot of compliments with it. I went to my local beauty supply store to pick it up for $1 !! It's from a company called Quirius and the color is "News of the beloved". Even though it's a dollar, its highly pigmented and lasts for weeks! I can compare it to China Glaze and OPI, the only difference is the price...high quality for a low price! I will be stocking up on these from now on :)

Crackle My Flip Flops.

2011-08-08T17:31:00.001-07:00

I'm loving China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy nail polish from the 2010 Summer collection...it's SO pretty! When I went to the nail salon, I didn't want to get just one color, so I asked the nail tech for a design on both my ring fingers. An idea popped into my head about the new Crackle polishes everybody is going crazy for. I decided to use a contrasting Crackle color on my ring finger to add a punch of flavor to my nails. The results turned out FAB!

[Click to enlarge]

End of Summer Hair!

2011-08-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm getting so tired of my current sew-in. I'm tired of waking up 30 minutes earlier every morning just to flat iron it. The tracks are getting loose too. Ugh I just miss my real hair. I wanna touch it, play with it, wash it, condition it! I was supposed to take my weave out in 2 weeks, but I seriously cant take it anymore. I mean its cute and all, but I need a change. I will be removing it this weekend! Yay! Last week, I placed an order for a wig I've been seeing a lot of reviews for on Youtube. I instantly fell in love at first sight with this wig. I ordered the unit last week on Hairsisters, and got her today! Summer is coming to an end and I feel like I needed something big and bold to finish off the season. I ordered a full cap wig called Creta Girl made by Freetress. I will definitely give a review on this wig very soon! Hopefully I'll be able to rock it at my family BBQ this weekend.

The hair is so soft and doesn't feel like synthetic hair. The curls are coily and loose. I was so tempted to see how it looked on me, that I tried it on even though I'm still wearing my sew-in LOL. It still looked good so I have a feeling when I take my sew-in out, this wig will look even better!

Natural Is Beautiful.

2011-07-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Who says type 4 hair isn't nice?
Natural hair is BEAUTIFUL! Just a few pics I liked...

My favorite Youtuber who suddenly disappeared :/ Chisellecouture come back!

Source

I know most of you are wondering why I'm writing a blog about natural hair...Well I have some news for you guys! But until my final decision is made, I will let you know when I remove my sew-in in a few weeks. :)

My Heart Is Breaking....RIP Amy Whinehouse.

2011-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Omg....

My favorite Soul/R&B singer Amy Winehouse has succumb to drug addiction. I was so hurt when I got the news because I wasn't expecting it. I thought she was taking a long break because one day she would return. Looks like that wont be happening *tear*...
I missed her when she was taking her long break, and now I'm gonna miss her forever because she wont be coming back. Gone too soon, at the young age of 27. RIP Amy! You will be missed!

Updates On Life

2011-07-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

Just coming on tonight to give you all some updates on whats been going on with me.

I recently just got a new job!! Yay! I start training in 3 weeks! I'll finally be working a full time job which means more money for me! More money = more shopping and trying new products! Also more money in the bank too, which is whats most important :) I'm really happy with the hours at my new job, even though I have to wake up extra early..I'm not really a morning person. But at least I get out early in the afternoon....7am to 3pm...woo!!

Moving on to my hair....

I currently have a bob cut sew-in right now. It's cute and all, but it's a lot of work. I have to wake up 30 minutes earlier every morning just to bump it with the flat iron. I cant roller set it because it would give me too much of a bump and my hair would look like a helmet :/ I only have a small portion of my hair left out on top, but I feel bad because I have to flat iron it everyday just to get it to look right and blend evenly with the weave. The hot weather and humidity has been making my leave-out look so puffy and frizzy, so I have to blend it in. I hate the idea of using heat everyday on my real hair..even if its only a small piece...arghh! But I had no idea it would be this much trouble to get ready every single morning. I feel like taking out my weave already and I've only had it in for 3 weeks. I'm gonna leave it in my hair for another 3 weeks. After removing it, I'm gonna be rocking a curly wig. I'm in love with Freetress Creta Girl and Outre Evony. Either way, I will be buying them both. I'll wear them each for 2 months at a time. I dont plan on relaxing anytime soon. I want to keep going as far as I can. Who knows, maybe it will lead to transitioning which I've been thinking about for years now. What do you think? I feel that now that I have a new job and things are changing, I should probably change my hair and see the real me. As of now, I dont plan on relaxing anytime soon.

Time For Some Summer Reading!

2011-07-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

I always used to say that I'm gonna read more during the Summer. Even last Summer, I made a list of books I wanted to read. But for some reason, I never got around to it. Instead, I find myself spending hours in front of the computer or the TV. I always forget about books, get lazy and procrastinate about reading, especially during the hot sticky summer. I always envisioned myself laying on my bed with a book, while the AC is on full blast during the hot summer. But unfortunately, my room is the only room in the house with no AC, just a fan that isn't strong enough for this weather :( I think that's the reason why I always procrastinate.

But today, I don't know what got into me but I pushed myself out of my house, got into my car, and drove to the library for a book to read! I'm tired of the computer and TV. Time for some good reading. I didn't want to go overboard with how many books I got, because I know I'm not gonna read all of them. So I ended up getting only one book to start off my Summer Reading! Since I'm so into haircare, and understanding Black hair and all, I decided to get a book about the history of our hair. I've been wanting to read this book forever, but as I stated before, I was too lazy to do so :/

I picked up a copy of
Hair Story: Untangling The Roots Of Black Hair In America
Written by: Ayana D. Byrd & Lori L. Tharps
So far, this book is great! It's very evident that the authors clearly did their research on African American history and culture when writing this book. So much information I didn't even know about...and History is my favorite subject! I got this book a few hours ago from my local library and I'm already finished with the first chapter! I'm looking forward to the rest of the book! It basically talks about the role our hair plays starting from life before slavery till now. How we as Blacks, get treated and judged upon the texture and style of our hair. It's very interesting so far.

The next book on my list after I'm through reading this one, will have to be author Sapphire's new book which came out today! It's called "The Kid", and is a sequel to her other popular book "Push". It's supposed to be about how the son of Precious lives his life after she dies.

Summer Hair Trend: Top Knot Bun

2011-07-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

I stopped doing boring librarian buns since last year! I admit they helped out in my journey a lot by preserving my ends. But they were just so boring and unattractive, so I stopped doing them. About a month ago, I needed a cute protective style to put my hair in while I waited to get my summer sew-in. Wigs were out of the question because I really didn't feel like buying a wig at the time. I wanted to wear my real hair. One day I was browsing the Forever21 website and noticed how a lot of the models had their hair up in cute high buns. I started to get a little interested. Then of course, I went on Youtube and researched. I found a lot of videos of girls rocking the "Top Knot" bun. It's such a cute, classy style, and also chic! I decided to give it a try. I washed my hair and air dried. I wanted my hair to have a lot of volume so that my bun will be bigger. Since my hair is thick, I actually had to put it into 2 ponytails and connect them together to form one ponytail. I made sure the ponytail sat directly on the top of my head. I took the hair hanging out of the ponytail and wrapped it around. Then I secured it with bobby pins and voila! I had a cute high bun. Pics below!

Models rocking the Top Knot bun @Forever21.com

My Top Knot *No hair added* :)

Give it a try! I got a lot of compliments with this style. It's cute, fun, and a quick fix if you're in a hurry to go somewhere and you want to look nice. If your hair is shorter and/or thin, you can always use some weave that matches the real texture and color of your hair and wrap it around your ponytail and pin it down with bobby pins. Hope you like it!

Summer Braids

2011-07-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

2011 seems to be the year that braids are making a comeback! Not just any braids, but Janet Jackson "Poetic Justice" inspired braids, or Patra braids. The braids have to be long waist length to follow the trend. I did a post about this trend earlier this year. Lately, Solange Knowles has been rocking these braids a lot and I believe she bought the style back. These braids are very Bohemian chic and are a perfect style to wear this summer. My sister took down her weave not too long ago and didn't know what to do with her hair next. I suggested she did her hair in long box braids. She loved the fact that these style of braids are making a comeback and quickly decided to let me braid her hair. I didn't braid her hair in the traditional fat bulky big parting old school braids. I added a modern twist to it by making the braids and parting smaller. I also burned the ends to help preserve the style since she said she plans to leave them in for 4 months. Pics below!

My sisters hair before I started the long braiding process

A couple hours later
ALL DONE! Took forever but I'm glad the outcome came out good! Waist length, medium sized braids. I used 8 1/2 packs of Zury Kanekelon fiber hair.
I did a side parting for her.
She wanted the ends burned since she plans to leave them in for 4 months.
Trying to show you the size of the parting and the braids. They're medium sized.
Side View
Do you want to change your look this summer? Give these a try!

Save Some Money! Re-Use Your Old Hair!

2011-06-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

We're living in hard times right now. The economy is slowly getting better, but it's not quite there yet. As a college student with a part-time job, I don't always have the funds to buy the things I really want right away. A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and looked at my finances and saw that I really need to cut back on a lot of things in order to start saving money in my savings account. So far, it's been working. I initially planned to get a weave for the summer. I had in my mind already what type of hair I would use and everything! But when I calculated the cost of the hair I wanted to use including what I would be paying my stylist, the grand total amounted to $330 bucks! Um...there was no way I was gonna spend that amount of money being in the position I am right now.

So I decided to think smart! My Indique hair that I blogged about in previous posts was perfect for my situation. Indique hair is re-usable for up to a year! They're definitely worth the investment. I first got the Indique hair installed back in September 2010 till November 2010 and re-used it again in March 2011 till May 2011. September 2011 will make it a year! So I decided to use it for a final time. This will be my third time using it!

I was off from work today, and since I'm getting my hair done soon, I decided to use my free time to wash my Indique extensions!

Dirty hair waiting to be washed.

Fill your sink with semi-hot water!

I used Suave Clarifying Shampoo and Herbal Essence Moisturizing Conditioner as my only products.

Place all the hair in the sink of water. Water should a little hot to break down the dirt and oils in the hair.

Pour a good amount of shampoo into the palm of your hands and take 3-4 tracks at a time and lather them.

Place each piece aside after its been rinsed off.
After I rinsed out all the hair, I took about 3-4 tracks at a time, and added a dime size amount of conditioner and detangled with my wide tooth comb, then placed them aside. After all the pieces had conditioner, I rinsed it all out together under running water. The hair came out so soft! I didnt take pics of this process. After I rinsed everything, I took each track, piece by piece, detangled once again, and took out any thread that might have been left behind in the wefts. When I finished detangling every track, I combined all the hair together in a bundle and did a final comb through.

Final result (Air drying).
Nice soft and ready to be re-installed!

My Next Hairstyle.

2011-06-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

It's not even summer yet here in New York, and it already hit 98 degrees the other day....in Spring!! That's crazy..it's way TOO hot for this time of year. Imagine when Summer is actually here, how HOT it will be! I don't even wanna think about it...

Anyways, for this upcoming Summer, I need a hairstyle that will not only keep me cool but also make me look fierce of course! I need a style that stays out of my face and off of my back and shoulders. At first I wanted to get a curly sew-in using Bobbi Boss hair. But I came to realize that I need to save as much money as possible and quick, because I wont be working that much anymore in a few months since I plan on going to school full time. Using human hair is out of the question because I need hair that can last me a long time with out matting and tangling. Sadly, curly hair is out of the question for summer since the hair I want is kinda pricey. To save money, I decided to re-use my Indique hair for the third time....yes I said third...that hair is good! It can last for up to 1 year! After this install, I'll throw it away since it will be a year since I first got it..but Indique hair is a great investment ladies!

Since the hair I'm using is straight, I have to get a straight style. So I decided to go with a....drum roll please............

Asymmetrical A-line bob with side swept bangs!

Ok ok...I know I said before that I didn't want any hair on my face, but this style has side swept bangs so I don't think they'll really bother me since they don't fully cover my whole forehead. Besides, in the summertime, I don't spend a lot of time outside anyways. I'm mostly inside with the AC on during the day, and I go out at night when it gets cooler, so side swept bangs should be fine. There's something about this hairstyle that emulates style, class, sophistication and sex appeal..I love it! It's also a great style for summer. I was inspired by a couple of celebrities who rocked this hairstyle.

Check them out!

Keri Hilson
(I dont want my hair this short..just a 'lil longer but you get the idea)

Taraji P. Henson

Kelly Clarkston

Nicole Richie
(I would prefer this a little shorter with more layers but you get the point..I hope!)
Lauren Conrad
I hope you guys get the idea! I'm hoping to get the sew-in during the end of the month. I'm in the process of preparing my hair to make it strong to withstand the sew-in. :)

6 Month Hair Growth Update!

2011-05-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

Its been 6 months since I last had a trim. For those of you who follow me on Youtube, you probably already know that I was becoming frustrated with my hair being the same length for a whole year!! My hair was growing, but it wasn't retaining length because every time I would get a relaxer, my stylist would chop off my growth! Argh!! I never realized it until my November 2010 relaxer results, when I compared photos from all the times I relaxed that year. My hair was the same exact length all year round! I spent a lot of money from buying hair products, paying my stylist $70-$80 every 3-4 months to relax my hair, getting an expensive $150 sew-in (I'm a college student)....and for what? My hair remained the same length despite all the money I spent last year. So I decided to put my foot down and put a stop to this...madness! I got my last trim in November, and from then on I made the decision to not trim again until May 2011...6 months later. Here is a slide show video about me being the same length for 1 year...click here. I made a pact with my stylist to not trim my hair for 6 months, and she agreed...especially after viewing my video. She realized in fact she was trimming too much.

After November, I mainly wore my hair in cornrows and wore my wig over it as a protective style. I relaxed again 2 months later in January 2011. As promised, I did not get a trim in January and continued taking care of my hair as always. In March, I got a weave installed to give my hair a break. I took out the weave in May, and the following week I relaxed. I lost a lot of hair due to my new growth tangling up with my relaxed hair. I even had to cut a few of the knots out! I almost cried, but it wasn't that bad...just a small piece. My stylist relaxed my 4 month post relaxer hair and trimmed off only about 1/2 an inch to almost an inch of hair. Here is my 6 month "No Trim" progress video! I started out at #5 on my measurement shirt, and reached #8 in May! That's 3 inches! But now I'm between #7 and #8 because I got 1/2 an inch trimmed off.

Progress pic...
November 2010 relaxer (#5 on shirt)-May 2011 relaxer (between #7, #8 on shirt)

Milk of Magnesia...The Cure To Oily Skin!

2011-05-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

My Oily Skin History:
Since puberty around age 11 till now (22), I've always suffered with oily skin. My skin is not a normal oily. Sometimes, people tend to ask me if I'm sweating..can you imagine how oily that can be? I never thought twice about wearing make-up because I knew that the oils would seep right through the products making me look like a oil painting...ugh!

My Make-Up History:
I actually started wearing make-up last year around my 22nd birthday. And when I say I wore make-up, I mean only eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara for going out with my friends or special occasions. My eyelids get oily too but the primer I use controls it. Overtime, a oily face with eyeshadow just wasn't quite working out for me. Thank goodness I have nice skin (I've been told by MUA's at Sephora and Bobbi Brown), with no problem areas or blemishes, so make-up isn't always needed daily.

My Frustration:
I started getting tired of how much a oily mess I would look at the end of the day. My skin actually looks darker when it's oily. But when I wash my face, I return back to my normal color. When I'm at work, I have to visit the bathroom and blot my face every 2 hours. Sometimes when I'm done blotting my face with a brown paper towel, it would resemble a brown paper bag that contained a greasy cheeseburger...ugh. The only thing I like about oily skin is that it slows down the aging process, that's about it.

My Discovery and Purchase:
It wasn't until March, a few months ago, I finally put my foot down to find a solution for people like me to wear make-up like everybody else. I did my research and found that Milk of Magnesia was highly acclaimed to control oil. At first, I didn't know what Milk of Magnesia was. But I quickly learned it is used as a laxative...interesting. I bought a generic bottle of the M.O.M at my job for $1.69. Its the Shoprite brand, which claims to be comparable to the Phillips brand. The Phillips brand cost $5...what if it didn't work? I would feel better spending $2 on something for it to not work than spend $5. Yea, I know...I'm cheap lol.

The Application:
Start out with a clean washed face. I shook up the bottle and poured a couple drops in the bottle cap. I took a cotton round and dipped it in the laxative. I applied a thin layer on my whole face. If you apply too much, it WILL make your make-up look cakey. For a natural look, apply a thin layer. After the application you will look a little pale, that's normal. After that process is over, just apply you're make-up as normal. For the first time in my life, I wore liquid foundation with no problem! I set the foundation with a pressed powder, and finished off by applying eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss, and filling in my eyebrows.

The Verdict:
I will tell the truth, and the WHOLE truth..After about 8 or 9 hours of wearing this stuff, my make-up still looked like I just applied it! No oils seeped through at all! This product leaves me matte! I find that my nose gets really oily, so I need to apply a little more M.O.M to it. I also found myself powdering my nose because it was getting shiny from time to time. But shine is better than oil! This product is amazing! I cant believe a laxative can control my oil with ease the way it does..oh-em-gee! The only problem I have with it is that it's hard to wash off and leaves a gummy residue to my face. But no worries, by the morning time after I wash my face again, there's no residue left. I give this product 4.9 stars! I deducted a point for the gummy residue. Amazing product and great price! Any readers out there with oily skin, please give this a try. You don't know what you're missing!

FreeTress Amerie Lace Wig Full Review

2011-05-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

After doing months of research to find a wig that would hide my hair as a protective style while I wait to get a relaxer, I finally landed on the Freetress Amerie wig. I saw many good reviews on this wig on Youtube and fell in love. I also had 3 other runner-ups, but Amerie beat them and won my heart.

After all she was just what I wanted....

- Long (about 18-20 inches)

- Straight

- Futura fibers, which gives me the option to curl it (Y'all know I love my long sultry curls)

I finally placed the order last Sunday and received her 2 days later. I still had my sew-in, so I couldn't try her on. I finally took my weave down on Friday night. Saturday night, I washed my hair, detangled and braided into 6 fat cornrows. I have way too much new growth to braid my hair into the skinny cornrows...which are also too time consuming. I cut the lace off the wig and tried it on and...Omg...

I was expecting a certain look...This is the look of Amerie on the model..gorgeous!!

but I got Morticia Addams instead...I don't know if it was because my hair underneath the wig is too thick or what? I guess this wig is perfect for those who just got a fresh relaxer, or for those who don't have thick hair as I do. When I wear this wig, there's an obvious "hill" on the top my head, just like Morticia. I guess the braids need to be laid flat which is impossible with my new growth.

Also, this wig is very SHINY! Oh-em-gee..those ladies on Youtube who reviewed this wig and said it looked very natural are not telling the whole truth..but then again, maybe they're being paid to review the product and give it a good review *shakes head*. This wig is so shiny, people can actually tell that you're wearing a wig or fake hair. It also tangles very easily. I find myself brushing it every 5 minutes. The shedding is not too bad though.

Lets talk about the hairline. The hairline is pretty good...at a distance! If somebody is having a conversation with you face to face, they WILL know that you're wearing a lace wig, trust me. The lace is not invisible. The parting in this wig is so annoying. They only give you like a 1/4 inch of parting space which is not enough. This wig also has some layers cut in the front. The hair can get pretty annoying because of the length, so most of the time I like to wear it in a side ponytail. When I do, the layers on one side cant even go into the ponytail, and sticks out..ugh I hate that.

This wig claims to be made of futura fibers, which means that it's curling iron safe. I really hated how stick straight the hair was, so I tried to curl it with both my curling iron and flat iron. I used the curling iron first and set it to 400 degrees. I took a piece of hair and curled it for 2 minutes. When i unraveled the iron from the hair, the curl was very limp and quickly reverted back to straight....huh? So I tried it again, and it did the same thing. I took out my Sedu flat iron, and set it to 410 degrees. I tried curling the hair and it didn't budge -_- at ALL! I gave up and left it straight.

I went out with this wig to the mall today. I felt that my confidence was a lot lower when I wore this out. It felt like people were staring at my hair and automatically assuming it was a wig. Maybe they weren't but I felt like they were. Normally, I make eye contact with people when I speak to them, but with this wig, I caught myself staring at the floor a lot or avoiding eye contact. This wig makes me appreciate being on a healthy journey and growing my hair out so that I wont have to wear wigs ever again. Yes wigs are there as a way to switch up your style and also protect and grow your hair. But some wigs just take your confidence levels down because of the way they turn out other than what you expected of them. I think that's what happened between me and this wig. Thankfully, I wont have to leave my house all week since I have this whole week off from work. I'll be getting a relaxer on Thursday so that i can rock my real hair once again. I think I'll only rock this wig to church lol.

Forgot to mention the color. I ordered this wig in a 1B (off black), but it came out like the color 1 (jet black). It is way too dark to be a 1b..smh.

I Can't Do It!

2011-05-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

I took down my sew-in last night with the help of my stylist. My plan was to get a blow out, trim and flat iron next week in time for my birthday. I'm currently 4 months post relaxer and my new growth is getting all tangled up with my relaxed hair! Its so annoying! Even after i spent hours in the bathroom detangling, I'm still finding new tangles. Last night, I detangled and put my hair into 6 braids so that I can have a easy wash day in the morning. I washed, did a light protein treatment and deep conditioned my hair while it was still in the braids. After washing, I took the braids down and detangled once more with my head under the shower head, just to make sure everything was all detangled. I couldn't air dry, because I know how my shrinkage gets. When I get shrinkage, its almost impossible for me to do anything with my hair because it always somehow finds a way to get tangled. So I opted to blow dry on cool air so that I can do some cornrows with my hair in order to wear my new wig. I started washing my hair this morning at 11:30AM...tell me why is it 1:48AM and I'm still doing my hair?? This is crazy! While I was blow drying my hair, I found 3 big dreadlocks in the back of my head. This area is the most kinkiest. I spent hours finger detangling my hair and I'm still not done!

I'm changing my plans. Originally, I said I would relax in October at 9 months post. I cant even handle my hair while its 4 months post so I cant even imagine detangling it at 9 months. I work 6 days a week so that leaves me with 1 off day, Saturdays. That's the only day I have available in the week to really sit down and put all my focus on my hair. I'm young..I'm about to be 23. I dont want to spend my whole weekend detangling my hair and miss out on having fun with my friends. I was invited to two parties today, but I turned them both down for my hair. Life is a lot better and easier when my hair is relaxed. If I decided to go natural, I don't think I would be able to transition..I would have to big chop right away :( This is crazy...my hair has a mind of its own. My new growth is so strong , thick and resistant. And I'm done fighting this long battle with it. I'm throwing in the towel and relaxing for my birthday...*sigh*

My Current Hair Agenda: May 2011

2011-05-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

I am currently 4 months post relaxer. My last relaxer was on January 14, 2011. I had a weave installed on March 6th and I still have it in my hair. I am expected to remove it on May 13th. The following week, I will be getting my hair washed, blow dried, and flat ironed professionally for my birthday. I will also be getting my first trim for 2011. My last trim was with my November 2010 relaxer. I'm trying to trim my hair twice a year because it seems like my hair is stuck at the same length and I'm tired of it. For the rest of May and for the whole month of June, I will be deep conditioning my hair weekly to prepare it for the sew-in I will be getting at the end of June. I will be leaving that weave on until the end of August. The whole month of September I will be deep conditioning my hair weekly to prepare for my October relaxer hopefully. I will be 9 months post...OMG! I will also be trimming with my October relaxer too. So far those are my plans!

My new growth under my sew-in (4 months post)

My First Lace Front Wig: Freetress Equal Amerie

2011-05-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

I am currently 4 months post relaxer and I still have my sew-in installed. I will be taking down my sew-in in a few days and letting my hair breathe for a month before getting my summer sew-in. I decided to hide my hair with a wig because my new growth is so coarse, and I don't want to look "un-kept" lol. Seriously I have no idea what I'm gonna do with my hair with all the new growth I have. Buns are out of the question and so are roller sets. I want my hair to be completely hidden away. I've been watching some videos about wigs on Youtube and finally fell upon some reviews for a wig by Freetress Equal called Amerie. It seems like a popular wig, based on the amount of reviews I've found about it. I wanted something long, and straight, that also gives me a chance to curl it when I feel like rocking some curls. Amerie seems like it fits the bill. I ordered her on Sunday night (May 8, 2011), and received her today (May 10, 2011). The shipping was so fast! I ordered her from Beautyofnewyork.com. I guess since I live in NY that's the reason behind why it shipped out so quickly. But I will come back with another post about what I think about the Amerie wig. Stay tuned.

This is how she looks on the model...pretty right?

I made sure to pick out a no glue or tape lace front.

Curling iron safe of up to 400 degrees.
I got it in my natural hair color to match!
The shipping was crazy. I dont know why it was so high, especially since the company who delievered it (Beautyofnewyork.com) is located in my state. But they were the only company with the color 1B, so I had no choice... *sigh*

Make-Up Haul

2011-04-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to get into make-up! I was never huge on make-up before because of my overly oily skin and the fear of looking like a oil painting by the end of the day. But my discovery of using Milk of Magnesia took that all away! I'm in love with make-up now that I found Milk of Magnesia to prime and mattify my face so that my make-up actually stays on for hours! I will probably do a separate review for that. But anyhow, I've been picking up quite a few things here and there these past couple of weeks to add to my little make-up stash. This post is just on the items I've purchased so far in April, and late March. They're a combination of mostly drugstore and a few high end make-up products.

From left to right
Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder- $3.00
Duo Adhesive- $6.49
NYX Lip pencils- $2.99 each
Maybelline Falsies Mascara- $5.04
MAC PeachyKeen blush- $19.50
Maybelline Colorsensational Coral Crush lipstick-$4.99
Rimmel Eyeliner- $3.14
Elf Gel liner- $3.00
MAC Saint Germain lipstick- $14.50
Elf angled eyeliner brush- $3.00
Revlon Coral Reef lipgloss- $9.49

Total (without Tax) = $78.13

Wow...Make-up is expensive and I didn't even buy a lot! I had no idea I spent that much lol..and most of them are drugstore products!

Out of all of them, my top 3 are definitely MAC's PeachyKeen blush, Maybelline's Falsies Mascara, and Revlon Coral Reef lipgloss. I feel that Peachykeen and the Coral Reef lipgloss go perfectly together...especially for Spring and Summer! I know I'll be rocking them together as a everyday look probably.

For those of you who missed out on Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday lipstick...definitely go pick up some of MAC's Saint Germain! It is the exact same color as her lipstick..just a different name (in my opinion). And its more pigmented too...Nicki's lipstick was more sheer. This is the only item I got from the Quite Cute collection...only to find out that it was part of MAC's permanent line ugh..But anyways, I love it!

My Edgy Spring Nails!

2011-03-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I visited a nail salon I've never been to for the first time in my area. I feel so tired of Winter so I wanted to try a bright look that would cheer me up and make me welcome Spring! In my head, I thought of a nice look to try and surprisingly...it came out the same way I envisioned it! I bought along my China Glaze Japanese Koi nail polish, which is the neon bright orange polish I used to make the look POP! I will definitely be returning to that salon!

(With flash)

(With no flash)

They were also shooting a commercial in the salon while I was there, and asked me to be in it lol! I'm shy, and I thought I wasn't ready. I had on some make-up, but my hair was a little wild, and my eyebrows weren't done, so I declined. But they did get some shots of my nails for their commercial!

OOTN [3.18.11]..My first!

2011-03-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

This is the first time that I'm sharing photos of myself lol..a little shy but..here goes!

Last Friday, me and my bff Stephanie went to a nightclub in NYC! This is just the outfit I wore to it. Even though we spent 45 minutes trying to look for a parking space, we didn't let that ruin our good times lol.

Blazer: Charlotte Russe
Earrings: Charlotte Russe
Shirt & Necklace: Forever 21
Leather Leggings: Express
Platform Shoes: Bamboo

Wishlist: March 2011

2011-03-17T18:46:00.001-07:00

Just a few things I have my eyes on at the moment...*sigh*

Aldo Cyphert Handbag
..perfect neutral bag for Spring!
Kinda reminds me of the Birken Bag..hehe
Price: $45
Aldo Bogner earrings
...these are HOT!
Price: $15

American Apparel Bodysuit
..great for nights out at the club!
Price: $44

American Apparel Disco Pants
..love these..a lil pricey but I like!
Price: $82
I love how my favorite bloggers 4acesdate rock them too..get em' girls!

Bamboo Colada pumps in Taupe
..These would be great for Easter Sunday
Price: $23.80

My Sew-In with Pin Curls!

2011-03-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

I got a sew-in installed last Sunday [March 6, 2011]. It is exactly 1 week and 1 day old. I used the same hair from my last sew-in and also got the same Kim Kardashian inspired hairstyle..I love love love that style! Saturday night, I decided to curl my hair for church on Sunday. I sectioned off my hair first. Then, I used a 1" curling iron and got to work! Every curl that I did, I used a roller clip to clip it down. After I finished, I wrapped my hair in a satin scarf and went to bed. When I woke up in the morning, I showered, got dressed and took out the pins. I ran my fingers slightly to give it a more natural look. Throughout the day, the curls fell beautifully! I'll explain in another post how I maintain my curls throughout the week.

My hair before I started curling. Excuse my oily face! Ugh

After curling my hair, I pincurled each curl while it was still hot to hold its shape when I take it down.

Right side

Left side..pin curls dont have to be perfect.
The next morning after removing the pins.
Left side..I curled the stray hairs later on.
Right side
Re-curling the hairs that didn't come out well before heading to work.

Shoes For Less: Steve Madden vs Bamboo

2011-03-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been feening for a pair of nice platform, round toe pumps with some height added to it. Most of my shoes consist of flats since I'm 5 ft 8...but I'm learning to love my height and wear heels no matter what. I am slowly building up a heel collection. Anyways, Steve Madden released a pair of platform pumps a while ago and I've had my eyes on them ever since. They're called "Caryssa". They are 5 inches tall and the platform is 1.25 inches. They come in a variety of colors and textures (suede, patent, and leather), and originally retailed for $89.95. Currently they're on sale for $69.95. I'm always trying to look for alternative ways to save money since I'm a student with a part time job. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $70 on the Steve Maddens. So I did my research and....drum roll please! I found an exact identical twin to the Steve Madden Caryssa's at a fraction of the price! They're made from a company called Bamboo. The shoe is called Bamboo Colada-01 and retails for $30 bucks. I saw them on Urbanog.com for $24 but the color I wanted was sold out! One day, I went to a store called Mandees in the mall just to browse. I guess it was my lucky day because I found them there! Luckily my size was the last of the pair. I tried them on and they fit true to size! Pretty easy to walk in too. They have the same measurements as the Caryssa's. They are 5 inches tall with a 1.25 inch platform...perfect for a night out at the club. Bamboo is not the only one copying the Steve Maddens shoes. There are many websites such as Charlotte Russe, and others with their own version, you just have to look. Trust me, the Bamboo Colada's look EXACTLY like the Steve Madden Caryssa's. I'm thinking of getting the nude color for Easter..lol..stay tuned.

Steve Madden Caryssa Pumps

Bamboo Colada-01 Pumps

Do You Have An Alter Ego?

2011-02-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

In the past couple of months, I quickly discovered that I have an alter ego! This all happened a few months ago back when I got my Kim Kardashian inspired sew-in. First off, I'm the type of girl who's kind of shy, really quiet, and never likes to be the center of attention. My fashion sense was very casual and low-key. I would never dare to ever wear heels anywhere except for church! I never wore bold jewelry or any eyeshadow or large earrings or anything to show my girly side. I just sort of kept to myself until.....I got that sew-in! I promise..everything changed right before my eyes! All of a sudden, I started looking at bold and daring shoes to wear out to anywhere! Even to the supermarket! I even bought some cute heeled boots and wore them to school...mind you...I never in my life wore heels to school before on a typical day. I started becoming more interested in make-up. I started going shopping more often for more fashionable clothes. I actually kept up with the fashion trends for the Fall/Winter 2010-2011 season. My wardrobe is suddenly growing to be more exciting now. I've bought so much shoes, I don't know where to put them at times. Guys even started to take more notice of me too. They've approached me a few times...even White guys [which is pretty rare for me]. After removing the weave, I feel like I gained some sort of confidence that stuck with me! Both men and women have given me compliments in the past couple of months with/without the weave..it doesn't matter. I feel that the weave was the push that I needed to finally break out of my closed shell. I even started smiling more often..I was never a big smiler in the past because I always felt so uncomfortable with everything. I'm able to look at people in their eyes now. In the past, when I spoke to somebody, I would look anywhere but into their eyes. I feel like I can walk with my head high now, with or with out the weave. But I'm so glad that the weave I got was able to make me find a self that I never knew I had. I'm going to be reinstalling the weave again in a few weeks just in time for Spring! I don't know what to name my alter ego LOL. But she truly comes out when I have my hair freshly relaxed and styled in blunt bangs with my hair hanging down, and of course she comes out when I have a wonderful weave. But she hides when my hair is in a bun or ponytail [I try to avoid those 100%]. Im not saying I dont have confidence with my hair in a bun..but I'm just a lot more less outgoing :/

Check out the photo's below for celebrity alter egos.

When she's with family & friends, she's Beyonce, Southern belle from Texas. But when she performs, she transforms to Sasha Fierce!

Normal Trina transfoms to the Baddest Bitch

Kelly Rowland goes from grungy to glamorous!

2011 Trend: Box Braids!

2011-02-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

I thought box braids were...#dead for years! Lately, I've been seeing a lot of girls with Kim Kardashian inspired weaves, asymmetrical bob hair cuts, Nicki Minaj inspired blunt bangs with weave, and literally ALL of Rihanna's hairstyles [except for any with the Red hair]. But 2011 started not too long ago, and already an old trend is making a comeback...braids! Check out Solange Knowles and Brandy Norwood's braids so far this year. These braids remind me of Janet Jackson in her Poetic Justice movie. I love them, but I cant see myself with braids anymore...I've moved on to sew-in's now since I find that braids tend to make my ends thin out the longer my hair grows.

Braids are a great way to grow out your hair. It gives your real hair a chance to rest and thrive also while giving you a break from doing your hair every morning. Just wake up and go! But I do recommend washing your braids every 2 weeks, also conditioning them as well. Don't forget to moisturize and seal the braids to nourish your real hair underneath. Make sure that the perimeter of the hair line is not braided too tightly, or else it can lead to breakage at the hairline. These medium sized braids that Brandy and Solange are rocking are a great size if you don't want to spend hours taking them down when it's time to remove them. I think those long braids are chic and unique! The long lengths remind me of something "Boho-chic"..love it!

Spring Hurry Up! [Pink Nails]

2011-02-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

I live in New York, and lately we've been getting at least 1 snow storm a week! From late December till early February, we've already had a total of 7 or 8 snow storms! Crazy. The temperatures have dropped dramatically. We are currently in the negatives as I type. Lately, I've been so reminiscent of the Spring season because I have winter blues. I love Spring and all the nice bright colors associated with the season. From flowers to fashion, Spring ranges in a variety of pastels, blues, nudes, purples and my favorite...pinks! To accommodate my feelings for Spring, I went to the nail salon and brought along my China Glaze "Pink Voltage" polish along with me. This color just adds a splash of brightness, happiness, and makes me kind of forget about this dreadful Winter. I've gotten a lot of compliments about my nails too. I love how the Barbie pink color meshes well with my skin tone :)

Small Haul: Earrings & Lip Products

2011-02-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

I went to the mall today and picked up a few things. Recently, I fell in love with feather earrings! I think they're so cute and different from what I normally wear. So I decided to pick up a pair today. That's really all I wanted, but of course I picked up a few unexpected things lol. Just wanted to share what I got.

I got these thread wrapped earrings from Charlotte Russe

I got the second pair from Charlotte Russe. Both pairs were 2 for $8

I got these lovely feather earrings from Wetseal. They were $6.50
Then I went to the MAC counter and picked up the "PRR Lipglass".
Afterwards, I went to Target and picked up Maybellines ColorSensations Totally Toffe in #215 to go with the Mac lipglass. These two were made for each other!

Do you see how well they go together? I love love love it! Will review it soon on my lips!
The color on the left is MAC's PRR Lipglass, and the color on the right is Maybelline's ColorSensational in Totally Toffe.

2011 Updates

2011-02-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

I've been away from my blog for a month now. It's not that I was busy or anything like that. I haven't been blogging for a while because I needed a break from sitting in front of the computer all the time! If I'm not at work, then I'm home surfing the web or sleeping. I took Spring semester off from school because I'm going to a new school possibly in the Fall and I'm pretty much finished with all my prerequisite classes. So I have more free time to be online. I don't go out that much and stay indoors about 85% of the time. One of my resolutions for the year was to lose weight. It's not healthy to sit down in front of the computer for a number of hours, which was exactly what I was doing. I was inactive and started packing on a few pounds. So I decided to take a break. The break allowed me to catch up on some TV shows too! My new favorite shows are now The Office, Park & Recreation, New Adventures of Old Christine, Gossip Girls, and even the news LOL. I haven't started working out yet because I still need to find time to go sign up for the gym. But yesterday, I bought a digital weight scale! I'm moving in the right direction...lol. Now all I need is some workout clothes and sneakers and my gym membership, and I'll be good to go.

Anyways, lets talk about hair. I relaxed after 8 weeks post on January 14th. The relaxer went pretty well. I didn't shed that much. If I go past 8 weeks, I usually start shedding like crazy. But since I relaxed at 8 weeks post, I didn't have that problem. My cousin relaxed my hair and with my orders, she didn't trim. My ends held up pretty well too. I was able to retain an inch of growth! I took pictures but I will be doing a big reveal of my hair progress this coming May, my birthday month. Other than my relaxer, I've been protecting my hair under my half wig every single day. I'm getting so bored and tired with this wig. I so desperately need a change, so Im thinking about getting another sew-in when I'm 8 weeks post. Which means that I'll have to stretch my relaxer to 16 weeks since I will be leaving the weave in for 2 months. I will be 8 weeks post on March 11th, so this will be the day when I'll get my sew-in! Just in time for Spring. I think I'm gonna go for the same Kim Kardashian inspired sew-in I had last time...or maybe a Teyana Taylor inspired weave with loose curls. Curly weaves are always cute and suitable for warmer weather since you can wash and go with them. Decisions, decisions...Stay tuned!

Happy New Years!

2010-12-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

Wow....where did 2010 go? This year literally flew by. I remember New Years Eve last year like it just happened yesterday....crazy!

Anyways, every year when New Years is approaching, I get a little excited because I have a chance to start over on a fresh page. I know a lot of people see New Years as just another day, but for me, it's a fresh start. Every year at my house, my family cleans the whole house from top to bottom, does ALL the laundry so that there's not one dirty piece of clothing in the house, and throws away things we don't need so that we can have a fresh start for the year. A lot of people do "Spring Cleaning", but we do "New Years Cleaning" lol...Also, a lot of people don't believe in making resolutions simply because they can never keep them. But for me, when I put my mind into something, I can achieve it. I only make resolutions that I know are possible for me to reach. Most of the resolutions I made last year, I completed them! So I have a new list of resolutions for 2011.

2011 Resolutions:

1. Lose some weight

2. Eat healthier. Eliminate fast food and junk food from my vocabulary and diet

3. Go to the gym 3 times a week (starting January 1st)

4. Finally get to BSL

5. Save $2000-$3000 in savings (I'm a broke college student with a part time job)

6. Re-invent myself. Since my hair is getting longer and healthier, I want to focus on make-up and weight loss now

7. Go to a new school to finish nursing

8. Put more faith in God and praise him more

9. Drink water more often than juice

10. Be more generous

11. Clean my room on a regular basis...I'm so lazy at times lol

12. Re-decorate my room

13. Take care of my skin

14. Prioritize better

15. Have more self-control

16. Get 8 hours of sleep every night

17. Stop spending so much time in front of the computer, and read more books

18. Be more frugal

Frugal Eyebrows

2010-12-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't gotten my eyebrows done since November 13th! Its been a month and 5 days and I've been walking around with cave woman eyebrows...lol. But lately, I haven't really cared for my appearance because I've been too busy studying for finals, working, and being too tired for...everything! I waited a month to let my eyebrows grow back because when I last got them done, I hated the way they turned out. Lee, the lady who does my eyebrows at the nail salon, is very popular because she's the most skill full worker. So at times, I feel like her "celebrity" gets in the way and she just does what she feels like because she knows that you'll come back to her. I live in a small town, so there's not a lot of options when it comes to getting your eyebrows done by someone you know who does it good. People usually come back to her but never know what to expect. Well, I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want someone to mess up my eyebrows and expect me to come back in 2 weeks. I decided today that I will start doing my own eyebrows again. I remember when I was in the 7th grade, I used to do them myself and I was pretty good! Until I was old enough to get a job and relied on others to make them look good. I want to save money and do them myself and have them come out how I want them to come out. Today I went to CVS and bought a few eyebrow tools. When I got home, I got to working on my eyebrows!

Tools:

2 eyebrow brushes (bristle brush & 1/2 brush 1/2 comb)
Eyebrow pencil to fill in brows
Eyebrow shaper
Eyebrow scissors
Tweezers

One side is done, the other side is not. I'm just trying to show a comparison. For the eyebrow that's done, I tweezed them, shaped them and trimmed them. Then I filled them in with a dark brown pencil. I know I need to fill it in more towards the beginning, but it was late and I wasn't going anywhere so I didn't bother lol. No more paying $7 bucks every 2 weeks to get them done again!

Blow Drying Relaxed Hair Safely!

2010-12-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Relaxed hair, as you already know, is a lot weaker than natural hair. The chemicals in the relaxer break down the protein bonds in the hair strands making your hair more susceptible to breakage and damage. Everything you do to your hair should be done carefully and with caution to avoid a setback.

Yesterday night, I decided to blow dry and flat iron my hair. I am currently 2 weeks post relaxer. After a fresh relaxer, my hair tends to have that flatness that I hate! So I always use my one and only heat pass when I'm 2 weeks post just to check to see if my thickness is still there.

Blow drying my hair safely:
-Wash/light protein/deep condition/leave-in/moisturizing heat protectant
-Air dry for 2 hours
-Section hair into 4 parts
-Before blow drying each part, apply a pea size amount of moisturizing heat protector
-Blow dry section with lukewarm air
-Use wide tooth comb to detangle section while blow drying
-Don't hold dryer to close to the hair, hold a few inches away so that the heat distributes evenly

Results:
Hair should be nice, thick and have a lot of flow!

Eating Healthy: Turkey Burgers infused with Salsa & Swiss Cheese!

2010-12-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of 2010, one of my goals for this blog was to blog about random new meals I tried. Well, this year, I tried several new things, but just never got around to blogging about them. The pictures never came out right in my eyes. If you're gonna post a food blog, I like it when the picture is nice and crystal clear. My pics never came out that way, so I never tried to even blog. Well today, I was starving and wanted something fresh and new. I decided to try a new meal. It was delicious!! I took pictures, and guess what? For some reason this time around, the photos came out pretty decent!

I made turkey burgers infused with salsa and Swiss cheese and added a side of boiled broccoli and carrots!

Ingredients:
(You will need)

1 pound of ground turkey

1 can of Original Rotel Salsa
1/2 of a lime (to clean meat)

Slices of Swiss cheese (optional)

(depends on how many burgers you want with cheese)

1 Maggie chicken bouillon cube

Instructions:
Start out by boiling the brocolli and carrots first because you want them to be nice and tender. Remove ground turkey from packaging and place in a large bowl. Squeeze juice out of 1 half of a lime over the meat. Crush 1 Maggie chicken bouillon cube with your fingers and sprinkle over the meat. Mix everything together with your hands. Open the can of Rotel and drain the water out first. Pour salsa over the meat and mix together with your hands. Put your skillet on the stove and add about 2 table spoons of vegetable oil to it. Shape burgers and place them in the skillet. For burgers with cheese, place 1 slice of cheese on top of burger and place another burger on top of cheese. The cheese should be sandwiched in the middle. Let each side cook on the skillet for about 5-7 minutes each. In about 25-30 minutes or so, everything should be good and ready to eat! Bon Appetit!

November 2010 Relaxer Updates.

2010-11-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I relaxed my hair last Friday (11/19/10) at 17 weeks post relaxer! I got about 2.5 inches of growth, but guess what?? My stylist TRIMMED it! So now, I'm back to the same ol' length I was last November 2009. Basically, I get a relaxer every 12 weeks and my cousin trims off an inch or so every time I relax. A inch is what I usually grow in 12 weeks, so basically it's like starting back at square 1. I've learned that this is the WRONG thing to do if your aim is to grow your hair out. You will never get length if you trim EVERY single time you relax.

It wasn't until the other day, I was comparing photos of my progress for the year, or lack thereof, of my length. I can't believe my hair is the same length after a year! Its not that I have a bad regimen or bad products, because my regimen is working out wonderfully for my hair. My hair is thick, full, and bouncy, its just the length retention. I wear my hair in protective styles 90% of the time, but it seems like every time my relaxer date rolls around, my stylist just trims off what I grew. I love my stylist and everything, but it seems like I'm wasting money on having the same length for a whole friggin year. I've spent hundreds of dollars on this hair journey and barely APL is what I have to show for it after being on this journey for 4 years? That's crazy. You guys I really don't know what to do. Seriously I should have been MBL by now. I'm gonna start putting my foot down and telling my cousin to stop cutting my hair so much. I think I'm gonna get a trim twice a year for 2011, because I want to see length already. My hair is pretty healthy, its just the length that I'm tired of. I am truly disappointed and I actually wasn't gonna share my relaxer results with you all. I was thinking of going on hiatus and coming back when I reach BSL! But for some reason, I cant seem to stay away from updating you all on my progress.

My cousin said the reason why she trims with every relaxer is because I stretch too long. The longer my hair gets, the less stretching I have to do. I do get a lot of shedding, but my hair still comes out thick after I relax. She said when I shed so much, it kills my ends, so that's why she trims the ends every time. So she and I have come to an agreement to relax my hair every 8 weeks so that she wont have to trim so much, and so that I can retain some length. And I stand firm when I say I'm only trimming twice a year, every 6 months. Lets get this hair journey started over!

November 2009 relaxer

February 2010 relaxer

November 2010 relaxer...
I'm SO disappointed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish all my readers and followers a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy sitting around the table eating dinner with your family and loved ones, because I know I will! I'm hungry! Lol..I cant wait to eat some warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top, my favorite holiday dessert! I also made delicious potato salad to bring to the party later on. Remember to be safe and have fun! Allow time to digest your food before heading out for those crazy Black Friday deals! I will be updating you all later on how my Thanksgiving went, and also my relaxer results. Stay tuned!

Vanessa Hudgens Inspired Nails

2010-11-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

I got my nails done yesterday and really liked the combo that Vanessa Hudgens was wearing at a Red Carpet event. So I bought my blue China Glaze "For Aubrey" along with me to the salon. The gold color is from the salon....I dont know what the name of the color is. I like it!

Forever 21/Charlotte Russ/H&M: Small Haul.

2010-11-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

I promised myself that I wouldn't go shopping this month...but I had a Doctors appointment last Thursday and the mall was right around the corner. I had nothing to do, so I intended to go window shopping. I ended up spending $50 bucks lol..I need to control myself! But anyways, I just wanted to share with you all what I bought!

I stopped by Forever21 first and didn't see anything really interesting. I bought 2 bras that came together for $8.80 (no pics). I also got 3 pairs of socks for 0.95 cents each! What a deal!

I also bought a really cute diamond encrusted flower ring for $5.50.

Then I went over to Charlotte Russe and bought this cute bow necklace! It was $6.50

Lastly, I went over to H&M and bought these cute lace-up wedges for $34.95. I plan on wearing them with tights or harem pants, and a loose top.

In total, I spent a little over $50 bucks. No more shopping until Black Friday. That's it for my itty bitty haul!

Big Announcement!

2010-11-10T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I have a big announcement!

Me and my stylist a.k.a cousin, has both teamed up to start up our own Youtube channel! I've been getting a lot of comments about who does my hair and all, and my cousin just recently did her big chop to natural hair. So we thought, we would form a channel together just for the love of hair! Our channel mainly focuses on our love of both relaxed and natural hair. We will have numerous hair tutorials, including a much anticipated real life relaxer tutorial on my own hair done by cousin! We will also do fashion videos and hauls, discussions, and also cooking videos! Last but not least, if we get enough subscribers, we will be doing fabulous contests and giveaways! Including a free FABULOUS weave by my lovely cousin. BUT we need a certain number of subscribers for that.

I was always nervous to do videos by myself, which explains why my face is always hidden in my own personal Youtube channel. I will still keep my own personal channel and update it regularly of course. Im not getting rid of it. With our new channel, my subbies will have a chance to get acquainted with me because you will be seeing more of my face instead of the back of my head lol. I'm not shy anymore since it will be me and my cousin together. We already have 1 video up.

Our new channel is: www.youtube.com/fashionhairfitters. Subscribe so you can see how we have fun with our hair as we manage to grow it out!

My cousin doing my hair. Those stains on my neck/scalp are from the Black rinse hair color.

New Protective Style!

2010-11-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

I finally got my hands on the Sensationnel HZ 7004 half wig! I ordered it like 3 months ago from Clairhair.com , but they sent me an email telling me it was sold out and that I would have to wait 3 weeks for restock. Out of frustration and impatience, I canceled my order and they reimbursed my money back into my account. Clairhair really disappointed me at that point and time, and I will not be ordering from them again. They could at least put on their website that it was sold out! I cant stand disorganization. Anyways, its about that time now to remove my sew-in. I've had it since September 5th and its quickly approaching 2 months on November 5th. I'm so sad, because my hair still looks great! But I'm really missing caring for my real hair underneath. Especially since my relaxer date is in 2 weeks, I need to treat it in order to prepare it for the relaxing process. I have almost 15 weeks (almost 4 months) worth of new growth, and I don't know what I'm gonna do to my hair! Putting it into a bun is NOT an option either. I'm sick and tired of buns, and sometimes feel like they subtract from your beauty and make you look like plain Jane. I dunno, it depends on how creative you are when you're styling it up. But anyways, I needed a half wig to wear to make me look suitable until I relax on November 19th (hopefully). I needed something simple but not too boring to help me out for the next 2 weeks. I decided to purchase the Sensationnel HZ 7004, this time from Hairsisters.com. I think I received my package 5 days later. But anyhow, I hope it looks good on me and will update you all!

New Shoes!

2010-11-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Remember my last post? The one titled Currently Wanting? Well I got one of the things I wanted! I fell in love with the Aldo wedges when I saw Dulcecan dy87 and AllThingsFabulous101 model them in their outfit of the day posts on their blogs. Luckily, I still saw them on the Aldo website, but they retailed for $90 bucks. Aldo shoes run really small, so I didn't want to risk the chance and order them because I wasn't sure if they would fit me. I forgot about them...until one day at school. While I was in school, I was waiting for my brother to finish his class so we can go home together. I decided to kill time by going to the computer lab to wait for him. I went to the Aldo website and did some window shopping. I happen to come across the wedges that I wanted, and to my surprise, they were marked down half price! That's right! They went from $90 to $45 bucks! Which was a steal for me! So I called my local Aldo store to ask them if they had the shoes in stock. They told me they didn't have the color I wanted in stock, but they carried the black one. I wanted to try them on before ordering, so I told the sales associate to hold them for me. I went to the store and tried on my normal size, and let me tell you.....only half my foot could fit into the shoe! What is it with Aldo shoes running so small? So I asked for a bigger size. I tried them on, and they fit like a glove! So I ordered the Camel colored wedged shoes last Friday and got them about 10 days later. I ordered from the store, so I got free shipping. I love them! Definitely a staple for Fall, Spring and Summer! Since Aldo shoes run so small, I never bought a pair of shoes from them ever. This is my first pair of Aldo shoes and I love them!

Tory Burch Reva Ballerina Flat Review

2010-10-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Fall is here, and about 2 weeks ago I was in dire need of a pair of cute, durable ballet flats to accentuate my feminine Fall clothing pieces. I cant wear boots and heels everyday, so a good pair of flats were greatly needed in my wardrobe. I wanted a pair of cute, chic, & comfortable flats that I know will last me years without falling apart. I couldn't rely on cheap shoes from places like Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe because I know they wont last long, and they aren't that comfortable either. So I started to think about Designer flats. After all the research I did on style, comfort, and durability I stumbled upon the Tory Burch Reva Ballerina Flats. I had my eyes on the black pair with the gold Tory Burch logo on the toe part...so classy and cute! My style is kind of classy conservative chic, so I know these flats would fit perfectly into my wardrobe. They retailed for $195 before tax, which is a pretty reasonable price for something that will last long. It came up to $212 with free shipping! I ordered my shoes from Shopbop.com on October 6th and received them October 12th.

I love how the flat is all Black and the Gold logo just adds a very nice classy spark. They're really comfortable! I ordered them in my normal size and all my toes sat snuggled in the flat. My pinky toe wasn't rubbing against the shoe, and the bottom of my foot felt like I was walking on clouds with the soft padding they added to the soles. BUT let me warn you...the elastic part in the back that hugs your ankles can be a KILLER if you're thinking of walking around a lot. I wore my flats for the first time to school this past Monday, and everything was going well for the first few hours. Then I went to the Doctor, then to the mall, then to Staples, then to the Beauty Supply store. By the time I was walking to get inside my house, I felt like someone slit the back of my ankles open, (sorry to be so graphic). So if you're thinking of walking around a lot with these, I wish you luck! If you work in the office, bring an extra pair of shoes just in case...you've been warned! Also, be careful not to walk on rocky pavement or pointy objects because the leather of the flat is very soft and gets scratched easily. I have a small light scratch on them already :( But nothing noticeable. Overall, I love them!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Interested? Get a pair at Shopbop!

Currently wanting...

2010-10-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am currently loving and wanting these items!

Aldo Mignogna wedges: Originally $90 but is currently $45!
(SO cute & perfect for the Fall)

Nina Yaneli peep toe wedges: $109.95 (Sexy!)

Pink Duchess Baylee 5 buckle boot wedges: $27.90
(Cute and Cheap)

Can you tell I love wedges? lol

F21 Audrey Hepburn Graphic Top: $15.80
(She's a great classy icon)

F21 Striped Sweater: $24.80
(Will go great with one of my Taupe colored shoes & worn off the shoulder)

F21 Glimmer Laptop Case: $13.80
(My Macbook Pro needs a home!)

Question: Help! Underprocessed Hair!

2010-09-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Question:
My hairdresser would normally use optimum lye relaxer without basing my scalp, quickly apply the relaxer then leave it in my hair for 30 minutes, smooth the new growth then rinse with little to no problem.

I self relaxed 20th Aug after 8 weeks post relaxer with Silk elements lye relaxer in the brown container medium strength. I based my scalp with vasaline, followed the instructions. When I rinsed it out my hair it felt slighly underprocessed and when I did my first wash after a week my hair looked as though nothing was done.

What should I do?
How soon can I relax again?
Should I try super next time?
Should I return to Optimum?
After applying the relaxer should I leave it in for 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes as the instructions say?
I don't burn easily should I skip applying base?

My answer:
I'm so sorry to hear about your relaxer mishap. Self relaxing can be very tricky, especially for those doing it for the first time. You should have practiced applying a relaxer first by using conditioner instead of a real relaxer. And also timed yourself to see how fast and efficient you applied it.

It's hard for me to give you a diagnosis because I am not sure what exact cause contributed to your problem, but i did come up with 3 possible causes.

Your problem sounds like either 3 things:
1) You didn't smooth the relaxer well enough or
2) You didn't leave the relaxer in long enough for it to "take" or
3) The relaxer was not strong enough for your hair type

My solution to you is to get a corrective relaxer. A corrective relaxer fixes the problem by relaxing the new growth. I dont know too much about corrective relaxers because I never had to get one, but you can research it online to see how other ladies benefited from it. I would probably get it professionally done just in case something goes wrong again and damage occurs. I am not sure of your hair type, but im sure your stylist can tell you whether your hair needs a regular or super. I am not sure of Optimum because i have never used it. However, you can read the reviews about it online or test it out yourself. Do you remember how it made your hair look and feel? Also keep those in mind too. You should leave the relaxer in for no longer than 15 minutes. But if your hair is really coarse, maybe you should add 5 minutes. Always base your scalp. A relaxer is a caustic chemical and can irritate the skin very aggressively. Even if you dont burn easily, it's still a safety precaution because you never know.

I hope I helped you out in some way! Happy Hair Growing!

How I Will Stretch For 6-7 months.

2010-09-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

I decided that I want to stretch my relaxer to either 6 or 7 months. I want BSL so badly. Even at the end of the stretch if I dont reach BSL, I at least want to be one inch away from it. So I am on a stretching journey till either January or February. So right now I am planning ahead of what I will do to my hair down the road to ensure it's health and well being.

Last relaxer and trim: July 23, 2010

Month 1 (August): Protective bun

Month 2-3 (Sept-Oct): Sew-in

Month 4 (Nov): Sew-in take down. Straighten hair and trim.

Month 5 (Dec): Either another sew-in or just braid outs/flexi-rod sets/buns

Month 6 or 7 (Jan or Feb): Relax and trim (if needed)

My 1st Virgin Indian Sew-In!

2010-09-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

I am currently 6 weeks post relaxer. On Sunday September 5th, I got a sew-in done by my stylist [my lovely cousin!]. It came out so beautifully! Everybody thought that it was my real hair because the hair left out on top blends so well with the weave. I was inspired by Kim Kardashian's signature loose curl hairstyle, so that's what my cousin gave me. When it was done, it looked just like Kim's hair but more natural so it wouldn't seem like i was actually wearing a weave. I didn't have time to take pics of my hair right after the process because I had to hurry and go to work. But I did take pics once I got home from work. By that time, the curls dropped slightly, but it was still beautiful. The hair that I used was 100% Indian hair. Originally, it would have cost me $359 for only 2 packs. But I paid $170 for 2 packs because my cousin is a hairstylist and was able to get a discount for me. This hair is great because it can be colored, washed, blow dried, flat ironed, and everything...just like your real hair! It can even be used over and over for up to a year. I think investing in this weave is money well spent.

I am planning on leaving this install in for 2 months. I plan on removing it on November 5th or maybe a week later. I don't plan on relaxing anytime soon. Right now, my mind is set on relaxing in January or February 2011. After the weave comes out, I plan on getting my hair washed, blown out, trimmed, and flat ironed. Then I'll wait a few weeks to get another weave. This weave will surely help me stretch for 6-7 months, which is what I am in the process of doing right now. It seems like that's the only way I can get to BSL since it's taking sooo long!

I was inspired by this photo of Kim.

This pic is after I came home from work. The curls dropped, but I will update you all on my hair after I curl it for school soon. Hours before this pic, It looked just like Kim's.

See how my real hair blends so well? You cant even tell the difference!

If you're interested in the hair, you can order your own from www.indiquehair.com!

Fall Ready Nails!

2010-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

I just came back home from getting my nails done. Summer's almost over. It's not as hot as it used to be, so right now I'm in a Fall state of mind. My first nail color for Fall is of course...purple! The brand of nail polish used is called Quirius. The color is called Eggplant in #426. I bought it at my local beauty supply store for only $1! For the price of this polish, the color came out very pretty! I only needed 1 coat, but the lady who painted my nails gave me 2 coats. I really like it. It has a nice sparkly undertone. I love it! I also got my toes painted the same color to match my hands.

[Click on photos to enlarge and see color better!]

Famous Naturals Going Back To Relaxed!

2010-08-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would see the day that Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott would ever get a relaxer. Since I can remember, these 2 ladies have always have natural hair since their stardom. I was shocked to learn that they actually gave into the "crack" lol. I've even noticed a lot of natural women on the hair boards throwing the towel in and going back to relaxed too. I wont mention any names, but I've gotten emails/messages from natural women to give them advice on how to care for relaxed hair because they were getting ready to make the switch. Hmm...I guess relaxed hair is cool again! There was a point in time where i thought the whole world was going natural. I think these 2 ladies are showing their fans that at the end of the day, it's just hair. These 2 are definitely NOT their hair. Hair is just hair and will grow back eventually. If they want to go back to natural, they can easily do so.

Miss Haiti 2010!

2010-08-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that the Miss Universe pageant is allowing Haiti into the competition again! After 21 years of Haiti being left out of the pageant, somehow in 2010 it's back in! It seems like after the Earthquake, many doors of opportunity opened up for Haiti. Anyways, after 21 years of no Miss Haiti, this year, Miss Haiti 2010 is Sarodj Bertin! She's beautiful.

Personal Details:

Name: Sarodj Bertin

Age: 24

Height: 175cm / 5′9″

Place of Origin: Port-au-Prince, Haiti (city that was devasted by the Earthquake)

Background:

After almost 21 years in hiatus, Haiti will have a representative this time in Sarodj Bertin. The beginning of this year has been a very unfortunate piece of history for Haiti and the millions of its people, Sarodj will make them proud as she represents the beauty and the hope of her nation. Before her winning, she is a practicing lawyer in the Dominican Republic where they moved after her then lawyer mother was assassinated. Sarodj Bertin is Haiti’s official representative to the 2010 Miss Universe pageant to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

My Phone Upgrade!!

2010-08-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

I had my old Blackberry Curve (don't even remember the model number) since April of 2008 with a 2 year contract from T-mobile. This phone has been dropped a million times, and has been lost & found a couple of times. There was even a time when I parked my car in the parking lot at my house and got out, and my phone unknowingly fell out of my purse. It was snowing outside too! I went inside and took a nap. When I woke up an hour or two later, something felt missing. I realized it was my phone, and went outside to go see if I left it in my car. Once I got outside, there it was right there laying in a blanket of snow right by my car's tire. This phone has been through many rough times...and it shows! There's a crack on the side of the screen, the ball thingy in the middle is dirty, and even half of the Blackberry word has completely been wiped off. People would look at me funny whenever I pulled it out to make a call or something lol..

My 2 year contract ended in April 2010. But for some reason, I was too lazy (and cheap) to get a new phone, so I kept my old one with intentions of saving up for a better phone and having it by Christmas. Well, that all came to an end this past Monday! I went to go use the bathroom at my house, and as I walked in, my phone literally slipped through my fingers and landed in the toilet bowl. Omg! I couldn't believe that happened. The toilet water was clean, so I pulled it out as quick as I could and it started flickering....than died on me. In a way, this was good because I know I needed a new phone..quick! So I called T-mobile and upgraded to a newer version. I got the Blackberry Curve 8520 and it's so cute! I love it so far. The shape and size of my new phone is more feminine than my old phone. My old phone was big and squared, and seemed like it was more masculine. I even bought a cute purple case for it...I cant stand seeing finger prints on a brand new phone.

[Click to enlarge]

What vitamins do I take??

2010-08-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Garlic = 75 mg [1 every other day]
Biotin = 5000 mcg [1 every night]
Iron= 28 mg [2 every day]

In order to have nice healthy growing hair, one of the many things you should do is add vitamins to your daily regimen. You don't necessarily have to take vitamins if you don't want to. If you're not taking any vitamins, then I hope you're eating a well balanced meal!

I feel that vitamins give you that extra boost that you need to get the hair growing a little faster than usual. Sometimes, our bodies may lack vitamins and minerals that we need to maintain growing hair and other bodily functions. We need to take vitamins to be sure that we're supplying our bodies with things that we're lacking.

I dont take that much vitamins. I only take 3.

My first vitamin, and by far the most important one in my regimen is IRON. I'm very anemic which means my body is not supplying itself with all the iron that it needs. So I need to take iron every day to try to bring those iron levels up. Being iron deficient comes with a consequence for hair. With out much iron, the hair tends to shed a little more than usual. This is one of the few reasons I take iron. I take 2 pills everyday.

My second vitamin is GARLIC. I recently started to take garlic probably a month ago. I take it because it helps control shedding. I am seeing results already! I am almost 3 weeks post relaxer and have only shed a few strands since then. I take 1 garlic pill every other day. When I see my shedding being controlled, I will stop taking them. But if the shedding comes back, I will be retaking them again. As of now, I am still taking them.

My third vitamin is BIOTIN. I am currently on day 3 of taking them so I cant speak yet as far as results go. I am taking the 5000 mcg's. My first day of taking them, I got a huge headace and felt really lazy. The headache followed me to work the next day, and I felt I couldn't function that well, and the time was going by so slow because I wanted to go home. But the headache went away after my break at work. Now, I take biotin every night before bed...never again in the middle of the day. I am also increasing my water intake so that i dont break out. Many people break out when they take biotin. If you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, it should help resolve the problem. I have a goal to be as close to BSL before the year ends. I know I will not make BSL, but I want to be near it! This is why I am taking biotin. I take 1 pill every night.

Caruso Steam Rollers

2010-07-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am so interested in investing in the Caruso Steam Rollers system! I've heard of them before, and even watched videos about them..but I was never interested because I already had magnetic rollers and a hooded dryer. I saw it as a waste of money since I already had rollers. But 2 months ago, my hooded dryer decided to stop working..which left me a little lost. I didn't know what else to do with my hair on wash days except air dry and wear it in a bun. But a couple of days ago, a light bulb turned on in my head and I came up with a great idea. I could use steam rollers instead! They're fast, and easy, and they dont require the use of hooded dryers.

Every time i do a roller set, I always wrap my hair after wards, I never wear the curls out...I just don't like that look on me. I just needed a technique to give me the ability to wear my hair down with a little bump at the ends with out using direct heat. Roller setting and doing a saran wrap method was my only option, but unfortunately, my dryer broke! I can now alternate by using steam rollers.

Steam rollers are a lot more healthier than regular roller setting because it actually uses steam instead of heat. Steam adds moisture to the hair and seals the cuticle, whereas heat draws moisture out of the hair causing it to dry out the cuticle. I plan on buying this at Sally's Beauty Supply during the weekend. I will definitely keep you all posted on how my first Caruso roller set goes!

My July 2010 Relaxer Updates

2010-07-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

I relaxed after 9 weeks post on July 23rd. My cousin relaxed my hair at the salon she works at in New Jersey. What a day...But I loved my results.

She used Affirm Fiberguard relaxer, and as requested, she left a little wave in my hair because i don't like when my hair is relaxed pin straight. She wet wrapped my hair, sat me under the dryer, then blow dried lightly and flat ironed. I also got a trim. I don't think I'm gonna make BSL this year, but I want to be as close to it as possible so that's what I'm aiming for. She always trims my ends with every relaxer, even if I don't want to lol. She says it'll be better for me in the long run. I'm really not in a rush to reach longer hair. As long as it's thick, healthy, and the ends are not split, then I'm good to go.

When I'm 6 weeks post, I plan on getting a partial sew-in and leaving it on my hair for 2 months. This will definitely help me stretch for 16 weeks with no problem. Here's a picture of my hair 2 days after my relaxer. I didn't have time to take pics before since it was so hot and humid outside, plus i was also very busy and tired.

I'm surprised I still have hair on my head after all that shedding I got for the past few weeks. I'm glad Im beginning to see results from the garlic pills though. I didn't shed as much as I did during my previous stretch. For the next few weeks leading up to my sew-in, Im gonna do protective styles 98% of the time. I'm getting kind of tired of this length.

My protective bun

2010-07-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am back to wearing my buns! I stayed away from buns for so long because the style is so boring to me. But I realized in order to achieve my goals faster, I need to wear them. I tried something new with my bun yesterday. I added a side braid to the front to give my bun some personality. I like it. I will be wearing my hair like this for the whole summer up until I relax again in November. Speaking of buns, I need to do a tutorial on how i did my bun. I get quite a few requests. If you follow me on Youtube, keep a look out for my bun tutorial!

Front view

Side view

Back view

Weekly Report: 9 weeks post (July 12-July 19)

2010-07-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am now 9 weeks post relaxer!

I will actually be relaxing my hair on Friday (July 23rd) instead of the 26th. My mom's surprise birthday party will be on Saturday, and also my church is having a celebration on Sunday. So I think it's right that I relax my hair on Friday so it can look good for those days.

Thank you all for sticking with me for 9 weeks and reading my weekly reports! As most of you may already know, I will be attempting a 16 week stretch after my relaxer on Friday. If it goes well, I may stretch every relaxer to 16 weeks. I am also set on maybe transitioning once I hit BSL. I have no problem with my relaxed hair, but sometimes change is good. I would like to experience natural hair one day. I also know my hair would be thicker, and retain length better. This would also mean I would be going back to braids, which means I would get to see my braiding lady again!! I miss her... Once I hit BSL, I want to enjoy my length for a few months, then proceed to transitioning :) I have maybe 4 or 5 inches to go, so transitioning wont be anytime soon.

I washed my hair on Friday after wearing cornrows for a week under my half wig. I'm surprised I didn't have that much shedding as usual. I was shocked! I think the garlic supplements and the black tea are working!

Right now, my hair is in a bun. I haven't worn a bun in so long. I'm gonna have to get used to it, because this is the way my hair is gonna be all summer through November. I tried something new to spice up my bun. I did a side braid in the front to add some life to the boring librarian bun lol. Thursday night, i will detangle my hair in sections, base my scalp, and protect my previously relaxed hair with coconut oil.Let's pray my relaxer day goes well.

Weekly Report: 8 weeks post (July 5-July 12)

2010-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

I am now 8 weeks post relaxer!

Thursday [July 8], I braided my hair into cornrows to wear my half wig over it for protection. I moisturize and seal my hair every night before bed. I also put on a plastic cap before bed to lock in moisture.

There's nothing much to report about this week since I haven't really dealt with my hair since last Thursday. I will be wearing my hair in cornrows until next Thursday [July 22nd]. I think I will be relaxing at 10 weeks post on July 26th. I wanted to relax on July 19th, but I don't think I'll have my GPS delivered to my house by then. I need a GPS to locate the salon I'm going to since this will be my first time going there, and it's 45 minutes away.

I am still taking my garlic pills nightly. I don't know if they are working just yet because my hair is braided up. But it feels good to not have to deal with my hair for almost 2 weeks.

Plans For My Next Relaxer Stretch

2010-07-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

When I say next relaxer, I don't mean the one I'm about to get in a week or two. I mean the relaxer I get after the one I will be receiving next week.

Well last night, I made a drastic decision to stretch my next relaxer to 4 months (16 weeks). It's gonna be a long hard stretch, but I'm on a hair journey, so everything is a experience. If you've followed my journey before, you would know that I used to stretch for 24-26 weeks! But I couldn't have done it with out braids. Now that I don't get braids anymore, I cut the stretching time in half and relaxed every 12 weeks. Since I don't get braids anymore, stretching for 16 weeks is gonna a challenge, but I'm gonna have to face it and go for it.

I am stretching for 16 weeks for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is to gain even more thickness and also attempt to reach BSL before the year ends (hopefully). Another reason is to save money. Every time I get a relaxer, I have to pay $100 bucks! I love how my cousin does my hair but she has to charge me all that money because I'm getting my hair done at her job. I don't like when she does my hair at my house because she cant move around as freely as she likes in my apartment, and I feel that has a affect on the outcome of my hair. I need to save money for other things and paying $100 bucks every 9-12 weeks is burning a hole in my pocket.

This is gonna be a little hard, but I'm up for it. I am relaxing on July 19th. After that I will stretch for 16 weeks, which leaves my next relaxer date to be set on November 8, 2010.

Edit: I will relax on July 23rd, which leaves my next relaxer date to be set on November 12, 2010.

Weekly Report: 7 weeks post (June 28- July 5)

2010-07-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am now 7 weeks post relaxer!

I really enjoyed my hair this week. I don't normally do co-washes, but I did one on Thursday for a few reasons:

Reason #1- I had a BBQ to go to on Saturday and needed to do something cute with my hair, and the style required my hair to be washed
Reason #2- Since I shampooed my hair 3 days before that, I didn't want to shampoo my hair twice in one week...so co-washing was a better option

I used Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner, and I must say...I'm impressed! It left my new growth very soft and manageable! Usually at 6 weeks post, my new growth starts to act up, but not this time. This encourages me to co-wash more frequently. But my problem is, my hair hates manipulation, which is why I don't co-wash often. Anyhoo, I co-washed, deep conditioned, and applied my leave ins. Then I proceeded to flexi-rod my whole head. I used a new setting lotion too. It's by Fantasia and I love it. I will review it later on, but it left my curls soft and moveable, but at the same time fought humidity and kept the curls intact...I'm in love!

I loved the outcome of my flexi-rod set. I actually had to air dry with my flexi-rods because my hooded dryer stopped working. I felt like a prisoner to my hair on Friday because there was no way I was gonna leave my house with flexi-rods all over my head.. I like the fact that I didnt have to use any heat at all and took a healthy approach to roller setting by letting it air dry all day. When I removed the rollers, I seperated each curl with coconut oil. Everybody loved my hair and couldn't believe me when I told them I did it myself lol. But I loved the way I looked for the holiday weekend. My hair was on point, and so were my outfits, and also my confidence which is a plus :)

(Click to enlarge)

Today [July 5th], I washed my hair and did a tea rinse. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what I'm gonna do to my hair this week. I dont know if I should just wear it in a bun for the week, or just wear my half wig over it while my hair is braided underneath. Decisions, decisions. I should be getting a relaxer in 2 weeks, but I think I may push it to 3 weeks, which will make me 10 weeks post.

As far as my shedding goes....yes I'm still shedding, but not too drastically though. I am still doing a tea rinse weekly and I am still taking the garlic pills.

Weekly Report: 6 week post (June 22-June 28)

2010-06-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am now 6 weeks post.

For the past 2 weeks, I've had my hair braided under my half wig. I didn't really deal with my hair at all, except moisturize and seal it every single night, and also re-braid the hair left out in the front, so it would blend in with my wig.

This week, I tried a new method to help me retain moisture in my hair. I baggied my whole head every night this whole week. Basically, after I'm done moisturizing + sealing, I just take a plastic cap and put it on my head, and then tie my satin scarf around it and go to bed. This left me with hair that is more moisturized in the morning, and I didn't notice that much breakage. My hair had great elasticity. I think I will be adding bagging nightly to my regimen when my hair is in braids for a wig, and also when it's in a ponytail.

As you might have read in a previous blog, I bought Black Tea, and also garlic pills. I did my first rinse on Sunday {June 27th] and also started taking the pills Sunday night. After taking out the braids, my hair shedded all the dead hairs that I had since i didn't comb my hair in 2 weeks. But there was still some shedding going on. I'm still testing out the Black Tea and Garlic pills. I'm adding them to my regimen too.

I washed my hair on Monday (June 28th), and blow dried it 95%. I used low heat. Yea, I know I broke my heat challenge, but seriously the heat was warm air. I had to blow dry because I had a doctors appointment to go to, and it was raining outside too...I think you would have done the same thing if you were me!

Right now my hair is in a ponytail/bun, and will remain that way for the rest of the week. I ordered my Sensationell wig, but unfortunately, Clairhair contacted me and told me they were sold out and that I would have to wait 2 or 3 weeks for a new shipment. I just asked them to refund my money because I don't have time to wait that long...I need my wig now! In 3 weeks, that's the time I will be getting a relaxer so why would i want to wear a wig?

Anyways, I plan on washing my hair again on Thursday, so that by Friday I can do a spiral roller set for a BBQ I'm going to on Saturday. I have to do the roller set on Thursday night and remove the rollers on Saturday morning because my hooded dryer decided to stop working on me ugh! I want to get a Pibbs dryer so we'll see about that later on. Now I have to air dry for almost 2 days to get pretty results. I'll take pics to share with you all if it comes out how I want it to.

I'm Ready To Fight Shedding!

2010-06-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

I went to the Supermarket today to do some organic hair shopping. I picked up some Black Tea (made by the company Salada), and a bottle of Garlic supplements (made by the company Sundown). I got the tea for such a good price! Luckily it's on sale this week..100 bags of tea for only $1.99..I had to get it. I'll have it for a while too. I also plan on drinking a cup of Black tea daily just to make sure it's running through my system. I'm going to use these immediately. I plan on washing my hair on Monday, so I will be trying the tea rinse on that day. But starting tomorrow, I'm gonna start taking the garlic pills. Wish my luck! And of course I'll let you all know how my experience goes.

1970's Hair Idol: Cher

2010-06-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

I love Cher's hair, especially in the 70's. There's something about that long, thick, straight, Black as night colored hair that she had that was so captivating and attractive back then. I know she's not Black, but hair is hair regardless of race. I've seen some Black women on the online hair boards with hair as long as Cher's, so it's possible for Black women to achieve such length as she has. I hope one day to reach this envious length that she once had. Gosh, I love that woman's hair. And I wouldn't mind her stomach either ;)

Weekly Report: 5 weeks post (June 14-June 22)

2010-06-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

I am now 5 weeks post.

The last time I washed my hair was last Monday (June 14th). I wore it in a ponytail up until last Thursday (June 17th). I braided my hair into cornrows (with my own hair) and wore my Outre Tammy half wig over it.

I am still wearing my Tammy half wig and plan on washing my hair next Monday (June 28). By then I should be receiving my Sensationel Half wig, which I will be rocking for 2 weeks with my hair braided underneath.

Before I braided my hair into the cornrows, I had a bit of shedding and got really frustrated, which is part of the reason why I put my hair into cornrows in the first place to wear a wig. I don't want to have to deal with my hair and see hair in the sink every day..(it hurts). I have to do something about this, and quick! Or else I could suffer yet another set back, which would probably mean reaching BSL before the year ends wont happen.

I plan on buying Black Tea at the supermarket this weekend, so I can be ready to use it for when I wash my hair on Monday. Black Tea is known to stop shedding, so I'll see if it works for me in my situation.

I still plan on relaxing at either 9 or 10 weeks post relaxer.

My Next Wig: Sensationnel HZ 7004

2010-06-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

I've had my Outre Tammy 1/2 wig since January, and it's been 6 months already...I need a new wig. So I went over to Clairhair.com and browsed a little bit and finally laid my eyes on this cute wig. It's called Sensationnel Synthetic half wig HZ 7004. I like it because it looks just like my hair, just a little bit shorter, and seems like nobody would know whether or not I was wearing a wig...(not that I care anyways). But it's definitely what I'm looking for: Straight, silky, bouncy, and clean cut. I think I will be ordering this baby either this weekend or next. I hope to rock her this summer for my cousin's graduation, BBQ's, family gatherings, and of course, work. This will definitely help me stretch my relaxers out. I also decided that every 6 months, I will be ordering a new wig. Since I don't wear box braids anymore, I find that wigs replace the benefits that the braids provided, but without the damage and also helps preserve my thickness. Cant wait!

China Glaze "Solar Power"

2010-06-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a minute since I last got my nails done, so I decided today to go get a manicure and pedicure. During the summer time, I like to keep the color of my nails fun and colorful. About 3 months ago, I went to Sallys and saw that the China Glaze polishes were on sale for $2 and some change each. I wanted to try something different so I picked up the Solar Power, to use in the summer time. I did a test sample, but never wore it until now. I went to the nail salon and got a mani and pedi with this beautiful color. I wanted to add a smiley face to each of my fingers, but I didnt have enough to pay extra, so I'll get it done next time. On my hands, I just painted them regularly, and on my toes, I added a smiley face to each big toe (I'll add pics of my toes later). But I'm definitely loving this color! One coat of this polish will give you a sheer color, so the lady added 2 coats. I just love the way the color compliments my skin tone..really pretty! I give this color 2 thumbs up :)

China Glaze "Solar Power"

Weekly Report: 4 weeks post (June 7-June 14)

2010-06-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm just updating you all on my hair. If you don't already know, for this particular relaxer stretch (May-July), I will be writing a weekly report of my hair until it comes time to relax it. I am doing this for my records and also for my readers to keep up with my updates.

I am now 4 weeks post relaxer! I am really beginning to feel some buds of new growth sprouting up this week. Last week, the buds were just coming in and didnt feel so "bubbly". But this week, I feel a lot of bubbles of growth. My hair seems to get new growth faster in the summer time.

As far as maintenance, I think I did pretty good this week. I moisturized and sealed twice a day, and even baggied my ends for a few nights. I applied Jamaican Castor Oil to my scalp this week only 2 times. I think 2 times is enough for me because that stuff makes my scalp itch like crazy! And I also feel that it's too much manipulation to take down my ponytail all the time, and part my hair into sections to oil my scalp. So I just oil my scalp 2 times a week (Monday and Friday). My hair is still shedding a little bit, but nothing too drastic. Since my hair has some length to it, it will look like I lost a lot of hair when I shed, and that's not the case. I'm already taking my vitamins, every single day, and also plan on buying Garlic supplements sometime this week. Some ladies over at Hairlista.com recommended that I try a Black Tea Rinse. They said its supposed to reduce the amount of shedding, so I think I'll give that a try sometime in the future. I still need to do some more research on this method before trying it out.

I have 4 more weeks left before I relax, but lately I've been thinking of adding 2 more weeks to my stretch and stretching for 10 weeks instead of 8. Reason being, I just feel that relaxing at 8 weeks post is too soon for me. If my shedding persists, then I will definitely relax at 8 weeks post, but if not, then 10 weeks sounds alright to me.

I also decided that once I reach BSL, I probably will start on my transition to natural hair. Ever since I started my hair journey, I have been stretching my relaxers, and finally discovered how my natural hair feels like. I love playing with my new growth, and I always feel so naked when I relax them away. My head feels so light with out my NG. But for once in my life I want to grow long relaxed hair first because once I stop relaxing, I dont think I'll ever look back. After I achieve my goal with relaxed hair, I am looking forward to natural hair with out the big chop. It's just a thought. I will still relax until I reach BSL, which is approximately 4-5 inches away. When I start my transition, I will not be chopping anything off at all..just dusting/trimming no more than 1/2 inch off every 3 months. I am trying to reach WL with my relaxed ends first before they all break off from the natural hair hehehe.. I'll probably transition for 2 or 3 years. I'm just telling you guys what's in store for the future! :)

Weekly Report: 3 weeks post (May 31-June 8)

2010-06-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

I am now 3 weeks post relaxer!

This week is not so much different from last week. I wore my hair in a bun for the whole week, and combed my hair only once this whole week. I don't know if I'm going crazy or hallucinating, but I'm beginning to feel some buds of new growth sprouting up. They say your hair grows faster in the summer time so that might be the reason! This past week, the weather was HOT and HUMID, and I sweated a lot. I really felt like washing my hair in the middle of the week, but I don't co-wash because my hair hates too much manipulation. I also drank a lot of water to help keep me hydrated and also to get that hair growth going. I kept my hair wrapped up in a satin scarf every single minute I spent inside my house, despite the hot weather. I just feel so much more at ease when my hair is wrapped up when I'm home for some reason lol. It's kind of like my "at home protective style".

I washed my hair today, and for the first time finally got around to actually documenting the whole process on my YT channel. You can view the video by clicking here. I had some shedding during my wash, but I'm not sure if its because I only combed my hair once this whole week or if its a deficiency. I am taking iron supplements, but I'm going to research on garlic supplements to see if they're safe to take.

Pretty much all I did this whole past week was leave my hair in a bun, and moisturize and seal almost everyday, probably missing 2 days. Tonight (June 8th), was my first time since my relaxer to apply Castor oil to my scalp. I plan on applying it to my scalp twice a week, because I don't like too much manipulation. I also bought a few things from the beauty supply store this week. I ran out of plastic caps and duckbill clips, so I restocked on those. And I also bought my first bottle of Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor. Omg...I love this stuff! I mean, pretty much, breakage is non-existant with this product. I think I'm gonna kiss Lekair goodbye :( I have a review coming up for the Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor, so stay tuned for that.

I also got to thinking about whether or not I want to relax at 8 weeks post this time around. I mean, I haven't relaxed as early as 8 weeks post for almost 4 years! I'm a long term stretcher and it just feels....wierd! It's too soon. But during my last relaxer stretch @ 12 weeks post, I had a scary amount of shedding, so my cousin advised me to relax @ 8 weeks just for this stretch to see how my hair reacts. I dunno, its seems so early to me, but for the sake of my hair's health, I'll do it. But I'm gonna try to see if i can try to hold out for probably 10 weeks maybe? It depends on how my hair feels..Sometimes I feel like my hair has a mind of it's own..ugh.

Alright, thats my report for this week!

Weekly Report: 2 weeks post (May 24-May 31)

2010-06-01T17:05:00.001-07:00

I am now 2 weeks post. This week wasn't so bad. I purchased a few new things and tried them out on my hair this week.

For the first time, I tried the Aphogee 2 minute Reconstructor, and I must say...I'm impressed. So impressed that I might break up with Lekair Cholesterol. I bought the sample packet of the 2 minute to see if my hair would like it, and my hair loves it! I rarely had any tiny little breaks of hair strands yesterday after i used it. I even tested out how strong my hair was by taking a shedded hair strand from my comb, and tried to pull it apart to see how easily it broke. It took me a while to break the hair, which means that the product works! I also bought the L'Oreal Everstrong Sulfate Free shampoo, which I love! It makes my hair feel so soft and conditioned! I can definitely feel a difference between this shampoo and my old shampoo (NTM Cream lather shampoo). Luckily, I just finished my bottle of NTM shampoo and will not be purchasing it again because it contains sulfates. My new staple shampoo will be L'Oreal EverStrong, which contains no sulfates at all.

For the past week, I kept my hair in a ponytail with the ends tucked in, and moisturized and sealed with S-curl twice a day. I also took my vitamins everyday, probably missing 1 day. I did not comb for the whole week, so it was normal for me to have a few strands of shedded hair on my wash day, which is healthy because on average, humans shed hair everyday. I washed my hair on Memorial Day, and unfortunately had to break my No Heat Challenge for just one day because I was going to Wyclef Jean's house, and I didn't want to go with wet hair looking crazy lol. I only blow dried 85% and let the rest air dry, so it wasn't that bad. I blow dried with lukewarm air. I haven't applied Castor Oil to my scalp yet because I've been so lazy because of all this hot weather. But I'm definitely gonna start applying it to my scalp 2 times a week starting tonight. And that's it for my weekly report!

My Memorial Day with Wyclef Jean!

2010-05-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke up at 12 noon thinking that my Memorial Day was gonna be yet another boring day spent indoors. I didn't even bother to wake up until 12 noon. I woke up sweating because it was 85 degrees outside. Mondays are my wash days, so I was looking forward to wash my hair today, since the rest of the day was gonna be boring anyways. I washed, did a light protein, and deep conditioned.

While I was deep conditioning, my cellphone rang, and it was my friend calling me. She told me that her ex-boyfriend was going to Wyclef Jeans house for a private BBQ he was throwing at his mansion and invited her, and she wanted me to come along. Her ex-boyfriend is Wyclef's barber, so he's always at Wyclef's house. I never really met a celebrity before, and I wasn't doing anything for Memorial day, so I thought, why not? She told me to be ready by 5. By 4:30, i rinsed out the conditioner in my hair, and applied my leave-in's and moisturizers. But I didn't want to go to a party with sopping wet hair, so unfortunately, I had to break my no heat challenge just this one time to lightly blow dry my hair with lukewarm air. I blow dried 85% and let the rest air dry. I wore my hair down on my shoulders, with a little poof in the front. Then I got dressed and went to my friends house so we can go over to Wyclef's house.

We both met her ex-boyfriend somewhere, and then we followed him in her car to Wyclef's house. This was my friends first time at his house too. When we got there, we were greeted by a big royal blue Bentley at the front gates. Then a longgg walk way that led to the backyard. When we finally reached the yard, there was a good amount of people there. It was a BBQ/Pool party. Wyclef was standing right there when we walked in, and I thought to myself..."Wow, I never met a celebrity before!! Omg!"..Then he walked up to me and greeted me and shook my hand. He showed me and my friend a table where we could sit and eat and drink. I had fun! He spoke to us like a normal person, far from a stuck up celebrity. Even though his house was like 5 houses combined into 1 mansion, he wasn't stuck up or anything. He's cool and has a great personality. His daughter and his wife are beautiful too. After we ate, Wyclef invited us inside his house upstairs to the Home Movie Theater to watch a movie. After the movie, we went back to the backyard, and ate some more food, which by the way was delicious! We got acquainted with his brother and friends, and just had fun talking and joking. I really enjoyed myself. It's funny. I woke up this morning thinking I wouldn't leave my house, and ended up at a Celebrity's house for a BBQ, how crazy is that? Anyways, I hope you all had fun on Memorial day!

[Click to enlarge]

Because of Wyclef, I had to break my water fast and eat something lol. He kept begging us to eat haha..I'm glad I did because the food was so GOOD! But I'm restarting my fast tomorrow. This was unexpected people! lol

Time To Detox...

2010-05-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

For a long time, I've been experiencing unhealthy eating habits. From chips, to soda, to burgers and fries, I've eaten it all. There are even times when I eat fast food almost everyday, and sometimes I even eat fat greasy foods late at night, past 10p.m. I cant help but to feel so disgusted with myself when I binge on a whole box of cookies in 1 day. My bad eating habits are also interfering with my health, and have caused a few minor problems before. I'm always running to the doctor for check-up's and follow-ups because of some type of infection that occurred.

The only good thing about eating so much, is having the ability to not gain so much weight because of my high metabolism. But the truth is, internally my body is horrible, and I'm out of shape. I always feel tired, sluggish and lazy, and I feel that it's the right time to detoxify myself.

I've been doing some research and found that I can actually detox myself by drinking water! Only water, nothing else. It's basically a water fast. I've read journals of people who did water fasts, watched videos on Youtube, and read articles for months. I have been thinking of doing this fast since last year, but was never disciplined enough to go through with it. Well, now I feel it's time to really cleanse out my body.

Water fasting is very beneficial, because it removes all the nasty toxins from your body, clears up your skin, and helps you drop a few pounds too. People who have tried it felt energized and brand new. This experience also led them to eat healthier, which is what I need to start doing. People usually fast for 3 days or more. There was a woman on Youtube who did for 40 days!

Anyways I am gonna start my fast at 1AM on Monday May 31st to start off fresh. I'm going to attempt to do it for 7 days, so wish me luck. I will keep you all posted with a daily update on my fast. I'm not doing it for weight loss purposes, I am doing it for cleansing. This procedure is very healthy and most Doctors recommend it to their patients. Thanks for reading.

**Update** I will be restarting my fast on June 6, 2010 because it will be the beginning to a brand new week, and I would like to start off fresh.

Janet Jackson's Big Chop!

2010-05-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

I love Janet Jackson's new hair cut! She's a very beautiful woman, but looks even better with shorter hair. I'm not sure if she's going natural or staying relaxed, but what ever she plans to do, she looks FAB! Go Janet!

Weekly Report: 1 week post (May 17 - May 24)

2010-05-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: I am going to start writing weekly reports on what goes on with my hair from the time it's freshly relaxed till it's time for me to relax again. This period, I relaxed on May 17th and will be relaxing again in July 12th. From now on till July, I will post a weekly report on what happens with my hair for the week for my records and also to keep you all updated.

I am officially 1 week post relaxer. I relaxed last Monday on May 17th. My cousin relaxed my hair with Affirm Fiberguard. She didn't relax completely bone straight, so there's still some texture in my roots, which i love. She also put in a black rinse, dusted my ends, trimmed my bangs, and flat ironed. I wore my hair down for 5 days because I wanted to look nice on my birthday, and also enjoy wearing my hair down since after I wash it out, my hair will be bunned up until I relax again in July (I'm on a heat free/protective style challenge).

On Sunday night, I did a Aphogee 2 step protein treatment to restore all the protein lost during the relaxer process. I washed my hair with Neutrogena Triple Moisture Cream lather shampoo. Then parted my hair into 6 sections, and saturated each section with the Aphogee 2 step treatment. My hooded dryer stopped working, so I had to use a hand dryer to harden the treatment onto my hair. After the treatment, I rinsed it out, then deep conditioned over night with Silk Elements Megasilk moisturizing treatment. I rinsed that out the next morning, and sprayed Infusium 23 leave in, Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship leave-in, and S-curl to my hair. Then I let it air dry for the day. I'm gonna moisturize and seal twice a day with S-curl and Castor oil. I will also be wearing my hair up in a bun for the whole week with little to no combing. So far, I took my iron and multi-vitamins faithfully everyday..i only missed today :/ Very little to no shedding this week.

I'm sort of not happy with the way my hair looks right now after all the shedding I got before my relaxer. I am trying to get it to grow a certain length and attain a certain thickness before I can start showing off my hair again. This is why I am on a heat free/protective style challenge till my next relaxer. So I will refrain from taking length pics until I'm satisfied, hopefully by my next relaxer in July.

Small Birthday Haul

2010-05-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

My mom gave me some money for my birthday, so I went shopping and bought a few things. I thought I would share with you all what I got.

Charlotte Russe romper:
Originally $24.00 Student discount bought it to $21.60

Express romper:
Originally $49.50 but 30% off $34.65

Forever 21 Striped puffed shoulder dress:
$13.50

Charlotte Russe flip flops:
$5.00

Papaya necklace = $6.99
Wetseal earrings= $6.00

Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol Conditioner:
$4.00 (Sallys Beauty)

Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor sample:
$2.29 (Sallys Beauty)

Ardell Brow Stencils:
$3.89 (Sallys Beauty)

China Glaze "Turned up Turquoise":
$4.49 (Sallys Beauty)

China Glaze "Pink Voltage":
$4.49 (Sallys Beauty)

And that's it for my little haul!

Happy 22nd Birthday to me!

2010-05-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today, May 20th, 2010, makes it 22 years since I've been born! I feel old, but then again I'm happy that God gave me the chance to see 22 years. I am a healthy, active 22 year old and I thank God for that. I didn't really do much today since my birthday fell on a Thursday. I requested the day off from work (who wants to work on their birthday? lol) I treated myself to the nail salon. I got a much needed manicure and pedicure. Today was the first time I ever got a gel manicure, and I love it! It was $30 dollars, but well worth it because it seems like it will last me a long time without chipping or anything. I got a pink colored gel (forgot the name), but it's really subtle, pretty and feminine. My friend also accompanied me to the salon to keep me company while I was being pampered.

Then when I was done, we both went to eat lunch at the Bagel shop a few doors down. The weather was hot (82 degrees), and everything just seemed so nice and peaceful. After wards, I came home and just relaxed. Me and my friends are gonna go out to dinner on the weekend to celebrate. I want to wish any Tauruses who are reading my blog, a Happy Birthday too!

Summer Hair Bootcamp .

2010-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Since my relaxer mishap (I'm currently editing that post which will be up soon), I am putting my hair into bootcamp! That's right...bootcamp. This means, I will be enforcing strict rules for my hair which must be followed every single day this summer. If you want to join in, you're welcome! All of my rules may not apply to you since everybody's hair is different, so you can make your own lists if you want.

My Rules:

♥ No heat at ALL: no flat iron, no roller sets, no blowdrying. Heat is only allowed the day I relax.

♥ Air dry!

♥ Castor Oil/MN mixture applied to scalp 3 times a week

♥ 2 Iron pills a day and 1 multivitamin a day

♥ 3 bottles of water a day

♥ Moisturize with S-curl and seal with Jamaican Castor oil twice a day

♥ Protective style 24/7

♥ Baggy ends every night

♥ No co-washing (my hair hates too much manipulation)

♥ Wash and deep condition once a week (every Friday)

♥ Comb only once a week

Relaxer Update (Not Happy).

2010-05-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

I relaxed my hair today at 12 weeks post, and I am not happy. I lost SO MUCH hair during this particular stretch, I don't even know where to begin. The first 6 weeks of my stretch were fine. Then at 8 weeks post, I braided my hair into cornrows and put my half wig over it until I reached 11 weeks post. During weeks 8 through 11, I had so much stressful studying to do for school, I neglected my vitamins, and also my diet really sucks (eating McDonalds and Burger King messed me up big time!) So I guess my hair responded by shedding. I also think that I'm in my shedding phase too, which added on to the problem.

After I took out my braids from under my wig, I had so much knots and tangles. The night before my relaxer, I detangled my hair in sections in preparation for my relaxer the next day. When that process was over, I had a huge hair ball in the sink which was 3X bigger than a quarter!

Even when my cousin was relaxing my hair, there was hair shed occurring. After my cousin was all done with my hair, my hair seemed so thinned out! My February relaxer, my hair was nice and thick and now its the opposite. My stylist a.k.a cousin said it's because since my hair is getting longer, I have to cut down on my stretches, and I was also thinking the same thing. I thought 12 weeks was perfect for stretching. But my hair seems like it hates it. Always listen to your hair. I'm gonna stretch for 8 weeks now, I think this will be better for my hair's health. I mean it's still thick, but not as thick as it was before. So I'm not going to show pictures of my hair until it's improved. I will be doing a Summer Boot Camp Challenge to get it back in shape, which you can read by clicking here. Thanks for reading.

This is all the hair that I lost from detangling on Sunday night. I lost the same amount a few weeks ago when I was braiding my hair for my under my wig.

I finally got it..(Coastal Scents 88 Pallette)

2010-05-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

After watching what seems to be hundreds of Youtube make-up videos, almost all the Guru's I'm subscribed to on Youtube have had tutorials with the Coastal Scents 88 palette. I'm a newbie to make-up this year. I kept my focus on hair 100% in the past and never even gave make-up a chance. Now that my hair is getting better and is on the right track, I want to move on to the next big thing, and for me that's make-up! I want to perfect my make-up skills, but I needed something very affordable to help me practice my skills. After years and months of saying that I'm gonna order the Coastal Scents palette, (I'm a BIG procrastinator), I finally made a decision to get it. I ordered it from Amazon (it's cheaper than ordering on the Coastal Scents site). And Amazon is really good at delivering things in a quick and timely manner. I ordered on Tuesday, and got it on Friday. I found the box sitting in front of my door after school, (I hate UPS for just dropping things in front of your door! They could at least make you sign something to make sure you get it! Ugh!). Anyways, the palette came to my house safe and sound. No broken shadows, nice and neatly wrapped in bubble wrap. I got the original matte palette to practice with different colors and see what fits me. It cost $18.00, but with shipping and tax I paid only $23.93. My birthday is coming up in 2 weeks so I hope i can come up with a nice look to wear when I go out. I was expecting the case to be much bigger, but it's kind of small which is good because it'll be easy to store in my small room. And the shadow size really is dime sized. But there are so much colors in there, you'll probably never be finished! I tried to do a look last night, but got overwhelmed with all the colors. The colors are super pigmented, but seem like they'll come out better with a base underneath. I am in no way a Make-up Expert, but I do believe the colors can be compared to MAC. If you're new to make-up and want to experiment with eye shadows, then Coastal Scents is the #1 palette to try out. It's very affordable with super pigmented colors!

My favorite housewives are back!

2010-05-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy that Real Housewives of New Jersey is back for Season 2! I think New Jersey has the best housewives, and really keep you wanting to see more. They remind me of grown women still stuck in High school, very entertaining. The other housewives shows, except for Real Housewives of Atlanta, are really boring to me :/ Anyways, Season 1 was crazy and full of drama, and seems like Season 2 will be just as juicy as last season. It premieres tonight on Bravo at 10 p.m. Check it out!

Here's a sneak peak of what's gonna happen this season!

Castor Oil + Cayenne Pepper = Growth!

2010-04-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

I made my little mixture of Castor oil and Cayenne pepper on Thursday night. I usually make the mix and start applying it to my scalp at 7 weeks post. But I got lazy and started using it at 8 weeks post, so I'm 1 week late. I relax my hair at 12 weeks post, and I love to apply this mix to my scalp at 7-8 weeks because it gives me a crazy amount of new growth in a short amount of time. If I applied it sooner than 7 weeks, I don't know how I would make it to 12 weeks post with all the tangles I would have. But anyways, I always apply it when I wear my half wig. My hair is braided in cornrows underneath my wig, which makes it easy for me to apply the mix. The wig also adds to my growth retention because it's a great protective style. I apply the mix to my scalp every other day until I relax at 12 weeks post. If you're interested in seeing how I made the mix and applied it to my scalp, you can watch my video on Youtube by clicking here! By the way, Cayenne pepper is a natural hair growth stimulant. I will inform my readers on this pepper soon :)

My first flexi-rod set!

2010-04-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night, I did my first flexi-rod set. I gotta admit...I like it! I think this will be one of my staple styles. The only bad thing about it is, I don't know how long it's gonna last me because usually when I sleep on styles like these, my curls turn out flat in the morning :( So I have to sleep sitting down or with my head hanging down from my bed, so that it can last me 2 or 3 days. But other than that, I love it, and I think it's a great low manipulative style and transitioning style (for those who want to go natural). I washed and conditioned my hair like I do every week. After applying my leave-in's, I filled my spray bottle with water and Lottabody setting lotion. Then I parted and detangled each section, and rolled them up with a flexi-rod. I used 28 flexi-rods and that wasn't enough, so I had to use 6 perm rods. Here are the results!

It took me 2 hours to set these and sat under the dryer for 1 hour and air dried overnight.

After removing the rods and before separating.

Used coconut oil to separate curls

My Staple Products.

2010-04-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Some ladies have been asking me about what type of products I use on my hair, and even though I tell them, it's like me telling them is not enough lol. So I decided to post pictures of my products for those who like visual presentations. These are the products that I use ALL the time. Without these products...I don't know where my hair would be today. They definitely helped in maintaining the health and thickness of my hair without disappointment, and without breaking the bank!

Shampoos:

♥ Neutrogena Triple Moisture Cream Lather Shampoo (weekly)
♥ Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo (Only when my hair feels gunky)

Light Protein Treatment & Conditioner:

♥ Lekair Cholesterol (weekly)

Deep Moisturizing Conditioners:

♥ Keracare Humecto (Only use when I run out of Silk Elements)
♥ Silk Elements Megasilk Moisture Treatment (weekly)

Leave-ins:

♥ Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave-in (weekly)
♥ Infusium 23 Repairology Leave-in (weekly)

Moisturizers:

♥ Wave Nouveau (only when I run out of S-curl)
♥ S-curl (My #1! I use it daily/nightly)
♥ Neutrenga Silk Touch (only after roller sets)

Oils:

♥ Jamaican Black Castor oil (use it daily right after S-curl)
♥ Xtra Virgin Olive Oil (mix it in my Lekair when i run out of Coconut oil)
♥ Virgin Coconut Oil (mix it in my Lekair)

These are all the products I use on my hair. The only things missing are my Miconazole Nitrate and Aphogee 2 step (which i use only the week after I relax). That's all folks! To view my regimen on how I use these products, please click here.

Easter Hair Plans.

2010-03-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year, I plan on rocking my first flexi-rod set! I'm gonna use the orange rods because I want skinny curls so that when I separate them, I'll have a head full of bouncy curls. I never did a flexi-rod set before, and of course I learned from watching videos on Youtube. So Saturday night, I will be putting what I learned to work and hopefully my hair will turn out cute for Sunday. Stay tuned! Hopefully it turns out something like this picture.

Currently I'm...

2010-03-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

5 weeks post relaxer. I have not yet applied any growth aids to my scalp. I usually start applying them at 6 weeks post. I have 7 weeks to go before I relax. Right now I'm just moisturizing and sealing twice a day, baggying at night (whenever I can remember), and bun it up in the morning. Speaking of bunning, I need to make a video of how I do my buns since it's requested a lot. Here are a few new growth shots!

I recently discovered that my camera has a "close up" feature on it after owning it for 2 years...smh. I tried many times to take shots of my new growth in the past, but it just didn't work out for me until this afternoon. I was playing with my camera today and saw that it had a "close up" feature and decided to take some shots. I was surprised at how well they turned out. *Kicking myself for not realizing this for 2 years!*

Cheap is cute! Marc Jacobs vs knock off.

2010-03-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Ever since last year, I've been looking at the Marc Jacobs Stam bag. There's something about that bag that always captures me. The gold chain, the quilted pattern, the size of the bag, everything! It's beautiful! But for $1,350 that's way too much for a bag especially being a college student lol. Maybe when I finally get my Nursing degree I'll reward myself, but as for now....uh no. Last Christmas, I worked hard and bought my first Louis Vuitton speedy bag. It was a lot less than the Marc Jacobs though. Aside from being in college, I also work part time. I'm sure if i saved up for it, I would have it, but I cant see myself spending that much on a purse right now when I should be saving money for more important things. Anyways, tonight, a little before I uploaded a new video to Youtube, I decided to check my subscriptions to see if there were any new videos from anybody I was subscribed to. Dulcecandy87 had a new "What's in my bag" video, and as funny as it sounds, I love those types of videos for some strange reason. So i clicked on it. Now, this girl shops a lot! Of course, I was expecting her to have a designer bag. And soon enough, she lifted up her bag to show everybody how it looked, and at first glance I thought it was the Marc Jacobs Stam bag! I had to keep rewinding the video to make sure. Then I looked over to the side bar, and she wrote that she ordered the purse for only $54 bucks on Handbagheaven.com! Seriously, I'm usually very good at telling whether a bag is real or fake, and her bag looked authentic! I think I'm gonna order it! Thanks Dulce! I know the economy is bad, so this bag is a great buy if you love the MJ Stam bag like I do and you're on a budget.

Authentic Marc Jacobs Stam bag: $1,350.00

Cute knock off: $54.95

My First Hair Interview!

2010-03-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies! I was recently interviewed by Rochelle from myhairdivine.net! I was so excited when I got the email about how she wanted to interview me and hear my hair story. My very first hair interview! Yay! I enjoyed doing the interview, thanks Rochelle! If you want to read my interview, please click here and also visit her blog! It's very interesting. Enjoy!

No more Dominicans for me!

2010-03-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Back in September 2009, was my last visit to a Dominican hair salon. I only let them relax my hair, and roller set it. I didn't even let them blow it out or even wrap it, in fear of them damaging my hair. After taking out the rollers, I just paid them their $43 dollars, and walked out with curls in my hair. Once I got home, I wrapped my hair myself. Two days later, I called my cousin and asked her to trim my ends for me. I don't trust the Dominicans when it comes to trimming, which is why I have to make my cousin do it. After she trimmed my ends for me, I was impressed. It was a nice clean cut, and I didn't even lose that much length.

My next relaxer was due in November. When November came, I called my cousin up a week before my relaxer and asked her if she could trim my ends for me after I get my hair relaxed at the Dominicans. She agreed, but on top of that, she asked me if she could relax my hair for me. I was caught off guard by her question because she hasn't done my hair in years. The last time she did my hair was years ago when she braided the front of my hair for my 15th birthday. Then I remembered that she currently graduated from a good Hair school from Manhattan, and also she posts pics of her hair models on her Facebook page. I agreed, and let her do my hair.

The day I went to the salon where she worked at, I was her only client. She took her time and relaxed my hair for me. Then she treated it with treatment, blow dried, trimmed and then flat ironed for the finished look. OMG! My hair was beautiful! It felt so soft, it was swinging from left to right, and after the trim, I virtually had NO splits in my hair. My fingers glided through effortlessly. I paid her and on top of that gave her a tip! I was a VERY satisfied customer! She was also very gentle, and is also on her own healthy hair journey, so she knows how to handle Black hair.

From that day, I decided that the Dominicans are not all they're hyped up to be. First of all, they cant speak English right (no offense), but if I want something right done on my hair, the least you can do is understand what I'm saying. They're too rough when they're combing your hair, especially when it's wet. They don't give good trims (they dont catch all the splits). What's the point of sticking around? The worst reality is that most of them don't even have a Cosmetology license! They're just helping their fellow Dominicans by giving them a job. Why risk years of progress at the hands of an inexperienced, non English speaking lady who just wants to get paid, and doesn't really care about your hair and how hard you worked at growing and maintaining it? Till this day, I'll never forget last year April 2009 when I visited the Dominicans for a touch-up with 6 months worth of new growth. That was like the worst thing I could do! The lady used a wide tooth comb and yanked away at my hair! She was fighting with it so much, the comb broke in 2 pieces. Everybody at the salon was staring at me. Then she started cursing in Spanish. Till this day, I still dont like that lady, whenever I see her I feel disgusted. And on top of that, her dry brittle hair was ear length...ugh! Make sure the person doing your hair has great hair too, because at least you know they know about healthy hair.

But anyways, ever since my cousin started doing my hair, it is in the most healthiest state it's ever been, I'm so thankful for her. If she's not able to do my hair anymore, I'm gonna start my transition to natural hair because she's too good to go back to the Dominicans lol...Gotta love family!

My cousin doing my hair for me in my kitchen lol..She was off that day so she came to my house.

Product Review: Silk Elements Megasilk Moisture Treatment

2010-03-21T18:49:00.001-07:00

Company Info:

Deep conditioning properties reduce tangles
Gives an intense shine and manageability without product buildup
Great for detangling and ease of combing
Adds an intense shine

To give your hair amazing shine without the gunky build up, this product is great. Detangle and soften hair with the deep conditioning properties of this treatment. Use is for everyday conditioning or deep conditioning treatments and watch your hair transform into beautiful, healthy hair.

Ingredients:
Water ,Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Stearalkonium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed oil, Sodium PCA, Fragrance, Hydrolyzed Silk, Cetrimonium Chloride, Tridecth-12, Methylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Yellow 5, Hexyl Cinnamal

What I think:
This is an amazing product! It does exactly as it says. After my first use, my hair immediately felt as soft as butter! My hair also had amazing slip and shine. Roller setting was a breeze. And it smells like mango's and other combinations of fruits...yum! Over the summer, I was in desperate need of a moisturizing DC, and was considering buying this product, only to found out that it was sold out at my local Sallys. So I had no choice but to splurge on Keracare Humecto for $12 bucks. Months later after finishing the Keracare, I did a little shopping at Sallys, and to my suprise, the SE Moisture Treatment was right there on the shelf! After using this product, I also found that I don't really need to apply a heat protectant if i choose to flat iron. It leaves my hair incredibly conditioned, which means the heat wont damage my hair as easily. I love it! Move over Keracare Humecto, there's a new Sheriff in town. This is my new moisturizing deep conditioner.

Price: $7.99

Rating: 5 stars

Keep those trims in CHECK!

2010-03-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

(Click pic to view larger size)

After taking the "June 2009" picture, I realized how important trimming was. I know my hair reached APL in the pic, but i couldn't stand the idea of having thin see through hair. I was shocked! I used to get a trim once a year prior to the "June 2009" picture being taken, because somebody on Fotki told me trims are really not necessary.... Trims really ARE necessary for healthy hair by the way. But I read too many horror stories about trims gone wrong and didn't want anyone to carelessly trim away months and months of progress. So i stayed away from them. My ends were mad at me, and they showed their anger by being thin, lifeless and see through. From then on, I cut down my stretching periods from 6 months [24 weeks] to 3 months [12 weeks]. And I also got a trim with every relaxer, starting from the June 2009 pic. To maintain my trim, I stayed away from direct heat, air dried, moisturized and sealed my hair every morning and night, balanced my protein and moisture, and bunned it up. For months, my hair stayed at the same length because I was constantly trimming away the thinness with every relaxer. I'm willing to sacrifice length for health ANY day. I am now proud to say that I'm ready to move on to greater lengths, now that the thin ends are gone. Ladies, please stop holding on to those thin, lifeless ends. When you get rid of them, they'll thank you for it. The truth is in the pic above! Good luck and Happy Hair Growing!

How I know when "I" need a trim (Can be applied to anybody) :
- When I run my fingers through my hair, my fingers dont glide through effortlessly. They stop at knots and tangles.
- My ends look jagged and not all in one length.
- When i can see my shirt through my hair [that means the ends are thin].
- My ends dont respond to product well or hold curls very long.

February Relaxer Update!

2010-02-25T17:35:00.001-08:00

After 12 weeks of stretching, I finally relaxed on February 20th! The night before I relaxed, I prepped my hair by sectioning it in 6 sections. Then I used Mane n' Tail detangler to detangle my roots in each section. Ladies, please....if you're going to stretch for a long period of time, please detangle your hair the night before the relaxer to prevent hair loss from a frustrated stylist! Trust me, I learned my lesson! After detangling, I applied coconut oil on my previously relaxed hair, then twisted up the section and moved to the next section.

My cousin (a licensed cosmetologist), came to my house to relax my hair for me. She relaxed with Affirm, then neutralized with Mizani Neutralizing and Chelating shampoo. I wanted to try a Jet Black rinse. Since my cuticles were open after the relaxer, she applied the rinse to my hair so that the color can absorb better. This was my first time ever getting a rinse. I love it, but I hate that it leaves stains :( Then, she conditioned my hair, blow dried, trimmed and flat ironed! I was very pleased with the results! I was actually a few strands away from reaching APL, but my cousin gave me a blunt straight across trim, which left me at full shoulder length. She understands my hair journey, and wants me to have thick even hair from the roots to the ends. I'm not mad at her. My hair seems to grow quicker with trims anyway. I loved my hair and got so many compliments! Enjoy the pics!

The Process:
After relaxing, applying the rinse, then treating, she blow dried my hair.

This is my length before the trim she gave me.

This is my after the trim.

My bangs before the trim.

My bangs after the trim.

Flat ironing for the finished looked. Those black stains you see on my neck/ears/scalp are from the rinse.

Finished results (the back).

Finished results (the front).

Finally got my Macbook Pro!

2010-02-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

Yayy I finally got my Macbook Pro! I was originally supposed to get it for Christmas, but ended up getting it in February instead. I had to save up A LOT and my mom also helped out a bit, thanks mom! Finally I can start making nice creative videos for my lovely subscribers on Youtube! Once I get the hang of my Mac, I'll get started. It's a big step up from a PC, and I'm a college nursing student with a lot of studying on my hands. Hopefully in between all the studying, schooling, and working, I'll find some free time to sit down to teach myself how to use this beauty! I decided to go with the 13.3" because its the PERFECT size for me. I already have a desktop, so i really don't see the need to have a huge laptop. The 13.3" is perfect to travel to school, and just about anywhere in my house. I could be on my bed, living room, where ever lol. Hair videos coming up very soon!