Winter 10' Hair Regimen

It's winter now which means colder temperatures and dryer skin and hair. yuck! My new hair regimen is all about keeping the moisture in. First I will list all of the products that I use:

CURLS curl creme brulee
Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey
Giovanni Shampoo
Giovanni Conditioner
Yes to tomatoes conditioner
Organix Shea Butter Conditioner
Lustrasilk Shea butter Cholesterol Deep Conditioner
Kinky Curly Knot today leave-in
Whipped shea butter
My own oil mixture
My own moisturizing hair spritz


Whoa! That seemed like a lot of products! lol Now I will explain how I use them. Every Sunday I first prepoo, using my oil mixture(castor, grapeseed, jojoba, tea tree oils) and yes to tomatoes conditioner. I separate my hair in 5 sections and make sure I get the products from my scalp to the ends of my hair. I let that sit for like an hour or however long it takes me to do other things I need to do and then I cleanse my hair with Giovanni Shampoo. Still the best I have tried. Then I detangle with Giovanni conditioner and my Denman brush in sections. I wash that out and then deep condition with the lustrasilk, olive oil and honey. I put a plastic cap on and use my heat therapy wrap for 15-20 minutes. I wash that out using the organix conditioner to make sure the sticky honey comes out. Then I put the kinky-curly leave in and make sure my hair is still easy to brush through. Next I spray my hair with my moisturizing spritz (water, conditioner, jojoba oil, and tea tree oil). Then I twist my hair using the curls creme brulee and shea butter. The next day I have a fabulous twist out. I have started doing the mini-pineapple technique to make my twist-out last all week and I have had great results! I sleep on a satin pillowcase at night. In the morning I use the mimosa hair honey to revive my hair and leave it shiny and smelling good! This has been working great for me so far!=)

Current/Fall regimens!

So I haven't blogged in awhile and I'm always trying new things. As far as skin care I just started using Dr. Miracles Acne Care and I love it. When it first came out I was interested in it but it was only sold in the kit and the face wash in the kit contains Benzoyl-peroxide which I am highly allergic to. Now they sale the parts separate at walmart! I'm using the Cleanser w/salicylic acid, tingling toner, and the different moisturizers for day and night. A plus is that it actually smells good unlike other Dr. Miracle's products. As for hair, the day I thought I would never see has indeed come. I am no longer an everyday wash and go'er. I was hooked for months but now I am absolutely in LOVE with the results I get from twist-outs. I do co-wash may be once a week in which case I wash n go but for the last may be 3 weeks I'll just twist my hair at night with shea butter and untwist and fluff in the morning. Some people may prefer not to to twist every night but from the way I sleep I do not get second day hair from a twist-out, but I don't mind spending 30 minutes a night twisting my hair if I know I'll be cute the next day =). I still shampoo and DC on Sundays. The only product that I have changed is that I am now using the Lustrasilk Shea Butter Conditioner for my DC. I wanted to try it months ago because its cheap, so when I saw it on Curly Nikki's approved product list I went across the street to the dollar general and picked up a jar for $2! If you have seen the size of the jar then you know that is a great deal! But, to wrap this all up, I'm sticking with these skincare and hair care regimens for now because they are working for me and my lifestyle. I save about 15 minutes in the morning by not doing wash n go's! That is great! Plus twist-outs give me more length and versatility. Questions? Feel free to ask! =)

My OCM conclusion

After a few days of using the oil mixture I made for the oil cleansing method I decided that it is not for me. My skin is super sensitive and any change in whats in my body or on my face can make me break out (example: certain vitamins). I had bumps on my face after doing it a few days so I stopped and my face cleared up. Now I'm going back to my past addiction, products from the store Lush which I expect in on Wednesday. I bought the dark angels cleanser, tea tree toner, and vanishing cream, all three of which I have used before and loved (though the vanishing cream didn't diminish my blemishes as I had hoped). I also decided to try a sugar scrub and lip balm so I'll review those products accordingly =)

A few product reviews!

I ordered both of these products from the naturallycurly.com curl mart. The only difference is my cap is white (brown was sold out). But, it was very easy to use and much better than sitting under the dryer which I hate. I liked the smell of the deep conditioner and my hair was soft after the use of these two items but I think next week I'm going to add honey to my DC. My hair LOVES honey and I think I'll have even better results.


ok! So this is the Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Lotion that I purchased from target and it is the best lotion I have ever used! It's really thick and creamy and a little dab covers a lot of skin. I like the smell, its not strong or anything and it isn't actually a scent I think its just the natural smell of shea butter. But overall, love this, def a keeper!


Also from the Shea Moisture line at Target I started using the Organic Raw Shea Butter for my co-washes and I like that product as well. Its really thick and moisturizing! After I use it my hair looks shinier and healthier then it has after use of previous conditioners. Its a $9.99 bottle and I'm going to continue use of it. Its also natural which I like, the only thing I wish was different was the bottle dispenser, I have to pump it a lot of times before I have enough for my whole head!

The OCM method

Tonight will be my first night starting the OCM method (oil cleansing method). I've been struggling with oily/ acne prone skin for years and I heard that this may help. The skin care companies always make oil seem like a bad thing for your skin when their products are really stripping oil that is good. The basic formula for this method is 50% castor oil and 5o% olive oil. But, depending on your skin type there are different oils that can help your problems. The formula i made was 50% castor oil, 25% grapeseed oil, 20% jojoba oil, and 5% tea tree oil (well like 5-10 drops). I made a witch hazel toner and added a little bit of jojoba and tea tree oil to that. At night I'm going to moisturize my face with grapeseed oil and during the morning I'm using a natural moisturizer that I bought at a store in the mall, its rose sandalwood based and its great for wearing it under make-up. I also made a hair moisturizer, Its water based and I added conditioner, jojoba oil and tea tree oil. In about a week I'll give the results from my first week! I have my fingers-crossed for this! Also expect a product review of shea moisture raw shea restorative conditioner, which I heard great things about, and also the body lotion. I purchased both today from target!

New Hair Regimen!

I decided to start a new low maintenance regimen. I never thought I'd actually wear my twists while my hair was still this length but I actually like them! I wore a headband with them today! I did them a lot smaller then I have when I've done twist outs before. So I decided I'm going to start twisting my hair Sunday nights after clarifying and deep conditioning. I will wear twists until Wednesday and then wear a twist-out Thursday-Saturday and start all over again. I'm going to try this for a month and see if there is any significant change in hair growth, even though my growth has been pretty good. This is the first week I'm doing it so I don't know if my hair will like it yet seeing as though I usually co-wash daily. But, I think it is worth a try, and I'll update on if I like it and also post pics of the twist-out Thursday!

Oh, how i cannot wait for fall!

Let's start with this bag. If you know me you know that I love Marc Jacobs, like anything he does. He's like everything! I have a couple other Marc by Marc Jacobs bags but this would be my fav one. One of mine is really big and the other really small so this one is like the perfect size. I love the color as well, you can never go wrong in fall with a bag that's a shade of purple, or currant as he calls it. I would wear this with like every outfit. It is a bit pricey, so it will be a splurge item but it is well worth it because I'll have it forever. Saving my paychecks for this one!

I LOVE these boots. I first saw them while browsing on Nordstrom's website and I fell in love for two reasons. First, I've wanted a pair of doc martens for years and everytime I pick a pair I see them somewhere and change my mind. But these are different from all the others I've chosen. Secondly, I've been dying to get "Utilitarian boots" as nordstrom has deemed them this fall. So these are a win win for me, and they are only $150! Hope they'll be on my feet this fall!

Foundation.

For a long time there has been something bothering me. People seem to have this strong opinion about people wearing foundation. Well, to that I say, Its none of your business what other people do! If its looks bad, fine, state your opinion. But, don't make it seem to be such a bad thing for other people to do it. It really gets me that most of the people who say negative things about it are people with flawless skin! You don't have a reason to wear it so of course your going to look down on people who do, but you shouldn't. I have been struggling with acne scars for years. I've been to the dermatologist, tried hundreds of products, and they just don't go away. On top of that, there are hundreds of things I can't use because my skin will break out. So when I became of make-up wearing age I was interested in covering the thing that bothered me most. People do it ALL the time in other aspects of their lives. No one complains about people covering their real hair with weave or their real nails with acrylic. Now in the beginning I would use heavier stuff from MAC, for a while using their liquid foundations and I admit, that was a bit much. But as I became more educated on make-up and more interested in the art itself I started using just a light mineralize powder-type foundation and I see nothing wrong with that! If there is something that makes you happy and makes you feel happy about yourself and it doesn't look bad, then do it! After being faithful to MAC I've recently switched to Bare Escentuals foundation. Its natural and my skin does actually do better with it. Its very light and it only calls for a little bit. It's def a keeper. If someone has a problem with that then oh well. The point of this is, just be mindful of the things you say because you can be putting someone down, don't generalize, everyone has their own reasons for the decisions they make in their lives.

new project =)

new project= making hair accessories. I cannot find any in stores that I want to put in my hair, so hey, why not try making my own right! I know what I like best! Sooo here goes nothing...

Current Regimen

I talked about the products I used so now I'll share how and when I use them! On Sundays I shampoo my hair with Curls cream cleanser. Then i deep condition with Olive oil cholesterol conditioner, i let it sit on my head for up to an hour with a conditioning cap on and then I rinse. At night I moisturize with shea butter and sleep with a plastic cap on, under my bonnet. (this is new for me but I like how my hair feels in the mornings as opposed to when I did nothing) In the mornings I co-wash with herbal essence hydralicious...I put it on my wet hair and wash it off at the end of my shower. Then I take a dime sized amount of the kinky-curly knot today and rub it throughout my hair and detangle. Finally I take small amounts of the eco-styler gel and run it through my curls in little sections. When I've finished my entire head i spray with the shea moisture moisturizing spray. The end =)

The products I use!

I LOVE the current products I am using! So I wanted everyone to know about them! For shampoo I use CURLS cream cleanser which is now available at target!!! For conditioner I use Herbal Essence Hydralicious, this is by far the best conditioner I've ever used in my life! I highly recommend it to everyone!!! For a leave-in I use Kinky-curly knot today! It leaves your hair soft and managable! I use eco-styler olive oil gel to define my curls and i love it! I tried kinky-curly curling custard and ic fantasia gel before using this one and they fail to compare. Lastly, I use 100% natural shea butter to moisturizer my hair or shea moisture moisturizing mist! All of these products work great for me!

Im bakk i guess.

So my last post I said I wouldn't be on here for a while because of person issues I'm dealing with in my life. Im still going through a rough time but im back. I've finished my transitioning journey by way of big chop and I am a newly 100% natural chica! i must say I LOVE it. it is sooo much better. Here are sum pics!

depression

i cannot explain the feeling i have, so i may not be blogging for a while. But if im up to it i will...

Vitamin...

Yesterday i posted that I would try biotin for hair growth, but today at walmart all they had was the 5000mcg bottle and im afraid to take THAT much a day even though they say its okay. Instead i bought a hair, skin and nails vitamin from target. It says to take 3 per day, which will provide 3000mcg of biotin along with a lot of other things to promote growth in hair, nails and skin. I replace my women's one-a-day with this because it contained just about all of the same vitamins. Let's see how this goes!

Biotin for hair growth?

I've been researching taking the vitamin biotin for hair growth. It is said that it can increase hair grow to up to 2 inches per month where normally your hair grows a half an inch a month. My multi-vitamin, women's one-a-day, already has a small amount of biotin in it but i am going to purchase the specific vitamin at walmart and see if it affects the rate of my hair growth. Will update =)

hair care regimen

Well if u kno me u also know that i plan EVERYTHING. When i take my nubian twists out I am going to use my Godiva shampoo bar from lush, Herbal Essence hydralicious conditioner, giovanni leave-in conditioner, and Olive oil for a hot oil treatment every Sunday. I plan to use shea butter as a moisturizer. I was given a free sample of a daily spray moisturizer from Brenditas body works and I really love it so I may buy a full sized one. I plan to do flexi rods while I let my hair rest for a couple a weeks and then maybe do a sew-in weave. I have sooo many things that I want to try. I really am ready to do my BC now but im trying to stick to my plan lol =)

hmm have you noticed?

While on curlynikki.com i clicked on a post and strangely it had been about something I have been thinking about for awhile! Have you noticed that on commercials the black people always have hair that looks natural. Why do you think that is? People have their own opinions about it but I think they want to show that there is a difference between white people and black people. I think the people look beautiful in the commercials and I wish other black people would see it and think Ohhh well that's what my hair REALLY looks like, maybe i should embrace it instead of trying to look European. But still, it strikes me as a bit odd!!!!

A sad day for fashion...

As you all may know, today February 11th, 2010, Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London apartment. He took his own life about a week after the passing of his mother, and 3 years after his friend committed suicide. McQueen was a brilliant designer so this comes as a great loss to the fashion world. He will live on forever through his fashion. R.I.P.

Marc, My love

If you know me you know that Marc Jacobs is hands down my FAV designer. It would be my dream to attend one of his brilliant fashion shows. BUT for now the closest I can get is watching it LIVE at Marcjacobs.com, Feb. 15 at 8 PM. You KNOW I will be tuning in, and I will give my opinion of the collection. But we all know Marc can do no wrong.

Dear fashion week...

As i was walking to grand central this morning, I passed the Mercedes-Benz fashion week tents at Bryant park. My heart was pounding because I wished so badly to be inside of their. I mos definitely will be volunteering at fashion week in the fall for spring/summer 2011. I would do it this time but the timing is bad, with Valentine's day and the approaching snow. I love the world of fashion =)

Transition style #2/ my weekend at home

I came home yesterday to get my hair done. As you can see I got Nubian twists, it took 8 hrs but i always love them. There really easy to maintain and very cute, in my opinion. Now I am getting snowed in with my mom, hope I can make it back to NY sunday!

Just some products I came across over the weekend!

Today while in Harlem I passed by the Carol's Daughter store and just had to stop in. All my lovely natural bloggers always rave about their products so I wanted to take a peak at what all the hype was about! I didn't have money so I couldn't buy anything BUT i smelled everything and it smells great lmao. They have products for all types of things, next time I am getting the black vanilla leave-in conditioner! The other picture is of Brendita's body works glowshine collection. After seeing the fab naturalchica's post about this line I checked out and found a product that sounds like it is just what I am looking for! So there will be a product review once I recieve the product. Also, as I returned the enzymion moisturizer that made me breakout to Lush i picked up the Godiva solid shampoo bar. It contains a lot of things that are wonderful for hair such as shea butter, olive oil, and jojoba oil. It smells wonderful too! =)

transition goal

After watching dozens of videos I've decided that I wanna do my big chop at 8 months which will be around July 31st. Originally I wanted to do it at 6 months but i dont know if I'll have enough hair to do twist outs and stuff by then. I've noticed that a lot of ppls hair grows at all different rates though so hopefully my hair will grow fast and I won't wait so long. I might do one chop at 6 months, leaving an inch of relaxed ends on and then cut the rest at 8 months. But we will jus have to see about that now won't we =)

eek!

well as for my post yesterday about lush, i realized that the enzymion moisturizer was causing me to breakout so i stopped using it immediately and my face is clearing up. It is probably the papaya juice and lemon juice that irritated my skin. Everyone has different skin, so it may work for you but NOT for me. I think I am going to exchange for the vanishing cream, or hear what suggestions they have for what I am trying to accomplish.

My addiction!

I started using Lush products in October and now i swear by it! All products are 100% natural so it looks really odd, but it is awesome! They have skin, hair, and body products. Right now I am using "black angels" for my facial cleanser, it is made from coal, black sugar and a bunch of other natural ingredients that leave my skin feeling great. I tone with tea tree water and just got the Enzymion moisturizer on Sunday. I was using the vanishing cream moisturizer before and I'd recommend for those of you with oily skin. I liked it but I wanted a product that focuses more on evening out skin tone as I have a lot of scarring. So i will let you guys know if it gives me results! In the mean time, find a Lush nearest to you and indulge in fresh, natural, handmade cosmetics!

Weird!

So i kept askin myself, if i do get tired of the transition and wanna BC what would I look like? Well, I was looking through pics i took on my webcam and the other day i took out tracks that i had in and put my hair in a pony tail and took a couple pics wen i was bored, and it actually looks like I had a TWA. sooo this is what i suppose I'd look like with short hair...

my 1st post =)

This is my first post on my new blog! I started this blog because I am a college student now and I feel like I have been learning a lot about myself! To continue this journey I decided to go natural. I have been permed ever since I can remember and I am always bored with my hair, and it never really grows. I wanna know who I would have been had I not been conditioned to conform to how people feel i am supposed to look. Im only about 6 weeks into my transition but I am so excited. I have learned soooo much from other bloggers and youtubers and I feel like I am totally prepared for this journey that I am about to embark on. The picture above (also my profile pic for now) is my first transition style, sew-in weave, which I luckily can do by myself!