Friday, August 30, 2013

I'm twisted!!!

Hello everybody!

So, I bit the bullet! I got braids! Well, actually twists. But what's in a name right?! I'm quite excited about it and I think I look cute. So no major post from me today, just a headsup. So, what do y'all think??

Have an awesome Friday y'all!!!


Thursday, August 29, 2013

Transition thoughts

Hello there boys and girls. (hhhmmmm, I wonder if boys actually ready any of my posts...)

First of all, let me just say that I'm biting the bullet and this afternoon after work I am going to the salon and have braids installed, although I think I might actually go for the single twists. Regardless I'll be in a long term protective style for about two months. Currently I'm 14 weeks post and thus will be doing my longest stretch ever thanks to the intense protective styling. It'll be my first time since I embarked on this journey and I shall be diligent to continue caring for my hair whilst in braids. If I keep them in for a full 8 weeks, I'll be 22 weeks post when I take them out and thus comes the million dollar question - what then?

I have been having random thoughts of transitioning to natural for a couple of weeks now. My new growth has been behaving, I've been able to nurture it without driving myself crazy, and last night I looked at it and I swear, I saw a curl wanting to form. So, I've started researching transitioning (because I am so NOT brave enough to do a big chop) and the info out there is quite encouraging. I have experienced major bouts of fro envy lately looking at the gorgeous naturalistas around me and after seeing that suggestion of a nice curl, my head is leaning a little towards making the switch. IF I DO, I will be a long term transitioner and I can see myself employing long term protective styling like braids to assist me and to prevent me from manhandling the two different textures on my head.

I'm not making any decision yet, nothing is set in stone. Who knows, once the braids are out I might be reaching for that ORS box at the bottom of my closet. I have been relaxed most of my life and it's what I know and comfortable with. At the same time at least once a day my brain says to me"what if we go natural? That could be cool right?" Since this is a journey I felt that I needed to express where my head has wandered to and ask ya'll...what are your thoughts on transitioning? Any tips out there? Any tips on how to come to a decision? I don;t want to do anything that's going to hamper my current progress regarding health and length. So, what do y'all suggest??

Have a great Thursday y'all. Just one and half more days to go and it's the freaking weekend!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

Hola there everybody.

So I've been thinking about the fact that if one is to achieve any goal, then one needs to put a plan in place, with easy enough to follow directions and steps. Break it down and before you know it you are where you need to be.

Right now, I'm planning two things - what the hell I'm going to wear to a MUCH awaited wedding of friends of mine, and what I'm going to with my dang hair.

First off, wedding celebrations - I have been told that the area where it's being held is hot, even though winter isn't over yet, so I need to come prepared with summer outfits and a respectable (read - not too much skin showing) comfortable dress. So, last night I already rummaged through my wardrobe and came out practically empty handed. It being THAT time of the month, my broke ass can't go buy an outfit, so I did what girls do - I asked a good friend if I can borrow something from her. I got the yes, so outfit wise I think I'm set. I'll pack in sandals though, my ankle is still not a 100% after ripping through some ligaments a while back so heels will SO not be my friend.

Secondly - what to do with this head of mine...Well, I'm planning on giving it a nice thorough wash tonight, including every step to have it be banging and swanging (which includes dusting my ends and lightly straightening it). I will pack the essentials, which included my moisturizer, coconut oil, wrap, satin scarf and pins. If the humidity decides to mess with me up North then I'll just pin these babies up! Believe me, Namibia has two seasons, winter and summer. And in the North, it's summer time already!

And there you have it - short and sweet, lol. What are y'all weekend plans? Have a good one!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

My stash!

Good morning everybody! It's Tuesday y'all and honestly I am already looking forward to the weekend. I feel like I'm coming down with something and it completely blows. I'm hoping that after some self medicating tonight that I can stop whatever this is in its filthy tracks. 

Now, in my last post I promised that I will show you guys what I currently have in my hair product stash. some of these are brand new, some are old reliables and some I bought in the very beginning, only learning later that my hair does not like them that much. I however HATE throwing things away, so I tweak them a little to continue getting use of them. One has to recycle, money does not grow on trees! 

So first on the list are my shampoos. The two I use most often at the moment are the Protein Feed Moisturizing Shampoo and the Tresemme Ultra Moisture Shampoo, as seen below. 


The Tresemme is fast becoming my preferred suds. My hair feels sooooo soft after using it and although it contains sulfates it does not leave my hair feeling stripped in any way, even though it is definitely clean. The Protein Feed I grab when I feel like I have a lot of product build up and I need a more clarifying effect from my shampoo. 

Next up, my instant (and sometimes pre-poo) conditioners. 


From left to right we have: Avon Advanced Techniques 360 degrees Nourishment Conditioner with Argan Oil, Revlon Aquamarine Normalising Wild Fruit Conditioner. Tresemme Thermal Recovery Conditioner and Tresemme Split Remedy. The Avon and Revlon conditioners I primarily use to prepoo, mixing it with heated up coconut oil. Last night specifically I pre-pooed using a mix of coconut oil and the Revlon. It gives amazing slip while prepooing and my hair feels buttery. It is the ultimate of cheapie conditioners, running for N$13 at local retailers. (That's about $1,20 American) The two Tresemme Conditioners I use as instant smoothing conditioners after shampooing my hair. The Thermal Recovery is quite nice, sinking into my hair, with some slip and my hair feels soft after rinsing. The Split Remedy...I'm still on the fence. Yes, awesome slip, but it just sits there...I've only used it twice, I might have to use it a couple more times before giving a definitive opinion on it. 

Next up, the DC's, the holy grail of a good wash day (at least in my mind):


From left to right: ORS Replenishing Conditioner - my staple deep conditioner. It's a light protein and also moisturizing, so it has the balance down! I love the scent, how it simply sinks into my hair, how my hair feels like butter afterwards, simply love it! Next, Sofn'free Hair Mayonnaise.I bought this on a whim, AND it was on special. It's mpre of a hard protein and thus I use it sparingly. It also doesn't give much slip, so next time I use it I think I'm gonna mix in some coconut oil. Then Avon Advanced Techniques 360 degrees Mask with Argan Oil. Not too crazy about this one, I started mixing it with my prepoo mix, will not be repurchasing. And lastly a packet of ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner. I used this last night as my DC and I LOVE it - moisturizing, slippy, sinks into my hair, almost feels like one pack is not enough for my shoulder length tresses. I wish they could bottle this as well! 

Next step are the leave in products: 


Left to right - Kair Ultra Light Silicone Serum, Avon Advanced Techniques Moisture IQ Leave In Treatment and TCB Bone Strait Conditioner and Blow Dry Lotion. I usually apply a mix of all my leave in conditioners to my hair. The Bone Strait is of course an old faithful, awesome in every way sense and form, from price to results I get. It will ALWAYS be in my stash. The Serum is great too, especially as it's very light and it also reflects light, so my hair looks nice and shiny. The Avon I might not repurchase. A little goes a long way though and this bottle is still very full and I've had it for 2 months now, so we'll be walking this road together for a while. 

And moisturizers...



On top is the new Dark & Lovely Amla Legend 1001 Oils Cream. I bought it yesterday and I tried it out lats night after taking my hair out of the rollers but before wrapping. After one try - I like!! It might become a staple. 

Below we have all ORS products - the Hair Fertilizer, the Olive Oil Oil Moisturing Hair Lotion and the Olivie Oil Hair Dress. The Hair Fertilizer is great for head massages, my scalp actually likes it. But I limit it to a couple of times a week, close to wash day, the smell is a little yucky. The Hair Lotion contains mineral oil (I only found out after I bought it that it is the devil to a hair journey) but I sometimes still use but I mix it with clean water to up its true moisture quotient. The Hair Dress I use similarly to the fertilizer because it is SO thick and it makes my hair heavy. These are three products that once they're finished I shall not be repurchasing. 

And there you have it folks. My stash. What is not included is my coconut oil (forgot to photograph it), my box of rollers, my blow dryer, my straightening irons and my pins, grips and ponytail holders. I realise it's not THAT many products, but the junkie in me wants MORE, lol. I am really considering getting some more oils like olive oil and castor oil and to incorporate them more into my regimen. 

How does your stashes look? 
Have a happy Tuesday everyone and happy growing! 






Friday, August 16, 2013

Back to basics

Hi there everybody. Yes, it has been a while, but it has been a CRAZY couple of weeks. I have been running around like a headless chicken and trying to poop out little miracles at work. In general I am freaking exhausted and I very much need a long vacation. Due to the exhaustion levels I've been neglecting my hair a little bit, doing the bare minimum required to not screw up my hair journey. But doing the bare minimum is often not enough, and I noticed 2 days ago that I need to put in a little effort, regardless of how tired I am. so I got home after 2 glasses of red at a friend's and then started off, and here's how it went:


  1. Finger detangle. My hair has been in the same pinned style for three days and thus needed to be detangled before any water or product touched it. 
  2. Detangled further with wide tooth comb. 
  3. Pre-pooed using Avon 360degrees Conditioner with Argan Oil. (I promise that I'll do a post soon showing exactly what my current hair stash consist of) Coated my hair section by section, braiding each section after coating it with the conditioner. I ended up making around 9 braided sections. Covered my hair with a plastic cap and then went and made myself a sandwich whilst starting to watch Phone Booth. 
  4. After polishing my sandwich I went to go rinse the conditioner, loosening the braids with the help of the water flowing down. I then shampooed using Tresemme Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo. I lathered up twice, my hair and scalp needed a GOOD cleansing. Regardless of it containing sulfates, my hair did not feel stripped or dry, but soft and clean.
  5. I used Tresemme Thermal Recovery Conditioner as my instant conditioner. I'm still a little on the fence about this conditioner, but it's not bad. I finger combed it through my hair and then rinsed. 
  6. I used my ORS Replenishing Conditioner to deep condition, once again doing it section by section and braiding the sections as I finish. I LOVE this DC, it sinks into my hair, my hair doesn't feel coated, and then of course I love the scent. As I'm applying the DC I continue watching Phone Booth. Once finished I put on the plastic cap again and let the DC do its job whilst finishing the movie. I then cued up Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift and then went to rinse the DC. I had it on my head for about half an hour. 
  7. By this time it's already 10 at night, I'm tired, but I need to get done. I let my hair air dry a little bit, about 10 minutes, then applied my leave ins of Kair Light Serum and Avon Moisture IQ Leave in Treatment. I then proceeded to rollerset. Now, I'm 12 weeks post and my new growth is making its presence VERY clear. I still don't know when I'm going to touch up. However, it let to the roller setting process taking a LONG time! It was eleven at night when I was finally done so I decided to dry my hair with the hair dryer to speed things along. Next movie cued up was Fast 4. (Yes, I love loud, fast screeching cars and Vin Diesel!)
  8. After taking out the rollers I decided to lightly flat iron my hair. I couldn't find my Toni & Guy iron and so turned to my GHD. I realised that the GHD is actually gentler on my hair than my trusted Toni & Guy and that it operates at an optimal temperature - just hot enough without scalding my scalp or scorching my hair. I flat ironed my hair in small sections, again taking forever, but I wanted to do it properly. Before starting I sprayed my hair with a mix of water, the Thermal Recovery Conditioner and coconut oil to protect my hair from the heat. I really need to get myself a proper heat protectant. 
  9. After finally finishing I wrapped my hair and CRASHED into my bed! 
Just a little bit of effort and my hair has been feeling GREAT the past couple of days. At night I lightly moisturize and seal, then wrap my hair and hit the hay. Breakage and shedding have been GREATLY reduced since just that ONE wash day of doing it properly! So, NO more skipping steps on wash day. No more "I'm too tired" or "it's too late". Just do it properly damnit! The rewards are awesome! I'm planning to wash my hair again this coming Sunday and spending a good 6 hours on it at least. I really wanna be APL by December and I only have 3 and a half months left to do it in. So it's ALL guns blazing from here on out. 

How did everybody else's wash day go this week? Have an awesome weekend!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

August - damn!! There's only 4 months left of 2013!

Alrighty then, this is it. We are officially in the last third of the year, the last stretch. The stretch where we are all in a slump. We're tired, we're still getting sniffles because of the damn schizophrenic winter we're having and we're already dreaming of our December summer getaways!

But before we get all caught up in daydreams of days on the beach, we need to focus on the here and now. And on that note I have finally come up with my August goals, both regarding hair health and physical health, I'm gonna deal with them separately.

AUGUST HAIR GOALS:

1. On 17 August I will be 12 weeks post. So far, my new growth has been behaving itself, so I'm not sure at this time whether I'm going to do a touch up exactly at 12 weeks or wait a little bit. The goal however remains the same - MOISTURIZE AND SEAL hair every day, thus keeping new growth AND length of hair healthy and happy. 

2. DUST ENDS. I've been experiencing a little breakage and I suspect that one of the main causes is the fact that I haven't trimmed or even dusted my ends in ages. Hanging onto raggedy ends is also not good for retention so I need to get myself a decent pair of shears and then snip it off. 

3. CO -WASH at least once a week, separately from normal wash days. I'm back in the gym and I believe co washing will be most beneficial, and will also reduce manipulation as I plan to air dry my hair in a bun on days that I co-wash. 

4. PROTECTIVE STYLING at least 4 days of the week, every week. I am still considering having box braids installed, just need to find the time and energy to sit down for 4-5 hours straight. 

5. GO BACK TO BASICS on major wash days i.e. prepoo, shampoo, instant condition, deep condition, leave in conditioner, roller set, air dry in rollers, NOT rushing any steps. 


AUGUST HEALTH AND FITNESS GOALS:


1. Drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day. 

2. Go to the gym a minimum of 4 times a week

3. For the month of August, simply focus on cardio. On gym days, do at least an hour of cardio, alternating between the eliptical machine, the treadmill, stationary cycle and stair climber. BE CAREFUL WITH ANKLE!!

4. Sauna/steam room once a week. Take conditioner with to the gym and squeeze in a deep conditioning session at the same time. 

5. Keep calorie intake to 1200 per day, no more, no less. More means taking in too much, less means my body goes into starvation mode and all weightloss efforts are for naught. 

6. Limit carb intake to two days a week. On other days of the week focus on lean protein, fruits and veggies. 

7. Get a damn MULTIVITAMIN and drink it daily!

And there you have it folks, my goals for the month of August. they say that whenever one starts a fitness program or regime, that it takes 4 weeks for you to notice, 8 weeks for your friends and family to notice and 12 weeks for the world to notice that you've been shedding weight and becoming leaner and more toned. I've come to realize that it kind of applies to hair as well, lol. Point is, I refuse for this time to be a false start, especially regarding my weight and health. Summer my side of the world is around the corner and there is no way on God's green earth that I'm going to be play hide away the wobbly bits again! So send out those positive vibes everybody, I'm gonna need it! 

Anybody got some specific goals for the month of August? Have a super Tuesday!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

July revisited. Welcome August!

Hola people. The last month of winter is upon us, and so are the August winds. Not looking forward to the latter. Am however looking forward to slightly warmer days.

Well, without further ado, let's see how it went regarding my goals for July:

1. Drink 1-2 liters of water a day. WIN! Even though it was hard at times, being freaking COLD, I pulled it off.

2. Do the freaking tea rinses!! FAIL. I did a singular tea rinse. Oh well, better luck next time.

3. Minimize manipulation of my hair. WIN. I finger combed more often instead of using a comb and I generally left my hair alone once pinned up. I must now just continue on this path!

4. Intensify moisturizing my new growth. FAIL. I only started paying serious attention to this during the last two weeks of the month. I'm about 9 weeks post now, so I MUST step it up!

5. Limit simple carbohydrate consumption and increase consumption of fruits, veggies and lean meat dishes. Keep daily calorie count to 1200. Pretty much a WIN, if one does not take into account the caloric intake via alcohol. It's been a crazy month...

6. Intensify deep conditioning by adding heat to every DC session this month. FAIL. Realized I REALLY need a hooded dryer to do this. Sitting with my hairdryer in my hand for 15-30 minutes - ain't nobody got time for that!

7. Cover hair with silk scarf the minute I get home, every day.  WIN.

Once again, seems like a pretty 50/50 month. Still thinking of August goals since I really wanna get braided up, so will just wait and see.

In the meantime, have a great phuza Thursday everybody!!