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!!!

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!

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!

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! 

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!

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!

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!!

Writer's block

Hello lovely people

I know, I know. I have been rather absent the past couple of weeks. I am struggling with a little bit of writer's block. Oh hell, sometimes it feels as if I'm struggling though a life block, not knowing which road to take, which avenue is more suitable to me or whether I should just go ahead and do the trusted safe route.

On top of all of that, I am generally annoyed with life right now. It seems as if it has been giving me the finger at a fast and furious pace. Even my hair is complaining! The right side of my nape is showing signs of breakage, the edges on my left aren't very happy with me, my new growth is ridiculous for 9 weeks post (yes I KNOW that's an indication of healthy growth. It still looks a little sad) and for some or other reason moisture does not stay put! I need to step it up a notch, and to assist me, I'm planning to install braids within this week, so that for 2 months at least I can simply take care of my hair whilst not having to worry as much as I do now. Also, I need a freaking break from 6-8 hour wash days!

In any event, I feel like I'm floating around in limbo a bit. But I'll be back to earth soon enough. Blessed Monday everybody.

PS snakes in the grass - ain't nobody got time for that!!! Smh!

First visit in over a year!

Good morning everybody, and I'm hoping everyone's having a good Monday so far.

Well, this weekend I went to the Salon for the first time in over a year! The stylist that me, my sister and my mom used for years has moved to my town. My sister texted me her deets and so I made an appointment for Saturday afternoon, just for a simple wash and blow. i prepped my hair by detangling at home and applying my prepoo, which consisted of warmed coconut oil, a TINY bit of ORS Hair Mayonnaise that I had left over and Revlon  Aquamarine Conditioner. I covered my hair with a plastic cap and a bonnet and after chilling at home for about an hour went into town for my appointment.

When I got to the salon she was a little behind schedule, but I only had to sit and wait for about 30 minutes whilst she finished with a blow out. When we got to the sink she was very impressed with the fact that I arrived with prepoo already applied, since she does care about hair health. She was SO gentle as she shampooed and conditioned my hair. And she gave me a nice head massage, I felt like I was in heaven. Due to budget and time constraints we didn't deep condition this time, but it will definitely be on the cards next time. (And yes, now that Didi is in town, I believe that there shall be a next time). She used Angel Haircare products.

To shampoo she used the A-201 Water Depth Spa Shampoo, described on their website as follows: The marine collagen can reconstruct hair cells and repair damaged hair to make the hair shiny and vibrant. To condition she used the accompanying A-301 Water Depth Spa Conditioner, leaving it on for about 5 minutes before rinsing. It is described as follows: Derived from the deep-sea plants, it forms a natural protecting layer to keep your hair moisturized and smooth. 

We then went to sit for the blow out. My hair felt SO soft despite not having had a DC. Before proceeding with the blow out, she spritzed my hair with the Angel A-303 Hair Soften Spray as leave in and heat protectant. She then started blow drying my hair. she's so gentle, I think all the Colombians I hear of on American hair blogs can learn a thing or two from her. She sectioned off my hair and detangled using a very nice wide tooth comb before blow drying each section using a round brush and the tension method. When she was done, she finished my hair with a little Argan oil. I had so much SWANG when I got out of that chair my ego boosted itself up!

And I believe that I see some REAL progress!!

Of course it was also awesome that I got TONS of compliments during the evening out (of course I went out, swang like that does not stay at home!)

Because a blow out is a LOT of manipulation and a lot of heat, it's not something that I would do every other day. But I can see myself visiting the salon a LITTLE more frequently now, like every 6 weeks or something. The good it did my ego and self esteem I think make it totally worth it. 

So?? How was everyone else's weekend?  Enjoy the rest of the day everybody!

The difference between major and mini

A couple of days ago I was asked by Blutiful Blaq what my mini washes entail. so I thought I would honor her request with a quick explanation of the differences between my major wash days and my mini wash days.

The biggest difference is time. Also mini wash days usually fall in the middle of the week before I'm heading out for dinner and drinks with my friends. Major wash days usually fall on a Saturday or Sunday when I have a lot of free time on my hands. The steps are all the same however, which are as follows:

1. Prepoo: On a major wash day I would easily pre-poo my hair for an hour. On a mini wash day, that time is cut to 5-10 minutes, usually the time it takes me to pick my outfit for the night.

2. Shampoo: On major wash days I would shampoo slowly, but thoroughly, focusing on massaging my scalp and being super gentle, having the water flowing at a slow soft pressure. On mini wash days, although I'm still gentle, I increase the water pressure and I speed things up a bit. Mini wash days usually fall a couple of days after a major wash day, so my hair isn't that dirty and I don't need to be so intense during this step.

3. Instant conditioning: This step remains the same on both types of wash days. After thoroughly rinsing the shampoo from my hair I apply an instant conditioner, finger detangle my hair and then rinse. Sometime, on major wash days, I also include a tea rinse that coincides with this step.

4. Deep conditioning: On major wash days I easily DC for 1-3 hours, depending on the time of day, my level of laziness and the TV show I'm watching as I'm deep conditioning. On mini wash days I DC for about 10-15 minutes, whilst I'm in the shower doing everything else that needs to be done before a night out.

5. T-shirt drying, applying leave-ins and rollersetting: These steps are exactly the same regardless of whether it's a major or mini wash day. The big difference is the next step. This entire process takes 30-60 minutes, depending on the amount of new growth that I have.

6. Drying my hair: On major wash days I leave my hair alone to air dry in the rollers. This takes around 3-4 hours. On mini wash days I whip out the hair dryer and dry my hair (in the rollers of course) using the cold air setting, but high speed. This cuts down drying time to around 25 minutes.

7. What I do once my hair is dry: On major wash days, after I take my hair out of the rollers, I apply a little bit of serum and then wrap my hair. Usually by this time it's late, I'm tired and I get into bed and say goodbye to the world. On mini wash days, I do the same except that after wrapping my hair I apply my make up and get dressed. When I'm done with that I unwrap my hair and style it for the night, which usually results in either wearing my hair out or doing a 50's style pin up. And then out the door I go.

And that ladies is the difference between my mini and major wash days - TIME. Major wash days easily take up 6 hours of my day. Mini wash days I spend 1.5-2 hours on my hair.

Do any of y'all have different kind of wash days, or am I the only one? And if you do, what't the big difference between them?

Have a great day everybody!

July goals - time to get serious!

Good morning everybody!

I trust everyone's having a good hump day so far. I've got a headache sent straight from Hades, but it's still a pretty beautiful day.

We have officially entered the second half of 2013. Here in sunny Windhoek it is however still chilly and nippy as we're in the middle of winter. Winter is not a friend to one's hair, and the cold air, accompanied with warm soups and drinks also makes one a little lazy to actually put in the required effort. Which is why I need to amp up my goals for this month, and perhaps also add some body and health related goals in there. Summer is only 4 months away (we don't really get to experience spring) and I cannot continue to look like a pale blob.

So here goes - goals for July:

1. Drink 1-2 liters of water a day. It went pretty well last month, and so I trust that I can continue to keep it up.

2. Do the freaking tea rinses!! I must really do at least 2 tea rinses this month, no excuses shall be accepted.

3. Minimize manipulation of my hair. I must truly try to limit manipulation, including combing to once every 48 hours, it can only be benficial for my retention.

4. Intensify moisturizing my new growth. I'm about 4, maybe 5 weeks post now. My new growth is showing and they need to be pampered.

5. Limit simple carbohydrate consumption and increase consumption of fruits, veggies and lean meat dishes. Keep daily calorie count to 1200.

6. Intensify deep conditioning by adding heat to every DC session this month.

7. Cover hair with silk scarf the minute I get home, every day.  Even though I always sleep with my hair protected, sometimes a person forgets that lounging on the couch can also zap the moisture out of one's hair. So, the minute I get home, I need to pretect it even if I'm just watching a movie on the couch.


And those are my goals for the month. What are your goals for this month?
Have a happy hum day everybody!

And it's the end of June...

and now the big question is how did I do with regard to my goals. I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.

1. No heat usage - FAIL. I blow dried my hair once this month, and my hair did not thank me.

2. Limit manipulation - I think this was a WIN. Although I didn't manage to limit it to once a day every day, my manipulation of my hair was WAY less than usual thanks to protective styling.

3. Cute protective style that I can wear for at least 48 hours - WIN. And I call it my big fake hair twisted bun!! Will put pics on soon.

4. Wash my hair twice a week - WIN. Wash days fell on Sundays and Wednesdays, with Wednesday washes being "mini washes" and Sundays being "major" washes.

5. Moisturize and seal daily - WIN. I would do it in the evenings, wrap my hair with my satin scarf and my hair would feel awesome all day the next day.

6. Baggy my end at least 3 times a week - FAIL. I managed to baggy my ends once a week only. I should step it up! My hair loves it!

7. Drink 2 liters of water a day - WIN. My skin is also thanking me.

8. Do at least 2 tea rinses for the month - epic FAIL! Will definitely put this on the to do list for July again and hopefully actually DO it.

Well, like I said, short and sweet. How did everyone else's month go? I'm out, have a great Friday everyone.
Happy growing and blessed living!!

10 random things about me - blog edition!

Good morning and hopefully happy Monday y'all. How was everybody's weekend? I swear, I need an extra day between Sunday and Monday, I still feel tired after Saturday's shenanigans, which consisted primarily of a nice birthday shindig of my friend Remi. Again, happy birthday dude!! 

In any event, this morning as I went down my blogroll I came upon this post by Blutiful Blaq and I thought that it's a great way to start off the week blogwise. So here goes, ten random facts about me:

1. I'm a night owl. If I could find a position where I only have to come in to work by nine in the morning, but I can work as LATE as I want, I would be a happy clam!! I HATE getting up early, it is the bane of my adult existence. 

2. I used to play the piano, and I want to do it again. My parents still have my old piano from when I was a kid. I'm looking forward to the day that I have a house big enough so that I can ask them if I can have the piano at my place, then I can start playing again. 

3. I re-read books and re-watch movies. I have no qualms reading or watching my favorites over and over again. Some movies I know so well, I can recite the dialogue!! 

4. Yes, I'm a nerd. And a BIG one. And I don't care. When I was a kid it was disconcerting being a nerd. I mean, no one wanted to be one, and I was teased and bullied for being one. As an adult I embrace my inner nerd. She ALWAYS wins at board games, heehee. 

5. As big a nerd as I am, I'm pretty damn good dancer. Even though I only discovered my rhythm at the ripe old age of 19. I busted my ankle a couple of months ago and have since not really been on the dance floor, and am thus looking forward to the day that I can break it down again. 

6. I love gaming. In my perfect world I would own every gaming console known to man!! Currently I have a Playstation 2, and am eagerly awaiting the relase of the PS4. Not to buy it, but because then the PS3 will be available for a steal! 

7. Related to the above, I'm a sucker for a bargain. Also, I sniff them out! I hate the idea of paying more for something than it's actually worth. I love end of season sales and second hand stores. 

8. I cannot survive without coffee. I don't really care if it's instant or really fancy brewed coffee. Just know that I need coffee. When I was in high school, I easily polished 5-6 cups a day. As an adult, I limit it to 3 cups, but yeah, I cannot go through a day without a cuppa joe. 

9. I like salty snacks, not sweet. Give me biltong over chocolate any day of the week!!!

10. I regard my closest friends as family. They're my sisters and my brothers. They are there for me as I am for them. Even if it simply means coming over with a bottle of red wine to hash out the day. And I love them all very much. 

And there we go. If you didn't know, now you know! I tag all who read this - tell me a little someting I don't know. 

Have a great week everybody. And blessed living!

Never underestimate personal time

Life is a rat race. We've all heard that one right? We've all spoken the phrase. We've all thought that we were traped in a cage and running on a little merry go round, always busy, seemingly not getting anywhere.

The truth of the matter is that life is what you make of it. If you feel that you are constantly stuck in the ratrace then that is exactly what you will continue to be. If you see your current situation as simply your current situation and a step to the next phase of your life, then that is exactly what it is.

Now, we all have goals. Goals with regard to our education, our careers, our home life. We break them up into smaller goals that fit into the big picture. Smaller goals like reading at least one non fiction book every couple of weeks. Bigger picture - self enlightenment and continued education. Smaller goal - get your driver's licence. Bigger picture - the independence of having your own car and driving your own ass around. Smaller goal - get up ten minutes earlier in the morning, and not be late for work again. Bigger picture - bargaining power come promotion time. Smaller goal - visit an art gallery. Bigger picture - enlightenment, education and widening of horizons and taste. The point is that in general we are so focused on what we WANT that we tend to forget what we NEED. We forget that we need to actually get a good night's sleep. We forget that we actually need to eat a balanced diet. We forget that we actually need to spend time with our loved ones. We forget that we actually need to take some time out for ourselves, be selfish and just do us for a change. We are so focused on what we WANT (money, prestige, status, THINGS) and we neglect what we NEED (rest, rejuvenation, love, friendship, TIME).

This past Sunday morning I realised that time, such a precious commodity, is the one commodity that we spend extremely recklessly. I have dark circles under my eyes, because even when I tell myself that I need to get to bed early, my head is still so filled with all the things I want to still do and achieve and get that I roll around for hours instead of bloody SLEEPING. My skin is not happy with me, because I can't remember the last time I cooked myself a decent supper, as I'm so tired after the day that I simply don't and either consume junk or a cup of soup, which is not healthy. I realise that the one thing I need most is a way to utilize and manage my own time in a better manner, so that at the end of the day I actually get proper rest and eat proper meals.

As part of my realisation on Sunday I decided to use the day to give myself a very nice, long, relaxing wash day. I started with a an hour and a half coconut oil prepoo treatmen, again utilizing the plastic shower cap. I followed this with my Protein Feed Moisturizing Shampoo (lathered twice) and instant conditioned with Pantene Moisture Renewal Conditioner. I then lightly blot dried my hair and then deep condtioned with ORS Repleneshing Pak. Oh, how I have missed this DC!!! My hair soaked it up. I covered my hair and then watched about two movies, letting the DC do its thing while I relaxed and put my feet up. I then rinsed the DC, following this with a cold water rinse (YOWZA!!) and then applied my leave-ins of Avon Moisture IQ Moisturizing Leave In Treatment and Kair Serum and proceeded to roller set. I left my hair to air dry in the rollers, which took a good 3 hours. I took out the rollers, applied coconut oil to seal in the moisture still in my hair and then wrapped my hair and climbed into bed.

What I've observed about this wash day - my hair needed protein!! The breakage I experienced as week or so ago has practically stopped completely! My hair feels soft but strong. I realized once more that balance is required through out one's life. I will thus continue to practica balance - at work, at home, with my friends, with my family, with myself, and lastly, with my hair.

Have a great Monday everyone! Blessed living!

A quick wash and go

Yesterday I realised that my hair is screaming to be washed. I've been protective styling with a BIG bun for about 3 days and my hair has decided that enough is enough. Unfortunately my social life kind of collided with my hair's needs, so I had to find a way to deal with it. My solution, a very quick wash! And this is how it went:

Disclaimer: This is not my normal wash day routine, and I would not recommend this being done more than once ever 3-4 months!

1. I detangled with my fingers and wide tooth comb and then jumped in the shower. There was literally no time for a prepoo.

2. I shampooed with Protein Feed Moisturizing Shampoo, as I suspected that my hair actually needs a protein boost, taking into consideration all the freaking breakage I've been experiencing.

3. I quick conditioned with Pantene Moisture Renewal Conditioner. My hair really drinks in this stuff, and it has the most wonderful slip, and thus I detangled my hair.

4. After rinsing the conditioner I applied ORS Hair Mayonnaise(some more protein), "deep conditioning" my hair for about 10 minutes whilst I finished the rest of my shower duties.

5. Making sure to thoroughly rinse the hair mayonnaise, I then wrapped my hair in a gym t-shirt. I'ts made of silky soft material so there was very little friction, thank heavens. I kept it like that for about 5 minutes, then applied my leave in, Avon Moisture IQ Leave in Treatment.

6. I proceeded to rollerset, working at the speed of a crazed person. Remember people, my social life is VERY important to me and I had about 30-45 minutes before having to meet up with friends. Thank heavens my hair's freshly relaxed, the roller setting process went quickly and uneventfully.

7. I proceeded to dry my hair with by blow dryer, using it on the hot high setting for the first time in I don't know how long, as time was running out.

8. The next part is the part that should not be done in general to one's hair. When my hair was about 80% dry, I proceeded to remove the rollers one by one and then blow drying each section with the hair dryer and a round brush, thereby also straightening the hair.

9. Once my whole head was dry, I applied Kair silicone serum and coconut oil, wrapped my hair and proceeded to get dressed and finishing my make-up. When I was done with all that, I took down the wrapped, combed my hair down and out the door I went. Of course, half way through the night I found a bobby pin and proceeded to french braid my hair, tucking ends in with the pin. My hair is still in said braid. Protective styling seemingly comes naturally to me, lol..

Bit of a long rambly explanation, but THAT, was how I washed my hair when I was in a hurry. I'm saving Saturday for my PROPER wash day though, which shall include not only a nice long pre-poo and a nice long DC, but also a tea rinse and air drying in the rollers. It'll be epic!

Have a great phuza Thursday y'all!!

Fearing a setback

One more day to go and it's the weekend! Thank the heavens for that, cause I am tired. Not just a little tired, the kind of tired where my daydreams are just WAY too vivid. I mean, I am missing people that I have never met! Well not face to face anyway, lol.

I am experiencing an issue - breakage, and LOTS of it!! I am so sad. I am doing everything that I have been doing for the past year and 3 months - I moisturize and seal, I protective style, I use minimal heat, I try to manipulate as little as possible, I deep condition, I use gentle shampoos, etc etc and so on. Despite ALL of that, the past week, whenever I put a comb through my hair, or even just fingercombing my hair, I end up wioth SO many strands, and it's breakage! I'm checking for little white bulbs and not finding any. And I don't know what to do, I'm at my wits end. I don't know if it's the change of season, if it's the fact that I'm freshly relaxed (2 weeks post), my new leave in, moisture/protein imbalance, I really am not sure what the cause is.

And thus, ladies on similar journeys - please assist! What can I do to firstly determine the exact cause of my grief, and secondly, how do I stave off this possible setback? I mean, damnit, I finally reached shoulder length. I'm on the APL train and I don't want to get off. But the health of my hair needs to be focused on and I would greatly appreciate the help and advice.

So ladies, what do ya say????????

21 Questions

I saw this on http://creamycrackaddcit.blogspot.com and simply had to do it as well, thinking that the type of questions and of course answers give so much insight wih regard to one's hair journey. So here goes:

1. Why did you start taking better care of your hair?

My hair was a mess. Ear length, breaking all over the place, dry, lacking lustre. And I was sick of it. In addition, my trusty hairdresser disappeared from the face of the earth. So I had one of two options - trust a stranger or trust myself with the help of the hair blogosphere. I decided on the latter.

2. What are your two favorite products?

Well, I have become a bit of a product junkie since starting my journey, but my favorite products that are ALWAYS in my bathroom are coconut oil and ORS Replenishing Conditioner.

3. Who's hair did you admire as a child?

That would be a tie between Topanga from Boy meets World and Ashleigh from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

4. What is your ultimate goal length?

Well, I JUST reached shoulder length, so right now I'm focusing on reaching APL within hopefully the next year. Ultimate goal however would be mid back length. Give me a couple of years, lol.

5. How are you gonna celebrate when you reach it?

Wear it out and do like Willow Smith sings - Whip my hair back and forth!

6. Two styles you want to try on your goal length?

Katniss braid! Sure there are many styles that I'll play around with, but the Katniss braid will be the ultimate.

7. Health or length?

Well, without health, the length won't come, so the focus is health (in order to gain the dang length!)

8. Which do you prefer - hair ties or butterfly clips?

Hair ties with no metal parts, although I mostly use bobby pins to pin my hair up.

9. What products do you prefer: salon brands, organic brands, drugstore brands, beauty supply store brands?

Well, I use a variety of all of the above, except that salon brands are DANG expensive and freaking hard to come by in general.

10. Which product/techniquedo you think is underrated?

Well, a technique that I think many people don't give sufficient kudos is roller setting. A product that's underrated...I have no idea actually...natural oils have found their way into the cupboards and drawers and shelves of every lady on a hair journey, but it is a relatively new phenomena. As a kid I already knew that coconut oil does my hair good, and I rediscovered it as an adult.

11. What product/technique do you think is OVER rated?

In my mind washing my hair in sections, it's too convaluted to me. I prepoo in sections, braiding up the sections after applying whatever I'm prepooing with, but the minute I stand under the shower and start WASHING, I loosen the braids as I rinse out the products. Otherwise my hair simply does not feel cleansed. An over rated product in my mind is ORS Olive Oil Hair Masque. It has NO slip, my hair does NOT feel awesome, especially considering its damn price. No thank you!

12. What's the favorite part of your hair regimen?

Deep conditioning - because it's the laziest part of my wash day routine. I usually put it on and then chill with it under a plastic cap for a good 2 hours while I watch a movie or a series or read a book. I love it because I'm taking care of my hair whilst relaxing at the same time.

13. What's the most annoying part of your regimen?

Detangling - especially if I've had my hair in a protective style for a couple of days and even more so if I'm more than 6 weeks post and my new growth is making its presence known properly.

14. Oils or butters?

Oils - never tried butters. Don't think I'll try them any time soon anyway, they seem SO thick and heavy. I like light leav in products.

15. Buns or ponytails?

Ponytails, especially recently that my hair is longer and the pony has a bit of swang to it, lol.

16. Wig or weave?

Wigs. My last weave experience was a horrible one and has scarred me. Wigs however - I love its temporaryand versatile  nature and the fact that it is STILL a protective styling method.

17. What's your opinion on growth aids?

Honestly I don't know. There is one supplement that I want to give a try, maybe in a while I'll be able to give a proper answer.

18. What length do you consider long?

The minute hair hits the APL mark, I consider it long.

19. When's the last time you've been to a salon?

29 June 2012 - almost a full year ago, for a wash and blow out. I don't trust hairdressers to be as careful, gentle and conscious of my hair as I am myself.

20. What do you surf most - Youtubechannels, personal blogs or forums?

Personal blogs. It appeals more to me, it sometimes feels like I'm reading a letter from a friend.

21. What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting on their hair journey?

Be PATIENT! Do not expect results over night. Be patient, be vigilant, be consistent. And do your research!!

Goals for the month of JUNE

I have been struggling. My hair is at an awkward stage. Well, it's awkward for me, considering that it is longer than it has ever been in my adult life and thus I don't really know what the freak to do with it style wise. I want to continue with protective styling, as I saw first hand how beneficial it was to my retention. At the same time, I do not want to be bored. In addition, because of the extra length, I'm struggling a bit with my pin ups and thus need to learn new ways to pin up my hair. In any event, I decided to set out clear goals for myself for this month. Maybe if I focus on the GOALS, bordeom and frustration can be kept at bay.

1. NO heat usage. I am only one week post, I really don't need to use heat in any way, sense or form. So it should be easy for me to stay away from  it. 
2. Limit manipulation (including combing, brushing, fiddling) to a ONCE a day thing. See, this is challenge for me, because I grew up with this notion that hair is combed in the morning and in the evening before bed. I am going to attempt to cut out all night time manipulation.
3. As a follow up to the above, try to find a cute protective style that I can wear for at least 48 hours straight. (And it stays cute for the whole 48 hours!)
4. Wash my hair twice a week. It's winter over here in sunny Namibia and the air is dry and biting cold. The extra moisture from an additional wash day can only be beneficial.
5. Moisturize and seal DAILY. I have been slacking on that front and my ends are complaining.
6. Speaking of ends, I must baggy them at least 3 times a week.
7. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Yes it's cold, but my hair and skin will thank me for the moisture and nourishment from within.
8. Do at least two tea rinses this month. I'm still experiencing a shedding problem, regardless of the garlic supplements I've been taking, so I need to try those tea rinses again!

Those are my goals for the coming month. If I accomplish ALL of them, I am going to reward myself with AN ACTUAL SALON VISIT.

Anyone have any specific goals for this month?
Happy growing and blessed living everyone.



More than just cleanliness

I know that I haven't posted about a wash day in quite a while, partly because my regimen has been so set, that to repeat the same thing would have bored me, and I would not want to bore anyone reading my posts. I however wish to share my most recent wash day with y'all due to the fact that I have been trying out a few new things and I think they warrant mention. Note - these are not reviews, I plan to do those once these new products are all used up and I can see exactly what effect that they had over the long term.

Firstly, my most recent wash day was the first wash after my relaxer touch up, and I thus felt that I need to fortify my hair with some extra protein. At the same time, my ends felt dry, which I believe was caused largely by the mineral deposits left behind after the relaxer, and thus I needed to clarify as well as add lots of moisture. And thus my wash day went as follows:

• Prepoo with ORS Hair Mayonaise, covering my hair with a plastic cap, and sitting with the prepoo for about 45 minutes to an hour
• Rinse and shampoo with Amway Satinique Gentle Daily Cleanser. I needed to clarify but I wanted to use the most gentle shampoo in my arsenal. The Satinique Daily Cleanser is SO creamy and rich, my hair felt clean but soft and nourished. I lathered twice and then proceeded to just rinse my hair for a few minutes under the shower. Thank heavens for soft water.
• I applied Pantene Moisture Renewal Conditioner for an instant conditioner, finger detangling as I applied it. It really sinks into one's hair, and I think that I will definitely repurchase once this bottle has seen its end.
• After rinsing out the Pantene, I lightly towel dried my hair and then applied Avon's Morrocan Oil Hair Mask as my deep conditioner. It is one of my new products and I was very curious considering that it cost my N$ 45 ( about US$ 4) for a 150ml tube. It is a very thick conditioner, the word "mask" is very much suitable. It felt as if I had to use quite a bit to be able to cover every strand. I felt a little apprehensive at first because it didn't seem to have much slip. I persevered though, covered my hair with the mask, put on the plastic cap again and proceeded to DC for a good hour, maybe even an hour and a half. I was watching Ally McBeal reruns and lost track of time.
• When I started to rinse the DC my hair felt SO soft, I could barely believe it. I officially like this Morrocan Oil mask, my hair felt soft and nourished and strong.
• After rinsing I blotted my hair to remove excess moisture and let it air dry for a few minutes before applying my leave in, which is also new this month - Avon's Moisturizing Leave-In Treatment with Moisture IQ. So far I'm quite happy with it too. It does leave my hair feeling nice and soft, but we'll leave the final review for later.
• I then proceeded to detangle and roller set. I did experience a bit of breakage during this process, enough to make me rethink my daily regimen when it comes to moisture and manipulation, but thank heavens, not so much to have me in tears. I left my hair to airdry in the rollers, which took a good 3 hours. I then removed the rollers, applied a bit of coconut oil to my scalp and to the length of the hair for a bit of extra shine and then proceeded to pin my hair up into a French roll.

In general I was pretty happy with the results of my most recent wash day. My hair felt smooth, soft, strong and nourished. I'm planning to keep focusing on  maintaining the moisture/protein balance and to have wash day not be a frustrating activity. (Which is partly also why I relegate it to Saturdays or Sundays - I have ALL day and I don't feel rushed. I HATE feeling rushed.)

So, how did your wash day go? Till next time, happy growind and blessed living!

Procrastination is so not a good look

It has been a minute since I've posted. Partly, life is crazy. And partly because I'm in a hair rut. today I started realizing that procrastinating when I'm going to write a blog post most definitely will not help me move out of the rut, and therefore I must get my behind in high gear.

So, let's start with the fact that I touched up at 15 weeks post. I am not going to stretch that long again. It was my longest relaxer stretch yet and I was not doing my hair any favors, to be honest. I'm still not too adept at dealing with lots of new growth. Yes, I am a lot more able than I was a year ago, but when I'm dealing with two distinctly different textures, I fully realise how new I still am to this hair game. I was as gentle as possible, I provided my hair with plenty of moisture and protein, I attempted to manipulate my hair as little as possible on a day to day basis, and still I experienced demarcation line breakage. My goal for the next three months (12 week maximum stretch) is to make sure that I baby that demarcation line, reduce breakage and shedding and retain the length that grows out of my head.

In any event, let's quickly summarize my most recent touch up. I used ORS No Lye Olive Oil for Girls Relaxer kit. I love this kit. It already contains a scalp protector, a protector for previously relaxed hair AND nice tight fitting latex gloves. Personally I highly doubt that I would move away from this kit. The sad part of this relaxer day was the visual evidence of me stretching for too long. Relaxing one's hair in general requires quite a bit of manipulation and during the process I saw the demarcation line breakage hair going down the drain. And I repeated to myself - long stretches simply aren't for me. Each and every person needs to address their hair journey on a personal level. Long stretches may work for other ladies, their hair may even thrive, mine does not.

My next projected touch up date is the 17th of August at 12 weeks post. It's actually perfect considering that the following weekend I have a BIG wedding, to which we have all been looking forward to for some time already. A couple of things I know for sure - I can't stretch for longer than 3 months at a time; the ORS Olive Oil No Lye kit for Girls is the best relaxer I have used so far in my life and I need to baby my demarcation line at all times.

Until next time, happy hump day everyone!