Been a While...

Hey there love bugs!!! (^_^)

How goes it??? Hope everything has been going well for you all. I have been super busy trying to... maintain my life if you will. I just wanted to check in with you guys and post a few pictures of my hair with product and without product. 

Lately, I have been looking for a leave in conditioner that I could wear that would define my curls , BUT... was also 100% organic. ( I am realizing... as I have discovered, My hair functions much better with all natural products than with products laden with extra crap in it ) I have to stick with Giovanni's leave in conditioner for starters. I have tried Paul Mitchel's Original leave in conditioner, but it has too much crap in it, and my hair does not take well to it. Meaning it does not soak up the conditioner. Instead, it just sits on top of my hair and changes the texture to a more burlap type of feel. Not smooth at all. I think it is going to be important for me to find the right kind of leave in conditioner before I start trying to wear my hair with wash and go's or better yet trying the co-washing method. So far, I have far too much product build up to even try that method at this time.

Anywho, this is indeed going to be a straight brief blog. So let me get to the pictures. (^_^)

Right bottom portion of my hair with conditioner in it!!!

Left bottom portion of my hair with conditioner in it!!!

Top most part of my hair ( I don't know what type of texture this is at all) with conditioner!!!

Free strand from the back of my hair with conditioner!!!

Right Bottom portion of my hair with only water in it!!!

Left Bottom portion of my hair with only water in it!!!

Left Bottom portion of my hair with Tresemme split end remedy leave in conditioner. Fully detangled!!!

Top Right portion of my hair with Tresemme split end remedy leave in conditioner. Fully detangled!!!

Right side of my hair twisted before I set my hair in curlformers!!!

Small front section of my hair drenched in my hair setting lotion concoction ready to be placed into the curlformer.

Back right portion of my hair taken out of the twist and ready to be sectioned  and put into curlformers (one of the curlformers is seen here as well)

I don't know if any of you guys can tell the difference between any of the photo's or not, but I am still trying to see if I can put a combination together of leave in conditioner that will define my curls. As you can see , the texture is pretty interesting because some of it is curly and some of it is this weird sort of straight bushy not-sure-if-I-wanna-nap-up-or-straighten-out type of  texture.  As soon as I get some of the Giovanni direct leave in conditioner, I will take some more pictures and see if there is a difference there!!! 

Well, as I promised ... this is a short blog. So, I hope you all enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions for me for the next blog, please do not hesitate to let me know. And as always, I hope you enjoyed today's blog. Hope to see you guys again very soon. Until next time...

Sudie (^_^)

Hair Treatment: Deep Conditioning Treatments that get Rid of Split Ends

         Hello there love bugs!!!  This is going to be a pretty brief topic today. Or at least I am going to go about this topic in that manner, but if it ends up blossoming into a full blown novel, please forgive me. That just means that I have been inspired somewhere along the way. (^_^) I had been worried about whether or not I should have started my new hair growth routine by first having a big chop. Typically “The Big Chop” is a phase that people who have been in the process of transitioning from relaxed hair to natural hair come to. Meaning after the new and unprocessed natural hair grows out, the remaining relaxed or chemically treated hair is “Chopped Off” leaving only the natural hair to flourish. Sometimes if the person is brave, they cut their chemically treated hair off when only a few inches of new growth has grown in. In my case, I have not had chemicals in my hair for close to 10 years. So chemically there is nothing to chop. But, I did not cut off what I considered all of my split ends to give me a clean slate prior to starting my goal.

         Well, a couple of blogs ago I told you all that my best friend (My sister) Kalee who is a professional hair stylist, has never enjoyed cutting my hair. And although I am always quick to chop it off an inch or 3, she prefers to see if there is anything salvageable and takes her time in deciding how much hair to cut. She had advised me to put a protein treatment in my hair first before resorting to chopping it off at the drop of a hat. My impulsive side said “A treatment ain’t gonna do nothing. I should just hack off a couple of inches and get this growth thing on the road!” But, my mature side said “Actually, since I am not a legitimate hair stylist, it wouldn’t hurt to see if a treatment can determine if my ends can actually seal. Worst thing that will happen is my hair will need to be cut the amount I am assuming needs to be cut anyway. And that’s not bad at all!!!”

         I said all of that to get to this part. The Protein Hair Treatment!!! I am not sure if you have heard of a protein hair treatment. It is sort of like a Mayonnaise treatment (which I did once about 10 years ago…not only did I ruin my favorite pajama top, but I could not eat that stuff for several years after that…). Basically the juicy oily fats and amino acids saturate your hair, feeding it while mending split ends and moisturizing the hair shaft. The treatment that I did was pretty much a basic protein treatment. I used some extra virgin olive oil, one egg (I probably should have used 2, but my main focus was on coating the ends and not my entire head) and some lemon oil extract. My hair literally smelled like a lemon cake!!! LOL!!! Anywho, I mixed everything together and applied the ointment on my ends. Actually I saturated my ends in it, and then poured the rest of it all over my hair. To make sure the treatment would penetrate since I do not use heat in my hair, I wrapped my hair in a plastic bag, and then wraped my silk scarf on top of that, just to make sure the plastic bag would not come off.

         The following morning, I removed the scarf and then the bag. My hair however no longer smelled like lemon cake. It just straight up smelled like food. Eck… disgusture!!! So I took my hair down and looked at it. My head holds a great deal of heat, and I think because of that some of the egg sort of started to cook!!! LOL!!! I am sure that is not normal, but it made me laugh anyway. So, instead of washing the concoction out of my hair… I sat under the shower and rinsed it off with cooler than warm water (to prevent further cooking of the egg). I then put some conditioner in my hair and used the conditioner as a washing agent instead (this is called a conditioner wash or co-wash. I will explain this process in another blog) and also combed and detangled my hair. It was very easy for me to comb through my hair with the conditioner in it. After I finished detangling my hair, I braided various sections, then put my hair up with a clip to let the conditioner continue to moisturize my hair while I showered, washed my face and all of that other good stuff!!! I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair and twisted my hair down (to stretch my hair out). My hair was pretty much dried in 4 hours or so. I released it from the twists and finger combed through it. I could see right off the bat that my hair was a great deal shinier than it was the day before. I also noticed far less split ends after the process was completed. So the next step was determining how much of my hair had split ends that could not be tamed.

         I let Kalee look my virgin locks over briefly, and she gave me the news. It looked like most of my hair was sealed, and the protein treatment made my hair very silky and shiney. But, it did not eliminate some of the more advanced stage split ends. We would need to chop off between an inch to two inches of hair in order to keep my tresses healthy. Especially since I have not had a decent trim since I chopped my hair off in June of 2010. My response was… Chop away sis!!! (^_^) It’s funny. I always love the way my hair looks after it has been cut. The ends are nice and easy to comb through and my tresses are always smooth. I never worry about how much needs to be cut because it grows back fairly fast. I did notice however, in drier cities my hair does not grow as fast (California, Arizona, Nevada and on the West coast where the air is not so humid), But in the South and Midwest (Chicago, Atlanta, Louisiana etc where humidity is a big part of everyday climate) my hair grows a considerable amount faster. As a matter of fact, I remember when I used to live in Michigan. My hair was really long… past bra strap long when I was little, and I know that has to do with the level of humidity that I experienced living there. And for African Americans with natural textured hair… moisture can mean the difference between having your hair grow, and having your hair break off.

         Well, anywho… after getting my hair trimmed and everything, I rinsed it again and set my hair in curlformers. My hair didn’t snag or get tangled at all making the process very easy compared to the last time I did it. I know that has everything to do with having my ends trimmed, and I am thankful for that. Now, I am looking forward to seeing the results. I am certain my hair will grow like wildfire in no time!!!

Just for Fun:

         I saw this chart to identify types of split ends. I had NO IDEA there was more than one type of split ends!!! Isn’t that crazy??? Yes I saw lot’s of different remixes happening in my hair, but I didn’t actually think there was a name to all of them!!! Super crazy huh???

         Well, I think that is all I have to share with you all for today’s blog. I will make sure to post pictures from the curlformers results in the next blog. I will also try to have that information I promised you about Co- Washing (Conditioner washing) because I have decided that I am going to start doing this treatment more often for my hair, and it is a great subject to share with you all!!! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed today’s segment on protein treatments and mending split ends. Hope you tune in next time. Until then…

Lời Tạm Biệt (^_^)

The Product Blog!!! For all of you Product Junkies!!! (^_^)

Howdy all you Sweet Faces!!! (^_^)

Okay... SO…In the last blog I mentioned that I was going to try and see if I could give you guys a list of various products that are organic, natural and healthy for your body as well as cost efficient. I discovered when I started to change the various types of cleaning products, shampoos & conditioners and more … that switching to better ingredients often meant that you had to pay significantly more for the good stuff!!! Ugh… who want’s to do that??? Let me run through a quick list of things that typically deter us from making that leap to natural and organic products.

1.   First of all, the healthier products either smell weird, or they don’t smell like anything at all!!! That is NOT giving me a reason to stop using my Herbal Essences Shampoo and Victoria’s Secret Tahiti Love Body Lotion!!!

·       Although this has pretty much been the case for many of the products that were first making the transition to being green/organic, there is currently a larger variety of different products that have essentially mastered the art of packing delicious scents into the healthier stuff!!! And yes this includes Shampoos and Body Lotions!!! LOL (^_^) It has become être chic to have an organic or natural line now a days. And since people are trying to be more conscientious when it comes to natural health, you’re not cool unless you own some type of organic health care product !!!

2.   I want to try a shampoo/conditioner/Body gel/facial scrub/lotion that is organic but, I just can’t get into having to order everything online just because my grocery store doesn’t carry that stuff.

·       LOL!!! Believe it or not you don’t have to rely on the internet to get your products or to even experiment with something new. Off the top of my head I am sure that all of you are familiar with the Stores Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods!!! Well, guess what??? Both stores carry organic/ natural body care products. There are also some vitamin stores that carry some of the good stuff as well. You can even find some organic products at Ulta,Cvs, Walgreens, Sephora, Walmart and Target. Yes… I said Tar-gét and Walmart!!! I am more than sure you know where one of those are located … right this very minute!!! But, if you really want to try your fill of organic lines… you can have a field day @ Whole Foods for sure. They carry some of my favorite organic lines like Aubrey Organics, Jason Naturals, Abba, Giovanni and Alba Botanica. They also carry brands that are popular, but I have yet to try like: Kiss my Face, Avalon Organics, Burts Bee’s and Alterna just to name a few.

3.   Some of the prices for these little 8 or 12 oz bottles of products is way too expensive or my taste, and it’s more cost efficient to just go ahead and get that Pantene ProV like I had been doing.

·       Ah ha… yet another excuse to keep doing what you’re doing huh??? Well, consider this. Although you might have visited Whole Foods and the price of some of the products might have screamed profanity at you with the exorbitant price tag that quite frankly should give you the right to press changes against the store, there are other ways to purchase the items you want without having to work three jobs to be able to afford them. The first thing you can do, is take yourself over to the stores like Trader Joes, Cvs, Wallgreens,Target and Walmart and see what they have in store for you in person. The variety may not be as vast, but the objective is to get your hands on organic products that don’t put you in the poor house and do the job they are intended to do. Some of the stores that are well known for carrying organic products charge more for the items because they figure anyone who is coming to that store can afford to pay whatever they charge. If you’re like me, I take the time to see if I can buy the exact same products for a discounted price at either a vitamin store that carries the brands I want, or I just buy online. There are four places that I always check to see if I can get a better deal. Amazon, Ebay, Vitacost and drugstore.com. (I will supply the direct addresses towards the end of this blog) But for the most part, I am satisfied with just purchasing the items at one of the stores because in all honesty, the prices and sizes are actually reasonable (12 – 16 oz)!!! (^_^)

While that was certainly interesting and fun to break down, I have even more exciting information to share with you. Last blog I stated that I was going to see if I could find a way to provide you all the opportunity to buy some of the products that I swear by at a price that you just can’t get at the store or on other online stores. Below is a list of some of the products that I was able to locate at a reasonable price:

Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Body Unscented/ Original 32oz bottle $10.00 (original price $18.49 online)

·       Alba Botanica  Natural Very Emollient Body Unscented/ Original 20 oz bottle $8.00

Alba Sea Algae Enzyme Facial Scrub 4oz $6.00 (original price $11.49)

Alba Botanica Medium Hold Hair Spray 8oz $7.00 (original price $9.95)

Jason 70% Aloe Vera Hand and Body Lotion 16oz $7.00 (original price$8.83 for 8oz bottle)

 

Jason Calming Lavender Pure Natural Body Wash 20oz $8.00 (original price $13.79 for 30oz)

Jason Color Protect Henna Shampoo 16oz $6.00 (original price $8.97)

  Jason Ester-C Complete Antioxidant Skin Care Kit : Gentle Facial Wash 2oz,Super-C Toner 2oz, Ester-C Hydrating Masque 0.5oz, Ester-C Cream Anti-Aging Moisturizer 0.25oz  $15.00 (original price$8.89 for Gentle Facial Wash 6 oz/ $7.97 for Super-C Toner 6 oz/ $14.99 for Ester-C Cream Anti-Aging Moisturizer 2oz/$22.28 for Ester-C Hydrating Masque 2.5oz)

Jason Thin- to- Thick Hair and Scalp Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner Sampler 1.5oz each with Jason Satin Shower Gel 2oz and Jason Hand Sanitizer 2oz $8.00 (original price $11.20 for shampoo for conditioner 8oz/ Apricot Satin Shower Body Wash$8.00 for 12 oz / $4 Hand Sanitizer 2oz )

Jason Natural Tea Tree Shampoo, Conditioner,Tea Tree Satin Shower Body Wash Sampler 2oz each with Jason Hand Sanitizer 2oz $8.00 (original price $9.78 for shampoo 17.5oz/ $8.39 for conditioner 8oz/ $13.49 for Tea Tree body wash 30oz/ $4 Hand Sanitizer 2oz )

Jason Power Smile Cinnamon Powermint Mouthwash 16 oz $6 (original price $9.30)

For the most part if any of you are interested in buying any of the products, I do have these items and a few other items that I simply didn’t list here or are not actually 100% organic but are pretty popular listed on ebay in the link below. This is actually a link to the page that will show you all of the items that are available for purchase. And naturally since I am not a wholesale seller yet I can only list one item at a time opposed to having more quantities of the same item listed for sale. In any event, if you find that you are interested in purchasing something from this link or something that I have listed. Shoot me an email, and I will work something out with you!!! So, go ahead and take a look, browse around and do some comparison shopping!!! (^_^)

http://myworld.ebay.com/mrlovesgonnalast/

My email address: prettierdenu@gmail.com

Here is a list of websites that I love: You can find excellent prices on organic products here!!!

www.vitacost.com

www.amazon.com

www.ebay.com

www.drugstore.com

    Well love bugs… it is approaching 2am, and I am getting all tuckered out! (I worked pretty hard at trying to get this particular blog done… whew. But… you guys are totally worth it!!! ) So with that said and done, I really hope you enjoyed today’s blog. And I look forward to talking to you guys about a new topic that I have yet to discuss with you all. And that is Co-Washing!!! Ooooooooh!!! I’m getting excited just thinking about it. LOL. Anyway, thank you for tuning in to today’s blog. I had a wonderful time and look forward to presenting you all with more stimulating information. Natuarally, I hope to see you back for my next topic. Until then…

Vale (^_^)

New Growt Update: Photo's and more Exciting News!!!

Hey there Love Bugs!!! (^_^)

               It has been a couple of weeks since I have had the opportunity to write anything about my hair care regime. I know I had promised to have some pictures for you for the next blog, but it has taken me all this time to get the picture situation taken care of !!! LOL Sorry about that guys!!! But on the good note… I have some pictures for you now!!! (^_^)

               Exciting news!!! I have noticed that my hair has grown a little bit since I first started this blog. The roots of my hair seem to be a bit bushy which to me signifies that there is a considerable amount of growth transpiring. I would like to think that my healthy regime has a great deal to do with my hair outcome. I have been taking vitamins everyday like clockwork for easily the past two weeks. As a matter of fact, it is now time for me to replenish some of my vitamins. I have also remained true to utilizing protective hair styles. I have not taken any pictures of my hair after it has been washed, so I plan on taking pictures of that so that you all can see what my hair looks like in it’s wet state. I am hopeful that I can get my best friend Kalee to trim my hair in it’s wet state, so that I can get the maximum hair growth by removing the split ends that I currently have. Like always, she NEVER wants to cut my hair at all…especially when I tell her that I want all of the damage removed at once!!! Often times I just get to chopping it off myself because I get fed up with the split ends. BUT… this time, I am pretty confident that I am going to be able to keep split ends at bay mainly because I have learned how to take care of my hair better. Keeping my mane moisturized is going to prove key to the growth of my hair, so I am looking forward to getting the bad parts removed. I do know that she is going to try everything she can not to chop off the ends. I know that I am trying to achieve a particular length, BUT… there is nothing that is going to come from a head full of split ends. The longer I wait, the worse the damage is going to be. Hopefully I can convince her to chop it off regardless of how much has to go. Keeping my fingers crossed though. LOL. (F.Y.I Kalee is a licensed beautician and has been styling and creating hair care products for over 20 years now. She has styled an extensive list of celebrity clients and some of the items that I will be talking about in future blogs will be information that I have learned from her in addition to my trial and error research and discoveries.)

               I had mentioned that I have been taking vitamins daily. But, I am starting to realize that there are possibly some important vitamins that I have been leaving out, or may not have enough of. Since I do not drink milk (Milk in the traditional sense of the word. Meaning milk that comes from cows, lambs, reindeer, buffalo, sheep, donkeys or horses) It is going to be important for me to drink or consume products that do contain calcium in them. The types of milk that I do drink are pretty much organic. Like Almond Milk, Soy Milk or Coconut Milk. My favorite is Almond milk by Almond Breeze (My ex suggested that we try their Vanilla Almond brand opposed to the Silk version that I had always purchased. I was pleasantly surprised and actually preferred the Almond Breeze brand over Silks!!! That was one of his better suggestions.)

               I do not have very many products to introduce to you for hair care in this particular blog. BUT, I do have a product that can be used to keep your body from being ashed out of order. LOL. I know I have told you all before that I try to use all organic products. Meaning, eat, drink and utilize products with the most natural ingredients possible. Well, I have a lotion that was introduced to me by one of my health nut friends a couple of years ago, and now I finally have a platform to speak about it. I tend to have ashy, parched and thirsty skin. Man… that sounds completely desperate!!! LOL But anyway, I was looking for different types of lotions that would be able to penetrate my skin without feeling like a grease coating or evaporating as if I never applied anything in the first place. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Lotion is a moisture rich cream that is capable of moisturizing your dehydrated skin and penetrates beneath the surface to maintain moisture throughout the day. I actually have access to a supplier that sells this particular lotion at a reasonable price for the 32 oz bottle. (On the online Alba Botanica store or in health stores that carry organic products the price range for the same bottle can vary from $18.00 to $30.00) I am trying to work out something where I can actually have this item available for you all to purchase for $15.00 (including shipping cost) or less. But I am still working on getting that together. In addition to having the lotion that I have mentioned, I am going to try and see if there are other organic products that I may be able to introduce to you all as well as have available for you all to purchase for far less than what the item costs in say the home store online or a whole foods store. I am hopeful that by the next blog I will be able to give you a list of products that I can have available to you all at wholesale prices!!! It is just something that I am trying to see if it will work in my hopes to share my organic discoveries as well as educate you all and introduce healthier natural products for you all to use.

               On that note, below is the direct link for the lotion that I was talking about. I have actually posted this website in a previous blog, but the link listed will direct you to the lotion only and not the general site.

http://www.albabotanica.com/body/body-moisturizers/original.html

The link posted below gives one person the opportunity to purchase a bottle of the lotion at a better price than what you would pay at the online store or at Whole foods. Like I mentioned earlier, I am just trying things out.  I have yet to discover the best method of making products available to you yet at a discounted price. BUT, I will figure out how to do it in the very near future!!! (^_^)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170836474859?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

PICTURES: Now … here is the part that I am sure some of you have been waiting for… images from my second mini twist out and the first curlformers set!!!

I don't know what I was thinking... but I loved this twist out!!! (^_^)

Tee Hee Hee!!!

Front View: Mini Twist Out set

Side view: Mini Twist Out Set

 CURLFORMERS Picture Review:

Curlformers: Orange and Pink colors determine the curl direction. Clockwise vs Counterclockwise!!!

Curlformer stretched out with my hair inside: The important thing to remember is depending on your hair length, you may need specific length curlformers. This set is Extra Long and Wide for hair lengths up to 22 inches long!!! Some parts of my hair are already 17 inches long. So, it was important for me to purchase a set that my hair will be able to grow into.

As you can clearly see.. I needed far more than 40 curlformers to encase all of my hair in neat little sections. I am going to purchase an additional 20 so that I can individually curl more of my hair instead of having to over compensate!

I love how natural these curls are. AND... I was able to achieve this look without putting heat or excessive hair products in my hair!!! This is my hair in it's natural state!!! (^_^)

Side back view : Curlformer curls!!! So beautiful and shiny!!!

Side view: Curlformers Curls

Front View: Curlformers Curls after being separated individually and styled!

OH!!! I have a special little treat for you all. You know how I love to watch video's to see who is wearing their hair natural and how are they maintaining and growing their hair in their natural state??? Well, I stumbled upon a really awesome youtube video of a girl who's hair is quite frankly GAWGEOUS!!! I do not plan on actually growing it to the length that she has. I will be completely satisfied with just above elbow length or right at breast length. But you can see that she has absolutely fantastically beautiful hair, and the texture seems to resemble mine quite a bit. Also, I had mentioned that I was planing on trimming my hair while it was in it's wet state. This video gives a pretty awesome tutorial on how she trims her hair in that state. So, I have included one of her video's as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!! 

Well, I think this is all I have for you today!!! Please stay tuned as I plan on having a very special blog update on additional hair care and body care products for you guys to try out very soon!!! As always, I hope you enjoyed today's blog, and I look forward to providing you quality information next time. Until then....

अलविदा (^_^)