Back Under The Dryers

Soooo after more than a year of getting my natural hair straightened every three weeks, I got a wild hair up my ass, and decided to do it myself.

I went to Target and picked up some Carol's Daughter's Black Vanilla shampoo and Black Vanilla Smoothie, and Sacred Tiare conditioner.  Unfortunately, I did not read the labels.  I assumed the smoothie was a leave-in conditioner.  Oops.  I added water to that sucker and made it do what it do...hopefully.

I washed my hair in the shower, let the conditioner set while I washed my body and got down to detangling.  I sprayed a little of my "leave-in" and combed.  It was all a damn breeze, which makes me think I did something totally wrong.  (by the way, I am typing this as I sit under the dryer, praying my hair turns out well.)

I ran into another snafu.  My hair is a tad bit too long for my existing curlformers.  So, I braided the roots in hopes of keeping them from doing their puffy thing.  My hair isn't exactly kinking up the way it should because quite frankly, it is heat damaged from all of the pressing.  Bummer.

I left my hair naked for the curlformers.  I didn't add gel, oil, styler...nothing.  Lord, did I take a risk here.

Oh wells, I'm hoping my hair turns out great.  This was  a much easier wash session than my transitioning days.  Plus, I think all of the pressing is eating up my already damaged ends.  I need those suckers to survive.  They were trying to thrive when I laid off the heat during my transition from relaxed to chemical free.  Here's to a comeback.

Ooops

Alright, Ya'll.  I fell off the wagon after just two days.  I don't know....I'm struggling!!!

Workout Day 3

Day three got postponed.  My husband was called into work early.  That means we'll have to make it up tonight.  This could cause a major problem because I was hoping to workout Friday morning before my hair appointment.  But if I'm up late making up Day3, I don't know if I'll be able to get up early to tackle Day 4.

I have to be cute for my Mother on Mother's Day, right?

Anyway...I have the body of an elderly person.  I hurt ALL OVER.  I know this will end in a couple of weeks, but it is making it hard to want to continue.  OMG!  I could barely walk down the stairs.  I thought I was going to fall down.

I Did It

I'm sure many thought I wouldn't begin the exercise program.  I know I thought I wouldn't.  Turns out that Hubby gets mean when I promise to exercise with him, then bail.

So...he forced me to the basement and I did...something.  I couldn't really complete a pushup and I was so mad at him that I didn't crack a smile.

We did P90x arms and back today...lots of faux pushups and pullups on my part.

I was in a strange place mentally.

I hope to be better tomorow.

I should add that we also did Insanity's ab workout.  That's some CRAZINESS!  OMG!

Sh*t Is Getting Real

The picture above is my WORKOUT SCHEDULE!!

The Husband is way too excited that I have to join him in the basement.  He has already created a schedule for us to start on Monday.

I really don't want to do it, but my weight has gotten out of control.  I am 5'3.  My ideal weight at this time is 125lbs.  However, I can't get to it.  The last time I worked out with the Hubby. I went from 130lbs to 132lbs.  I was toned and fit in the clothes I wore when I was actually 125lbs, but the scale would not go anywhere near that coveted number.

So lets talk about today. Whoo!  This is hard to write out.  I am 140lbs right now.  That is the heaviest I have been in my life.  I am 30+ years old and the pounds don't melt off as easily as before.  It is hot outside and honey, my thighs are rubbing together.  If it was winter time, I would ignore it.  But the heat and the kissing thighs?  Well, that ain't working out.

I had really fallen in love with my straight hair. I know it sounds silly and superficial to be so upset about this.  I sweat..A LOT...in my hair, so I won't be able to rock my bob the way it should be. LOL! We'll see what I'm able to make of it.  I don't use a flat iron when I do my own hair.

I've scoured YouTube and thanks to Naptural85, I think I have a way to work the curlformers to stretch/straighten/control my hair.  I don't plan on rocking the spiral curls because I can't see how they will work at this length.  Also, I am 100% relaxer free this time.  I don't know how much shrinkage I'll be dealing with.

But ultimately, Whatever!  I have to get these ten pounds off of me.  My thighs don't like each other that much!!!  PLUS, I can't buy anymore damn clothes.

What Did I Do?

I love my new haircut, but seriously, what did I do to myself?  I tried on a dress from last Spring and it is obvious that I have gained ten pounds. OMG!  I have to workout for REAL, but this shorter hair is going to be a problem.

I have a week-and-a-half left until I have to begin.  I'm enjoying my hair's cuteness and giving myself enough time to get the hell over it.  I have to get these ham hocks off my backside.

I probably should have gotten a cut that wouldn't have left the back so short, but I can't change what happened.

I know for the last six months I've been saying, I'm going to get back in the basement and put in work.  But after I put on that sassy dress and it barely made it over my rump-a-dump, I have got to DO SOMETHING.

So, I'll be back in a week-in-a-half, crying about my jacked up hair.  But hopefully in three months, it won't matter because I'll be so damn body beautiful.  LOL!

Hair Gods, please show my relaxer-free hair some mercy!!!

100% Relaxer Free

Uhm...I just went ahead and cut my hair.  I am 100% relaxer free, after 23 months of transitioning.  I likely will not be a curly girl.  I am loving the press-n-curl at the moment.

The back is shorter than the front.  I am using pin curls to maintain it, but the picture above is fresh out the shop.  We will see how long it holds up.  I'm actually a bit nervous.  Ya'll know I can only afford to go to the shop every three weeks...if at all. LOL!

My fly-aways are out of control. I will have to tell the new shop that the Denman ain't working for me. Back to the wide-toothed comb!!!

Almost 2 years

In May, it will be two years since my last perm.  Holy Crap!  I am no longer caring for my hair myself and I am getting it pressed.  I just don't like the kinky look on me.  However, I have reached a point where I may have to go back to it because I am growing out of my clothes (I'm not exercising right now. It makes me sweat).

Here is a look at my hair right now. It is nearly arm pit length.  I'm suddenly obsessed with length.  Normally when I get that way, I cut it.  I was planning to get it cut into a bob, but my mother just visited and discouraged it.  My Husband, who is very supportive, even said he thinks I should wait a little longer before getting a cut.  Deep down inside he believes I'll start exercising with him again and it will be harder for me to make a ponytail with a bob.

I know you are thinking, "Why in the heck did she choose these pictures?"  They best show my hair.  I was wine tasting with my Mother and Aunt.  I, of course, was acting a fool and the only pictures that show my hair, also show me doing something silly.

I haven't been wrapping my hair at night.  I've been pin-curling and shockingly, it is far easier and far more comfortable for me.  However, I do end up with the bends you see in the pics.

The Saga Continues...

I am 17 months post relaxer and it is crazy.  Since I took a little break from working out, I decided to also take a break from doing my hair.  I have been getting it straightened for the past couple of months.  I forgot how simple straight hair made my life.  I literally wrap and go.

But my donut (flabby stomach) is starting to return and I am going to have to go back to the basement to get my body right and tight again.  That means that paying all of that money for a fabulous flat iron will be useless.  I've been thinking long and hard about this. I've decided that if/when I return to exercising, I will continue to go to my current stylist.  However, I will only let her wash and blow dry my hair.  Maybe I'll co-wash it in between visits.  That should cut down on the time it takes to do my hair on wash days.

Since I wasn't obsessing over my hair, I passed the summer by reading.  Here are some of the highlights.


Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness by Toure:  From the title of this non-fiction book I thought he was going to rant about how America has really become a color-blind society. I was wrong. I loved this book because to Toure, post-blackness means limitless. It means that BlackAmericans should drop the phrase, "Black people don't do that."  Gone are the days when we had to feel restricted because of our race. That does not mean that racism does not exist, but it means that we don't have to let our race or racism keep us from accomplishing things outside of what is expected of black people.  Toure used stories from his past as well as some other Black Americans to get his point across.

Room by Emma Donaghue:  This is a fictional story of a kidnapped woman and her five-year-old son.  What made this book so interesting is that the boy is the narrator. I thought it was going to be annoying to hear this story from his perspective, but he made it very intriguing.  He didn't have the influence of experience. All he had was that room and his imagination.  He made me realize that you really can't miss something that you've never had. With that said, the boy and his mother go on a frightening, emotional and thrilling journey to find their version of freedom.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn:  I loved this book.  If you are news junkie, the best way I can describe this story is a mix of the Lacy Peterson and Casey Anthony stories on crack!!  In this thriller, a wife disappears.  Through the search for her, we learn about her husband's dirty secrets, her crazy secrets and why so many marriages fail.  At the end of this book, I found myself saying do I really know my husband? Does he really know me?  Of course the answer to both questions is yes...at least I think it is.

Up next for me is a book called Swamplandia by Karen Russell

Wrapping & Reading

Since I nearly had my scalp burned off to get my hair straight, I decided to rock it for two weeks.  The back is silky straight, the front is poofy (lol) thanks to exericising (yes, I'm back on track..kind of). I create a decent style by rolling and tucking the front and leaving the back out. I'm learning to work with what I have. At night, I seal my ends with some aragon oil and wrap my hair.

That leads me to the point of this post.  Since I haven't been obsessing over my tresses, I've had time to pick up a book... or three. I got sucked into all the hype surrounding the "Fifty Shades" books. 


http://www.eljamesauthor.com/books/fifty-shades-of-grey


I needed something simple just to get me back into the groove of reading. "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" were just what the doctor ordered. I read all three books, in about four days. I am not a fast reader.  The books are just that simple.  They are dripping with erotica, grammar errors, typos (like my blogs) and plain old fashion  fantasy.

It's the same old story. Powerful man falls for unlikely girl, who could be pretty if someone spruced her up.  The twist is that the powerful man is a FREAK, but that's not what pulled me through the book.  It was the fantasy.  The idea that a man would pick the girl no one really sees and protect and love her.

The first book does a good job of holding fast to that fantasy.  The second and third books really reveal the authors inexperience with plot and character depth. To me it read like this, "Happy sex, punishing sex, OBSTACLE (repeat)."  I literally skipped through the steamy scenes just to see if my predictions about what would happen at the next "obstacle" were correct.  I'd say nine out of ten times, I was right.

The odd thing was that in my mind the lead male character had a British accent that I couldn't shake, even though the story is set in the U.S. Once I read about the author I understood why.  She's British. LOL!

 EL James never claimed to be Toni Morrison or Jane Austen.  These are her first books. It was her dream to be a writer and she did it!.  She self published these books, they caught fire and now she's inked a movie licensing deal worth millions.

I tell you... dreams really do come true.

So.. if you're stuck in a rut, a plane or a car,  these books will help you out.  Just don't open the book expecting Pulitzer Prize winning writing because it's not there.

The next book on my list is Toure's, "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?"

I'm Straight!

I got my hair straightened over the weekend. My hair was duurrtay! and I didn't have time to wash and style it myself.  The hubby and I didn't want to waste a second of our two day weekend together, so I headed to a shop to get it done.

Here's what it looked like:

But oh Lord, did that woman burn my head. I mean she got my scalp a COUPLE of times. I hope there was no permanent damage and I'll be interested to see if my roots coil up anymore. I have a sneaking suspicion I won't have to worry about my new growth trying to lock anymore. OMG!  She was still trying to "work it out" when I told her, "It's straight enough."

It wasn't all bad though. She washed and detangled my hair like a champ. Unlike another shop I went to, she did not charge extra for deep conditioning and she did everything: washed, detangled and styled. I didn't have three different people in my head.

  If I ever run into another situation where I don't have the time to tackle my hair, I will return to her for a BLOW OUT. She shall not come close to my head with any other heat tool again.  She was also very nice and accommodating, so I don't want to totally diss her.

My hair was a bit longer than a I expected. When I go visit my Mom in Chicago in the coming months, I'll probably get about two inches cut off.  Don't get me wrong, I love length, but I'm trying to grow out a relaxer here. I can't keep holding onto those ends. Detangling is a beast!

I've come to the end of the roller setting challenge and I'm a bit sad. So I will just unofficially be in Ebony's banging and swanging challenge. Lord knows, I need all the inspiration I can get. I have fallen off the exercise wagon hard.. HARD I tell you.

*Update* I did plyometrics with the husband this morning.  The front of my hair is all kinds of puffy.  I've never been so happy to see it that way:-)

Gold Medal

If there was a gold medal awarded for fun, my mother and I definitely would have won it during our long weekend of fun this Memorial Day!

We ate well, drank well, played well and laughed just a bit too much. I always enjoy her visits.
Here's a look at some of the things that we consumed.

I spent so much time having fun, that I did not have time to do my hair and I laughed at the idea of exercising.  Needless to say, those inches I lost came back with a vengence (OMG!)  No need to worry though.  My crazy husband will have me back "getting it right and tight" in no time flat.

I'm going to get my hair "done" because we are celebrating our anniversary. I am sure I could do a fabulous blown out, flat twist out, but I don't have the time.  My hair is two weeks dirty, sweaty and filled with product.

This is my first trip to this shop. It is a last minute appointment, so I'm getting the newbie. I already explained over the phone that I am a year into growing out my relaxer and I need a deep conditioner. She said she thinks she can handle it, but when I get there, I'm going to take it down and make sure that she understands what she is getting into. Some stylists are so cocky when they see me.  Their tune quickly changes when water hits my hair and it expands.  Because it's my anniversary, I don't want any drama. I'm going in early enough so that if she has reservations, I have time to get home and get to work. Of course, that would just delay the start of some of our fun.

Wish me luck!

One Year

It has been twelve months since my last relaxer. I tried to take pictures to show the difference in textures, but I'm not a good photographer.

I'm getting better thanks to all the ladies in the roller setting challenge. I hope things keep going the way they are right now.  If they do, I'll be okay.

This is how my hair turned out. Curlformer curls in a banana clip ponytail.

Shampoo: Quantum Clarifying & Creme of Nature

Instant conditioner: Paul Mitchell's The Detangler

Deep Conditioner: Jessicurl Deep Treatment

Leave ins: Argan Oil & Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

Styler: ORS Loc & Twist gel

Come on, Carol!

I am a product junkie. I love reading about them.  I love purchasing them and I love trying them, but sometimes I think these companies go a bit too far.

Carol's Daughter has launched something called the Transitioning Movement. The company has a website to answer all of your questions and of course, a new product to peddle.  This is where things get sketchy for me.






CD is offering a Transitioning Kit for $40, but get this, it only has three products: a shampoo, scalp spray and conditioner.  Oh... and there are four ounces of the first two products and 5.5 ounces of the conditioner.  That breaks down to $13.33 for each product.  That's $13.33 for FOUR to FIVE ounces of product.  Come on, Carol!

I know there are other over priced brands and products out there, but it was just something about this kit that pissed me off. I would use it up in two or three uses (the conditioner for sure).  I mean even to this stone cold product junkie, that price point is a turn off.  Maybe I'm just cheap...at this moment.

I just feel like it should be a bit more affordable. After all, the sizes amount to about two samples of each product. Some companies charge $2-$3 for a two ounce sample (excluding Ms. Jessies lol!).

I guess I would have to try it to see if it's worth the money, but I'm not.  At least not right now. I'm in a  good transitioning space at the moment. I can think a bit more clearly before each purchase:-)

Perfecting The Set?

If you've seen one of my curlformer sets, you've seen them all.  Case in point, my last wash day (May 13):

The frizz in the top is from the hair I ripped out in the early days of my journey.

However, I think I may have found the secret to a "good" set. For me, that means a set that will give me curls for at least three days, despite my exercise regimen.  When I say "curls", I don't mean I can wear my hair down.  I can never wear my hair down past day one. The front never holds up as well.  I can get a good roll and tuck with the back down or a good banana clip ponytail out of the set.

So without further ado, the secret is:

DON'T USE A CREAM BASED LEAVE IN. 

Something about it doesn't allow the curls to really set. It does not matter how long you let them dry.
Koos of Feisty House said this in one of her posts, but I didn't believe her. I thought that she, like me, was a bit heavy handed. It's not true. I've done three sets without and a leave-in and two with a leave-in.  The latter had bad results.

Happy "curlformering!"

Let's Play Ball

The hubby and I hit AT&T park to see the San Francisco Giants play a little baseball this weekend.
It was a beautiful day.

Once again, I didn't have time to take adequate pictures of my hair because we were on the move, but here are a couple of shots:

The Rundown:

Wash: 2 rounds clarifying shampoo & 1 round moisturizing one
Instant Condition: Paul Mitchell the Detangler
Deep Condition: Jessicurl
Leave-ins: Argan Oil & Kinky Curly Knot Today
Curlformer set: Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum & Motions foaming wrap lotion


The foaming wrap lotion is a new addition. I usually use some type of gel, but I decided to give it a shot. I liked how it worked this time, but I need to use it a few more times before I can sing or silence any praises.

I got day two hair, but barely held on for day three due to exercising. The scale still hasn't changed for me, but hubby continues to lose weight.  However, I am fitting into jeans that wouldn't move past my hips at the beginning of the year.  I am apparently losing inches around the waist and stomach areas.  I would show you my super buff arms, but you may not be able to handle it. LOL! I know I need to get better control of what I'm eating, but I'm a junk food junkie. I can't help it.

Bad Feel

Soooo...

The curls started out so perfect. I thought I was in love.  Day 2 was blah and Day 3 (pics of all three days are below)?  Well, I'm in a tuck & roll.

Something didn't go right during the last wash. At this point, I'm ok if the curls don't last because I using the curlformers to stretch that new growth (11 months of it).  However, my hair is hard. It feels awful. I truly wish I could do a mid-week wash, but I don't have that luxury.  *sigh*  I shouldn't even be typing this up, but I felt so bad about the feel of my hair that I had to get it out.  Now... off to get ready for work.

     

A Wild Day

Elephants, giraffes...

And...

                                                                             Curls!


I washed my hair this weekend. I didn't have time to take pictures of my hair right out of the curlformers.  We were rushing to get to the Oakland Zoo.  I used big bobbie pins to pin my hair up and keep it off my neck.  It was a beautiful day in the Bay Area.  My fingers are crossed for decent "day two hair."

A Nice Surprise

My Orlando stylist, Frenchie, sent me these lovely products.  It's been a little more than year since I left Orlando and the best darn salon EVER.  Aside from being cheap and trying to save money, Frenchie is the reason I'm on this D-I-Y hair journey.  Before I moved, we began talking about transitioning out of a relaxer. It had nothing to do with black power, she just truly believed in loving your hair.  She ultimately wanted to care for my hair in the way that would make ME most comfortable.

She is just truly a loving person.  Even though I haven't been in her salon since March 2011, she was nice enough to try to help me on this journey.

These products are from the Influance line and they include the Moisturizing Shampoo, the Moisturizing Conditioner with Shea Butter and Moisture Lock with Shea Butter.

Although I feel like I've been winning with my latest combination of products, I'm itching to see how these will work on my hair.

By the way, I am about a week away from being one year without a relaxer.

Adventures In Hair Washing Land

***Stretches arms and cracks knuckles***

I dumped an entire container of gel in the toilet, then I had to fish it out. Yes! This wash day was interesting. Thanks to my pj-ism, I had backup products. Ha!

Due to that mishap, I finally used up something. hooray!!! Just under a year after its purchase, the Bee Mine Curly Butter is gone. I won't buy more. It is a good product, but not worth $20 when I can get something like the loc & twist gel for three bucks (r.i.p, gel. I didn't mean for you to fall in the toilet).

Oh yeah.. I dumped the gel in the toilet by trying to shake out pieces of hair from the container. I didn't realize it had softened up and was no longer "glued" to the container. It was a dumb move and when I heard the splash, I said, "You deserved that."

So I set about 1/4 of my curlformers with curly butter and the rest with Aloe Vera gel.

The rundown:

shampoo: Quantum clarifying & Creme of Nature conditioning and detangling shampoo

condition: Paul Mitchell's The Detangler & Jessicurl Deep Treatment

Detangling: 90 minutes (that's actually good for me at 11-months post relaxer)

Leave-ins (I guess you could call 'em that): Argan Oil and PM Super Skinny Serum

Yeah, I have to walk the dogs in those things. It's pretty sad and embarrassing.

This is how they came out. I think I went too far with the Aloe Vera gel. Next time I'll use less.

I pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail to sleep and exercise the next day.  The curls barely survived. I was hurt when I did the day 2 "unveiling."

I had to fix things up:

Day 3 I did plyometrics and had so much sweat that those ragedy curls didn't stand a chance.  I ponytailed it up. LOL!

Side note: When my hair is 100% natural. it won't be curly. It will be NAP... I mean extremely kinky.
What I didn't realize early on when I started working out, is that curlformers help me.  They stretch out that new growth, so that when I sweat my hair is less likely to lock up. So if I can't use the curlformers, I'll have to start blow drying it. 

It's also not very good for me to wash every two weeks. It just didn't work for me. Who knows maybe I'll find a way for it to work in the future.  This Do-It-Yourself haircare is still evolving for me.