Okay, THIS is really is going to be a quick post as I need to work on an article for … wait for it … Carol’s Daughter Transitioning Movement site!! Yup! They accepted a proposal I made for an original guest post and my deadline is tomorrow! Anywho, just wanted share some pics that I’ve shared over on Instagram and Facebook (so, if you follow me there, some of these are old news) and a few impromptu length check photos I had Wei take this morning .
A couple of weeks ago, I flat-ironed my hair (one pass with my Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium flat-iron set at 300°) to stretch it some. Then I put it into a couple of “Pocahontas” braids for a “beach wave” love. It frizzed up by the end of the day. But, whatevs. That’s ALWAYS been my hair, even when I was relaxed. So, it doesn’t bother me much anymore.
Anywho, it looked like I had gained some decent length since my haircut in December (and it’s definitely time for a trim, which I’m getting next weekend). And, since I was thinking about it, I grabbed Wei and had him take a couple of quick, pseudo length check pics this morning.
Top: Jan. 9, 2013 Bottom: June 16, 2013
The longest parts in the back have now gone past the lines on my length check shirt! I’ll be back to at least the last one after my trim. But, on my way to tailbone length!
Okay, gotta go! Hope that everyone is enjoying their Sunday/Father’s Day!!
Okay, so I’m gonna try to keep this quick and too the point … you know that’s a feat for me … which is why I don’t really Tweet/Twitter!! But, I gotta get ready to head out for Man of Steel and don’t have time to go into deep detail. So, here goes.
This past Saturday, I hennaed my hair, applied mix of Sally’s GVP The Detangler, aloe vera juice and JBCO/EVOO mix to my hair. Then, I twisted it … but first I attempted to set a section of hair with a Curlformer … and I very easily did it for the first time!!!! (I guess all those YouTube tutorials finally sunk in!).
My hair was still moisturized from being in a twisted updo all week, so I didn’t feel a need to re-moisturize. It was also almost perfectly sectioned and essentially detangled due to those same twists. So, the products and tools I used were very minimal.
Products Water in a small spray bottle
ORS Lock and Twist Gel (I♥ this gel and originally purchased it b/c of the GORGEOUS flexirod set KaiRox’sachieved with it.)
Tools Curlformers (Extra Long & Wide 40 pack [20 clockwise & 20 counter-clockwise] for hair up to 22″ long)
Hair clips
My 10 Fingers
Process
First I secured all but the bottom left twists of my dry hair up with hair clips.
Working from the back left (nape), I separated each twist and grabbed about 1-2″ sections (usually 2-3 per twist).
Once I had the section I wanted to set, I would prep a pink Curlformer on the wand.
Then, I spritzed the section of hair with water until it was slightly damp (not soaking wet) and smoothed a nice size dollop of ORS lock and twist gel down the length making certain the hair was detangled.
Next, I twisted the roots of the section to make it small enough to get the hook of the wand around all of the hair.
Finally, I hooked the wand over the root (not too close to the scalp), pushed the curler up over the top of the wand, and pulled my hair through the curler.(If the curler twisted wrongly, I fixed it to form the correct shape.)
I repeated this process on the left side and then completed the right side using the orange curlers.
The entire process took me about 1 hour 30 minutes, which wasn’t too bad given it was my first time.
I can’t remember how many Curlformers I used now!! But, I think it was about 38 … and, get this … there were at least an extra 6 pink curlers in my kit!!! #WINNING
Things I Learned
My hair is longer than 22″ in some sections?!?! Go figure. So, I had to pull a lot of the Curlformers down about an inch to make certain my ends were fully enclosed in the curlers.
I could have twisted the roots first so that the section out of the curler still had a wave to it (but, even though I didn’t do that, my roots were very smooth).
They make “Spiral Curls” Curlformers for super long hair up to 29″ now!! But those jokers are $73.95!! I’ll stick with pulling mine down from the root since that worked perfectly fine!! LOL!!
The setting went very easily. I only had to start over on two sections because the hair wouldn’t slide through smoothly. I decided to set my hair only slightly damp with the hopes that it would dry overnight. So, speaking of overnight, let’s talk about sleeping in these. I followed Naptural85s suggestion and secured the front sections with hair elastic. Then, I split them down the back and laid on my back to sleep. Yeah … I’m a side, fetal position sleeper and didn’t get much sleep that way. So, finally, in the early hours, I flipped on my side, threw the curlers over the edge of the pillow and balled the corner of the pillow up under my chin to elevate my head a little. That worked a lot better for me.
The Take Down
The next morning (about 8 1/2 hours later), I removed the curlers and set my curls in buns for my morning workout following Naptural85′s technique for stretched curls.
Working from the front left first (pink curlers), I held the end of the curler near my roots and stretched the curler straight (this can be a little tricky as the Curlformers are firm and have a lot of “recoil” action, which help smooth the hair and retain their shape after repeated uses, I think).
Then, I squeezed each end of the curler to make it open and pulled the curler down the strand, keeping a grasp on both ends.
I “corrected” any curls that twisted/flipped by twirling/flipping them in the proper direction with my finger.
Next, I applied a little Shea Decadence Sweet Marmalade Pomade to my ends to seal the hair and add shine. (Yo. I’ve been using several items from Shea Decadence for about a month now. LOVE them and have to get you guys a full review soon as it is soooo overdue!!)
Repeated on next section. (I had one section that didn’t fully dry, so I just pin curled it and left it that way until I released all of my hair.)
Once I had two sections free, I combined the curls. (I did not clip the ends as my curls stayed together without one and I didn’t want my curls to stretch too much.)
I repeated until the left side was one big “twist” and then did the same on the right side.
Once both sides were done, I loosely wrapped and bunned them at the back of my head using hair pins.
Then, I tied my hair up in a satin scarf and donned a sweatband for day 117 of my #365daysoffitness (30 min. progressive incline walking on the treadmill … decided to not run to try to reduce the amount I sweat … yeah … I still sweat a lot. But, health over hair.)
So, yeah, I removed the sweatband, but left the scarf on my hair (and actually added a second thinner one around my edges to absorb more sweat) until I got to work. When I uncovered my hair, the scarf and my hair were still damp . But, I released my buns anyway and gently separated the curls. I left the roots alone to try to allow them to air dry.
And, by the early afternoon, after it had long since dried, I played around with the part to get it more to my liking (meaning, I needed to create more volume at the front!).
Final Thoughts:
So, what do I think of Curlformers? I LOVE them! They weren’t whistling dixie when they said these get the hair soooo smooth like a curling iron! I was also soooo impressed that even though I had to leave the first inch of my hair out, my roots still looked smooth and silky (until I worked out )!!! Though the curls looks similar to my perm rod sets, I think my hair is a lot smoother and more stretched. The application process went very smoothly for me, which was my biggest concern and why I didn’t try these things for 2 years!! The removal was also pretty easy, though I didn’t do it quickly to make certain I didn’t snag or ruin a curl. My hair didn’t get snagged or pulled out in the curlers during the application or removal process (I only removed shed hairs that I saw … no broken hairs from the curlers).
Now, the cost of Curlformers may be prohibitive for some at $50-$75 for most complete kits. But, if you can swing them, I would definitely recommend!!! Sally’s carries them on the ground, and you might be able to catch them on sale and use the 15% discount if you are a rewards member. Oh, and if you goal is to grow your hair long, I’d suggest getting the longest ones you can afford so that you don’t outgrow a shorter set and have to spend more money for longer kit. In the alternative, if you just can’t see yourself spending that much on “rollers,” I know that there is a knock-off brand called Magic Levarag. It’s sold on eBay and Amazon for at least half the price. However, that brand doesn’t have the length options that Curlformers have and I’ve read mixed reviews, so I’m not co-signing on it at all and would suggest that you do your research first.
Alright … it’s obvious I don’t know how to write a short post! I started this yesterday an hour before heading to the movies (BTW, I HATED Man of Steel) and had to finish it this morning!! Oh well … at least I’m thorough … right (humor me please )?!?!
To wrap this up … Curlformers get four hearts out of five (I took one off for the high price tag ).
So … after owning a set of Curlformers for two years … I’m finally trying them for the first time. I’ve watched Naptural85 and MahoganyCurls tutorials 50 gajillion times and finally successfully and easily installed a Curlformer this past weekend. So, since I have an event to attend this weekend, I decided I’d give them a try!!
22″ Extra Long and Wide Too short?!?! When did my hair get longer than 22″??!?! Shoot, when did it get to be 22″?? I thought it was 19-20″!!!
So, I had to pull most of the curlers down about an inch from the root to make certain my ends were fully covered.
Hopefully my hair will dry overnight and survive my morning workout (I don’t think that I can run with these in my hair, so I may just do some incline walking instead). I’ll be back to report the results tomorrow hopefully (Man of Steel is going down tomorrow night … so I can’t make any promises) … the good, the bad or the ugly. And then I’ll share what I did, what products I used, what I’d do differently next time and what I think of the much lauded and reviewed Curlformers!!
As many of you may know, I started a personal fitness challenge back in February. I was the heaviest I had been in my life, wasn’t fitting the vast majority of my clothes, eating horribly, inactive, tired, and pretty miserable. So, I needed a major jump start to get back into a regular exercise routine, which always gets me on track with my diet, in order to lose the excess weight that had put me over a healthy BMI. But, I also knew I needed something to do something that would push me past that 2-3 mark where it’s easy to fall off the wagon again.
So, I set a goal for myself to exercise just 10 minutes a day for 28 consecutive days.
“10 minutes. That’s it?” That’s right. 10 measly minutes. I thought, “How can I make an excuse to not take 10 minutes in a 24 hour day to exercise?” So I knew that, with such a minimal commitment, I should be able to get back into a regular exercise routine. I also knew that, instead of trying to workout after work, when I was mentally and physically exhausted (i.e. full of excuses and unmotivated), I had to start working out in the morning. That way, I would capitalize on the motivation that was always there when I woke up (“Today is the day! I’m working out today!!”), but always inevitably waned over the course of the day (“I’m so tired. Tomorrow. I’ll start tomorrow.”).
And now …
Day 90: Abs of Steel and Kettlebell Scult and Tone
Day 91: Brazil Butt Lift
Day 92: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) treadmill
Day 93: Brazil Butt Lift-Bum Bum (am) and Abs of Steel (pm)
Day 94: HIIT treadmill
Day 95: Abs of Steel and Standing & Sitting Stretches
Day 96: HIIT treadmill
Day 97: Abs of Steel
Day 98: Brazil Butt Lift-High & Tight and treadmill walk
Day 99: HIIT treadmill
Day 100: Abs of Steel and Brazil Butt Lift-Bum Bum
Progress: Jan 2013 – May 2013
I T ‘ S 1 0 0 D A Y S L A T E R!!!
That’s right. As of today, I have worked out a minimum of 10 minutes every day for 100 days in a row. I incorporate a variety of exercises (e.g. running, walking, HIIT, kettlebell, stretching, abdominal work, hot yoga, calisthenics, aerobics) and exercise about 30 minutes most days of the week. And, I’ve lost 19.5 pounds, completed a 9 week C25K training program, competed in my first 5K, and achieved new poses in hot yoga. So, about a week or so ago, I decided I was going to keep going. “Why stop at 100 days?” I thought. I still have another 9.5 pounds that I want to lose to reach my goal weight of 120 and am signed up for the Warrior’s Dash (a 5K obstacle course) on August 3rd. But, more importantly, I have been on a roller coaster with exercise, diet and my weight for the last 10 years and I need to break the cycle. From the age of 19-30/31, I worked out consistently and maintained a weight between 120-130. However, over the subsequent 10 years, I got into this pattern of 6 months on, 6 months off, which progressed in the last couple of years to 6 months on, 1 year or more off and higher and higher numbers on the scale .
So, this 365 Days of Fitness Challenge is to break that cycle. It’s to TRULY get back on the path wellness and consistently taking care of myself. I’m not a young chickie anymore and this yo-yoing is detrimental to my health and I know it. This is about far more than how I look (though that’s definitely a big bonus . It’s about how I feel and the quality of life I want for me and Wei as we continue to grow older. I believe in moderation in most things. So, I’m trying to eat and exercise in a way that I can sustain in the long-term, rather than in a way that exhausts me, makes me dread working out or restricts what I eat so much that I ca’t indulge every now and again.
Oh yeah. I made these last week. Ate one. It was gooood.
That being said, this 365 Day Challenge is something that I am doing for myself. It is my own personal goal. It started one day, 10 minutes, at a time and it will continue that way. So, sorry … you’re going to be stuck with these health and fitness posts/updates for a while . And, I am not saying that anyone has to do this with me (though you are welcome to join me if you want ). But, if you have been looking for a way to “get back in the game,” why not set a goal for yourself, join a challenge, do something to hold yourself (or get others to hold you ) accountable?!? All it takes is a few minutes a day … one day at a time. You’ve got nothing to lose (except maybe some excess weight ) and everything to gain!!
I loved reading all of the comments about your wonderful mothers on the Ebonnet Giveawaypost!! Mothers are truly a blessing from God. I spent yesterday with my mom and two grandmothers for a belated Mother’s Day as I didn’t get to see them last Sunday. I am thankful to have such wonderful role models in my life. Every conversation with my mom reminds me of why I think she is the best mother in the world (I realized when I was a teenager that most kids think that and, if they don’t, something ain’t right). So, just shouting out the moms in my life! LOVE YOU MUCH!!
Okay, now without further ado …
The winners of the Ebonnet sets are …
HAZEL PITTMAN
and
GLORIA
♥♥♥♥♥♥
Congrats ladies! Shoot your mailing addresses and contact numbers to me at hairscapades@gmail.com within the next 5 days and EboniCurls will ship one of the two Leopard Dreams sets to you post haste!!
A couple of weeks ago, I was fudging around on YouTube and came across this two part series on using coconut milk as a hair treatment. I was immediately intrigued for two reasons. First, I love me some coconut oil! DON’T NOBODY better say nothin’ bad about COCONUT OIL. ‘Cuz that’s when Bonita goes OFF!! *teehee* Second, the YouTuber’s hair is RIDIC!! I mean, long as all get out and so healthy looking without a broken strand visible to the naked eye (whereas I have a ton from a rough, dry winter )!! Now, I know her hair is not curly, kinky, or coily. However, I have always believed that we can learn things from a variety of sources and different textures/ethnicities as so many of the practices that promote healthy hair are the same, regardless of race/texture/hair type (i.e. moisture, protein, protection). And, given the benefits of coconut oil (did you see this recent article on CurlyNikki about the amazing penetrating capabilities of coconut oil?!?!?) and how great it works for me, I figured coconut milk (which has coconut oil in it) might be just as awesome.
Now, though I love the IDEA of using fresh coconut milk, #aintnobodygottimeforthat. *LOL* So, I broke out a can of coconut milk that I had in the cabinet. I had picked up a couple of cans a long time ago for a post-wash avocado/coconut milk/honey DC that didn’t work out too well (made my hair hard). But, I was ready to give this new use of it a go! However, first, I decided to research a little more to see if I could find naturals who had used coconut milk with success. And, I just so happened to come across these posts by my virtual curlfriend, Petra/Emily CottonTop: Coconut Milk Deep Condition and Results – Coconut Milk Pre-Poo. In these posts, Petra shares a pre-poo recipe:
The recipe
Coconut Milk – 4 tablespoons
Honey -2 tablespoon
3 of Your Favorite oils – 1 tablespoon each
… and her awesome results. I was sold!
So, I whipped up a batch of coconut-milk with Vatika Oil and EVOO, using only two tablespoons of oil instead of three. I heated the mix and applied to my dry dirty hair. Then I donned a plastic cap and my thermal heat turban for about an hour. I will say that the application process was messy and a bit sticky. But, my wash process went very smoothly and my hair felt stronger, moisturized and my twists were so plump, juicy and shiny!
Coconut milk from the can.
Dried twists.
Dried Twists
Work-out hair.
Work hair for Mon-Thursday.
Day 5 hair: twist-out.
So, this past weekend, I made a coconut milk pre-poo again with the leftovers from the prior week. This time, I added some Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose conditioner (I was hoping that it would thicken the mix, but it didn’t really) and applied and massaged plain, warmed coconut milk into my scalp too. Though the application process was still a little messy (I think I’ll use a small dye applicator bottle in the future), I had great results again. So, I’m really thinking this will become a staple in my regimen!! I will keep an eye on my hair to make certain that the coconut milk doesn’t begin to make it feel hard or brittle (due to the protein content). If it does, I will reduce the frequency of the treatment.
Finally, I don’t use much coconut milk for the treatment and it only keeps in the fridge for about two weeks it seems. So, I was worried about spoilage and wasting it. Fortunately for me, I discovered that it can be frozen into ice cubes to form convenient “serving sizes” for future use!!!
So yeah, all engines are a go!! Coconut milk pre-poo treatments are my new boo!! Time will tell if it results in strands as long, seemingly perfectly uniform in length, and unbroken as that YouTuber!! One can only hope !!
Okay, sorry. Another fitness post. I know. Promise, there will be a hair one soon. But, I just had to share my progress!! So, hope that you don’t mind!! I’m down to about 130/131 pounds (varies when I step on the scale ) from my starting point of 148.5 back on 2/18/13!! And, my dedication and consistency (can’t even call it hard work as I’ve exercised a LOT harder in the past – 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week + 100% clean eating) are really paying off!!
Got off, got back on and it said 131.5. Go figure.
Now, I will say this, I lose weight on my upper body far more quickly than my lower body. So, the last 10 or so pounds that I want to lose is mostly on my lower half and I pulled out the big guns last week to help me lose it!
1. Pre-workout breakfast smoothie (see this article on the importance of fueling up before a work out).
I had not been eating before my morning workouts. I would just have a cup of coffee and hit the basement with my water bottle. I have always hated the feeling of a full stomach when working out and didn’t feel I had the time needed to allow a breakfast to digest properly before working out (30-60 minutes). However, given that I’d begun running for longer periods and wanted to improve my performance all around, I knew I needed to start fueling up. Enter the quick digesting, pre-workout breakfast green smoothie!! I knew I wanted oatmeal in my smoothie, so I did some research and cobbled together the following recipe from a few that I found online.
Pre-workout Breakfast Green Smoothie
1 c. fresh spinach, kale or collard greens (omega 3s/magnesium)
1/2 frozen banana (simple carb/potassium)
1/4 c. frozen strawberries (simple carb/potassium)
1/4 cup ground oatmeal (the NutriBullet mill does this in SECONDS!!) (complex carb/fiber/magnesium) 1 scoop Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte OR Strawberry Mousse protein Powder
3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c. water
They beat the Zaggora in my opinion as you don’t feel the sweat until you remove them. With Zaggora, the sweat drips out of the legs as you work out! Ewwwwww!!!
♦
4. Green Coffee Bean Extract (purchased a LivingSocial deal after watching a Dr. Oz segment on its effectiveness).
To see the Dr. Oz segment, click here. There are 5 clips total, but the last 4 are very short.
I know the first two things will work, as they are tried and true for me. But, the coffee bean extract is the unknown. I first learned about green coffee bean extract back in November and ordered some online. But, within seconds of placing my order, I realized that I may have been scammed. The source was an unauthorized Dr. Oz Facebook page and there were some forced internet pages, so I cancelled my order AND my credit card. Then, I did more research and found that green coffee bean extract is legit, that Dr. Oz doesn’t endorse any particular brand, but he does provide strict guidelines for buying an authentic product (part 5 of video series): 1. Must be pure (zero fillers, zero binders, zero artificial ingredients) √, 2. Must contain at least 45% chlorogenic acids √, 3. Must say Svetol® or GCA √. He also indicated that the capsules can range in size from 200 to 800 mg, which is fine. Anywho, the studies and his experiment showed that this product enables people to lose up to 2 pounds a week without changing anything in their diet or exercise routine!!
So, when I saw the LivingSocial deal for The Official GreenCoffeeBean Extract brand ($29 for a 3 month supply) and checked out the site to validate the “must haves,” I decided to try again. The pills arrived last Friday and I started taking them that very night. Since Saturday, I have taken them twice a day, 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner. The pills have less caffeine than 1/2 a cup of coffee and, so far, I haven’t experienced any jitters, sleeplessness or side effects. I’m hoping that with continued daily workouts and eating cleanly, I’ll see some great results over the next few weeks and will be able to show you some lean and mean legs too ! You know that I’ll keep you guys posted!!
Last week was marked with achievement for me as it relates to my ongoing personal fitness goals!! It began the Sunday before last when I was able to do side crow for the first time ever in hot yoga!!!
“OMGosh! OMGosh! I can’t believe I’m doing this!!”
And, I didn’t do it just once; I did it THREE times!!! I was able to do it on both sides during practice and then my bestie/yoga buddy take this pic of me doing it again after class ended!! Okay … so, I haven’t been able to do it since … but, I now know that I can do it and can do it again!! I also tried scorpion (assisted against the wall and with my arms strapped around my elbows) for the first time! And, it was pretty good for a first try!! Woot Woot!!
So, at the end of yoga, my bestie tells me about this Superhero 5K in Morristown the following Saturday. She knew I finished C25K (she was 5 weeks in and we were talking about signing up for the Morristown Warriors Dash). She is also well aware of my love of comics/cartoons and knew this would be right up my alley. How fitting would it be that my first 5K in life be superhero themed?!?! So, when I got home, I looked it up and saw that the 5K was not only fun, but to raise money to bring clean water to Africa and Central America. Superhero-themed and for a good cause? Sign me up and call me Batman!!
Oh! How could I forget?! Part of the reason this came up was because of a belated birthday gift from my buddy Fernando! Batsocks!!
And so, this past Saturday, I ran my first ever 5K!! And, I did not walk once!!
(Click pics to enlarge/read captions)
Arriving and taking in the view!! You know, there weren’t as many Flashes as I expected!!
Wei saying, “What has she gotten me into?”
5K hair and outfit! Okay, this high/low ponytail is going to be a go-to style this year!!
Passing people ….who are walking and texting. LOL!!
Crossing the finish line!!
Our heroes return victorious!!
Let me tell you, those hills are a b@#$!! LOL!! But, I am very pleased to say that I ran it in 34:40.92 minutes, which was an 11:09 mph pace! So, this is right about on par with the 5.5 mph pace I’ve been running on the treadmill! And, I was came in 114th place out of 498 women!!! Woot Woot squared!! LOL! My goal is to be able to run a 5K in 30 minutes or less … but one day at a time .
So yeah … great week for me personal fitness challenge wise ! And, as of yesterday, I’m 3 months/84 days into this working out for at least 10 minutes every day!! When I started this, I was just trying to get past the 3 week hurdle. I am totally ecstatic that I’ve come this far and don’t see myself stopping now!
AWWWWWWW SOOKIE SOOKIE NOW!!!! As if the 15% discount code wasn’t awesome enough … that’s right!!! Eboni is donating TWO EboniCurls 4-piece Ebonnet sets for a HAIRSCAPADES GIVEAWAY!!! This just gets better and better!!
Want your chance to win a red or chocolate Cheetah Dreams set, which includes a double-lined Ebonnet, contrast pillowcase and TWO scrunchies? Well here’s all that you have to do!!!
Comment below to confirm when you’ve done both AND, in honor of Mother’s Day, tell us why your mom rocks and/or why you’re a rocking mom !!
All subscribers, old and new, are eligible!! Just make certain to Follow, Like, and Comment as instructed above!!
A winner will be selected at random within the week following the close of the giveaway!
The deadline for entry is Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12th, at 11:59 pm.
*No purchase necessary. A winner will be selected at random the week following the close of the giveaway. In accepting the prize, the winner acknowledges that Hairscapades.com may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize. This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws. Contest open to Continental U.S. residents only. One entry per person. Claiming of prizes requires an e-mail response to hairscapades@gmail.com from the winner within 5 days of being notified of winning. Failure to respond shall mean that the winner forfeits the prize and an alternate winner will be selected.
.
. But, I released my buns anyway and gently separated the curls. I left the roots alone to try to allow them to air dry.
)!!! Though the curls looks similar to my perm rod sets, I think my hair is a lot smoother and more stretched. The application process went very smoothly for me, which was my biggest concern and why I didn’t try these things for 2 years!! The removal was also pretty easy, though I didn’t do it quickly to make certain I didn’t snag or ruin a curl. My hair didn’t get snagged or pulled out in the curlers during the application or removal process (I only removed shed hairs that I saw … no broken hairs from the curlers).
So, I had to pull most of the curlers down about an inch from the root
Oh yeah. I made these last week. Ate one. It was gooood.
#IJS
